William Hague coming to Chatham was always going to make another day on the campaign trail a bit more exciting and the event certainly lived up to expectations.
As the local media prepared their cameras and notepads, the Chatham & Aylesford troops adjusted their rosettes ready to welcome William to ASDA for a tour.
I had recently been invited for a tour of my local store and as it is one of the largest employers in the constituency, I jumped at the opportunity. The management treated me very well, taking time to show me the various things the store does to ensure that it remains at the heart of the local community, introducing me to employees and giving me time with some young local voters to talk about the economy.
I’ve worked in retail so I know that since chains make sure each store is pretty much the same, so William has probably seen it all before. But this was Chatham’s store and I was proud that he could see what ASDA does for local people both as employees and customers and of course that they could see William Hague – many women came over to William to say how much they liked and admired him!
When you visit a supermarket it is clear how jobs and the economy remain one of the biggest issues in the area. Whether it is what kind of items are on offer or what shifts employees are doing, the signs of the economic times are there in every aisle. William highlighted our policies on the economy throughout his day in the South East, but sitting next to him as he spoke to ASDA employees on their break it was quite clear that people are desperate to see a more stable economy and long term job security.
As we left the canteen, one of the ladies (and prospective voters) said to me “you must win Tracey, you must”. After William departed and we headed off back to the streets, I kept on thinking about that lady and with renewed determination and energy got back to the campaign to make sure for the sake of all those in Chatham & Aylesford and the country at large, that we win.
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