Sights set on the undecided

MIKE Evemy is keen to stress that he has never been canvassing on Chatsworth Road in Abbey Meads before.

He insists he hasn't selected it as a street full of Liberal Democrats primed to say the right things when he knocks on the door.

And if he has done this then he has constructed a plan far more complex than necessary to cover it up.

After meeting activists in the car park at Abbey Meads Village Centre and dishing out leaflets from the back of his car, Coun Evemy, fellow councillor Stan Pajak and a new recruit to the campaign, Colin Doubleday, head off to Chatsworth Road.

But Chatsworth Road must be the most confusing road in the warren of confusing roads that Abbey Meads is to an outsider and it takes Coun Evemy a good five minutes just to work out how the house numbering works before he can start his canvassing.

Either he is really, really dedicated to his cover story or he has never been here before and is wishing he had chosen a more simple street.

But it is a good job he hits this stumbling block or the evening may have started out slightly too well to be believed.

After no answer at the first house the man who answers the second door, although an undecided voter, quotes a Lib Dem election catchphrase.

Coun Evemy: "Hello, I'm Mike Evemy, your Liberal Democrat candidate for the election. I am calling around to ask how you might be voting in the election."

Resident: "I have not decided. It might be for you.

Coun Evemy: "Is there anything you would like to discuss?"

Resident: "No, I just think it is time for a change."

Coun Evemy: "So do we."

And there is a similar response at many of the doors on the street. Although very few say outright that they are definitely Lib Dem supporters, many are undecided and are considering the party.

"It is amazing how many people you get who say they don't know," says Coun Evemy.

"Some are non-voters but I think there is that genuine undecided element."

But the biggest response is no response at all no-one answers the door at 16 of the 31 houses visited during the early evening session, even though this is the prime 6 to 8pm canvassing slot.

It is a time-consuming exercise and Coun Evemy admits that the party has to focus on key areas.

"We have got to be selective in where we go," he says as he carefully folds a leaflet to post through the door of another empty house. We have got to be realistic."

But it is as we wait for someone to answer a door that a ginger cat joins us a good omen insists Coun Pajak, as it matches the orange of Charles Kennedy's hair and the Lib Dem's posters.

Education is an issue raised by several women on the road who have problems or are worried about getting their children into local schools.

Coun Evemy tells them about the Lib Dem policy to reduce class sizes but does not take the chance to criticise either the Conservative-run council or the Labour Government for any current problems.

In fact at no point during the evening does he enter into the political sniping that seems to characterise election campaigns.

Equally he is not on the receiving end of any hostile reactions from residents.

He says he has not been sworn at during this campaign and a few minutes later one woman even apologises for her household all being Labour voters.

In spite of this Coun Evemy seems genuinely pleased with the evening's work.

"It was very encouraging," he says. "I think from the people that we spoke to the number of people who were considering supporting us or who were definitely going to support us was higher than those for other parties.

"There are clearly a lot of people who are still making their minds up. That indicates that there is still everything to play for.

"People are just in that final stage of making a decision. We have got to do everything we can to get them to come over to us."

And as we walk back to the car the ginger cat follows us all the way down the road. Maybe there is hope for the Lib Dems in North Swindon.

Isabel Field