My blog has moved to my new site http://www.andrewpercy.org/

My blog has moved to my new site http://www.andrewpercy.org/

Post Office Petition and Survey Launched

I seem to have picked up what Pat my PA calls 'Man Flu' at conference, so I am a little out of it this week. However, my petition against the closure of local Post Offices seems to have gone down well. I also produced surveys for several of the villages which, despite the postal strike, are coming back in a goodly number.

I thought it important to make sure as many residents as possible are given the opportunity to comment on Labour's proposals to close 5 Post Offices in our area. I am just hoping this is not going to be another sham consultation in which there is no possibility of the proposals not becoming reality. We shall see ....

I'm off for another lemsip before heading back to bed. I hope I am well tomorrow as I am due to meet with some of the Flood Action Group which we set up to fight the Environment Agency's River Aire Flood Catchment Plan.

So......

What more is there to say. Brown bottled the election because he would have lost seats like Brigg and Goole. Our local polling shows a movement to the Conservatives locally and so it is no surprise Brown bottled it. I have to say I knew that Labour MPs in marginal seats must be worried because my opponent here kept blogging that everyone was telling him he would win by an increased majority! The fact he published those silly blogs obviously meant he was nervous. Whilst I am sorry we wont have an election I relish the chance for 18 months more to campaign. We have barely got started here and we have so much more planned.

Despite the lack of an election I have been out and about this weekend across the constituency. I spent Sunday in Belton with quite a big team. Best of all, I picked up a couple of new volunteers and some new poster sites. Wherever I go people say how nice it is to see us, there is so much untapped potential in this seat and the fact that we are doing what we are doing is paying dividends. A proper campaign is what this seat needs and that's what my team and I will deliver.

Alas, I have got a Conference Cough though so I have spent today in the house doing admin jobs for the campaign meeting later. Anyway, I'm off for some more chicken soup!

Snap Election?

It must be awful to be Gordon Brown at any time, but even worse this weekend. I personally hope that there is a snap election but I am hearing rumours that one of the marginal MPs who has advised against an election may not be a thousand miles away from here!!

If he chooses to bottle it then he will not be forgiven by the people. If there is no election Brown will have exposed himself as one of the most cynical double dealers in politics. It will become clear that his aim all along was to try to use the threat of an election to wrong foot the Conservatives. In doing so he will have taken the British public as fools and our job will be to expose that cynicism.

Labour really are wrong to think people don't see through their cynicism and spin. Take Post Office closures, my opponent here is running around trying to give the impression that everything is OK and that it's not really Labour's fault that 5 more Post Offices will close. I am pleased to say that local people are cleverer than that. One local resident told me she thought it a damn cheek that he dared to appear in the paper claiming to oppose the closure of the Post Office in Westfield Avenue, Goole. I am pleased to say however that whilst he was posing for photos I was actually contacting local residents directly on this issue.

Labour to close 5 local Post Offices

As revealed in the local press this week, Labour are proposing to close the Post Offices in Eastoft, West Butterwick, Wroot, Reedness and Westfield Avenue in Goole.



I am 100% committed to fighting these closures and it is frankly a disgrace that our communities are to lose these vital resources. Our local Labour MP has implied that the reason our Post Offices are closing is local people's fault. More people might choose to use Post Offices if the Government hadn't stopped them offering services such as TV Licences or if they had allowed those who wanted to continue using pension books to do so.


I have launched a campiaign to save our Post Offices and I have already been around many of the areas that will suffer at the hands of Labour's Post Office closures. I wont let local people forget what this Government is doing to them and nor will local people let the local Labour MP off the hook on this one!

(Photos are of me at Eastoft and Westfield Avenue Post Offices)

Conference Blog

Am busying myself here at the Conservative Party conference in Blackpool. The atmosphere is really very upbeat and we are all ready for an election. I have a few meetings today regarding the strategy for winning Brigg and Goole. I am meeting with a few groups this evening which have an interest in issues in the constituency which I am sure will be of use.

The best news to come from the conference thus far is our commitment to abolish inheritance tax on homes under £1 million and to take 9 out of 10 first time buyers out of stamp duty. I know how important that last pledge is for people of my age group who very often struggle to save for a deposit never mind pay stamp duty!

I spent some time yesterday talking to the Post Office representatives here. There is massive concern across Brigg and Goole about the forthcoming Post Office closure announcements which are due out imminently. I told them that I thought Post Office closures, the scrapping of second delivery and the scrapping of Sunday collections did little to ensure continued public support for our Post Offices. Maybe that is what the Government want, it would certainly make it easier for them to get their Post Office closures through!

I have to run off now and go to a meeting about the target seat campaign for Brigg and Goole.

Building Support

I attended the freshers fair at Hull University yesterday to assist the Conservative Future group there who give such support to the target seats locally. We had a really encouraging number of people sign up including a couple of students who are from the Brigg and Goole constituency.

I'm really managing to build a strong local team and having just done an analysis of the responses to my most recent local mailing it is clear that we have some real momentum. What is really encouraging is that lots of our new volunteers are local residents who may not wish to join the party but who want to give me a hand.

It's fair to say that the local association needed some support and in just a few months I have already built a strong local team of friends, family and residents that should dwarf any effort the local party has been able to make in the past. Roll on the election!

I hear that a local Labour Party fundraiser held recently barely managed to get 30-40 people to attend! Our recent Brigg and Wolds fundraiser managed nearly three times that and that was just one ward branch! Our growing base locally probably explains why Labour have resorted to personal abuse as a way of attacking me.

Riding Around in Goole

Cllr Caroline Fox and I are pictured volunteering at East Riding Council's 'Riding Around' event in Goole recently.

I had meant to put it on the blog last week but my little car accident rather delayed things. Anyways, I am mobile again from tomorrow with a new(er) car!

The 'Riding Around' event is a really good idea and seeks residents views in helping set the priorities of the local area. Conservative run East Riding Council's progressive approach can be contrasted with Labour run North Lincolnshire Council who prefer to take decisions without asking the public, as evidenced by their decision to scrap free parking in Brigg without ANY consultation with local people.

Poor Caroline wont like the fact the photo has her with her eyes closed. Who said politicians were blind to the wishes of the people.

I see we have no general election announced yet - yawn. Am I the only one getting really bored of all the election talk? Let's stop the messing and have one, then we can get some stability back.

Brigg Car Parking Petition off to a flyer!

We've had a ton of names in on our petition to save free parking in Brigg. We keep getting requests for more petitions - it's getting hard to keep up.

Labour have made a really big mistake deciding to put parking charges on in Brigg. They can offer no good reason for why they have decided to put the charges on. The local Labour MP did so much to help the Labour Councillors making this decision to win their seats in May, that local people will not be fooled by his pretense that he opposes the charges. One man in Brigg stopped me last week and said "I see the Labour MP is paying lip service to the car parking charges."

At least local people know that only the Conservatives really oppose scrapping the two hour free parking in Brigg.

Real Aid Flood Appeal

I have just been and handed over £200 for the Real Aid Flood Charity which is working closely with East Riding Council to help assist flood victims in the East Riding.


The money was raised by way of a charity football match organised by Blaine Robin who works at CCHQ.

Blaine phoned me after the flooding to see if there was anything he could do to help. He came up with the idea of a football match and as a result £200 was raised. The photo shows me handing the cheque over to the charity which is based in Beverley. Sincere thanks must go to Blaine and all those who took part.

In other news, I just got an e-mail from a friend I worked with in the states but haven't heard from for a while. He has now got back in touch thanks to this blog! I spent a year on work experience in the states when I was a student. I worked in politics which was great, especially because as I was paid by the Government, rather than a political party, and so I got to work with politicians of both parties. That was while Clinton was still President which seems an age ago!