Canvassing is a great way to ensure you do remain educated and in touch with voters’ real issues. Today the two big concerns, repeated by several, were basically:

• begging – not ‘anti’ beggars, but wanting to find a solution that reduced the hassle factor for shops and smokers, as well as reducing opportunistic thefts – I was struck by the realistic attitudes taken by Ward electors on this issue;
• enforcement of traffic regulations – and a particular issue with portable ‘shredding’ factories sitting on footpaths churning loudly away and ignoring traffic rules and fines – this is something local to me about which I must find out more.

There was significant praise, for the most part, of the City of London Police and their responsiveness to situations which can only be, at best, partly resolved.  More to learn during the week!

And in breaking news, my long-standing sailing friend Uli gives me her lovely 18 month old daughter, Uma, to kiss in order to supply the obligatory ‘baby kissing’ shot – but Uma proves too fast, or too wise!  Yet, there is a happy ending…