Here Today, But Elsewhere All Week

Having spent a the bulk of my waking hours over the weekend up in Glenrothes. I'm in my paid work today for a one day week, need to get the weekly stats done by 9am New York Time today. Then I'll be blogging light, if at all for the bulk of the rest of the week.

On Saturday we had a meeting of Linlithgow luminaries on the campaign trail. Out in Pitcoudie I ran into the Education Minister Fiona Hyslop and the SNP Westminster PPC for Linlithgow and Falkirk East Tam Smith. Unlike certain campaigners I met the other week this was the good old West Lothian bonhomie. It is now four Westminster by election campaigns this Parliament and in each one I have been on the same street as Fiona Hyslop at least once. Livingston for obvious reasons, in Dunfermline and West Fife while Willie Rennie and Douglas Chapman greeted each other elsewhere in their canvassing teams me and Fiona said hello. On the last Saturday in Glasgow East I was driven past Fiona while she was out canvassing, and then again on Saturday.

Saturday I also saw Annabel Goldie first as she arrived at the Tory HQ next door to ours, as I was being driven out to do some work. Then in Markinch town centre with their candidate Maurice Golden next to our favourite coffee house when we stopped to grab lunch, and finally as she left for the day.

While Caron has been stuck in the office in Markinch I have been out an about. But like her I have yet to run into any Labour campaigners on any of the streets I've been in. I gave seen some evidence of their existence. Leaflets on the mat behind the doors I get to, and yesterday evening in Lochgelly a Labour sticker on the ground. However, I have met on various streets SNP and Tory campaigners. I've even seen a SSCUP (Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party) deliver on my travels. But nowhere have I actually run across a Labour team, or individual actually in real time on the street. Well they have three days yet to make an appearance in my campaign, so I'll let you know on Friday.

I have however pretty much now done the compass points of the Glenrothes constituency. In the north Collydean, to the east Buckhaven and Leven, to the south Kirkcaldy North, looking across the road to Gordon Brown's constituency, and to the west Lochgelly. Though I didn't quite identify the grassy knoll green from where the threat of Sarah Brown's protection detail was aimed at the fourth estate when I travelled through Cardenden en route to Lochgelly.