Tuesday 13 April 2010

Dealing With It

Right, this is the way it is. I am not a gravely ill man, but nor am I a well one and I certainly shouldn't do anything that might make me any worse. The condition that led to my three major operations will never entirely go away, although as much as possible of the offending bit of me has been removed. Almost all of it. But not quite all, since that would have been impossible.

So I will have recurrences from time to time, and I am almost certainly having one now, test results pending. They can be controlled when they happen, and I can therefore live a long and perfectly productive life. But arranging that control for this first really serious one means that I will still be quite unwell, to put it at its most English, throughout this General Election campaign. What to do?

Well, if people really want me, then this is the point at which to put their money where their mouths are. Contrary to what is sometimes asserted, I have in fact been appealing for funds, on here and elsewhere, for a period of years. But of course I always knew that the calling of the Election itself would put such matters nearer the top of people's To Do lists. The Election has now been called, indeed it was called a week ago and Labour's leaflet delivered free by the Royal Mail remains the only communication from any of, including me, at least seven candidates for this seat.

I am too ill, and the situation here is too bad, for me to content myself with being a paper candidate whose saved deposit somehow made his point. What point, exactly? Nominations close at 4pm next Tuesday, 20th April. I have the forms. If by Sunday evening I have enough money to mount a proper bid for this seat, then I will go for it. If I haven't, or if I lose on the night, then any money left will be held over for the widely expected second General Election this autumn. If that doesn't happen, or if I lose that, then any left over will be donated to the think tank, which will by then be a registered charity. All clear, I trust.

Over to you.

22 comments:

  1. Prospective Parliamentary Candidate...or What?13 April 2010 at 22:24

    Some cruel people might interpret this posting as being an attempt at a vaguely graceful way to bow out of this election campaign before its even started...

    What ever happened to a candidate in every constituency, the new people's party to take over British politics for the silent old-Labour anti-abortion (etc.) majority? Now the only candidate in just one constituency seems to be unlikely. Could well have something to do with "health issues" - but tell us more. Neil Clark and Co. will just be gloating, and we can't have that.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tell you more? Really, it's very gruesome, and you wouldn't want to know. I have absolutely no intention of discussing it on here.

    As for the wider movement, the day will come, and sooner rather than later, whether or not I have anything to do with it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Seize every moment.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very much my own feelings.

    That was why I didn't call the whole thing off after the surgery, which was years after I had first blogged about this.

    But it is now out of my hands, and in the hands of the doctors and the donors.

    ReplyDelete
  5. You must stand. This is the chance you've been waiting for.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Well, if people want me that badly, then they know what they have to do. For the first, and no doubt the last, time in my life, I'll disregard the doctors. If I have enough funds to stand a realistic chance of winning. Over to you.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The question is, are you going to do something with your life, or are you going to be a sad, bitter failure?

    I think we already know the answer.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I've already done rather a lot. It's hardly as if I am one of those people wafted into a parliamentary seat two or three years after university.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Gerard, David was a primary school governor when you were probably still a primary school pupil, among his other achievements. He has a political CV a lot longer than that of the Conservative or Labour candidates. How he has dealt with his illness has been an inspiration.

    ReplyDelete
  10. It is obvious who is the sad, bitter failure here, Gerard.

    Have you been elected to a very large, middle-class parish council three times in a row? Were you elected the last time without any party backing, when the only other one like that was able to put out a leaflet to every house in a 7,000 people parish at his own expense, not something that David could do? Were you a governor of two schools when you were still at uni? Have you survived three big operations and a pulmonary embolism?

    I agree with Michael about how amazing you have been through your illness, but you have always emphasised that you did it by doing exactly what the doctors said. You are still quite young, your day will come.

    ReplyDelete
  11. People don't always realise that about David's parish councillor status. They think of The Vicar of Dibley. But there must be 4,000 voters in Lanchester, maybe 5,000. There are only 15 parish council seats and David has had one since 1999, when he was what, 22? As Anonymous said, he kept it last time with no party backing and no campaign fund. His vote went up, too.

    ReplyDelete
  12. 21, Michael. The legal minimum age at the time. The election was of course in May, whereas I wasn't 22 until September.

    ReplyDelete
  13. David you need to step up to the plate and be a man!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Believe me, that's what I'd like to do. People who agree know how they can indicate that agreement.

    ReplyDelete
  15. First you missed Mass on Sunday and then you missed last night's Parish Council AGM. You really are ill.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Bloody hell, he must be! He'll be stir crazy in the house.

    ReplyDelete
  17. david how's it going with the fundraising? have you had lots of money yet? i asked my mum if she would donate for you and she said she'd think about it hope she has done!!!!

    xx kesha

    ReplyDelete
  18. How much have you raised so far David - ballpark figure? Just to help other potential donors see how it's going.

    ReplyDelete