The Best Polling Day ever

Even if the polls are right and the Liberal Democrats get their best result in decades and even come second in the popular vote, nothing can beat polling day in the Euro elections in 1999 for me. That was the day I took my beautiful baby daughter home from hospital for the first time. She looked so tiny in her car seat - it was incredible that she'd virtually outgrown it within 4 months.

Glasgow SNP councillor Alison Thewliss got me all nostalgic on Twitter the other night - she has gone through this election with a rapidly developing bump and this tweet brought back happy memories as I remembered Anna kicking away inside me at a Paddy Ashdown rally a week or so before the election. That was the very election that saw Nick Clegg elected as MEP for the East Midlands. I was Region Team Leader then and I'd raised a fair bit by means of a sponsored labour - the irony was too good to miss. I will never forget the look of absolute horror on Paddy's face as people were invited to come and sponsor me, by the hour:-). Actually most people were compassionate enough just to give a donation.

So, you can see why taking my gorgeous first and onlyborn will trounce anything that can ever happen on any election day. The second best ever, though, was 9th February 2006, the day Willie Rennie won the Dunfermline and West Fife by-election. What a beautiful day it was. The Courier had a photograph of Willie and then leader Nicol Stephen at the top of the Forth Rail Bridge. We worked all day and were thrilled when he won. I actually found out while parked in Tesco petrol station in Duloch in Dunfermline (where we'd gone to buy binbags, how glamorous)I had a phone call from a friend who told me that we'd won by a couple of thousand votes. Elation didn't even begin to describe the emotion.

Today's Dunfermline Press predicts a photo finish in Dunfermline, after an online poll predicted a dead heat between Willie Rennie and Labour, each on 32%. Labour have briefed the press that they expect to win the seat back easily but this poll gives the lie to that and much more reflects what we've heard on the doorsteps as Willie Rennie says:

"Your poll reflects the feedback we're getting that it is really close between ourselves and Labour.

"We are now finding that people who have previously voted for the SNP or the Tories are now thinking about switching to us because they're tired of Labour taking the area for granted.

"There's an element of tactical voting and it's a big decision people have to make.

"Nothing that's come up on the doorsteps has really surprised me because I try to keep in touch with the local communities all the time and it's not a case of just popping up when we want your vote.

"I think people in the area are fed up with negative campaigning such as our opponents making up stories saying we would scrap the carriers contract.

"People in the area know I've fought tooth and nail for the carriers and so they're not happy when they can see this type of scaremongering."

It's going to be close and every vote will count - so if you live in Dunfermline, Rosyth, Inverkeithing, Kincardine, Culross, High Valleyfield, Low Valleyfield, Carnock, Gowkhall, Torryburn, Newmills, Saline, Steelend, Crossgates, Mossgreen, a small part of Cowdenbeath, Cairneyhill, Limekilns, Charlestown, North Queensferry, Crossford, Blairhall, Oakley, Pattiesmuir, Comrie or Crombie and want to keep Willie Rennie as your MP, go and vote - your vote could make the difference!