...and hello Ipswich

In my last post, I said goodbye Sangin, Afghanistan and in this one I say "Hello, Ipswich"
My Labour colleagues managed to get me a welcome home announcement on the electric scoreboard at Ipswich during half time in the match last Saturday against Derby County. A nice touch and an even better welcome was being able to see us win our first three points of the season!
Good to be coming home, but I will never forget serving with 2 Rifles in Afghanistan as our commander stated, "it was the fight of our lives". the tragic news from Helmand today reminds us all in the Rifles of what we went through and watching the news today it made us realise the roller coaster ride our families went throughwhilst we were away.

Ipswich win! Plus a good turn out campaigning.

What an afternoon- a great win over promotion chasing Derby County- late goals- bookings and two sent off, soon followed by the Derby manager.
All this on top of some fantastic warm weather and a great turn out for a mass delivery in Whitehouse Ward. The ward is in the north west of the town and we lost it to the Lib Dems a couple of election ago- reasons? Much has to do with the ward (like Whitton) now being outside the Ipswich parliamentary constituency - instead of an Ipswich Labour MP- they are now represented by a Tory who will spend all his time in the rural part of Suffolk. The residents of these North West wards feel disenfranchised. But maybe we had also got complacent- but that certainly was not the case today as over 3,000 leaflets were put out and further work was planned for the ward over the rest of the weekend with a party from Ealing expected later in the day to lend a hand.
So with the good turnout campaigning, the sunshine and an Ipswich win- roll on tomorrow as we will be campaigning in another part of the town.