Bank Holiday Update

The now infamous milk float will be out and about today. We aim to cover the whole East to West trajectory of the 'Battersea' Constituency.

Many of you have been kind enough to enquire about the progress of my campaign so here goes:

1. The Battersea Constituency which, for some reason, includes parts of Balham and Wandsworth and where, in the last Parliament, the incumbent Labour MP had a majority of 163 - after six recounts, one of the smallest in the country.

2. The TV Leaders Debates have thrown everything up in the air. By agreeing to these, Gordon Brown and David Cameron may have made the biggest mistakes of their professional lives (except, perhaps, for Mr Brown's gaff last week -mind you, I have found there are a lot of bigots out there. A 23-year-old member of my team with Asian ethnicity was so roundly and aggressively verbally abused by a self-proclaimed BNP supporter that I have asked her to withdraw from anymore leafleting. Which is a pity because she is a talented lady, I need her help, I am ashamed she had to endure such offensive behaviour and appalled that such objectionable people as the man who approached her live amongst us).

3. Having said that, after the extraordinary, and unexpected, reaction to the first TV Debate, Nick Clegg may have made a big strategic mistake. After 'winning' so convincingly, I felt at the time that he should have used this momentum to demonstrate the Cabinet credentials of his Lib Dem colleagues, particularly Vince Cable, and thereby position his Party as fit for Government. In Battersea, the electorate know Cable is a credible Chancellor (arguably the best of all three parties) but they have no idea who Lib Dem are fielding for Education, Health, Home Office or Foreign Office.

4. So where does this leave me as an Independent Candidate, unconnected to any party though 'endorsed' by the Independent Network(http://independentnetwork.org.uk/)?

5. I certainly feel that, with my team of friends and volunteers we have achieved the most professional marketing campaign:

I believe our logo design has award-wining potential (see below).

The milk float has gone down a treat - and rocketed me onto the front page of the Wandsworth Guardian (fame at last!).

Feedback suggests my website is the best of all the Candidates, including the three major parties (http://http://www.hughsalmon4battersea.co.uk/).

I went for a sticker rather than a rosette, which I feel uncomfortable wearing.

6. I have managed, wherever possible, to convey my message of 'convergence rather than divergence' and how more effective use of the media tools and skills we have available could help modernise politics, unite us as a society, and perhaps even be more powerful than military action in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I recognise that this is a bit 'soft' and have obviously had to underpin my thinking by taking specific positions on a range of issues from Immigration (without doubt the most- asked-about issue) to the rights and wrongs of B&Bs to accommodate gay customers.

7. What are my chances? Certainly the TV Leader Debates have significantly compromised the exposure I might otherwise have managed to achieve. Small-minded local societies and campaigns have used this as an excuse to allow me, as an Independent Candidate, minimal time at various hustings ('if the TV people are only featuring the three major parties, why should we let you speak?').

8. And certainly the Lib Dems are an easier 'default' vote than they would have been before the TV Debates.

9. But I think I have managed to overcome the strategic tension between getting noticed (the milk float) and being taken seriously (my website).

And feedback suggests that there are still a fair few of you who know that a vote for an Independent cross-bench Candidate like me will be the only way to challenge our broken political system and our untrustworthy and corrupt career polticians.

10. Many, many thanks to all who have donated to my campaign. I should have emphasised before that my £500 deposit to stand as a Candidate would be born by myself - and this is what I have done(notwithstanding the fact that Wandsworth Council would not accept a cheque so I had to rush out to a cash machine and get the readies!).

11. This means that ALL - the full 100% - of funds donated has gone directly towards the promotional material I have produced.

12. Inevitably, we are over-budget. It has been a hectic few weeks of making things happen quickly and at the last minute (advertising agency background very useful here).

13. Also, I have moved house right in the middle of this process and have had no broadband access at home.

14. So that's the message. I'm still in there pitching. Any last minute donations gratefully received……….