I was very interested to note that Liberal Democrat Julia Goldsworthy has announced in her regular e-newsletter that she will be using a yellow campervan called 'Daisy' to provide a travelling surgery in her constituency. Falmouth and Camborne, apart from being a Conservative target seat, is also a large geographical area with a number of small villages and hamlets.
It is not uncommon for MPs representing such spread out rural areas to travel around the constituency, as many of their constituents will find it difficult to visit them. What interested me is the personal touch of how Julia presented this. She notes that the old caravan she used to use for this purpose can no longer do the job. So she introduces us to Daisy, almost giving her real character. What I believe Julia is doing, deliberately or otherwise, is trying to create a sense of hinterland. In other words, painting herself as a human being, not some faceless bureaucrat.
Since the Daily Telegraph's revelations about MPs expenses, individual representatives may be tarred with the same brush. By creating a hinterland, perhaps by talking about their hobbbies (Julia talks about Gig racing) such MPs may be protecting themselves a little bit against the general negative perceptions of politicians.
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