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How I fought Portillo Colin Paisley News and Star, Carlisle Saturday 27 Nov 1999 Ex-Carlisle Mayor turned Legalise Cannabis Campaigner Colin Paisley's By-election diary FORMER Carlisle mayor Colin Paisley yesterday joined 17 other would-be MP's for the closing moments of the high-profile Kensington and Chelsea by-election. As the official candidate of the Legalise Cannabis Alliance, Colin, 62, never expected to win. But did his campaign go smoothly? His election day diary reveals all. 7.30 am: An early start to the last day of a two-week campaign. After travelling down the previous day, I'd settled into a flat which I was sharing with a friend from the National Drug Users' Network. It was a leisurely morning but I'd arranged to meet another candidate - a woman interestingly called Lisa Lovebucket. I'm well trained politically, and do what my agent tells me. He told me I should meet her, so off I went to meet her. 10.15 am: The meeting was to take place in the Greyhound pub in Kensington at 10.30 am. Earlier, as I got up, it was raining outside. "This is going to be wonderful" I thought. Emerging from the tube station at Kensington High Street, I saw the sun was shining and the sky was blue. It was a good omen. 10.30 am: Lisa Lovebucket didn't turn up. I later found out that she was from an Internet provider company, though her candidature had something to do with the London mayoralty. 11.30 am: Sarah Jane Lovett, a columnist with the London Evening Standard, had invited me to her paper's offices at High Street, Kensington. I was taken up there, given coffee, and interviewed - a good chance to argue our case for drug law reform and cannabis. Noon: Visited the Holland Park Primary School where the count would take place. It felt weird walking through the constituency, a place where I'd lived 20 years before as a dependent heroin user. When I left London, I was fairly destitute. Strange to think I would one day be Mayor of Carlisle, and then return as a parliamentary candidate. After sorting out formalities at the school, I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the constituency - a collection of mansions and big houses converted into bedsits. I didn't meet a single person who disagreed with the arguments. 3 pm: I was the only candidate invited to the London Evening Standard Christmas Party at the Irish Club in Eton Square. After changing into a suit back at the flat, I set off. The party turned out to be three hours of champagne and socialising. I had a long conversation with Ken Livingstone about my leaving the Labour Party (I didn't realise it was so widely known). He seemed a bit worse for wear. I tried to talk to him about drug law reform but he gave the impression he had too many other troubles to worry about. I spoke to another man - an earl - who was a bit of a hippie, who did speak to me about the use of drugs. It wasn't an easy conversation because he was profoundly deaf! I did a lot of shouting. 9.30 pm: Back to the Holland Park School. The count was due to begin at 10 pm, and we didn't want to miss any of the action. The atmosphere was absolutely brilliant, very exciting, with everybody shaking hands, wishing each other luck, posing for souvenir photos. Finally meet Lisa Lovebucket, who was wearing an off the shoulder cocktail dress, very demure, very friendly and attractive. Midnight: A hush fell on the school hall as Michael Portillo arrived. In an instant, the atmosphere changed. There was talk of death threats, though nobody would say what had happened. Portillo arrived in a kind of procession with his heavies and police officers. There were also Special Branch officers, recognisable by their dark suits and serious expressions. A short time later, one of my team asked Portillo for his views on the drugs issue. His terse reply was: "I'm tired, it's late and I don't wish to discuss that matter." 1.55 am: An election official handed a slip of paper to my agent. It was our result.. Seeing my poll - a total of 141 votes - I realised I'd lost my deposit but honestly felt pleased. I'd raised the profile of the drugs issue. 2 am: The result was officially announced. As the returning officer spelled out Portillo's victory, he smiled broadly, and I turned by back on him. It may have seemed rude, but I don't regret it. It was a response to the way he had treated my colleague earlier. I felt he deserved it. 4 am: Finally got a taxi back to the flat. A few hours of bleary-eyed analysis followed, fueled by lots of coffee and a little whiskey. 10.40 am: My train got back into Carlisle and at last I was home. As I let myself into our home at Barrock Street, exhausted, I realised Linda had given our collection of furry animals - the Pink Panther, Rupert Bear and Wembley Bear - permission to stay up till 2 am watching the TV. They were all sitting in a chair, pointing towards the television. Somehow, I didn't have the heart to move them...
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