@BrownhillsBob @paulbradshaw we only got 4 / 7 local candidates respond to questionnaires ( and @wolvesonwheels 17 /78 across the city)

— WV11.co.uk (@WV11) May 21, 2014

One of my abiding memories of the 1997 General Election involves bumping into a candidate from one of the major parties in a beer cellar. The candidate was supposed to have been on air at the time, participating in a live hustings for the small local radio station I was working for.

During a short conversation with them it quickly became clear that they felt an informal meet and greet with a bunch of bemused students was a better use of their time.

That was until I gently nudged him in the direction of the nearest cab…

A decade and a half later I hoped this sort of incident was a thing of the past. But is that the case? Continue reading →