My principal opponent, Mr James Paice, has won ......

I am ready to concede defeat. My principal opponent, Mr James Paice, has won ...... the battle of the fields, the barns, the hedges and the ditches. It is very evident that the leading local Conservatives are spending as if there were no tomorrow (which there may not be, for them) and that their spending is on huge posters planted in fields, on barns, by hedges and alongside ditches. Unfortunately for Mr Paice and the leading local Conservatives, their spending is well-nigh worthless, for the said fields, barns, hedges and ditches have no votes. It is the people of South East Cambridgeshire who will determine the result of this election and I am happy to leave it to them.

So far as my own 'stuff' is concerned, smaller posters are appearing everywhere and I now know that my main policy leaflet is being delivered by Royal Mail as I have seen some and have also had numerous reports of their safe arrival. There are 52,000 of them and it appears (with one exception only) that the system is working. Here is a scan of one side of the policy leaflet. You can even see the fold down the middle of it. The idea is for people to open it up, read it, and then pop it in their windows. Small posters in windows are much, much more convincing than huge ones in fields, on barns, by hedges and alongside ditches. I learned this many years ago. It appears that others have yet to catch up.