First Ming Campbell podcast (transcript)
In the following interview, former BBC and ITN political correspondent David Walter speaks to Ming Campbell about the last 7 days of the campaign.
David Walter: How’s the campaign going?
Ming Campbell: Well it was Harold Wilson who famously said a week’s a long time in politics, a week’s certainly a long time between Prime Minister’s Questions.
DW: This week’s Prime Minister’s Questions went extremely well, really landed a couple of very good punches on Tony Blair didn’t you?
MC: Well I was interested to see that even on the eve of Ruth Kelly’s statement he wasn’t aware of how many of the Bichard Inquiry’s recommendations had in fact been implemented. Bichard if you remember, was set up after the terrible tragedy at Soham, there were thirty one separate recommendations and it was only when Ruth Kelly got to her feet that we heard that thirteen of these had been implemented. But of course the principal one which has not yet been fully implemented is the Police computer system which will allow the exchange of information about sex offenders, it’s called IMPACT and so far it doesn’t seem to have made much impact.
DW: Unlike your rivals in this leadership race you have a dual role don’t you? You have to be acting leader and you’re running a campaign, it must be quite difficult to juggle the two?
MC: Well I’m doing three things, I’m trying to be a constituency MP which after all’s our first obligation, second I’m the acting leader of the Party and third I’m a candidate. And I’ve go to be fastidious about making sure that the role of acting leader is not seen to intrude in to that of being a candidate. It’s quite difficult, it’s a heavy work load but I’m enjoying it.
DW: The campaign’s obviously going to be very hard work, do you enjoy campaigning?
SMC: Yes I do. I won my seat in North East Fife after eleven years of campaigning, three elections and I worked out once fifty thousand miles of driving. Yes, I do like campaigning, I like walking about, I like meeting people, I like taking the message to the electorate. And of course this leadership campaign’s exactly that.
DW: And what sort of feedback are you getting so far?
MC: Got tremendous feedback, we’ve got support from Orkney and Shetland in the North to the Scilly Isles in the South West, we’ve got support right across the Party. And I’m particularly gratified by the fact that I seem to have so much support from the younger elements in the Party, particularly that crop of extremely bright young MPs who came in to the House of Commons in 2005.
DW: So how does this compare with running in the Olympics?
MC: Well I was a sprinter so I was used to short distances and great explosions of power and activity, this is rather more of a middle distance race than anything else and therefore I’ve got to pace myself a little better. But the old habits formed by international sport are standing me in good stead, commitment, perseverance, hard work, these are the things we need for this campaign.
DW: And of course you were in the relay weren’t you? And that’s team work and this campaign’s also very much team work.
MC: I took part in a race of thirty two of the fastest men in the world on a particular date in October 1964, I remember being absolutely scared stiff by it but you’re quite right, it’s a team race in which the most important thing, to make sure you don’t drop the baton, I’m not going to drop the baton in this competition either.
DW: Ming, thank you very much indeed.
