In case you've been wondering how to take over the world, but haven't quite got enough support from your neighbours yet, I came across this page of advice on campaigning and drumming up support for your cause from the BBC Action Network site today.

Ok, carry on as you were... /al 

As some of you may know, we are only allowed to spend up to £60 (of our own money) to fund our elections campaign, per team.

Without the help of these people, both in the run-up to elections, and during the last few weeks, I wouldn't have stood a chance of competing at all this year (and if I manage to miss off your name, it's because I'm crap, not because I don't love you!):

• Tom Worman,
• All the UPSU and UPEL staff whose lives I've ruined for the last few weeks, esp. Steve, Rena, Mike, Fraggy, and Jo,
• Campaigners & helpers Kirsty, Ruth, Dan, Mike, Nikki, Jade, Holly, Kerrance, Kate, Kate 2, Beth, Rachel, Sloppy, Jezni, Georgina, Sam, Alex, Becky, Ben, Dave, Dave (2), Dave (3), Chi Chi, Cannon, Gamel, Ian, Jim, James, Kev, Justine, Paul, and Steph,
• and to everyone who promised time but went MIA for any reason, thank you all anyway :o)

If you're out this afternoon, or this evening, come and find me in the Union - I'll be the one asleep in the corner dribbling into a pint or, depending on how things go, resisting arrest ... ;o)

Ok, I really have to go and campaign!!

/al - votealexh.co.uk

Only about 5 hours of canvassing left in the run-up to the close of voting. While all the other candidates sleep, I'm uploading today's photos and trying to find all my receipts...

Today's been another whirlwind of fun and scaryness. I crashed my first lecture alone at midday, and while I received huge rounds of applause in both, it was an experience which left me shaking!

I've really enjoyed speaking to students, and even a couple of lecturers, about their take on anything and everything student-orientated, but especially about the things that UPSU Media can help to improve. I still feel "the fear" when approaching students, of course, but I'm also gaining a lot of self-confidence from this, which I reckon is no bad thing.

I'm seeing and hearing of a lot of candidates - who started the week as laid back as you could imagine - becoming a tiny bit stressed by this whole experience. I'm sure I'd be feeling it too if I wasn't so exhausted. If I had the luxury of being able to offer any support to them, I'd point out the obvious; no matter what happens, at the end of the day you've all done a great job (which they all have, from everything I can gather!) and that the worst-case-scenario is that they have to get a proper McJob next year, or resume their studies in some cases.

Either way, no matter what happens, everyone who has taken part in this year's elections have proven that it *is* possible to have an election where the vast majority of candidates are well on the ball, clued-up about the positions they're going for, and who are prepared to work tirelessly to prove their worth.

Tomorrow is going to be a very, very hard day for all 14 candidates. Only 6 - at the most - will come out of it with a job next year, but every one of us will have learnt a lot about our own abilities to push through our limitations, about who are our best friends, and what it is that the student population really knows and thinks of the Union and its elections.

From a more personal point of view, I think every single candidate running for MAPO (with the possible exception of RON, who I haven't yet seen out and about... ;o) has worked as hard as they can to canvass votes this year. I also happen to think that each MAPO candidate has brought to the table some amazing ideas, and I really hope that, whoever takes the position tomorrow, they spend some time talking to the other candidates and looking at their manifestos to harvest these valuable ideas for UPSU Media in 2007/2008.

At the end of the day, the real winners of tomorrow's count will be next year's students. I wish every candidate the very best of luck, and I look forward to seeing the Union going on to even bigger and better things next year, regardless of whether it's down to myself or one of the other MAPO chaps to broadcast the Union's great range of opportunities.

Unless I can get to a 'pooter tomorrow afternoon, I doubt I'll be writing much else in here for a short while, so to everyone who's bothered reading down this far, to everyone who's worked tirelessly for little more than thanks and promises of my becoming their slaves in return, to every single person who took the time to talk to me while I campaigned, and to everyone who went to the trouble of asking their friends to vote for me too, thank you. No matter what else happens, this is what makes elections worthwhile for me, and this is what student democracy is all about.

Peace out /al

(Oh, p.s: vote responsibly: votealexh.co.uk ;o)

I've got 5 minutes to finish getting ready this morning, so here's yesterday's highlights in a bullet-point stylee...

• Burning car on Hampshire Boulevard: I arrived with a fire extinguisher at the same time as the Fire Service. Guess who got to play with this fire? Yup, not me: boo :o(
• Sunshine: where'd that come from?!
• Posh-sounding hockey boys with megaphones: pure comedy - good times
• PWs: finally getting used to having strangers coming up to me and start chatting (usually it's people whose faces I've forgotten - I'm terrible for that). Still not used to receiving compliments though!

Right, that's enough if that. Today's the longest and busiest day of campaigning, ending at Bar Bluu. Wanna come along? Everyone's invited :o)

/al - votealexh.co.uk

2 days done, 2 1/2 to go.

I managed some sleep last night, but nowhere near enough for someone who needs as much beauty sleep as me... ;o)

• Today's low: a very grumpy lecturer!
• Today's highs: friendly people, finally finding the courage to talk to anyone and everyone I don't know, watching Elle and Nicola hold a lecture theatre's attention, having other candidates offering to help me create stickers, finding the courage to crash Pure's committee meeting alone (and not being thrown out straight away!), bouncing crazy plans off the other candidates (and finding out they're maybe not so crazy), dancing in T&E...

Today's been a whirlwind of activity, going from feeling the "is my best enough to win this?" fear to meeting people in the street who complimented me on my lecture speech (none of which are planned or scripted), having more people than I can shake a stick at around me in bright orange tops, and resolving an issue with a candidate who I'd inadvertently offended (d'oh!).

Polls open tomorrow for three days, so I'm going to have to ramp things up another notch. Tonight I'll probably get less than 4 hours' sleep, but at least I don't have an exam tomorrow, unlike one of the other candidates (my heart goes out to you in a big way fella).

I can't even begin to thank everyone who's helped out to far enough for all their effort, but big, big Kudos has to go to Tom Worman who's been working his socks off for me all day, all of last night, and all of tonight, without even being asked to. Top man! :o) 

Yesterday's and today's pics can be found in my Flickr Elections set - check them out here.