MARGARET RITCHIE is an SDLP candidate in South Down, where she is listed as number three on the party's list of candidates. She works in the office of Eddie McGrady, the SDLP member for South Down.
ONE week to go. We have now reached the stage of final countdown in relation to the election. Tensions mount and the pressures and strains begin to appear. With one another we are quick tempered, but never with the voter.
I have been out on the last two nights in Crossgar, which is situated in the Northern end of the constituency. Canvassing this week was an arduous task as I was soaked on several occasions with the ferocity of the May showers.
The SDLP is receiving good reports from canvass returns. Men, women, young voters, etc., all know what this election is about. They may have concerns about certain social, health and economic issues, but they all yearn for peace and view this election as the passport to all party negotiations.
At the doors people greet you with a welcoming smile, take the leaflet and promise to read it. Children chatter on the street and play games. They are also interested in what is going on, and you begin to feel like the Pied Piper of Hamelin as they all follow you around estates - this usually includes an entourage of dogs of all descriptions and sizes. My main fears during this election so far are not the voters and their questions but dogs!
I am involved in the final preparations of the millboards (extracts of registers for the polling stations) and the appointment of polling agents to act on behalf of the party at those polling stations.
John Hume visits South Down today, so I will be in Downpatrick town centre to meet him along with other party faithfuls.
During the day, I work for Eddie McGrady MP. My life seems to surround the SDLP and at the moment I appear to be a simple lodger with my parents.