Wow! Just got back from an hour’s grilling from 140 girls in the sixth form of Wallington Girls’ School. The daunting feeling that I felt at the beginning left me as quickly as my prepared notes within a couple of minutes of the start.

I was introduced to several members of staff and the Head Girl and made to feel very welcome. My brief, originally talk about politics for an hour, became what makes Conservatives different. After a brief introduction telling the girls who I was, it became a Q&A session. I was really impressed with the willingness to really test me on subjects that interested them and standing up for themselves when they disagreed. Maybe I’m a sucker for punishment but I would rather have a feisty audience anyday over a quiet bunch of wet fish.

Having covered transport, selective education, youth clubs and crime, it occurred to me that much of the anti-Conservative feeling put across by some was from the feeling that Conservatives stood for the rich and selfish and from a frustration of politicians in general. There again, there were plenty that just didn’t agree with me as well.

I hope that I was as honest and straightforward as I could be and left them with a little more confidence that the Conservatives were worth considering as an option. If any of you that were there read this, let me know what you thought in the comments section below. Either way it was a fantastic experience that I am happy to survive but would love to repeat. I guess this is how people feel when they safely land at the bottom of a skydive.