After 20 years of working hard in this area it is now D-Day. Decision day.

In the last 13 years as the MP for Lughborough I have worked tirelessy every day for individual people, for local communities and for the constituency as a whole. I take a deep interest in the future of the planet and the poorest people in the world too. We live in a world of injustice still, and I can't rest until more is done to make our world safe and more equal.

But after today I can do none of that unless those 30% of people who still can't decide what to do with their cross vote for me.

Instead we head backwards to a Tory government that would look and feel just like the last one. Mean spirited and quite nasty. They have airbrushed Cameron to look better than Thatcher and her heirs but they are the same old Tories.

So I make a plea to the Don't Knows. We have weathered the economic storm that hit the world last year by taking tough decisions. The Tories bottled it. Please don't put at risk all the extra investment in schools,teachers, teaching assistants, hospitals, nurses, doctors, police on the beat, surestart, -- I could go on.

Today you stand the chance of throwing it all away on change for change sake. Change - but change to what?

As colleagues put it in our final rally cry...

"Loughborough is seat the Torie have taken for granted. They smugly think theyhave already won it. You have the power toshow what you think of their smug claims. "

"You have the power to keep a good, local, hard working MP with a proven track record. An MP who was unscathed by the expenses scandal, who resigned over Iraq and has never been afraid to put morals before party and to put Loughborough first.

"You the undecided voters will decide if Andy is the MP on Friday - you have that power in your cross!

"The choice is simple. If you like and want Andy as our MP you have to vote for him. There are no hiding places in this election. A vote for the Lib Dems just lets the Tory in by the back door. A vote for any body else or staying as home is as good as signing Andy's P45. Don't be responsible for doing that. Don't wake up on Friday regretting losing Andy Reed - our MP.

As we head into the last 72 hours of the campaign there is still so much to play for here in Loughborough.

This has been one of the most amazing elections I have been involved with. Usually by this stage you know what is likely to happen on Thursday. I don't know the exact result but I have been able to tell within about 500 votes how it will look in the past. This is not the case this time. I know we are neck and neck (a few votes ahead) with the Tories with the Lib Dems back in a poor third place with the minor parties picking up a small sprinkling of support. But it is the one third of people who are yet to make up their mind that will decide who the MP is on Friday morning.

However, I have never seen such personal enthusiasm for my campaign. People are coming out of their doors to wish me luck and to take posters. I have not seen that in 2001 and 2005. There is a realisation that being a marginal seat there is a possibility that Loughborough could end up on Friday with a Tory MP and not me. That certainly seems to be concentrating minds.

You would think from the media that there is no connection between MPs and their constituents. I think they are wrong. I know we have identified 2000 'personal votes' in the last few weeks. From the number of people offering unsolicited support and telling positive Andy Reed stories I am know there will be more. Fear of losing a good hard working MP is concentrating minds.

So I am now more confident that I can still win Loughborough. It is down to those who have still to make up their mind. They will decide.

As most people know I am passionate about volunteering. As well as doing it myself in various guises I am keen to make it as easy for others to do. It is a win-win for us all.

It is the same for our political parties. In Loughborough we have no paid party workers. Everything that comes through your doors is delivered by your neighbours. Those 35,000 telephone calls and knocks on the door around the constituency in the last year - they are all your neighbours who have given up their free time to volunteer for a political party. They get nothing back. No expenses. No rewards - just the hope of a Labour victory and the real fear they have of letting the Tories back in.

So you can understand why I am so pleased to see so many more volunteers at this election than at any time in the past. It is a wonderful sight for any voluntary organisation. Everywhere I go people are coming up to me to ask how they can help.

I get stopped in the street with more positive messages of personal support than I had even in the 1997 landslide. People ask for leaflets, they ask to help and hey take posters.

We even have the biggest Student Labour Club than at any time in recent history. I will be shocked if turnout is not increased this time.

But most of all I want to say a big THANK YOU to the hundreds of volunteers who have given their time to this election. With no paid staff we have more than matched the Tory millionaires! I am proud of you all.

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This is how the Lib Dem Vote in Loughborough could give us a Tory MP and Cameron in No10.

Background - Andy Reed had a majority of 5,700 in 1997, which went up to 6,300 in 2001 but fell to just less than 2000 in 2005. But you need to look at what happened in those years to understand why a vote for the Lib Dems might this time allow the Tories in through the back door this time.

Look at the graph. As you will see there is no appetite for the Tories. Their percentage of the vote has remained static since 1997. In fact in 2005 their share of the vote was still lower than their 1997 showing. The Tories claim they reduced my majority with a ‘great campaign. ‘ In fact they went backwards!

The only reason my majority fell was people switching their vote from Labour to Lib Dem. I have talked to many people who felt they could ‘afford’ to vote Lib Dem because they knew I would still win – but could send a message to Labour and Prime Minister Tony Blair.

As the seat is now highly marginal that sort of free vote is no longer an option. You either vote FOR me directly or you lose me and get an out of town London career Tory MP. There are now serious consequences for how you use your vote. You are very powerful.

Some facts that are worth bearing in mind.

The Lib Dems top 100 target seats need a swing of 9.45%. To win in Loughborough they need a swing of 20%. Put simply it isn’t going to happen.!

The Lib Dems would need to be on over 50% in the national opinion polls to be anywhere near taking Loughborough. However, another small 4% swing to the Lib Dems in Loughborough allows the right wing out of town London Solicitor to become the MP for us all.

So what are the choices. Well if you are a Lib Dem member and supporter you may think you have no choice other than voting for your party. Can I reassure you that many individual Lib Dem members and even Councillors have voted for me at elections because they realise the nearest chance they have to get anywhere near Lib Dem policies being enacted is by having me personally as MP for Loughborough. Many people have worked it out. In the current voting system it is possible and necessary sometimes to vote tactically to get what you want. I know there are Labour Party supporters in the SW of England who do the same to keep Tories out.

Graeme Smith – 2005 Lib Dem candidate

Remember Graeme. He was the candidate for the Lib Dems in 2005 – but he was so impressed by Andy as the local candidate that after the election he resigned the Lib Dems just so he could support Andy Reed, and joined the Labour Party. He was particularly angry they chose the London Solicitor and career politician to fight this seat again. Graeme is passionate about having a genuine local MP.

Andy Reed – the candidate who resigned over Iraq, has not supported replacing Trident, did not support the introduction of Top-up Fees and has pledged to vote against any further increases. Andy Reed is a hard working conscientious MP who has backed Liberal values.

Conclusion

A Lib Dem vote in Loughborough is wasted. It is wasted in the sense that there is no hope of Loughborough electing a Lib Dem MP. It requires a 20% swing and the Libs to be on over 50% in the opinion polls. That isn’t going to happen.

If you want to keep Andy Reed as your local MP you have to vote for him. There are no free hits this time.

If you don’t want a career politician from London as your local MP – you need to vote for Andy

If you don’t want the Tories in – you need to vote for Andy Reed.

It only requires a 2% swing to the Tories for them to win or a 4% swing from Labour to the Lib Dems with the Tories picking up no extra votes for the Tory to win.

If none of these arguments matter to you and you still vote Lib Dem then fine. But at least you have been given the facts and understand the consequences. You can vote for whoever you like and I know you can make up our own minds. But I don’t want anyone left with the excuse if I lose that they didn’t know!

There is another poster war going on during this general election. Thanks to twitter and facebook any political party launching a poster can be guaranteed there will be alternative versions out within minutes.

Most of the alternative ads have been better and cleverer than the orginals. There is a lot of talent out there.

So the Tories tied to produce an unspoofable poster. It wasn't. The original was a return of the nasty party campaign - attacking those on benefits. First it shows they are in panic mode. Having to appeal to their core vote at this stage. But second it was spoofed straight away.

This was one of the best. And it was from a local - and featured in the Guardian.

As candidates we are rightly being bombarded with requests to support campaigns and sign pledges every day. This is not new. What makes it more modern is the use of pledge internet sites and email requests for support.

I have heard many of the candidates I know say - "oh I just sign them all."

I know it would be easiest just to sign every one of them that crosses my desk or lands in my inbox. Indeed some are easier than others and don't ask for specific pledges.

However, many more ask us to sign up to do specific things for the next 4-5 years. This is where it gets difficult. As others say it is easy to just say yes. But what happens when in 4 years time there is an issue that needs a decision. It may be that there is not enough money for the pledge you have made. It may have seemed a simple pledge without any financial commitments - but in fact it did. It may be that you end up signing several health related pledges where you have agreed to prioritise the particular campaign. What happens when there is a conflict over scarce resources? What happens when a wider consultation comes to a different conclusion to that of the very specific lobby group? It often happens.

So whilst it may seem the easy route - this kind of politics is part of why the public become cynical. I won't sign everyone because I may want to qualify my support. And here is the problem. These campaigns try to blackmail you into support by telling their supporters that you have either backed their campaign or 'refused'. This is loaded to make the candidate feel they must sign up or lose potential voters. I prefer to explain on this site where I stand and why. I prefer to say in difficult financial times there will be some tough choices ahead and committing to extra spending now cannot be guaranteed.

To be frank people want more honest politicians - and we should start here by saying we may not agree with EVERY specific point of EVERY lobby group. It doesn't mean we will not fight your corner in Parliament - but we will do it in the interests of ALL our constituents. This may mean a compromise in the future - but it is more honest.

So I will continue to post responses to lobby campaigns on this site - and only when I hear from constituents!

I have always said this is a word of mouth and doorstep campaign. It has to be for us as we can't compete against the Murdoch press or the Ashcroft £millions - the tax dodger funding the Tory party. His money is here in Loughborough.

We can't afford the expensive poster sites or masses of glossy leaflets.

But guess what - I don't mind. Because we are winning the ground war through the sheer hard work of a growing number of volunteers.

I have more people helping in Loughborough than we did even in 1997 when we were extremely popular! Every day people are returning to help us and more people who have never done anything political before are coming out to help the campaign.

One of the reasons is the fear of a Tory government. But for many more it is the possibility of me losing this seat. The marginality of the seat works in our favour. People have assumed for too long that I will 'be ok' and safe. Still too many voters are shocked to hear the seat is marginal. They assume I am safe. That's why many more neutrals and Lib Dem and Tory supporters and even members are out helping me.

Even Tory MPs have been phoning me this week to wish me luck and hope I get back in. For obvious reasons I cannot reveal their names but it heartening to know that we can take on the unequal battle with vigour and our heads held up high!