Ellee Seymour

I had an unexpected invitation from Grant Shapps this week, a rising political star and MP for Welwyn Hatfield, to come along and meet David Cameron, have a spot of lunch and listen to a speech. I was naturally looking forward to the opportunity of bending his ear, then when I turned up, I discovered that 299 other people had also been invited. Never mind, it would have been selfish to keep him to myself.

David had been doing the rounds in the eastern region before mustering his supporters in Hatfield, all smartly dressed - ties too, though he looked cool without his. In fact, he looked remarkably fit and well and was naturally exuberant and optimistic. He left his fan following wishing there was a general election next week so we could boot out Blair.

But despite DC’s incredibly high popularity right now, he knows he has to maintain that top figure in the polls for a long time to come and spelled it out quite clearly that they still have a long way to go, but were firmly setting the agenda. I was amazed by his fluent speaking, his total recall for facts and figures on any subject, all without notes.

I caught up with a former colleague Andrew Parsons (see pic), a photographer with the Press Association, who follows DC like a shadow, even to Afghanistan, the Arctic and India. We had both worked at the Cambridge Evening News, and he hasn’t changed a bit.

The last time we bumped into each other was on the eve of last year’s general election campaign when Michael Howard was due to give his last press conference at a seaside hotel in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. All the press were en route, then we were told that because of fog, Michael’s helicopter could not land and the event would have to be transferred to Norwich instead.

So with less than two hours to go, a new venue was found (the blood donor session at the hotel kindly moved out so we could move in). I was told to drive to Norwich without knowing where to as the details had not then been finalised, it was pouring with rain, but thank heavens for my sat nav which I was able to set up after being given the name of the hotel. It was the most dramatic day of the campaign for me. Then we had to find an audience from nowhere, the people who appear as the backdrop while the politician speaks in front of them. It was good team work that day. Andrew was on the media bus and we chatted for a while, I wonder when our paths will next cross.

Hopefully, DC and I will meet up another time and have that tete-a-tete - only without having the crowd along too.

Trudy Lapinskis is the most inspirational woman I have ever met, she has suffered from the most unimaginable painful and horrific illness which left her looking physically grotesque and never complains.

Her main concern is to raise awareness so others do not suffer the same way. Which is why she has organised the first conference into Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy. being held in London next month. I shall be only too proud to help her publicise this.

We were talking about a true life story she had read in Chat magazine and I suggested she send them a pic of her shocking elephantitis leg and ask them if it was the worst picture they had ever seen.

Sure enough they jumped at the chance to tell everyone her tragic story, about how she knocked her back while at work, and from that developed this cruel neurological syndrome which has since spread to her other leg and hands too. She is believed to have the worst case in the country.

Trudy is on their front cover with the heading “Yucky Picture Warning” and a whole page is devoted to her unbelievable story. Even though I don’t believe in cheque book journalism, Trudy was paid a small sum which will go towards her conference costs. Chat have asked for more shocking pics and will pay £1,000 if anyone can beat it - I somehow doubt it.

Update: Please note this conference is aimed specically at the medical profession to raise their awareness and international speakers will be attending.

Hard to believe that George Bush’s team posted a nuclear bomb building guide on the internet? Who does he want to win this war on terror?

The aim was to make public a vast archive of Iraqi documents captured during the war. I wonder if they have shared their information in the same way?

But in recent weeks, the site has posted detailed accounts of Iraq’s secret nuclear research before the 1991 Persian Gulf war which, experts say, constitute a basic guide to building an atom bomb.

Surely Bush’s team should have strictly censored that kind of sensitive info.  And if they had been really clever, they would have deliberately sabotaged the guide by publishing the wrong chemicals required. Mind you, the chances are that those who want to make a bomb know how to go about it anyway.