Lord Ashdown backs 'outstanding' Lib Dem candidate Jane Dodds

Lord Paddy Ashdown's visit to the Royal Oak in Welshpool yesterday followed hot on the heels of current party leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg speaking in nearby Berriew in support of a campaign to stop pylons linked to windfarms being built across the Shropshire and Mid Wales countryside.

It appears to be part of a concerted effort to back the campaign of the party's Parliamentary candidate Jane Dodds, who is attempting to unseat Conservative MP Glyn Davies who won the seat in 2010.

And while the big hitters have shown sympathy with issues that matter to people living in the area – particularly the anti-pylons campaign – there is no doubt that they are doing all they can to raise Mrs Dodds' profile.

Lord Ashdown, who was the Lib Dems leader from 1988 to 1999, is now chairman of the party's team looking at strategy for May's General Election.

He described Mrs Dodds as an "outstanding candidate" on his visit to the region – and made it clear the Montgomeryshire seat was a target for the party.

Montgomeryshire has a long tradition of Liberal support, having elected a Liberal candidate at every General Election apart from two – 1979 and 2010 – since 1880. Lembit Opik lost the seat to the Conservatives' Glyn Davies in the 2010 General Election, in what was considered one of the shocks of the campaign.

Mr Opik had enjoyed a majority of 7,173 after winning the seat for the second time in 2005, but found himself losing out by 1,184 votes to his Tory opponent.

"I never say the 2010 election is a glitch," said Lord Ashdown. "We accept that result. But the tradition here is a Liberal Democrat tradition and Jane is on bang on in that tradition.

"She is an outstanding local campaigner. I guess she has done already as a candidate as much for her constituent as most really good MPs would do after being elected.

"I would say remember what service you got from the Liberal Democrats before, and this is another candidate in the same mould."

Mrs Dodds has spent much of the last year campaigning against the electricity pylons proposed by the Mid Wales Connection Project and carrying out a health survey into the needs of people living in mid-Wales who use hospitals in Shropshire.

Lord Ashdown said: "The health survey is a most important issue for people in Montgomeryshire and Jane has really done a good job on that."

Despite the most recent YouGov poll showing the Lib Dems are nationally in fifth place behind the Green Party and Ukip, Lord Ashdown said he wouldn't care to make any predictions on the outcome of the election.

He said: "I never have predicted the outcome of an election and this is more unpredictable than others. I don't think anyone can adequately predict the outcome.

"I think people now are angry and want to send messages to politicians. I think you're going to find an electorate that's a bit frightened by the situation we find ourselves in, surrounded by Putin's tanks beating over Eastern European borders and other countries in financial difficulties."

Lord Ashdown said he was pleased with what his party has contributed to the last Government.

"I think you're facing a choice between the two major parties and it will be decided by very sober-minded voters," he said.

"If the Tories get in unconstrained by the Liberal Democrats then they will wreck the economy, as seen by Michael Gove's recent announcements. I think some people are frightened about that. Labour also will wreck the economy, as we saw last time they were in power.

"If you want a Green party of protest where you waste your vote, then I suppose you want to vote Green. If you want a green party of Government, then you have to vote Liberal Democrat. Look and see what we've done. On the other hand, what I think what really is going on is just as Ukip are the far right party, the Greens are becoming a far left party."

"How do we ensure that the next government doesn't wreck the economy or the environment, then the answer is Liberal Democrats.

"We've played a tremendous part in Government and I think whatever the polls say today won't bear any resemblance to the result of the election."