THE shoe leather is worn, the feet are aching and the knuckles are sore from door-knocking as we pound the streets of Old Bexley and Sidcup in the run-up to the by-election on December 2. This, though, is the heart of the democratic process – listening to voters’ concerns and discussing solutions. Very few are rude, most are grateful that someone is bothering to canvass their opinion.

And they are clear: they are not happy. In fact they are fed up. There are multiple reasons, the main ones revolving around those two key aspects of our lives: money and health.