Walking around a seaside village saturated in June sunlight it's tempting to think the taxing issues facing Wales and the UK are far away. People in Mumbles greet each other, tourists clasp ice creams, hanging baskets are drenched in colour, and the smell of fresh coffee percolates onto the streets. The white heat of the general election seems distant.
But dig a little deeper and there's barely concealed frustration among some about decisions taken in Wales and concern from business owners about roadworks, parking, and the length of time it's due to take for the new Mumbles seawall to be completed. As novelist Leo Tolstoy didn't quite write, all happy constituencies are alike; each unhappy constituency is unhappy in its own way. Mumbles is part of the Gower constituency, which has moved to the right - geographically-speaking - following a nationwide review of Parliamentary boundaries.
In comes Swansea suburbs such as Cockett, Dunvant, and Killay. The diverse constituency includes Mawr - a sparsely-populated upland area in the north of Swansea - Pontarddulais, a ward of just under 5,000 people bordering Carmarthenshire , and affluent south Gower villages like Southgate. Mumbles is a sought-after area with many independent shops and wonderful beaches over the hill at Langland and Caswell.
People who shared their views about the general election looming on July 4 wanted more NHS appointments and better patient outcomes. Growing the economy was also high on the list; reducing net.
