An opportunity to say thank you

In my experience, politicians aren't always very skilled at thanking others. It's a skill that is still greatly valued, and perhaps even more so given the rise of the professional political classes who tend to rise through political parties and into government without trace or interaction with the outside world these days.

As a faceless bureaucrat, I don't expect a great deal of gratitude, especially working for HM Revenue and Customs as I do by day, and as a political administrator by night. That should never become an excuse for becoming thoughtless or callous though.

So I thought I should take this opportunity to pay tribute to Sally Burnell, the Political Assistant to the Liberal Democrat group on Southwark Council, who announced her departure last week to go and work with a worthy and socially valued charity.

As a rookie member of the Council Group (Local Party Chairs are awarded that status in Southwark), and as someone who had never paid much attention to the inner workings of Southwark Council until that point, Sally was a welcome support, and made me feel that I wasn't entirely out of place. Her briefing documents have enabled me to contribute to debates in a meaningful and informed way, to the extent where the Group leadership occasionally seek my views on matters where I might have useful input (not what I would have predicted eighteen months ago).

There have been some less than enjoyable moments for her, the vitriolic and wildly inaccurate attacks from the Darbyshires, for example, and we aren't the easiest bunch of people to work with. But she has maintained a cheery visage throughout, and her talents will be missed. On the other hand, she'll still be about the place and I'm sure that her knowledge and expertise will be called upon from time to time.

So, thank you Sally, it's been a blast...

The day of the two imposters

So, the campaign is over and the voters have spoken. Well, at least, quite a few of them have spoken... and what were the results?

In East Dulwich, our gallant crew swept all before them, especially our Labour opponents. The Conservatives made no impression and the squeeze message seems to have resonated amongst the electorate. Result - a 600+ vote majority for Richard Thomas, Jonathan Mitchell and James Barber...

http://www.southwark.gov.uk/Uploads/File_20969.pdf

Unfortunately, we weren't as fortunate in Peckham Rye and, despite their best efforts, Annie Bingham fell short by just 50 votes...

http://www.southwark.gov.uk/Uploads/File_20978.pdf

And in Knights Hill, our three candidates fell victim to the Labour surge...

http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/D0E72067-F98F-40DB-9798-E52330ADFAAA/0/LambethElectionResults2006.pdf

You might be wondering what happened to me and the answer was that I came 10th out of 11, achieving 484 votes which, I believe, is my best ever tally. I'll write more soon...

As the days grow longer...

... the campaign continues to heat up. Our side are throwing their hearts and souls into the campaign and our gallant opponents are plumbing new depths in their plot to terrify every little old lady in London. It's reached the point where winning is more than just a desire, it's a necessity. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to send a clear message to Southwark Labour telling them that the politics of fear is exactly what debases our political system.

And anyone who wants to defend their stance can start by asking how a bunch of people who came into government talking about an ethical foreign policy, a Bill of Rights and a cleaner political environment became the people who support by-passing the United Nations, have stripped away more of our civil liberties than any other government and assume that giving rich people a seat in Parliament in exchange for money they're too embarrassed to admit to publicly is anything other than moral and ethical bankruptcy. And then, perhaps, they can talk to me about their commitment to civil liberties, democratic politics and a society where respect and ethics are uppermost.

It becomes a moral duty to drive their messengers out of office and, regardless of what happens on 4 May, I hope that Labour candidates across the country understand that it isn't about them, it's about what they are representing. And get this, your leaders don't even respect you. In fact, they don't like you much either. And worst of all, and even the more naive of you must be beginning to wonder about this, they're willing to sacrifice you to stay in office. Good luck, and sleep well. Just don't think about the leaflets you're delivering...

Rain, the leafleteer's enemy

I was a day behind with my leaflet schedule after our foray into Village ward yesterday but like a good trooper, turned up this morning to help with our stall in Lordship Lane - the shops there serve residents of East Dulwich, Peckham Rye, South Camberwell and Village, so it's a good opportunity to meet voters and give them a face to match with the leaflets.

Cold and wndy it may have been, but people seemed to be very friendly, and I had an opportunity to make small talk with a representative of the Greens, who had a stall just down the street. To be honest, I have no real problem with the Greens who, for the most part, seem like a decent bunch who really care about their community. A bit naive, but then that's part of their charm. An old Young Liberal friend of mine who resigned over merger with the SDP is now leader of the Greens on Kirklees Council, where they form part of the administration. I'm confident that he's taken up the message on community activism and does things like proper canvassing and genuine doorstep politics. It works...

And then back on the increasingly cold, wet streets of East Dulwich, bringing our message of positive change to the voters. Given that Labour seem determined to scare everyone into locking themselves into their homes and cowering behind the sofa, I'm confident that our strategy will work. Besides, all of this leafletting is beginning to have its effects on my less than svelte figure!

A manifesto for Village ward!

If there are any voters reading this (and you never know, do you?), they might be wondering why they should vote Liberal Democrat. So, for their benefit, and for any of my readers who might be curious, here are our 'Six to Fix' for the next four years...

1. Keep council tax down - our minority administration has taken Southwark from the seventh highest Band D charge in London to the eighth lowest (out of thirty-two). That's better value for those who suffer from low incomes, especially pensioners, whose income hasn't kept pace with utility bills.
2. More powers for wardens - Southwark now has the largest team of community wardens in the country - reclaiming the streets for everyone and cracking down on anti-social behaviour.
3. Three new secondary schools - now that control has passed back into the hands of local councillors - Labour's record was so bad that they had control taken away from them by a Labour government! And to show that we have the interests of the whole borough at heart, they'll be placed in the north, centre and south of the borough.
4. Double recycling - recycling trebled over the past four years. We'll aim to double that over the next four years. Less rubbish in landfills saves us all money and enhances our environment.
5. 3,000 affordable homes for local people - I know so many people in the twenties and thirties who can't afford to buy a home near their workplace - teachers, nurses, public servants. We need to enable people to remain in their own communities and not be driven out by high housing costs.
6. 21st century leisure centres - if we're serious about improving the health of the nation, we need to provide facilities that people want to use. That means updating those leisure centres we have so that they meet the standards we all expect.

I'm proud to stand for these core commitments, and I know that my fellow candidates are too. Local government can play a key role in improving the lives of our communities and Liberal Democrats have already demonstrated our commitment to Southwark residents over the past four years. So, if you're convinced, vote for us on 4 May. If not, but you have questions, get in touch!

Opponents are people too...

I've been doing more research on my Conservative opponent in Village ward. She's really fascinating but someone, somewhere, really doesn't like her.

Frankly, my only question is, "Why she is a Conservative?". She seems like a rather nice person, on the basis of the brief conversation we had on 2 February. On the other hand, Kim Humphries... well, words fail me. The claims of Dulwich Conservatives in terms of their impact on the effectiveness of Southwark Council are laughable, and perhaps I ought to remind Kim that there are twenty-eight Liberal Democrat councillors to six Conservatives (one of whom defected from us...). Their attacks on Labour are fascinating given that they voted for a Labour mayor last year. Contrary, or was it simply revenge for our beating Kim into third place in Dulwich and West Norwood last year?

Meanwhile, I note that one of my Labour opponents, Barbara Portwin, has suspended her nascent blog. Having had it brought to my attention by a friend, I did enjoy her discomfort on being challenged about Iraq. She did come across as a bit wet and I'm really sorry that she thinks it unfair to be challenged on issues beyond those related to Southwark Council. As my primary school teacher said so cogently, "Life isn't fair.". If you represent a political party at any level, you should expect to be challenged on any element of their policy, especially in a ward with a highly articulate electorate. Besides, if your entire campaign is founded on making people afraid, you deserve everything you get.

I wasn't expecting this campaign to be as much fun as it is turning out to be...