It is true, as Jessica has noted, that I've been a bit distracted of late.
Having said that, I've been pretty busy in the past week, what with the European selections reaching the shortlisting stage. I'm still working on the interview design, although the centrepiece of the process is in place. I've invited some, but not all candidates (I'll do so soon, if any of you are reading this). And, noting the Ealing Southall by-election, the South East Selection Committee have agreed to postpone most of the interviews until after 19 July (sadly, it wasn't possible to postpone all of them but I did try).
On Thursday, I went to Stoke Newington, to attend a Hackney Pasta and Politics evening. The topic - why was our GLA list so deficient in ethnic minority candidates? Dave Raval, whom I've had the pleasure of working with in the past, made some entertaining opening remarks before opening up debate to the room. Whilst Hackney Lib Dems are, to my mind, a touch more radical than other Local Parties I have encountered, I know that we all share the same concerns, and it was nice to hear the thoughts of those not directly affected but who genuinely want to see our Party represent and reflect the diverse communities of our city. Yes, I responded to the discussion, and yes, I didn't agree with all of the comments made, but it was proper that the Regional Party not hide behind reviews and hand-wringing. If I'm going to be, whether partly or wholly, responsible for trying to change things, I should be willing to stand behind my actions.
On Friday, I made my first appearance in Ealing Southall, having arranged to meet Ros Scott at Paddington on the way. I like Ros a lot, and she was, in the past, very kind to the old wallflower bureaucrat circa 2005. Besides, Southall is a bit off her beaten path, and I wouldn't have wanted her to get lost... We were thrown into a maelstrom of envelope stuffing, map marking and newspaper bundling, and it was nice to be useful. Afterwards, we went for dinner at a Lebanese place she knows, which given the limited time and opportunities I have to socialise, was a bit of a treat.
On Saturday, I went to Wokingham for the selection of their new PPC. The two candidates, Prue Bray and John McClintock, are very different, with their own style and emphasis, and after a really enjoyable hustings, with two really good performances, Prue was successful, qualifying her for another run against John Redwood. I hope that John gets a chance somewhere, his passion for liberal democracy really shone through as his momentum built.
On the way back to London, it dawned on me that I was passing through Southall, so I popped into the HQ for another two hour stint of envelope stuffing and addressing. There is a real buzz around the place and, whilst I'm not very good at getting a feel for by-elections - I've not been to very many - if the atmosphere is anything to go by, we'll do well enough...
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