A Kiwi on the doorstep

Another day of delivering, this time our blue envelopes. The organisation is so good now that the ward can be delivered in one day and today, I had the pleasure of a guest deliverer.

We've had visits from the Party Leader, from the Chair of the Parliamentary Party, from the Party President and from our Home Affairs spokesperson but, better than all of those, was the visit from my cousin Kim, all the way from Wellington, New Zealand (although she's staying with my parents in North London at the moment).

And of course, as I had deliveries to make, I got her to join in. In a spirit of reciprocity, I did make dinner for the two of us, grilled salmon with a creamy lemon and dill sauce, potatoes, green beans and a bottle of wine, with strawberries and cream for dessert. Yes, I can cook (a bit). Now if I could only master housework...

All I want for Christmas is some sleep

I am so tired...

Long hours at the office, long hours on the campaign trail, the occasional hour of sleep, 4 May can't come soon enough...

It does seem to be going well though, although you won't drag a prediction of victory out of me, be it in East Dulwich or Village ward (remember, vote for me and I won't turn you into a frog, or Kim Humphries for that matter - and let's face it, the frog has greater integrity...), I am confident that we've fought the best campaign we can fight.

And now I'm off to get some sleep... it won't be enough but...

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!

Down these mean streets...

Village ward is a pretty place for a stroll on a sunny afternoon, especially now with so many trees blossoming, and, after a rather miserable morning, the sun came out to shine on the Liberal Democrat campaign team in Village.

I admit that leafleting in Village is rather more than a gentle stroll, especially given the lengthy drives and garden paths on any walk you care to pick. A walk that would take 75 minutes to deliver in East Dulwich takes twice that in Village.

One feature of campaigning in Dulwich as that the locals are quite discreet about their political favours. Posters are rare, to the extent that even the two Labour candidates have yet to put up a poster in their own homes! Of course, being a Labour candidate in Village ward isn't easy, as Barbara Portwin has already discovered in her now suspended blog.

One curious fact that I recently uncovered was our performance in Village ward in the GLA elections. Yes, we came third, but it was a remarkably good third, the full result being:

• Conservatives 26.6%
• Labour 24.5%
• Liberal Democrats 23.5%
• Greens 15.3%
• Others 10.1%

Now if that result were to be repeated, I might be very close to getting elected...

But enough of that, it's time to kick my shoes off and have some dinner!

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!

Meanwhile, back on the campaign trail...

I'm hosting the campaign HQ here in East Dulwich which means, and I have mixed feelings about this, that I'm obliged to stay at home whilst we're open. So, what to do?

Ironically, the solution I've found is to tidy the house, which is beginning to have an impact. The kitchen looks like you might be able to prepare food without the risk of getting food poisoning (alright, I exaggerate how bad it was somewhat, but you know where I'm coming from), and even the living room looks vaguely acceptable.

When the campaign day comes to an end, I am able to get out and deliver my rounds. It was nice to get out in the sunshine and meet a few voters, most of whom were at least friendly and some of whom were very supportive. I even found time to do some vital food shopping (cats have to eat, you know!).

Meantime, it would appear that the mystery of the missing Green candidates has been solved. Apparently, there was some sort of cock-up with their nominations. Whilst I regret that they haven't been able to take part - they were a pleasure to work alongside at the General Election count (Kim Humphries take note...) - it does take some of the complications out of our campaign. At least, from the perspective of Green voters, our team of candidates are genuinely committed to environmental issues, and have a track record of achievement, especially Richard Thomas.

More developments as they occur...

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...

A small, but important, point of clarification

I have been contacted by Frances Biggs, Southwark's Acting Returning Officer, with regard to my posting of 2 April. At the time of writing that piece, I was led to understand that nominations would be accepted on delivery, incorrectly, as it turned out. Frances did, very kindly, review the documents to ensure that they would be in order once filed, but was, in accordance with Election Regulations, unable to accept them outside of office hours.

In the end, the nominations were delivered to the Town Hall at approximately 10.45 a.m. on Monday morning...

And a warm welcome to our newest readers!

I have to admit to being astounded by the news that I've managed to upset our friends in Dulwich and West Norwood Conservative Association.

News reaches me third or fourth hand that the newly appointed leader of the Conservative Group on Southwark Council is unhappy about one of my postings. Now, putting aside the fact that I publish all comments apart from those that are clearly insane or commercial in nature, and that my identity, name and address are a matter of public record, I am disappointed that Cllr Kim Humphries apparently sees it necessary to run to our Group Leader to order that my comments be withdrawn. Bless...

I know that our gallant effort in coming second in Dulwich and West Norwood at the General Election upset him (especially as he was the Conservative candidate!) but I would suggest that if he has a problem, he should contact me, either via this blog or via my e-mail address.

I just thought that it was quite amusing. Ah, I get it, politicians aren't supposed to have a sense of fun. Sorry, Kim, if only you'd said so...

And the tension mounts...

The deadline for nominations draws ever closer and, as Local Party Chair, I'm responsible for getting our nominations in for College, East Dulwich, South Camberwell and Village wards. East Dulwich went in on Thursday, so three more still to do.

Amazingly, our Acting Returning Officer is at her desk this afternoon (and likely to be there until midnight, she expects!) so I've agreed to drop in College and Village (vote for me, I won't turn you into a frog!) ward nominations this afternoon, leaving just South Camberwell to do. Hopefully, that should get done this evening...

Our Labour opponents continue with their series of lies, half-truths and distortions in an increasing unedifying attempt to retain East Dulwich ward. I wouldn't mind so much but their promises seem to mostly consist of doing the things that they should have already been doing. The fact that they deselected one of their number indicates their previous dedication to their duty as councillors. Oh well, if you can't run on your record, lie about someone else's, I suppose...

The campaign starts here...

My nomination papers should be signed and submitted shortly, so I ought to declare my candidacy now in the Liberal Democrat interest for Village ward in the London Borough of Southwark.

Village ward is one of the nicer parts of London, comprising of the heart of Dulwich Village. At the moment, it is a split ward, one Labour, two Conservative but we did quite well there in the General Election so whilst a victory appears unlikely, I want to see how well we can do against our Conservative and Labour opponents. I hope that Labour's campaign in Village is rather more positive than their effort in East Dulwich so far.

Curiously, Village ward is a contest between two American Democrats, the incumbent Labour councillor (Michelle Pierce) and her Conservative wannabe replacement (Robin Crookshank Hilton).

Perhaps I'm not the only liberal in my family...

My cousin Kim, not previously noted for her political views, has started her own blog recently. In recent weeks, she's started posting some interesting stuff from perspectives that I can't really represent.

Here are her views on the issue of the dress code in Luton and Islam... I'm not sure that I would be quite so forthright but I can't help but agree with her.

When attack is the worst form of defence

My post earlier today on the subject of the Darbyshires has drawn some interesting comments, as you can see.

I hold no mandate to defend Leah and Robin, and it ill befits me to try and do so as I really don't know them that well. But perhaps one of them is reading this and so, treat this as an open letter...

Dear Leah and Robin,

I have read your blog since it was launched and, whilst I had some doubts about the wisdom of some of the postings made (and you may remember the occasional polite e-mail suggesting that you might like to rethink/clarify your words), I saw no fundamental harm in what you were doing. Your style isn't mine - and there are some very good reasons for that, gender, age and perspective being just three - and I did think that the comments about your relationship were less than well-suited to being published on a political aggregated blog.

The satirical blog that emerged and, I must admit, remained unseen by me, was just what I feared would emerge. Your style was far too tempting to escape parody for long. You might have been better off giving up the blog, or starting a new one and only releasing details of it to those close to you. Instead, you turned inexcusably nasty, and worst of all, picked on an innocent bystander. And that's when it turned personal and nasty. People started to take sides and, when it comes down to choices, the innocent bystander is always going to win (and worst of all from your perspective, she really was an innocent bystander and most people knew it).

To then start a series of generic attacks on the basis of looks and sexual jealousy was so unnecessary because the neutrals started coming off of the fence too. Not everyone can look like a movie star or a model, in fact. most people don't. You don't either, as far as many of the comments that I've seen are concerned. That's not to say that you're ugly, plain or stunningly attractive, I've simply not given it a huge amount of thought because you're not my type - my friends will testify to that...

And so now you've resigned as Party members. Perhaps politics isn't for you, I don't know. However, whatever you do in politics from here on in, the story of your blog will follow you - people are kind of mean like that. It's a pity because you might have had a successful career in the party if you hadn't taken it all so personally. Politics is a tough game, and that's one of the reasons I don't tend to fight elections (I find the ease with which lies are told deeply troubling).

And now perhaps we can stop worrying about it all and get on with the rest of our lives?

Yours regretfully,

Mark Valladares

Chair, Dulwich and West Norwood Liberal Democrats

The Darbyshires - a note of regret

I read the recent stream of vitriol from Leah Darbyshire with some regret, as I never really got to know her when Robin worked for Southwark (not that I had much opportunity to talk to Robin either).

And so, what do I think? My first impression on meeting the two of them was, I admit, to ask the question, "porn star or rock star?". Neither of them fit the image of "Liberal Democrat activist", although I'm not sure how that is a bad thing. The blog could, from the perspective of an outsider, have read as a spoof and Leah's literary style does tend to encourage satirism (sorry, Leah, but it does, honest...). I don't think that many are comfortable with the sort of "we're so much in love" stuff - it tends to go against the grain of slightly repressed Englishmen/women in any event.

Having said that, had she carried on like that, the whole affair might have faded away. The problem was Leah's tendancy to verbally assault people who, she assumed (sometimes incorrectly), were attacking her. It rather gave the impression of paranoia but did indeed attract an audience (admittedly including a number of people who enjoy the sight of a metaphorical car crash). Once again, I apologise if this sounds harsh, but some of the attacks come across as rather small-minded, vicious and ill-directed.

Perhaps, in a few years time, Leah might look back at some of these entries, and a glimmer of self-doubt rear its head. In the meantime, I'll stand on the foreshore, wishing the good ship Darbyshires a safe voyage...

It's official, I'd rather not be in Chicago...

Sometimes, you realise that you're fated to spend more time in a place than you had intended. For me, that place is Chicago's O'Hare Airport. Having spent most of Monday there, I had the pleasure of being scheduled to pass through it again on Thursday, so you can imagine my surprise and pleasure to check my itinerary that morning to find that I had been reassigned to a direct Delta flight from Cincinnati to Boston. Best of all, I could stay in Cincinnati for an extra hour and get into Boston nearly three hours earlier than originally planned. There had to be a catch...

I turned up at the airport to check in, only to be told that I had excess baggage which would need to be paid for. Arguing in vain that, had I still been flying United, I wouldn't have had a problem, I decided to head to the United desk to see what could be done. The guy at the United desk was very apologetic, even though it wasn't his fault, and rebooked me onto the later Chicago flight. We were running a little late but no matter, and I got on the plane, found my seat and immediately fell into a deep, untroubled sleep. An hour later, I woke up, looked out of the window and saw tarmac. "Good, we've arrived...", I thought, only to be informed that this was still Cincinnati. Hmmm... not good.

Eventually, we made it to Chicago and I went to the check-in desk for the next Boston plane, to be told that I had been rebooked onto the 21:30 flight. I wasn't wildly happy, as that meant an 00:30 arrival in Boston, but was pleasantly surprised when the same rather surly gate clerk handed me a boarding pass for the 19:00! And so, eventually, I made it to Boston, only three hours later than scheduled.

Boston is a city I visit frequently, both to shop and, more importantly, visit my cousin Clint and his Bulgarian wife, Kalina. The politics here is a bit dull (if you're a Republican, move to New Hampshire) but the local press are pretty feisty so there is always something happening.

And best of all, I'm decently rested for the first time in months. I'll need to be as, with just over six weeks to go until polling day, life is going to be manic from here on in...

A really meaningful day out

When I'm on the road, I do like to catch a really good museum, especially one that challenges and informs. It was therefore a great pleasure to find that Cincinnati hosts the National Underground Railroad Museum, dedicated to recording the history of those who aided runaway slaves to find freedom in the North, and of slavery itself. It would be very easy to just airbrush this shameful episode in American history out of the picture but, in fairness, Cincinnati has made a real effort by building an excellent exhibition space and putting it in a prominent location, right on the riverfront between the new Paul Brown Stadium (Cincinnati Bengals football - gridiron for my British audience) and the new Great American Ballpark (Cincinnati Reds baseball).

The exhibit includes an actual slave pen, interactive exhibits, animated films on themes related to freedom and enough historical information to keep anyone with a conscience busy for hours. Most interesting of all, is the evidence that simply making it to a free state was not good enough. The 1850 Fugitive Slave Act allowed those hunting runaway slaves to enter the free states, recapture fugitives, and return them to the South in chains. It even led to the kidnapping of hitherto free citizens in places as far north as New York.

Another piece of information that I had not been previously aware of was that women had been given voting rights in some states after independence, and that this right was gradually taken away from them in the early years of the nineteenth century. All in all, a really good exhibit and, if you're ever in the Cincinnati area, I would strongly recommend a visit.

Next, to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame. I spent a number of years watching the Reds play baseball, trying to catch a game most years and I discovered that the game I saw in 1999 in Denver against the Colorado Rockies was the game in which the Reds scored their highest number of runs on the road since 1900 (the game ended 24-12). And I was there... The Cincinnati Red Stockings were America's very first professional baseball team (1869) and have a key place in the history of the sport. Given my fondness for numbers, it won't surprise you to know that I find baseball statistics fascinating...

Finally, back to the Hofbrauhaus for more beer and schnitzel. The beer is brewed according to the German purity laws under licence and supervision of the Staatliches Hofbrauhaus in Munich. So, real beer, great schnitzel and men singing German drinking songs in German. Weird...

Man, leather trousers, accordion, and it's not a fetish club, so...

... I must be in a Kentucky recreation of a German bierkeller. Obvious, really.

And, I have to admit, it's a pretty good one. The beer, very German tasting, is served in litres and half-litres, they serve a mean weisswurst and there are men singing German drinking songs armed only with a drumkit and an accordion. So far, so good.

It never fails to surprise how heavily influenced the Midwest is by Europe. Chicago has a huge Polish community, Milwaukee is very German (the mascots for the Milwaukee Brewers are giant sausages...) and Minneapolis is Scandinavian. Cincinnati tends towards German, with a suburb called Over-the-Rhine, and an enthusiasm for beer (and none of that ghastly standard American stuff, either). They like pretzels too, served properly, with mustard.

Cincinnati is, it's fair to say, quite familar to a European. It has a real heart, with things happening in the downtown areas, and a proper public transportation system, with buses that run regularly and have decent passenger numbers. I'm quite impressed but then, with a cat named after the city, you aren't too surprised, are you?

Anyway, I've enjoyed some beer, so it's time for sleep...

Welcome to WMJV in Cincinnati!

Noting my apologies to that comparatively little-known American sitcom (WKRP in Cincinnati for those of you unfamiliar with this minor classic), it's actually great to be here in the 'Queen City of the West', or less familiarly, 'Porkopolis'.

Yesterday saw an arduous journey between New York and here. I turned up at La Guardia, checked in at the self check-in desk to be informed that I couldn't get to Cincinnati at all. A very kind agent put me on standby on the flight before mine (which still hadn't left due to weather problems in Chicago) and I was fortunate enough to get a seat, allowing me to get to O'Hare just in time for the 15:40 connection to Cincinnati. Great!... until I got to O'Hare and found that my connecting flight had been cancelled. "You aren't going to make it to Cincinnati tonight, we've booked you onto the 06:25 tomorrow morning.", was the response. "Can I be put on the standby list for the 18:30 tonight?" "Yes, but we can't be certain you'll get on". I took my chance, went to the gate and, lo and behold, got a guaranteed seat.

So I went to grab some dinner and, now slightly less irritable, went to my new gate to find that, joy unbounded, the 18:30 was now cancelled. Back to customer services... "We've transferred you onto the 10:45 tomorrow morning." "Is there another flight this evening?" "One more, at 20:50, but it's completely full." "Put me on standby anyway".

More delays later, and at 21:15, I get lucky again, a seat has come up because half of the passengers due to connect onto it haven't made it into Chicago. The bad news is that the plane is delayed, and delayed, and delayed until 22:25. At least this one actually takes off and I make it into Cincinnati at 00:45, nearly seven hours later than planned...

But at least I'm here, and got to spend the day at the world-famous Cincinnati Zoo, America's second oldest. It was a bit cold, but they have some great exhibits, including their manatees, who are rather special.

Back into town for some of the local delicacy, chili. Cincinnati is famous for this, with at least two major chains of chili parlours, whose penetration of the market beyond the surrounding counties is virtually non-existent. I haven't worked out why this should be, but their chili, served over linguine, is very good. If you're ever in the neighbourhood, Skyline is apparently better than Gold Star...

Would it surprise you to hear that...

... the Museum of American Constitutional Government is closed due to reconstruction work. And who said that Americans have no sense of irony?