The first meeting in the ward was quite a success. About a dozen people were there and there was a handful of apologies. Considering that 20 invitation letters had been sent out it shows a high level of interest.

Our first leaflet has been done and three of us spent half an hour distributing it on this estate. There will be a stall at the market on Saturday with an anti Crossrail petition and a few more leafletting sessions have been scheduled. What’s impressive is people’s willingness to take some leaflets and do their own area. It’s always good when people have the confidence to be self motivated.

Glyn remarked that the turnout for this one ward was nearly as good as a Socialist Alliance AGM. That’s not quite true but he has a point. The interesting bit will be converting some of the 50 members and supporters on the mailing list into long term activists who will be able to support the councillors. We’ll be writing to them this week asking them for money and inviting them to a larger organising meeting.

A welcome surprise is that the most significant tenant activist on the estate has said that she will be voting Respect. This is great. She is old style Labour. At the start of the campaign against stock transfer she compared Respect to the BNP, describing it as a flash in the pan. Like the rest of us he is not without her contradictions. She organised an estate party for Queen Elizabeth’s last jubilee but was a bit cross when no one went to it. I think I was on holiday or watching TV at the time and wasn’t able to be there.

What a joy to be able to do all my electioneering within 50 yards of the front door and to be in one of the most dynamic (and winnable) wards.

The pics are were taken with my Nokia. It’s perfect for this sort of thing.