18 April 2005
Bowled over
No time at all to write over the weekend because there is activity from morning to night. Again we had over a hundred people out in Newham over the weekend. Saturday there was big match between Millwall and West Ham so we avoided much of Green Street until the afternoon. Even then, when we took the bus out there were a few sad looking individuals hanging round outside pubs who didn't look too happy to see us.
Most places, though, the opposite is true. In Stratford, where Labour and LibDems are also out, our stall goes great. We get names of loads of people who want to help, several people who say they're voting for me and I have a good chat with Dean who runs the flower stall. Market stalls are under threat here because of guess what regeneration.
Sunday we leaflet churches _ a number of people say they're voting for me at one _ go canvassing, set up stalls for a huge Sikh procession in Green Street and go walkabout. Green Street is at the centre of Respect support and as ever we meet loads of people who say they are voting for us. Our stall is buzzing while next to it the Labour people look fed up and attract little interest. No sign of Tories or LibDems.
The national press on Sunday is disgusting about Respect: AA Gill's interview with George Galloway in the Sunday Times even criticises his height! Something none of us can do anything about _as I know being all of 5ft. It's pretty bad when you can't reach the top shelf in the supermarket.
I think that apart from anything else these people are snobs. Gill and Christina Odone both express distaste for the East End which they obviously regard as a bit of an eyesore they have to encounter en route to Canary Wharf. Nick Cohen surpassed himself with bile about me, George Galloway, the SWP and Respect in the Observer. I fear for his health if any of us get elected. Perhaps as an investigative journalist he could let us know what he thinks about the postal voting scandal.
They must be all very worried to devote so much space to us but we can expect more of the same.
Sunday afternoon Abdul Khaliq and Shiraz said would I like to go to a cricket awards ceremony, to which I agreed. The Gujarati Metropolitan Cricket League's AGM was a great affair. There were hundreds of shields and cups to be presented to teams and individuals. I presented some which was good fun. I only wish my old friend Paul Foot who loved cricket could have seen me. He would have had such a laugh.
The only other white person apart from me and John was a man from Essex County Cricket who said that while there was no shortage of potential players there weren't enough pitches especially in Newham. The same old story.
We also felt that probably a quarter of the kids in this room would be likely to be stopped and searched in the not too distant future. No wonder people are angry.
Most places, though, the opposite is true. In Stratford, where Labour and LibDems are also out, our stall goes great. We get names of loads of people who want to help, several people who say they're voting for me and I have a good chat with Dean who runs the flower stall. Market stalls are under threat here because of guess what regeneration.
Sunday we leaflet churches _ a number of people say they're voting for me at one _ go canvassing, set up stalls for a huge Sikh procession in Green Street and go walkabout. Green Street is at the centre of Respect support and as ever we meet loads of people who say they are voting for us. Our stall is buzzing while next to it the Labour people look fed up and attract little interest. No sign of Tories or LibDems.
The national press on Sunday is disgusting about Respect: AA Gill's interview with George Galloway in the Sunday Times even criticises his height! Something none of us can do anything about _as I know being all of 5ft. It's pretty bad when you can't reach the top shelf in the supermarket.
I think that apart from anything else these people are snobs. Gill and Christina Odone both express distaste for the East End which they obviously regard as a bit of an eyesore they have to encounter en route to Canary Wharf. Nick Cohen surpassed himself with bile about me, George Galloway, the SWP and Respect in the Observer. I fear for his health if any of us get elected. Perhaps as an investigative journalist he could let us know what he thinks about the postal voting scandal.
They must be all very worried to devote so much space to us but we can expect more of the same.
Sunday afternoon Abdul Khaliq and Shiraz said would I like to go to a cricket awards ceremony, to which I agreed. The Gujarati Metropolitan Cricket League's AGM was a great affair. There were hundreds of shields and cups to be presented to teams and individuals. I presented some which was good fun. I only wish my old friend Paul Foot who loved cricket could have seen me. He would have had such a laugh.
The only other white person apart from me and John was a man from Essex County Cricket who said that while there was no shortage of potential players there weren't enough pitches especially in Newham. The same old story.
We also felt that probably a quarter of the kids in this room would be likely to be stopped and searched in the not too distant future. No wonder people are angry.
