15 April 2005
Democracy rules it out
The postal vote issue is not going away. We attended a candidates and agents meeting in Newham yesterday where it was clear there are a great deal of worries on this question. We also had a press conference to launch our campaign where we raised it again. My agent Abdurahman Jafar, who is a barrister, asked whether the votes could be counted separately and was told no which means that you can't see if one party has a very high number of postal votes.
I read Tom Woodcock's blog about the Campeace hustings, where he said that local MP Anne Campbell didn't turn up. What a nerve these supposed representatives have. Cambridge has a great record of anti war campaigning and I'm sure Tom will get a lot of support there. He says Campbell just wants to keep her head down _ that seems to be Labour's plan _they're in a war of position in military jargon.
I debated with Stephen Timms at the University of East London hustings and he essentially only debates with the Tory. That's triangulation for you.
UEL campus is a windswept part of docklands built opposite the London City airport runway. It must be very remote being a student there. There are business parks some of which appear to be empty, the Excel centre, hotels and expensive flats. When people say how do we deal with overcrowding there is plenty of room and luxury buildings which could easily be converted to housing.
The candidates were asked about the postal votes and they all said that problems which should be looked at after the elections. Hello! That means we're fighting this election on a system which is recognised as flawed _ what a travesty of democracy that would be.
Meanwhile I hear news from Stop the War that longstanding campaigner Lindis Percy (remember her scaling the gates of Buckingham Palace when Bush visited) is being threatened with an ASBO for her protests outside bases like Menwith Hill. You couldn't make it up. Nuclear weapons and military bases not anti social, peace campaigner is anti social.
George Orwell, where are you when we need you?
I read Tom Woodcock's blog about the Campeace hustings, where he said that local MP Anne Campbell didn't turn up. What a nerve these supposed representatives have. Cambridge has a great record of anti war campaigning and I'm sure Tom will get a lot of support there. He says Campbell just wants to keep her head down _ that seems to be Labour's plan _they're in a war of position in military jargon.
I debated with Stephen Timms at the University of East London hustings and he essentially only debates with the Tory. That's triangulation for you.
UEL campus is a windswept part of docklands built opposite the London City airport runway. It must be very remote being a student there. There are business parks some of which appear to be empty, the Excel centre, hotels and expensive flats. When people say how do we deal with overcrowding there is plenty of room and luxury buildings which could easily be converted to housing.
The candidates were asked about the postal votes and they all said that problems which should be looked at after the elections. Hello! That means we're fighting this election on a system which is recognised as flawed _ what a travesty of democracy that would be.
Meanwhile I hear news from Stop the War that longstanding campaigner Lindis Percy (remember her scaling the gates of Buckingham Palace when Bush visited) is being threatened with an ASBO for her protests outside bases like Menwith Hill. You couldn't make it up. Nuclear weapons and military bases not anti social, peace campaigner is anti social.
George Orwell, where are you when we need you?
