Drinking In Bexleyheath

I've just got back from a lunchtime's drinking with my friend Howard Dawber, the Labour parliamentary candidate for Bexleyheath & Crayford in SE London. Howard is one of a number of very dynamic Labour candidates fighting to regain seats lost to the opposition in 2005 - in the case of Bexleyheath with a 7.2% swing from Labour to Conservatives. So despite the campaign he is running, with some creative literature, one or two underaged activists and as much old-fashioned door-knocking as you can take in an area like that, there's virtually no chance of regaining the seat.

So instead we went round to the house of local Tory M.P. David Evennett on Lyndhurst Road, rang his door-bell and ran away. Oh, what a laugh! Much more fun than staying in Hackney and going on yet another boring visit to Abney cemetery.

The more courageous members of our group managed to meet some local residents who told us that they were very pleased with the Tory pledge to raise the threshold for inheritance tax and asked why Labour had become a policy copy-cat under Gordon's leadership. People also raised concerns about crime and about the council's maintenance of the roads and pavements. We told them that was their fault for electing an overwhelmingly Tory council but they didn't seem too impressed with our argument.

We soon gave up canvassing and retired to The Bricklayers Arms on Mayplace Road West where we had a few enjoyable pints and listened to some jolly good music. I can't wait to pay another visit!