No poster in the window

We live in a quiet neighbourhood and there's no real need for canvassers to go round in pairs, so it was evidence of some keenness that the two Labour councillors standing for re-election in our ward came to our door together.

On local issues there was little to argue about. Our local LibDems aren't up to much and the Tories don't bear thinking about. But Labour promise to clean up the town, and I have agreed that they will have my vote if before June 10th they do something about their own offices, which are in sore need of a wash-down at the very least.

Their take on national matters was interesting. One of them had already told me in an email that he "would hope that George Bush does not get re-elected in November" (while adding with absolute truth that "such events are out of our control at a local level").

It seems to me that if that is your feeling about Bush, then since Blair entirely shares his views on what is right for the world, it follows that you should be looking for a new leader for your party. Of course, I couldn't get the two candidates to agree with that on the record, and they spoke without much conviction of how well Blair used to get on with Clinton and what a great relationship he might have with Kerry, while maintaining that he has had a salutary influence on Bush, citing Libya but skirting round Iraq.

During the course of the conversation it was suggested somewhat diffidently that I might like to join the Labour party, for whose candidates I have never failed to vote. Ironically, I might well have signed up at almost any time during the last forty years, but after the Bush/Blair war they will never again get a vote from me in the national elections, let alone a subscription.

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