The Cornerstone of Democracy

Last minute leafletting of Portsmoth tower blocks the night before the local elections. I got a somewhat circuitous lift to the candidate's flat in the 'election car' as it trundled around the ward. A clapped out Volvo Lambda with photocopied Respect posters selotaped crookedly to the doors, and a megaphone from the 1980s stuck in the window, amplifying the message:

"Vote Respect in the elections tomorrow. Save the fire station. End the war in Iraq and spend the money on local facilities instead. Vote Respect for people not profit."

At the flat, a half dozen of us picked up the 3rd generation photocopied A5 flyers, and delivered them around some of the less grim council blocks.

You think it looked like a joke? Maybe it should have done, but the reaction from the locals (though not the military base) was pretty positive. And the council estate kids loved it - we had to tell them politely but firmly to not hitch mass rides on the back of the car.

We're the only party doing much electioneering around here. The main parties either can't be bothered or have absolutely no one on the ground to canvass or put up posters.

In years past the Labour club was festooned with electionaria - or should that be electoriana? Now there isn't even a "Vote Labour" poster in a window. Same story for the Conservative club. In fact, I haven't seen a Tory, Labour or LibDem poster anywhere.

Labour did manage a drop of glossy leaflets in one ward - saying how the LibDems are "soft on crime" and don't have the moral backbone to send teenagers to prison for breaking asbos. The LibDems dropped an equally glossy sheet through my front door - saying, in effect, "Vote for us to keep the Tories out".

Of course, we don't stand a chance in hell of winning a seat in the ward - we'll be lucky to get 200 votes. But we're the only group that can even muster half a dozen voluteers to prosetylise on a shoestring budget. That has to say something about British politics today.