Labour Conference 2010: Friends of India reception

On the Tuesday evening of the Labour Party conference I was invited to attend the Labour Friends of India reception. 

This is a picture of Newham delegates and visitors (I'm hiding in the back row between flags) with the India High Commissioner, his Excellency, Mr Nalin Surie, shaking hands with Chair of LFI Barry Gardiner MP.

This was a really good event.  Loads (and loads) of MP's turned up to give short speeches. 

This of course had nothing to do with the Shadow cabinet elections (as many of them freely acknowledged).  Click on picture to bring up detail.

PS Apologies for the delay in posting.  I still have about 5 stories on Conference that I want to post before they get too stale.  Will get around to it...

Labour's Abbas for Mayor: Uniting the East End

On Saturday Newham Labour  activists came to help our sister Party in Tower Hamlets canvass for Helal Abbas in the Chrisp Street Market area, E14.

I was with two teams of 10 members and supporters.  There was other teams led by Stephen Timms MP and the Newham Executive Mayor, Sir Robin Wales.

When we first arrived we had a little bit of a heckle from some very excited bloke who shouted at us (from across the road in the Somerfields Car Park) that we should "be ashamed to be voting Labour" due to the recession.  To which I responded that we were very proud to be Labour and that maybe he should just not vote for us then?   

Apart from that the canvass went really well and on route we "bumped" into the candidate Helal and local MP Jim Fitzpatrick, in the middle of the market (see picture).  All sections of the community  seemed aware of the forthcoming election and willing to come out on the day to support the Helal.

(Election is on 21 October - Campaign office is at 349 Cambridge Heath Road, London, E2 9RA - 3 mins from Bethnal Green tube and is open for canvassing and leafleting from 10am-6.30pm every day until the election.  Or you can ring 0207 729 6682 or email abbas4mayor@gmail.com for further details).