Roadshow begins

posted by: Nick Lowles | on: Monday, 12 January 2009, 07:49

It feels like the European election campaign is really kicking off. Our updated website will be launched this week and we’re also beginning our speaking tour across the North West. Over the next three weeks we’ll be addressing almost 20 meetings throughout the region, though fortunately not all being done by me. This week will see HOPE not hate speakers address meetings in Tameside, Liverpool, Bury, Manchester and Blackburn, though from next week things really pick up with as many as four meeting on any one day.

The by-election in Tameside will obviously be the focus of much of our activities in the North West over the coming weeks but it is vital that this doesn’t distract us from building the local infrastructure that will be needed to stop Griffin in the European Elections.

I’m juggling my campaign preparations with the community training manual that we will be bringing out in March. I’ve just been reading Anthony Painter’s biography of Barack Obama in which he talks about the influence of Saul Alinsky on the President-elect’s community organising days. Interestingly, he notes that both Obama and Hilary Clinton were admirers of Alinsky and during one private exchange early in the primary season both swapped notes on the man. Of course Alinsky had his faults and his form of organising was particular to the United States but there is much we could learn in terms of involving and empowering communities, understanding power relationships and mobilising through Action. Anthony Painter is a good friend of mine so I would recommend that people go out and buy his book!

Closer to home, I’ve just spoken to Gerry Gable who reported on a successful campaign day in Maldon on Saturday. In response to some BNP activity Gerry and a dozen Essex activists, including two local vicars and some Trades Council activists from Chelmsford, were out with HOPE not hate material. There was a really positive response, with two people even giving donations to the campaign.