The week that was

posted by: Nick Lowles | on: Friday, 1 May 2009, 20:46

Apologies for not updating this blog for a few days but it really has been crazy this week but there does seem is if there is light at the end of the tunnel.

The week started with the launch of the HOPE not hate campaign at the TUC in London on Monday night. In front of 300 people I joined Billy Bragg, Francis O’Grady (Deputy General Secretary of the TUC), Jon Cruddas MP and Richard Wallace, Editor of the Daily Mirror, in pushing the message of HOPE. This was the second Philosophy Football event I have spoken at and I have to admit that I felt more comfortable this time. Though I wasn’t speaking until 10.15pm I kept off the drink and so had a clearer head.

Somehow, the night slipped after that and Sandwell MP Tom Watson took me off to some late night establishment which meant that I didn’t get to bed until almost two and had to be up again at 5am to catch a train to Liverpool.

The rest of the week has been focusing on getting our tabloid newspapers prepared, which I’m happy to say that they are almost there. We are doing about ten different versions, each one customised to local areas or unions. This is the sixth year we have done newspapers and perhaps I’m the wrong person to say this but I feel it has been an easier process this time than before. I still break out in shivers when I think back to 2004 when we produced about 26 different versions – scary!

In the midst of the chaos of the newspapers last night we held our Evening with Eddie Izzard and friends. Over 350 people packed into the Methodist Central Hall, in Manchester, to hear Eddie back the campaign. More importantly, everyone who attended committed themselves to a minimum of two hours leafleting over the weekend of the 16/17 May. Better still, 48 people came forward to offer themselves up as ‘ward co-ordinators’, most in areas where we had little on the ground beforehand.