| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Since when did husting mean barracking? | |
| Posted by: | Kate Doyle | |
| Date/Time: | 23/04/10 15:32:00 |
| I suspect I was one of those badly behaved crazed old women to whom Conal refers. A "friend of Mary" I am not. It is interesting that he singled out the women, as my recollection is that the first heckling came from some quite vociferous men in the room and they did not exactly remain taciturn thereafter. Handbags at dawn- you should be ashamed of yourself. Perhaps one has to attend more than four hustings to understand that disagreeing with "the labour representative " does not constitute support for the Tories. I am not "ashamed of myself". I am ashamed of the Labour party, which I have voted for all of my crazed life, for endorsing a candidate who is generally unpopular and who is very likely to lose the seat. But then part of my "twisted behaviour" has been making it my business to find out how difficult it is for the local labour party to have an existing candidate de-selected, particularly if the support is not there from regional office. This is a marginal seat and for our MP not to turn up at the hustings beggars belief. Ann Keens office has advised me today that she has confirmed her attendance at the hustings in Chiswick on 30 April. At no point did she confirm her attendance at last nights hustings, they say. She had a previous arrangement to speak at a Muslim Community Meeting in Hounslow As for this opportunity for "polite discussion and making ones point known" can Conal tell me at what point last night he expected this opportunity to arise. You got the mic, you asked a question, they answered the question and they moved on. There was no comment from the floor invited, encouraged, or ,in fact, allowed. If I were sitting on that platform I would have wanted feedback. How else can you judge the reaction to your policies. But no. We had to behave like good little school children with Conal telling us heckling is "rude." I am older than you, oh and yes, I am a woman, but how dare you stereotype. I am not stupid. I have never suffered fools easily and I am not going to start now to appease new labour types. I am educated. I am articulate. I am informed. I am not rude. I am not crazed. I am angry. Labour may lose this seat but no doubt "polite discussion", which has worked so well in the past a effecting change, will do the trick. |