Hampstead gets stuffed

This afternoon, I managed to catch the closing stages of the Camden Liberal Democrats’ clerical weekend off the Finchley Road, stuffing envelopes with reassurances about the party’s sensible policies on crime. Having been roped in at short notice last year to stand in the Hampstead Town ward (for which I qualified through my teaching at London University) in the London borough elections, I maintain good links with the area and revel in the local party’s success at taking control of the Town Hall. The next step must be the election of my running-mate in last year’s locals, Ed Fordham, as MP for the new parliamentary constituency of Hampstead and Kilburn, which takes in three wards from the Borough of Brent. It was good to see several activists from those Brent wards at the seminar held after the stuffing, on the plan to win the parliamentary seat. When I first moved to London (from Brussels) 25 years ago, north London was essentially a desert, Liberal-wise, whereas now there is a golden crescent of activity and electoral successes embracing Brent, Camden, Islington, Haringey and Waltham Forest, nicely balancing the older and enduring golden crescent in south-west London. Now the north/north-east area has to follow in the footsteps of Kingston, Richmond and Sutton by winning more parliamentary seats too.