22 May (Part 1) - Last fling from UKIP
To
be honest, I thought UKIP might have made a bit more noise in Bexley than
they have, or should I say more than I have noticed? They were
out on the
streets a fair bit up to a couple of months ago but since then I have not
seen anything of them. On the other hand I’ve not seen much activity anywhere
although I keep reading on Twitter that East Wickham Conservatives are on the
streets every day and are confident that everyone loves them. Councillor Philip Read
claims to be similarly well received in
Northumberland Heath and even down in Lesnes where the Conservative majority was
as small as six in 2010 they seem to think they are still in with a chance. But the
only party to knock on my door and talk to me has been Labour - apart from UKIP on one
occasion several months ago. Last year I think.
However at the eleventh hour UKIP has come out with something new.
A statement has appeared on their website which includes the words…
We ask you to consider putting your trust into UKIP just this once. Unlike
the media reports, we are all normal hard-working people from all over the
political spectrum, all campaigning for the same goal – to make the political elite take notice.
I suspect those ‘media reports’ were artificially orchestrated because much of it was trivia that would be ignored
if any other party was involved. If the press has underestimated the British inclination to back the underdog
it will prove to be a big own goal.
“Make the political elite take notice” is an almost exact repeat of what my 94 year old aunt said to me on Tuesday
about Europe but Bexley Conservatives need the same lesson whether it be from
UKIP, Labour or ‘Other’. My aunt still thinks of her nephew as the five year
old taken to see her on the trolley bus on alternate Sundays and who needs to be told how to behave and what to do!
What begins to unfold in 24 hours time remains unpredictable but some Bexley wards may produce a few
surprises. By Friday I think the strength of the arithmetic must mean the Conservatives will see their achievements and
their lies paying off but it would be nice to see the three O’Neill’s take the fourth one down a peg
or two in Brampton and if councillor Craske’s majority is severely dented it will be the icing on the cake.