Saturday's Action Saturday got off to a great start as Rt Hon Hazel Blears, MP for Salford, Minister without Portfolio in the Cabinet and Chair of the national Labour Party joined us on the streets of Liverpool.
There were a few delicate souls with tender heads after Friday night's dinner, but a very big crowd turned up to boost the campaign in Yew Tree where Labour only missed out by 13 votes last year.
Candidate Barbara Murray was delighted to lead a team on the knocker in Yew Tree with Hazel Blears, two Salford activists she brought with her to join us, a Labour friend from Bradford who was hoping to learn more about our campaign methods, Stephen Twigg the man who famously beat Michael Portillo in the Enfield Southgate general election in 1997 and yours truly who kept them all hard up to the mark for a few hours on clip board duty.
We knocked on doors up and down East Prescot Road and Princess Drive on a beautiful sunny morning, passing regularly, as we walked, Labour members and councillors from all over the city who were working really hard delivering an excellent leaflet.
It was one of those moments that gives you a really warm feeling, when you see the sight of lots of activists ranged along the street on doorsteps, chatting with local people. We took quite a few photos and a bit of video footage that I would like to use in a future training session.
We found nearly 200 new Labour promises and Hazel met lots of key people in the area, including the vicar and some old and new local LP members including a former councillor.
Sometimes I really regret not being a professional LP organiser any more, but the years of experience are so useful locally and make such a difference when you are encouraging and training people who are new to campaigning.
Barbara was really energised, having also spent time in Yew Tree with Labour Leader Joe Anderson earlier in the week. It gives such a huge boost to your campaign to have the support of upwards of 50 people for one special day.
Hazel went off after lunch to Speke/Garston where I am in no doubt she would have enjoyed speaking to local residents about their success in voting in another great Labour Councillor in the "swinging" by-election last month.
Wendy and I spent the afternoon going to see a few people about a few items of casework and had a late brunch in the Starlight Cafe on Prescot Road which we particularly like and recommend to all.
A lovely sunny day with lots of lovely sunny outcomes
(I told you I was becoming nauseating)
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