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Appealing in Ealing: Ken Livingstone and Ed Miliband woo the Labour vote
Posted by
Dave Hill
Saturday 28 April 2012 18.32 BST
guardian.co.uk
Ken Livingstone and Ed Miliband campaigning in Ealing Broadway.
Photograph: Dave Hill "Is that Boris?" cried a young female voice as
Ken Livingstone, Ed Miliband and a big bunch of red balloons
promenaded through the Ealing Broadway shopping centre.
"No, it's not Boris," replied her friend.
"Oh."
I couldn't see her but I could hear her disappointment - the sound of
what Ken is up against. By this time next week either a Labour Mayor
Livingstone will be on the eighth floor of City Hall already
implementing policies that would be good for most Londoners and London
as a whole, or a Conservative Mayor Johnson will be embarking on four
more years of doing no such thing.
Seems like a simple choice. Opinion polls, though, suggest that too
few London voters are looking at it that way and that too many see
"good old Boris" and not much else - which is, of course, exactly what
the Johnson campaign and its many press proxies have wanted all along.
Team Boris gives every impression of protecting its boy from
potentially unwelcome scrutiny in order to protect his lead: a no-show
at a recent hustings, an opt out from BBC Radio London's breakfast
show. Tomorrow, it's his turn to be grilled on The Sunday Politics. My
strong advice is that you shouldn't hold your breath.
But the polls still allow for a tight outcome. Ken's rating foot-drags
behind general support for Labour in London, but mud that sticks to
the Tories nationally is still soil in which his prospects grow.
That's why Ed Miliband was on the trail with him this morning, not
only singing his praises as the Labour candidate (that's "the Labour
candidate," for pity's sake) but also dirty up David Cameron and that
good friend of Boris and various mutual media chums, Jeremy Hunt.
If they're fretting about Thursday's vote, it didn't show. Ken greeted
my arrival at Ealing Broadway station by offering me a freshly-fried
chip and saying how much he'd enjoyed my calling him "stubborn" in a
recent article.
"A 'stubborn git,' actually," I pointed out. (A lot of thought went
into that "git".)
Ken guffawed, forgivingly.
I nattered with some of his entourage - a very nice woman from Labour
HQ, another from the office of Ed Balls - and then Miliband showed up,
looking shiny and enthused. Together they sailed off through light
drizzle accompanied by Onkar Sahota, Labour's London Assembly
candidate for the GLA constituency of Ealing and Hillingdon, which a
recent poll suggests Sahota has a chance of snatching from the Tory
incumbent Richard Barnes. A flotilla of activists framed the
politicians' progress with "Ken's Fare Deal" placards. Up ahead,
apparatchiks scouted shoppers for photo-op material.
This seemed in good supply, despite Ken's utter failure to be Boris.
There were all sorts of stop-starts as Labour candidate and Labour
leader posed and bantered with assorted Ealing citizens, ignored a
passing fellow who crossly shouted, "Support the workers! Support
strikes!" and talked to Sky News, PA and the Beeb about reducing
London's cost of living. They went into a sweet shop - Mr Simms Olde
Sweet Shoppe to be precise - and a shoe repairer's, presumably not
drawn there by the highly intoxicating smell of glue.
Once back in the fresh air Ken was hailed by a man attending a sombre
tree-planting ceremony at the edge of Haven Green. Would he join it,
please? The gathering, I later learned, was to commemorate the
Armenian Genocide, which Ealing Council has recognised thanks to
efforts of Stephen Pound, the Labour MP for Ealing North. I was told
that there are around 10,000 people of Armenian descent in Ealing.
Ken seemed very game, and had taken several paces across the sodden
grass before he was hauled back. Miliband, you see, was already in a
car waiting across the way to whisk him to his next destination. Ken
was meant to be beside him. "We're already 20 minutes late," an aide
said, breathlessly.
Ken apologised and did what he was told - not something that happens
every day. He and his party's leader have a common interest in getting
along and in being seen to do so. Expect further sightings of them in
each others' company before 3 May.
Posted by
Dave Hill
Saturday 28 April 2012 18.32 BST
guardian.co.uk
Ken Livingstone and Ed Miliband campaigning in Ealing Broadway.
Photograph: Dave Hill "Is that Boris?" cried a young female voice as
Ken Livingstone, Ed Miliband and a big bunch of red balloons
promenaded through the Ealing Broadway shopping centre.
"No, it's not Boris," replied her friend.
"Oh."
I couldn't see her but I could hear her disappointment - the sound of
what Ken is up against. By this time next week either a Labour Mayor
Livingstone will be on the eighth floor of City Hall already
implementing policies that would be good for most Londoners and London
as a whole, or a Conservative Mayor Johnson will be embarking on four
more years of doing no such thing.
Seems like a simple choice. Opinion polls, though, suggest that too
few London voters are looking at it that way and that too many see
"good old Boris" and not much else - which is, of course, exactly what
the Johnson campaign and its many press proxies have wanted all along.
Team Boris gives every impression of protecting its boy from
potentially unwelcome scrutiny in order to protect his lead: a no-show
at a recent hustings, an opt out from BBC Radio London's breakfast
show. Tomorrow, it's his turn to be grilled on The Sunday Politics. My
strong advice is that you shouldn't hold your breath.
But the polls still allow for a tight outcome. Ken's rating foot-drags
behind general support for Labour in London, but mud that sticks to
the Tories nationally is still soil in which his prospects grow.
That's why Ed Miliband was on the trail with him this morning, not
only singing his praises as the Labour candidate (that's "the Labour
candidate," for pity's sake) but also dirty up David Cameron and that
good friend of Boris and various mutual media chums, Jeremy Hunt.
If they're fretting about Thursday's vote, it didn't show. Ken greeted
my arrival at Ealing Broadway station by offering me a freshly-fried
chip and saying how much he'd enjoyed my calling him "stubborn" in a
recent article.
"A 'stubborn git,' actually," I pointed out. (A lot of thought went
into that "git".)
Ken guffawed, forgivingly.
I nattered with some of his entourage - a very nice woman from Labour
HQ, another from the office of Ed Balls - and then Miliband showed up,
looking shiny and enthused. Together they sailed off through light
drizzle accompanied by Onkar Sahota, Labour's London Assembly
candidate for the GLA constituency of Ealing and Hillingdon, which a
recent poll suggests Sahota has a chance of snatching from the Tory
incumbent Richard Barnes. A flotilla of activists framed the
politicians' progress with "Ken's Fare Deal" placards. Up ahead,
apparatchiks scouted shoppers for photo-op material.
This seemed in good supply, despite Ken's utter failure to be Boris.
There were all sorts of stop-starts as Labour candidate and Labour
leader posed and bantered with assorted Ealing citizens, ignored a
passing fellow who crossly shouted, "Support the workers! Support
strikes!" and talked to Sky News, PA and the Beeb about reducing
London's cost of living. They went into a sweet shop - Mr Simms Olde
Sweet Shoppe to be precise - and a shoe repairer's, presumably not
drawn there by the highly intoxicating smell of glue.
Once back in the fresh air Ken was hailed by a man attending a sombre
tree-planting ceremony at the edge of Haven Green. Would he join it,
please? The gathering, I later learned, was to commemorate the
Armenian Genocide, which Ealing Council has recognised thanks to
efforts of Stephen Pound, the Labour MP for Ealing North. I was told
that there are around 10,000 people of Armenian descent in Ealing.
Ken seemed very game, and had taken several paces across the sodden
grass before he was hauled back. Miliband, you see, was already in a
car waiting across the way to whisk him to his next destination. Ken
was meant to be beside him. "We're already 20 minutes late," an aide
said, breathlessly.
Ken apologised and did what he was told - not something that happens
every day. He and his party's leader have a common interest in getting
along and in being seen to do so. Expect further sightings of them in
each others' company before 3 May.