Campaign hots up in Lewisham

“No canvassers except Ian Page”. That is the message on a door in the Telegraph Hill ward of Lewisham, south London. This is one example of the support that we are getting during this campaign to get Socialist Party councillors Ian Page and Chris Flood re-elected and to get our third candidate Jess Leech elected.

Chris Newby

At another door, on the Kender estate, a woman called down from an upstairs window and when she was told we were calling on behalf of Ian Page and Chris Flood, she came running downstairs.

“These are the ones everyone’s been talking about,” she explained to her daughter. “You’re for the people. We need a party like that”. A voter on the Honor Oak estate said that he was definitely voting for us after reading our leaflets and ‘record’ pamphlet: “I’ve never met them myself but everyone round here is voting for them”.

Our posters are now plastered over most of the shops on this estate and one of the shopkeepers is supporting the campaign through a free ice cream for our canvassers! A Labour Party canvasser was reduced to hiding his rosette when he went into the same shop.

A resident on the Honor Oak estate highlighted what having Socialist Party councillors meant in reality by pointing out to one of our canvassers all the improvements on the estate that had come from Ian Page and Chris Flood’s work.

Campaigning has been hotting up over the last few weeks both with the good weather and the number of people coming out to campaign for the Socialist Party candidates.

In each of the last two weekends, 60 members and supporters have been out campaigning.

When we have re-visited people who, the first time we called, had not made up their mind about which way they would vote, many have now decided to vote for us.

Our material and the discussions they have had with our canvassers have convinced them that no matter who wins the general election, their first line of defence against the massive cuts Lewisham council is planning, is to have fighting socialist councillors in Telegraph Hill.