Congratulations to comrades in Charlton Labour Party, in the Greenwich and Woolwich parliamentary constituency who attracted 40 people to a fundraiser last night for their election campaign fund, no ......wait for it......annual pensioners' Christmas Party. Guest of honour was neighbouring MP for Lewisham Deptford Joan Ruddock, now Parliamentary under-secretary at the newly created Department for Energy and Climate Change. Instead of the conventional after dinner speech, Joan spent the evening sitting listening, answering questions and debating at each of the five tables around which we were huddled. We were in the Cattleya Chu & Cho in Charlton Church Lane. The restaurant was packed. The windows were steaming. She was on our level. We levelled with her. Before leaving she did a quick resume reminding us of how Labour in government was leading the way globally on climate change (lest we had forgotten) - a small pointer possibly to an absence of deference in the round table Q&As.
The Charlton Labour Party pensioners' party is today in a local church. The event has been going for some 15 years. Next Tuesday, there is another branch fundraiser at the home of the CLP chair who is also the branch social secretary...overall a really cheering reminder of what ultimately can underpin electoral success as was proved in a recent council by-election in Greenwich.