Guest of honour Alastair Campbell gave a rousing after dinner speech at the London Labour Party’s fundraising dinner yesterday. Alastair emphasised the role of Labour Party members in campaigning telling us that we were the most important part of any forthcoming election. Specifically, the Labour Party needs to make more use of social media such as Twitter and Facebook. It was becoming very clear that as people no longer trust the mainstream media and politicians, they are investing their trust in each other and the way we communicate with each other is increasingly by social media.
The other speaker, Tribune owner Kevin McGrath, welcomed us to the event and gave an optimistic message that Labour will be forming the government in the near future.
The event was hosted by Jim Fitzpatrick MP, pictured with me, who raised a considerable sum of money persuading us to party with our money during the auction. Alastair also had his books on sale, the proceeds of which will also go to the London Labour Party.
My thanks to the Red Leaf Indian Restaurant in Queen Street in the City, an excellent venue with very good Indian cuisine.
Jim Fitzpatrick is an interesting man. Readers of this blog will remember perhaps, that he famously walked out of a Muslim wedding to which he had been invited because the sexes were segregated and he would not be able to sit next to his wife.
That he walked out rather than respect the customs of his hosts was bad mannered but that he should then make an issue of it in the press was extraordinary. Husbands and wives are routinely seated separately at formal sit-down functions for a very good reason and we will all have noticed that at many less ordered events, the women will congregate together as will the men.
On a more positive note his parliamentary expense claim for a pair of reading glasses form Poundland was commendable. Many would question his other claims and they would also ask why he did not buy his own reading glasses out of his salary like anyone else but at the time we were learning of massive extravagances like duck houses and moat cleaning.