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| Left to right Cllr Kevin Wilson, Cllr Sue Smith, Ed Balls MP, Cllr Donna Coventry and Brian Barton |
The day before I received an Ed Balls mailshot inviting me to attend one of his hustings meeting all of them listed were now out of date apart from surprise, surprise today's event.
I arrived late and noticed the ITV news van parked opposite the meeting place, the film crews were outside waiting along with the photographers from the MK News and Citizen newspapers, along with Cllrs Sue Smith and Donna Coventry, I had a brief chat with them in between people asking us if this was the venue for the Ed Balls visit.
One lady was concerned that she had not yet recieved her ballot paper I told her to email Labour Party Headquarters which she said she had done so already I told her then to ring them up.
Sue informed me that Ed Balls was walking down the road towards the meeting place with Kevin in his now trade mark leather jacket, we were introduced to Ed who was then asked to conduct interviews while we waited inside.
In the Citizen's Thursday's edition there was a photograph which showed Ed Balls shaking hands with Peter Billups (Party Chair) with a sign above them "No Ball Games allowed in this area" how candidates must hate such things like this happening to them!
Unlike the other leadership hustings which was standing room only, the crowd was sparse.
Ed once inside gave us all a ten minute speech as to why he believed he should be party leader and then asked for any questions.
One lad from Buckingham asked if his reputation as a Gordon Brown henchman was rightly or wrongly justified, Ed replied that he had obviously read to many right wing newspapers and memoirs, the young man retorted I did say rightly or wrongly Ed muttered twice fair point.
Peter Billups suggested that he considers a Pensioners Champion in a future cabinet, which he had not considered before and thought it was a good idea.
One lad from Great Linford was worried that any additional taxes on the bankers could mean that companies would move abroad as indicated by the Chair of HSBC Ed felt that companies will always threaten this and that HSBC has to many outlets in this Country to simply jump ship.
One lady said that her daughter was 20 and was getting the young persons minimum wage rather than the adult rate as she was only weeks away from being 21, Ed felt it was a loop hole that needed to be tackled but any company not paying the correct minimum wage rates was breaking the law.
John Pinkerton Chair of the Peace and Justice Centre asked about his views on the Iraq war and if as Prime Minister he would ever go to war and press the nuclear button.
Ed replied as Prime Minister he could not say he would never press the nuclear button or go to war but war was a last resort.
There was a guy representing the Young Peoples ME Group who asked if he became Labour Leader would he promise to help their cause and take away a briefing note that had been prepared Ed said he would do so and take away the briefing note, he said his wife Yvette Cooper MP (former Minister of Housing) had suffered from ME and could not work for 15 months and had to at first go back to work part time, she is now fully cured and has always maintained that ME is a virus and not as some in the medical profession believe psychosomatic.
Cllr Kevin Wilson informed Ed of the life expectancy of eight years difference between a boy born in Netherfield and Emerson Valley and what he do to tackle this, he believed in areas like Netherfield being regenerated.
Cllr Steve Coventry asked about social housing and how more needed to be built, Ed agreed and said the last Labour Government did to little to late.
Cllr Hilary Saunders asked if he had pandered to much to the media regarding the Baby P case, he replied no and that he would do the same again and had to act as if he had not done so the media and the public would have been very hostile towards the Labour Government and accused it of not reacting, the OFSTED report was so bad that the cabinet member and Leader of Haringay Council told him that they had no choice but to resign, Social Workers had told him that they had never ever seen the Director of Social Services.
Cllr Saunders also brought up the 10p tax fiasco, Ed said he and Ed Milliband had pleaded with Gordon Brown not to do it but he had ignored them.
Once the Question and Answer session was over Ed stayed to chat and having photographs taken, once he left I helped to clear up and had to wait for the caretaker as the session ended an hour earlier than booked along with Cllrs Coventry and Smith.
Veronica had to leave early and I was asked if I could bring the box full of cups and refreshments back to the Labour Hall.
