The Lib Dems of Fortune Green
THE most confident – dare we call them cocky? – Labour councillors have a vision of Camden where the price paid by the Liberal Democrats for their national pact for with the Conservatives is a complete meltdown locally. Like, a total wipe-out thing in the 2014 elections.
Relaxed Lib Dem organisers in the north west of the borough think otherwise. I can’t quite remember the line told to me recently by one but it was something along the lines of: If there was a nuclear war, the only thing that would survive are cockroaches and Liberal Democrats in Fortune Green. Something that like. It makes Labour want to win up there even more.
So deep are the roots that the Lib Dems have laid down in that crook of Camden, their thinkers believe there is still strong parochial support which can survive whatever mean things are said about Clegg and Co.
Maybe one indicator of such neighbourhood warmth is the area action group meetings held in the area. This is where members of the public have to be convinced, largely by local councillors, that its worth meeting up with them in a little get-together to discuss hyperlocal concerns.
Recently, 90 odd members of the public gave up their time to show up to the area group for West Hampstead and Fortune Green, the Lib Dem strongholds.
The same event in neighbouring Kilburn before Chrimbo struggled to attract double figures. Lib Dems would surely feel catty and churlish pointing out that Kilburn is represented by three relatively recently elected Labour councillors, but I bet it’s in the back of their heads.
Richard Osley 
Weird blogpost.
Sounds like the Lib Dems must be a little bit nervous if they are feeding you info like along the lines of: ‘we-had-more-people-than-they-did-at-the-last-AAG.’ Could it be that they are lowering their own expectations to the lowest level so that anything in double digits sounds like a victory?
Still – you have to get your material from somewhere…
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Great to see Shanker finally a Lord…
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Of course if there is Lib Dem meltdown in Fortune Green, I’m afraid to break it to them, but it won’t be Labour that benefits!
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Sorry I’m a bit late to the party on this, but as one of those three recently elected Kilburn councillors, thought I should defend our honour a bit!
Not the best turnout at our last AAG, but we had a cracking, standing room only meeting earlier in the year with Sgt Raj Kohli and Community Safety Cab Member Abdul Hai to talk about crime and ASB, in the wake of the fatal stabbing behind Mortimer Crescent and Abbey estates in Kilburn (or West Hampstead, as CNJ would call it). I guess sometimes you get the right combination of speaker, subject and a night when people are available; sometimes you don’t.
I remember that under the ward’s previous LD cllrs, the area forums (as they were then called) in Kilburn were never as well attended as those in WH & FG – so there you go. I suppose the other thing I should point out that it’s the only bit of the borough where two wards are allowed/opt to organise together, so we’re talking about quite a big area.
Congrats to his Lordship on his elevation in the recent honours. I’ll leave it to his expertise to read the political runes about how or why this snippet emerged on RO’s esteemed blog! It would be equally churlish of me to go for a cheap laugh about cockroaches and comparisons…
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Another LibDem delusion.
Many of the people attending the last AAG were Labour Party members or supporters.
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