Surviving Southall

Sidestepping the occasional crack-smoker and stumbling across a SWAT team preparing to storm a house, t’other intern Alan and I valiantly canvassed our way across the residential wastes of Southall today.

Despite some grim estates, Southall boasts the colour and individuality of the Punjabi presence of Sikhs and Muslims, who make up over half the population of the borough. The High Street is refreshingly empty of chain stores, peppered instead with a variety of ethnic emporia and a ripe array of fresh fruit and veg stalls.

With the by-election looming only 13 days away, Southall is suffering columns of lilywhite LibDem interns and an ominously hectoring Tory radiocar. Blues and Yellows both claim they’re the only party challenging Labour. In fact, it seems the Tories’ local entrepreneur Tony Lit is striding into 2nd, behind Labour’s 10,000+ majority. Ming’s merry men may get squished.

I admit it - the Westminster end of politics is definitely more to my taste. Quel snob.