Cllr Andrew Boff is one of the most gifted political thinkers of his generation; further, it is a scandal that Hackney is the London Borough with NO swimming facilities thanks to the rubbish Labour council; further it was a lovely warm weekend and Shoreditch had a street parade.

Who could review these three facts without forming a near syllogism which would conclude "So Hackney South Conservatives would take part in the Street Parade wearing teeshirts advertising their opposition to the closure of Haggerston Baths and dance for 3 miles round Hoxton, followed by a donkey and a sheep from Hackney City farm, shaking their booty to Abba (supplied courtesy of the utterly fabulous London Cycle Network"? Certainly we could not resist.


-- the intrepid Conservatives, Here!

I will admit to a certain sense of trepidation when we arrived at Andrew and Gareth's and found what our colourful, street parade costumes would look like. I was even more concerned that Gareth, a committed socialist, was helping produce the banners.


-- what the best dressed Tories were wearing this summer!

However, this trepidation turned into downright sick terror when we actually arrived at Hoxton Street. The street party was being entertained by a rapper DJ, and the only other parade participants were a nursery school, dressed as sunflowers, the London Cycle Network, dressed as (and singing) ABBA and Hackney City Farm (a donkey and a sheep, who came as themselves).


-- Cllr Boff leads the way (as ever).

The terror - I could see the headlines in the Hackney Gazette "Tories trample on kids' parade" - turned rapidly, instantaneously, to joy once we actually started down Hoxton St. The rapper saluted our presence - "welcome to our guests from Hackney Conservatives - spend that money wisely" - a reference to our teeshirts, decrying the rubbish Labour council's appalling decision to spend upwards of £64 million of your earth pounds tarting up the town hall, rather than spending the money where it is most needed (did I mention that Hackney doesn't have a swimming pool? that youth services are under threat in Shoreditch? that car parking "services" are a nightmare?). Clearly, even if people aren't naturally Tory, they ARE more than ready to hear an alternative message to Hackney Labour's municipal diet of despair and failure.


-- the whistle came from Lesbian and Gay pride - we really MUST do something about our hetero-quota.

It was something that was repeated as we made our way - dancing, to Abba, no really - round Hoxton. The banners - the fantastic banners - got a positive reception everywhere.


-- what do we want? An end to municipal socialism. When do we want it? NOW!

So we danced our way round and ended up, sweatier but happier, with a few pints at the George and Vulture. Is there a local Conservative Association out there who can beat us for our determination to get our message over: the Conservatives are Here! And they're fighting for Hackney. Has any other deputy chairman- brackets politics - been waved to by a pearly king and queen? I rest our case.

You can see the full extent of our sweating at the homepage
http://www.homepage.mac.com/graemearcher/PhotoAlbum9.html

Next year we'll probably be in panto at the Empire!