2nd B4L Meetup - London, 17 Feb - 6 comments

I expect most people who might be interested have already read other people's engaging, well-written, and surprisingly well-remembered accounts of the 2nd Bloggers4Labour Meetup in London on Friday night, but here's my contribution.

Firstly, here's the full list of attendees, with links to their own accounts:

Andrew West (aka Wongablog), Andrew Brown, Skuds (another Andrew), Damian, Kerron, Neil, Paul, Paulie, Tom, and myself. Was a shame not to meet up with Jo and Antonia again, but illness intervened.

Here's one of Paul's photos - probably the best I've seen so far (in that nobody's been taken by surprise, or at a weird angle), though I still reckon there are good ones to come:


Skuds (sleeve), Andrew W. (face), myself, Kerron, and Neil.

Well, a good time was had by all, and we all got on well. Nobody looked bored and had to be rescued, nobody got too confused by four people having the same first name, nobody got dumped out at Three Bridges station at 1 am, and a thoughtful soul even picked up the B4L banner I left behind.

It was a slight shame that the venue was about three times as busy as I had expected, and that we had to split into two groups, but never mind.



Hopefully our meetups can continue to move northwards, so that next time some of our chums from Oxfordshire, the Midlands (that's 27 already), and perhaps Wales (about 15), who have never been able to make it down so far, can come along too. And then, someday, we can really hit the North. Does anyone know of any big, Labour-oriented events timed for, say, the summer? Would anyone else like to organise an event?

A couple of people have remarked on the lack of political discussion. I don't know, I thought there was a fair amount - about as much as most people can manage before their eyes start to glaze and they start fingering their empty glass suggestively. I'd also tentatively raise the suggestion that we agree on quite a lot of things...

It is noticeable, though, how little organisation you really need for people to have a good time in a pub, and how little organisation is desired. There was one question I really wanted to get the group's view on, but the idea of me standing on a chair and addressing the throng, or tapping a glass and calling for hush in a busy, Friday night pub, just seemed silly. Oh well, there are other ways.

Anyway, I think these meetups are great - they demonstrate that a 'community' exists, and they also strengthen it too. The challenge is to extend it to bring in more of those dozens of people (not all of whom are male, we're pleased to say) who perhaps could have attended an event - if it were advertised better, held at a more convenient venue, or at a better time, or if they hadn't felt that nobody would have known who they were - without turning the meetup into some kind of hideous clipboards, handouts, and group hugs-type event.

Time for another photo - table two:



Finally, it's been mentioned a few times, but Andrew W. features the full text of Neil's run-in with an elderly weirdo, who had spotted his camouflage jacket, and possibly the assault rifle and wooden leg that had been carefully tucked under the table. I couldn't make out a word when it happened, having a hearing range that extends around me to a distance of one person, but it's quite good:

Old Guy: What rank are you?
Neil: I'm not in the army
Old guy: What rank are you?
Neil: I'm not in the army
[Old Guy walks away, then turns and comes back]
Old Guy: That's very confusing, you know. It certainly fucking confused me!
[Old Guy makes wanking gesture, and leaves]

The more observant blog-watchers will know that Neil has caused a certain amount of controversy over the past 9 months or so, and attracted a fair bit of stick for the views he has expressed, but as Andrew remarks, "We were very impressed at this ability to offend without doing anything at all!".

That's all I can manage for the time being. Hopefully I'll get some time to post more, soon.

Update: So many photos are knocking around now, Kerron has started a caption competition.