Mad lefties

I did some leafleting at Burnt Oak on Saturday for the lobby of the council on Monday; my leaflet says 'public services before private profit' (I know, some people think they can happily co-exist but I'm deeply sceptical).

There was a lot of interest, no one hostile to what I was saying, and I had some interesting conversations with people.

Now, you might think I am completely mad for (a) thinking what I think; (b) doing what I do - why, I could have been lolling in bed all morning thinking about my lunch (like some citizens of Barnet that I can think of). That would be 'normal'.

But I get up early on Saturday morning and do this sort of activity because I think it's useful. It informs people about what is going on, gives them a chance to express their own opinions, and provides an alternative to the mainstream wisdom that is not thoroughly reactionary, perhaps contributing in a small way to pre-empting the growth of you-know-who.

All that said, I am frequently disappointed by what the most left-wing people that I meet say. Today I met a socialist who voted for Arthur Scargill's Socialist Labour Party, an old-fashioned socialist. We were getting on fairly well until he mentioned the empire: in the past we controlled them, now they control us. What the hell was he talking about?

Then I met a man wearing a 'No to ID cards' badge. We were getting on fairly well until he mentioned the EU: after the war, all the Nazis that had managed to conceal their identity infiltrated the EU and they are now running it and running this country too. What the hell was he talking about?

Am I the only sane mad leftie in Burnt Oak?