"I am not a racist, but foreigners really irritate me" said
one resident. "Oh, OK" I replied, not sure whether to point out the
apparent contradiction. This particular Tory voter did concede that not all
foreigners fly-tip or leave their front gardens strewn with rubbish, although I
doubt whether his views change much if at all after our conversation. Still, it
did highlight just how infuriating it is to live cheek by jowl with those who
seem incapable of properly disposing of their rubbish, even if most of us are
do not go so far as denigrating a whole group of people.
I met a three-day old resident, someone who I woke up (an unfortunate
shift worker), an Italian non-voter disturbed by the lack of a visible police
presence, and someone frustrated by parking issues.
My canvassing elicited more Labour than Tory voters, but somewhat
worryingly non-voters were in greater numbers. I am sure it is just a facet of
the particular area I was in, but it is nonetheless disappointing that so many
choose to be voiceless.
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