Once upon a time, Labour MPs were men and women who had earned their spurs in the trade union movement or local government. They were people who had served their communities - often with little or no thought to financial recompense. Today, regrettably, a new breed of Labour MP is in the ascendancy. Look at most shortlists for safe Labour seats and you will find them packed with New Labour clones who have done bugger all apart from act as interns at Westminster, carry bags for MPs and Ministers , and generally toady up to the leadership with the eventual aim of getting on the Parliamentary panel. Sadly, many of them are successfully doing so.
Frankly, there is scant chance of changing the Parliamentary Labour Party until a)more people on the left start getting involved b) constituencies open their eyes a bit and realise they are being steamrollered and c) re-claim control of the policy-making process. If you think I am blogging this with certain individuals in mind, that might well be the case. Trouble is, there are plenty more of them in the pipeline......
Thursday, 30 August 2007
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5 comments:
I think this is unduly pessimistic. Firstly, I don't think things used to be as good as you suggest - there have always been plenty of careerists or people who contributed very little once they got elected.
I wondered which seats you were thinking of. While there is the grouping of London-based hacks, my sense is that things are getting harder for them to get selected compared to the 'glory days' of the late 1990s. They might get on the shortlist, because they make up a substantial portion of the people who put themselves forward and spend a lot of time and effort trying to be selected, but when it comes to candidates, the proportion is relatively low on London-based people being parachuted in to safe seats.
For example in Bolton South East Yasmin Qureshi got selected and Tony Blair's speechwriter didn't even get on the shortlist. In Brighton Pavillion Nancy Platts, who used to be Chief Exec of the Daycare Trust, got selected. Just turning up and being a clever young man from London with backing from the party leadership doesn't seem to do the job any more. Which is very welcome.
As you say, there is still a job to get more people to put themselves forward - in every constituency there are hundreds of people who would make exceptional Labour MPs but who never consider even joining the party.
Fair points, Dan. You're right in that the key is getting more people into the Labour Party and that's been somewhat tricky the past few years! People ( as I outlined on my blog ) are still resigning and another problem is that some may have had illusions that brown would somehow take us to the left. I don't share those illusions so am not going to be disappointed.Until our number are bigger then certain issues will be problematic. One is getting left MPs selected. I agree, maybe the "suits" will find it harder from now on but there are still too many of them !
What spurs did Tony Benn earn in the union movement? An aristocratic TV producer son of an MP who was the son of an MP.
Stop talking garbage.
Tony Benn was admittedly from a well-off political family. So what. I think he "earned his spurs "over the years by moving from the right to the left and standing in solidarity with working people, trade unions and the international peace and socialist movement.
When Benn came into Westminster after the war theer were many more Labour MPs from solid trade union and working-class backgrounds - The people I am talking about are largely without real convictions of any kind. Oh, and if you think I'm talking garbage, at least have the courtesy to say who you are.
But what are the chances of Central Office moving to block lefty candidates chosen by the constituencies and imposing 'more suitable' candidates?
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