THOUGHTS FROM ABROAD......

Finding UK newspapers in the part of Spain we were in (Cantabria) was pretty difficult. Two Telegraphs in 10 days was all we could muster. So impressions of issues back home were obviously a bit askew.

Nevertheless, Gordon Brown's "safe pair of hands" offensive obviously continues and is serving him well in terms of public support. He cut off a holiday in Dorset (compare and contrast with Blair poncing about in posh villas with Bee Gees and Berlusconi) to cope with the FMD crisis. And is not expected to be going back. It has to be said that, however much many of us hated the "coronation" debacle, facts must be faced and the man commands respect in a way which Blair had utterly lost. Which, ironically, as stated elsewhere, creates real problems for the Labour Left in the immediate future. It would be easy to give up the ghost and join in the illusion and wishful thinking that is currently mesmerising so many. Better than Blair? Certainly. A closet socialist? Well, no. So hard as it is campaigning on the issues HAS to continue.

Blair had become a hate figure. An easy target. So it was relatively straightforward for groups like RESPECT to recruit and build entire strategies around George Galloway, "Bliar" and the War. Frankly, they are finished. And, even more frankly, so is Labour's Left unless we get our heads together and have a long hard think about the way forward.

Despite being the joint architect of Blairism, and basically funding the the war in Iraq Brown has cannily changed the mood music so that Labour Party Conference , which I will be attending in a few weeks' time, is likely to be an orgy of adulation.

This is pretty rum of course as in reality Brown is New Labour to the core, trying to take away the last bits of Conference democracy we have and abandon contemporary resolutions (which often embarrass the leadership) . And dissent is still being stamped out.

My CLP, Calder Valley, has been bamboozled into delaying the selection process - which means we're far more likely to get a Parachuted In Candidate if there's a snap General Election. However, we are on the case.....as to what lefties do now the Brown machine is in full flight.Well, some serious red sky thinking is now required......

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