It's been quite a week. Thus far I have been called an "unreconstructed hippy", "grand witch of Hebden" and now my former comrade Peter Kenyon is comparing me to Bernard Ingham , former Press Secretary to Margaret Thatcher.
Beyond the fact that Ingham and I are /were both in the business of journalism, and he was born in Hebden Bridge it's a rather unkind analogy. But, more importantly, inaccurate.
Peter uses the LukeAkehurst blog to suggest I am utterly isolated in opposing the CLPD support for Ellie Reeves. Well frankly, I wasn't going to devote any more time to this nonsense.But if people are going to be downright nasty and tell fibs then I will up the ante.
I attended last week's Centre Left Grassroots Alliance meeting as an LRC representative. So did another female comrade of mine and another from Labour Briefing We ALL spoke out against this.The agreement was we would come back in a couple of weeks and try and reach a modus vivendi. However, the way "democracy" works in the CLGA is that we are then sent mailshots already printed with her name on, rung up, and railroaded in the hope we will back her.
WHY would the LRC back Ellie Reeves? We are not in the business of being apologists for Brownites ( and sorry Pete Willsman there is no difference between them and Blairites) -particularly those who were cheerleaders for Brown's coronation last year and for the abolition of contemporary resolutions.
Peter Kenyon, I seem to recall, gaine left cred by speaking last year on a platform with John McDonnell and Billy Hayes where this measure was roundly condemned. Now he wants the votes of the right so anything goes - even slagging off people with whom you have worked in the Party for years. It seems to me that when men lose the ideological argument they resort to what can only be described as misogynistic, personal attacks. Being sworn at and insulted ( another joy of going to CLGA meetings) is one thing, being misrepresented quite another.
Wednesday, 28 May 2008
STICKS, STONES AND FIBS
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14 comments:
Do not forget if you go up the political ladder your will also change, which is a great pity.
These people are aiming higher and higer so they become changed
Hi Susan - yes, there have been some nasy personal comments. You must be doing something right!
Nil illegitimi carborundum.
So who would you vote for?
Peter Kenyon's tactics will come back to haunt him. I'm not going to vote for him - might be better for Ellie Reeves etc to be elected than have him supposedly representing the left. I'm thinking of using just two votes, for Mohammed Azam and Christine Shawcross.
Nice to see that fraternal warmth and comradeship are alive and, er, kicking amongst the Brothers and Sisters. Meanwhile the 'Toffs' are laughing all the way to the 'Westminster Bank'!
It's called democracy you have a vote.
As for the Toffs laughing, perhaps but they will have to clean up the mess, wait until they see it.
Dear Susan
As anyone who knows me will be aware from my time in the Parliamentary Lobby, I hold Bernard Ingram in great affection - and have done ever since I first met him as Tony Benn's Press Officer at the Department of Energy in the 1970s.
Peter, I don't know what your game is anymore.I say this more in sorrow than anger as we worked together, despite our political differences, for some years, And I think you should treat comrades with respect. Equating me with Bernard Ingram is, by any standards, an insult. It has always been one of the givens in the Labour Party that we will disagree with people. We should not have to resort to the kind of level you showed on Luke's blog.I hope , for the sake of a future positive relationship with the LRC, that this is not the measure of the kind of response we get.
Ok, Susan, keep your hair on.
It was a joke. It made me laugh.
Anyhow, I'm just a tourist here to observe the inner-workings of the Labour Party out of morbid curiousity.
You have not disappointed.
Maybe someone could put me straight on the use of the word ?comrade.
Why? Well, when it spills out here and there I keep thinking I'm in a Tolstoy novel.
Split, split, split
More like 'hissy fit split'!
Which blogger, now complaining of personal attacks, wrote "What can I say about Alan Milburn? Well, the only positive I can think of is that he's better-looking than Charles Clarke."
"Grand Witch of Hebden" indeed - don't they know Hebden (in the Yorkshire Dales) is miles away from Hebden Bridge. How about the "Old Hen of Pecket Well"
How about not being misogynist
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