PARTY DEMOCRACY

I've just got back from London- six-hour journey after atttending NUJ lobby on the terrible state of the media in the regions. It was a really interesting meeting with all-party support, chaired with aplomb by Austin Mitchell, Chair of the NUJ Parliamentary Group.
Spent much of the tortuous journey reading Chris Mullins Diaries - which will post about when not so knackered.
At the moment I am gearing up to another hustings speech for the Calder valley selection - and pondering what to say. I'm not at liberty currently to voice my thoughts on the process so far. But wht I will say is I have had a couple of pretty nasty comments from the usual anonymous posters .
So let me be absolutely clear why I am standing. This constituency is in the current situation because of a decision by the NEC not to endorse our previous PPC. As I made clear at a meeting in Parliament last night of the Centre Left Grassroots Alliance, I believe the NEC made a wrong call which has diminished our chnces of retaining the seat. It has also led to some members resigning or just washing their hands of the whole thing. As Chris Mullin makes clear in his book, one of the cardonal sins of the Party establishment has been to close down much of the democratic apparatus we used to enjoy. Whatever decision is made in the Calder Valley selection, I will continue to fight for those processes to be reinstated. And I will have plenty to say about the concerns I raised last night regarding ALL Parliamentary selections.