MPs EXPENSES - A SOCIALIST PERSPECTIVE

LRC Chair John McDonnell spoke at length to the PCS Conference on the issue of MPs expenses - and what activists should be doing to bring about the fundamental changes we need to build a better alternative and a better society. A video of the speech is on the LRC website.

LABOUR'S GOT TALENT.....

My political spirits have been a little low of late but I have been immensely cheered by a trip to Cambridge where I met a great spectrum of people still engaged with the Labour Party. They ranged from young students involved in the University's Labour Club to comrades who were around 30 years ago when I was a member of the Castle Ward in Cambridge CLP . Different views, different experiences, but all committed to keeping socialism on the agenda . I hope the Cambridge LRC gets off the ground and I also hope the new generation of left activists put their names forward as much as they can as local councillors and PPCs. With MPs who have let us down standing down, there will be many opportunities for a fresh start- and candidates standing on a ticket of traditional Labour values . Let's get to it ! People have had enough of those who see Westminster as a gravy train......

LEEDS LRC MEETING TOMORROW

Mike Wood, the MP for Batley and Spen, will be the guest speaker tomorrow afternoon when the newly-launched Leeds LRC holds a public meeting at 2pm in the Civic Hall. I'll be nipping over there to join in the debate and urge anyone else in the vicinity to do the same. PS: Thanks to the comrades in Cambridge for a really enjoyable discussion last night........

MARGARET MORAN TO STAND DOWN

So Margaret Moran has become the first Labour MP to officially fall on her sword - she is unlikely to be the last. But I think Paul Kenny of the GMB is right to express concern that there seems to be one rule for backbenchers and another for the Cabinet. If Gordon Brown is serious about clearing this miasma up once and for all ( and we have no reason to assume he is not) then there must be accountability at all levels. A few backbench scapegoats thrown to the lions to appease the multitude would be neither just nor enough to quell the growing public discontent - fuelled it must be said by increasingly thin Telegraph stories no doubt designed to do maximum damage on June 4. But , yes, the main transgressors, including Ministers if necessary. must go.

CAMBRIDGE LRC LAUNCH TOMORROW

Tomorrow sees the launch of the Cambridge LRC at which I've been asked to speak and I hope as many supporters and Labour Party members who live within the vicinity can get there. The meeting is at the Friends Meeting House, Jesus Lane, at 7.30pm.

As a onetime member of Cambridge CLP and the Cambridge Organisation of Labour Students I'm looking forward to the chance to meet new comrades and discuss the current political situation.......which is rather different to it was in 1977

WE NEED A GENERAL ELECTION......

You know how it is when you need a tooth extracting. No matter how much you want to put off the inevitable , a dentist ( assuming you have one) has to be booked and the grisly business has to be gone through.
I am coming to the view that this is precisely where we are in the context of a General Election. Grimly hanging on in the hope that things can only get better is frankly, it seems to me, clutching at straws in a climate where things could, actually, get a lot worse for the Labour Party.
I think it's time to face up to some unpleasant facts. Fact One being that, whenever an election is called, it's going to be a pretty awful scenario. In a year's time, when Brown will HAVE to have an election, there are likely to be many more unemployed, the economy is unlikely to have recovered significantly, and the public anger over MPs and their expenses is likely to have gelled into a festering resentment of all the main parties.
The main beneficiaries of the public's ennui will be the smaller parties. Their share of the vote is unlikely to result - thanks to the FPTP system - into mass gains for any of the parties to the left of Labour. But it could well give the BNP one or two MPs and dozens of Labour MPs already on a knife-edge of disaster could well be destroyed by another 12 months in office. As far as I'm concerned, we're now in damage limitation mode. Most highly marginal Labour seats are more than likely to go Tory so we have to hang on to as many MPs as we can.
A tipping-point may be the June elections, which if catastrophic may lead to calls for another Leader and a leadership election. No matter who were to take over from Brown ( and the only consolation is that Blears and Purnell are now out of the picture) it's irrefutable we could not stagger on for another 12 months. So- an autumn General Election it would have to be.
I doubt there is anyone out there in the Labour Party who relishes the prospect but if what troops we have are to be rallied - then rallying them sooner rather than later has to be the least worst option.

BIG GREEN DEBATE.......

In the light of today's Big Green Debate in Hebden Bridge I wish to make it clear where I and many of my comrades in Calder Branch Labour Party stand. ie
1. In favour of the re-nationalisation of the railways
2. Against a new generation of nuclear power stations
3. Opposed to a third,unnecessary, runway at Heathrow as is our MP Chris McCafferty and.....
4. Opposed to a new generation of nuclear weapons ie Trident. Chris McCafferty was one of over 100 Labour MPs who voted against it.
Our views may not be reflected in the majority of the Parliamentary Labour Party and it is a great shame the leadership of the Labour Party does not agree...........but there is hopefully always room for debate and of course winning the argument.

TIME TO RE-BUILD THE PLP

Five days after the NEC made encouraging noises, we are back in an untenable situation where there is seemingly one rule for backbenchers who have milked the system, and another for Cabinet Ministers.
While Ian Gibson, Ben Chapman, Shahid Malik et al fall on their swords, the likes of Hazel Blears strut around and say they have done nothing wrong and are doing a "great job." This despite the fact Brown said her behaviour was "totally unacceptable." Even more bizarrely, he has also exonerated James Purnell and Geoff Hoon despite the huge question marks still hanging over their conduct. It could well be he does not to get rid of such high-profile figures but frankly the longer they stay in office the worse it will be for the Labour Party and the Prime Minister should be seen to be absolutely even-handed.
At the moment, that just isn't happening. The Prime Minister has to realise that a root-and-branch clear-out of the transgressors is the only way of re-gaining trust and credibility. Yes it will be embarrassing and unpleasant but Hoon, Purnell and Blears need to be at the very least out of the Cabinet and then disciplined in the same way any other MP is facing in the light of the revelations. With the June elections only a few weeks away, the dithering has to stop. It's time to re-build the PLP .It is simply unacceptable that Cabinet members continue in office while owning up to tax avoidance and other abuses of an expenses system which has been greeted with disbelief and disgust by an increasingly angry electorate.

CABINET MEMBERS SHOULD NOT ESCAPE SANCTIONS..

Ian Gibson is standing down as he has transgressed the rules - likewise Ben Chapman. Can someone explain to me why Blears, Purnell and Hoon are still in the Cabinet. If we are going to discipline MPs, it should be a level playing field......a few backbench scapegoats just won't cut it. If we have to re-build the PLP, let's start at the top

NOT ENOUGH- IS MESSAGE TO NEC

Had my reservations re yesterday's NEC- confirmed by e-mail ( see below) from the original instigators of the letter which I signed in personal capacity.And Hazel Blears's breathtaking dismissal of the PM's view what she had done was "totally unacceptable." Quite frankly, we need to keep the pressure up.........add your voice at necletter@hotmail.co.uk
Dear Friends,

We just wanted to write to thank you for taking the time to sign our letter submitted to today's NEC meeting. It took a lot of courage to sign a letter that would inevitably fall into the public domain and be discussed by the Party leadership.

Particular Thanks
We would particularly like to thank members of Labour Party Staff who stood with us in this effort, understandably they were unable to join us as signatories, but showed their support in the form of texts and private emails.

We sincerely thank the leading political blogs, Labourlist (http://www.labourlist.org/), Labourhome (http://www.labourhome.org/) and Liberal Conspiracy (http://www.liberalconspiracy.org/) for their enthusiastic coverage and by encouraging our Party members to sign up. We would urge you to regularly read these blogs and add your voices to the debates that will undoubtedly continue to take place.

Where we are now
As of this evening, more than 200 Parliamentary Candidates, Party Officers, Councillors, former staff and other loyal activists from across the UK, have jointly signed today’s letter to the NEC, calling for our leadership to put the reputation and wellbeing of the Labour Party before the interests of a minority of MPs, who have let our movement down.

While undoubtedly well-meaning, we feel that the proposals stated today by our Prime Minister, and agreed by our NEC, lack the necessary teeth to help restore our Party's credibility with hard working members of the public.

In particular we are concerned that:

An MP will not face sanction by the Party if they remained within Parliamentary rules - no matter how publicly damaging their expense claims may have been.

Constituency Labour Parties remain unable to take action to challenge those MPs who have brought the Party into disrepute, without a system of approvals first from the leadership

We therefore reiterate our call to the NEC to:

Organise a thorough review of suspected excessive and abusive claims - regardless of whether they were eventually signed off by an over-worked Fees Office.

Support the immediate removal of the whip from individual MPs who have brought the party into disrepute over this issue and allow CLPs to trigger reselection ballots against them.

We therefore also ask that you encourage fellow activists to add their signatures to our letter, which will remain open until the situation has fundamentally changed.

Labour Party activists have once again come together to take a principled stance on one of the most important issues in modern politics. We are proud to be part of the Labour movement and all fellow signatories clearly remain loyal servants and inspiring champions of our Party.

Thank you for terrific support and we will keep you updated.

In solidarity,

Cllr. Richard Bingley
(Former Labour Party Press Officer)

Fred Grindrod
(National Policy Forum and Former Parliamentary Candidate)

Beryl Milnes
(Former Chair of Hemel Hempstead CLP)

Tom Flynn
(Labour Parliamentary Candidate)

RESTORING ORDER

My silence re yesterday's events was down to the fact I was in London for a meeting of the Centre Left Grassroots Alliance, which discussed the developments on de-selection of MPs.
The Special Endorsement Panel will, in the interests of sorting this almighty mess out, now review all cases where MPs have behaved badly and broken the rules, or the spirit of the rules. The remit is rather vague and possibly strewn with difficulties but it is a start - though I would have preferred the NEC to take up the call for trigger ballots and allowing CLPs to make their own decisions. I understand the first two casualties are likely to be David Chaytor and Elliott Morley. How many more will follow is anyone's guess but if there is justice then cases like Margaret Moran and Hazel Blears must surely be looked at. I have my doubts whether a sub-group of the NEC is sufficiently independent to make the right decisions but broadly speaking, the tough line which has already seen the departure of the Speaker must be welcomed. But he should not be the sole scapegoat for others' misdemeanours......

BLIND LOYALTY WILL NOT SORT THIS OUT....

http://www.labourhome.org/story/2009/5/17/191649/675

Earlier today, I was asked to put my name to a letter which will be put on the table at tomorrow's NEC and I was happy to do so. The text of it is at the link above and it calls for steps to be taken to ensure MPs who have transgressed the rules to be held to account- and if necessary de-selected.
In extreme circumstances, extreme measures are called for and it won't do the Party any good at all if this is swept under the carpet. But it would seem CLPs are already closing ranks and expressing "unanimous" support for MPs who frankly don't deserve it. Channel 4 News just announced, for example, that Margaret Moran's CLP has just backed her. Yet Moran has been cited as one of the worst offenders. In the long-term interests of the Labour Party, activists have a duty to ensure the appropriate action is taken, and thoroughly investigate the accusations, before reaching any conclusions. Supportive, or otherwise. Blind loyalty, however well-meant, will only make a bad situation worse - and do nothing to boost our standing with the electorate.

SPEAKER IGNORES CALLS TO QUIT

Valiant Pendle Labour MP Gordon Prentice was apparently among the Parliamentarians urging the Speaker to quit amid astonishing scenes this afternoon. No surprise, really that he did not. Such intransigence in the face of overwhelming opposition will not be helpful to any hopes of restoring faith in the House Of Commons. He should listen to the voices urging him to go- and do it.
It speaks volumes that Gordon Brown refused to back him

ESTHER RANTZEN TO STAND AS MP?

A bit of light relief in our current travails - the BBC reports that Esther Rantzen is considering standing against Margaret Moran in Luton as an independent on a "no expenses" ticket. She's hardly Martin Bell and what is more I seem to recall Esther once being a very enthusiastic Tory. Maybe her fellow I'm A Celebrity contestant Jordan will throw her hat in the ring. ........in which case Moran just might be in serious trouble

WELL DONE TERESA IN ERITH AND THAMESMEAD

Last night I e-mailed Teresa Pearce to wish her well in Erith and Thamesmead. I think the result there is a glimmer of hope amid the miasma surrounding Westminster. Activists were not fooled by glossy brochures, famous connections and all the spin we have come to associate with New Labour.
The intervention of local MP John Austin also undoubtedly helped and he is to be applauded for coming down so fairly and squarely on the side of local candidates - not people trying to parachute themselves in to a safe Labour seat with the help of the great and the good.
In Calder Valley, as is widely known, many Party members had concerns about the selection process recently and the fact that our previous PPC was not endorsed because of underhand and despicable means which included libellous allegations and Party members disparaging her both publicly and to the NEC
Our more recent concerns regarding allegations in the media were expressed at a Calder Branch meeting last week which unanimously called on the NEC to carry out a full investigation before finally endorsing Stephenie Booth. The relevant NEC members have chosen not to. Time will tell the wisdom of this decision. But what I can say is I will be raising it on Tuesday after the NEC meeting, at a gathering of the Centre Left Grassroots Alliance, when I will personally ask Ann Black to justify it. And, if necessary, come to the constituency and explain it.

FORMER CALDER VALLEY PPC SUSPENDED

The BBC and Sky News are now reporting that David Chaytor, a former Parliamentary candidate for Calder Valley and now MP for Bury North, has been suspended from the PLP in relation to claims for a non-existent mortgage. It is alleged he claimed £13,000 in payments which were not needed........he describes it as "an unforgivable error." I think the general public may take a rather different view. Gordon Brown has to act - and act fast - to stop this already scandalous scenario completely destroying the credibility of most Mps who I believe have not transgressed the rules. He is right to suspend both Mr Chaytor , Elliott Morley and relieve Shahid Malik from his Ministerial role while investigations are carried out. But what of Jacqui Smith and Hazel Blears?

DEBATE ON MP'S ' EXPENSES

I had a white-knuckle taxi ride to Leeds last night to take part in a discussion on MPs ' expenses. Last night's programme is here........


http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00k871r/The_World_Tonight_15_05_2009/

ARROGANCE BEYOND BELIEF

I've just been watching Look North on the telly. My TV is a clapped-out old thing that used to belong to my dad and I have been meaning to replace it for ages, A couple of hundred quid should get me a decent flat-screen model which will suffice for my modest needs. Not so Shahid Malik. When he wanted a new telly, he spent over £1000 on a "home cinema" - paid for of course out of the taxpayer's purse. I've just watched Malik defending himself - the arrogance was utterly astonishing. No wonder Gordon Brown moved swiftly and ( I hope) urged him to stand down. He actually thought his constituents, in one of the poorest parts of West Yorkshire "would understand." Well, actually, watching them being interviewed , it is clear they do not. They do not understand when they are struggling every week to pay bills that their MP is claiming for such essentials as a swanky telly and a massage chair . To say it is taking the mickey is an understatement. Which is why, instead of the quiet night in I had planned, I am heading to Leeds for a live radio discussion on MPs and Parliamentary selections. I would like to thank Radio 4 for the invite to say what I think......

DOWN WITH THE KIDS....

In these difficult political times, it was refreshing today to face an audience which still has faith that its local representatives can actually do something. Children from schools in Mytholmroyd and Cragg Vale were invited to come along and grill the Mayor on issues of importance.

It was as demanding as any hustings - possibly more so. We've made a note of the things which are causing concern - lack of play facilities on a local estate, the need for a swimming pool in Mytholmroyd, trouble spots for road safety, and of course the inevitable dog poo. The kids' questions have been minuted and I will be contacting the residents' associations, local councillors and relevant departments in Calderdale to see what we can do as a Town Council in the coming period. One of the things I most enjoyed this year was getting out to the local schools and today I had the added bonus of dispensing Vimto and chocolate biscuits.......thanks to all the children who showed real interest in their local communities.

ELLIOT MORLEY WAS MY BOSS.....

Years ago I worked for Defra press office in the days when Elliott Morley was a junior Minister. Today, he's the first scalp to be claimed in the furore over expenses, home "flipping" and sundry other scams which Mps of all parties have gleefully indulged in while the rest of us cope with job losses, spiralling energy bills, unemployment and mortgage worries.
We're supposed to be grateful for a pitiful increase in the minimum wage and go out campaigning for politicians whose moral compass got irretrievably bent many years ago if this rapidly unravelling saga is anything to go by.
I didn't see last night's Question Time but apparently Margaret Beckett got booed and heckled when the issue was raised. Perhaps a little unfair because, as far as I know, Ms Beckett is no hedonist and prefers holidays in a modest caravan to five-star luxury, but one has to take on board the fact that the public is incandescent with rage about what's been happening at Westminster.
There are three Cabinet Ministers who come out of this with any dignity. They are: Ed Milliband, Hilary Benn and Alan Johnson. The rest are swirling around in a stew of claiming for every possible goodie they can think of. Worst offenders being Hazel Blears, Shahid Malik and backbenchers like Fabian Hamilton. The only way this boil can be lanced is for heads to roll - fast

PATRONAGE AND PERSUASION

This weekend will see the re-run for the Parliamentary candidate in Erith and Thamesmead. Forgive me for being cynical, but it has become clear that the Party's apparatus is utterly geared to ensuring that their favoured candidates get through - regardless. In the recent furore over the second selection in Calder Valley, many members were angry and horrified at the way in which postal votes determined the outcome. They have also been appalled by recent allegations in the media concerning the PPC. Our many objections, I am sad to say, have been utterly ignored. Two weeks after I wrote to NEC Chair Cath Speight, I am still waiting for a reply. So are several fellow members who variously wrote to General Secretary Ray Collins, the Labour Party Compliance Unit, ete etc etc. Quite clearly our views are disregarded. I don't suppose any of us should have been surprised
It seems that there is one rule for New Labour candidates - and one for those of us on the left who only ever wanted a fair and square contest in our constituency.So I will watch and see what happens down in Erith.

DERISORY INCREASE ON MINIMUM WAGE

The Minimum Wage was undoubtedly one of the best achievements of the Labour Government when it first came to power. No-one disputes that.
But the latest- derisory - increase of between 4 pence and 7 pence an hour is frankly an insult to working-class people. At a time when billions of pounds have been poured into bailing out the banks and their friends in the City, at a time when Cabinet Ministers targetting the unemployed are claiming hundreds of pounds every month for food bills, who can expect the electorate to be impressed by such a risible amount. It's time the Government acknowledged the huge anger out there at the widening gap between rich and poor. And did something about it. More here
http://leap-lrc.blogspot.com/

THE HISTORY OF MS POLLY TOYNBEE

In today's Guardian, Polly Toynbee finally puts the knife into Gordon Brown and says he must go. Just as two years ago she counselled Gordon was the only man for the job.
Her antidote to the current miasma is another coronation - this time for Alan Johnson.To say this smacks of desperation is putting it mildly.
One can only smile wryly at her suggestion we "valiant few" still left as Party members should go to our MPs and urge them to instal AJ ASAP without an election as if that would make a ha-porth of difference to Labour's chances.
I'd like to remind Polly that a "valiant few" of us tried in vain to get our MPs to have a contest last time for the Labour leadership. We were resolutely ignored by the vast majority of MPs.Over 300 of whom now bear the responsibility for installing a Leader who has turned out to be a catastrophe. That catastrophe just might have been less had he had to face opposition from a swathe of candidates and a proper debate about Labour's future. But the kingmakers in the PLP ordained otherwise and now we are where we are.
I see little point in a leadership contest now. But if Brown were to go, we would have to have one. We would also have to have a General Election pretty much immediately afterwards in a climate febrile with disdain for all politicians, disgust at MPs who cut welfare benefits then demand £400 a month themselves for food on top of a Ministerial salary, and even "left-wing" MPs who claim for posh rugs and furnishings.It is a mess of such fantastic proportions that we can only sit back and see what June 4 brings. But a whisky and revolver for Gordon Brown without some fundamental U-turns on policy and humility in front of the electorate is not the answer.Polly's "mea culpa" is below


http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/may/11/labour-gordon-brown

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE GREEDY....

I just got in from a Labour Party branch meeting to catch Shaun Woodward eating humble pie on Newsnight. Ex Tory Woodward, Labour MP for St Helens, has SEVEN homes yet used the system to claim mortgage payments.This is a man of immense wealth.His mantra to Paxman was this was a "rotten system" yet people like him have shamelessly used it. The same goes for the Tory MPs today exposed and let's be clear there are many MPs who have come out of this with some decency. One is Alan Johnson, and that's probably why people like Polly Toynbee are now calling for him to replace the current Leader. Amother is the eminently decent Kelvin Hopkins (see link below) The tragedy is, decent or not, all MPs are now tarred with the same brush and the level of public anger is entirely right. For those of us - most of us - who struggle month by month to pay our bills and keep families fed and clothed the greed displayed by a significant number of Parliamentarians is inexcusable Gordon Brown was right to say sorry today at a union conference and to be fair he tried to reform this freeloading free for all. The disgrace is many of his MPs closed ranks to stop him
http://www.labourhome.org/story/2009/5/11/154857/973

PEOPLE'S CHARTER- A CALL TO POSITIVE ACTION NOT POLITICAL DIVISION

In today's Morning Star, John Haylett outlines in an excellent piece why the People's Charter should be supported. Its modest goals have the support of millions of activists in the labour movement yet major unions like UNITE and the GMB have withdrawn their official support. Their line is that it is some kind of clarion call for a mass walk-out from the Labour Party and a new Party led by John McDonnell, who is one of the higher profile Parliamentarians to have supported it. At best, this is a misunderstanding of the Charter's aims. At worst, it is deliberate mischief-making. The rumour mill, fuelled by MPs like Jon Cruddas, has been suggesting for some time that groups like the LRC are to follow the kind of trail which the ILP did in the 1930's and split from the Labour Party. Nothing could be further from the truth. As Haylett points out, over 30 Labour MPs and a broad swathe of unions have lent their support to the Charter. It is a serious failure of the "Big 4 " to join their ranks - given people like Tony Woodley and Paul Kenny originally pledged support. If you haven't signed already, you can do so on the link below. On Saturday June 20, at the Morning Star conference in London, the LRC will be spearheading calls for support


http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/features/the_fear_factor

LAST CALL FOR LABOUR IN TRIBUNE

This week's Tribune has an excellent editorial with which I wholeheartedly concur. It's change direction - or lose - as far as the Government is concerned. Maybe it is stating the blindingly obvious but let's be clear who is to blame for the current mess the Government is in. Not the Tory media, not the dispirited left, not the dwindling band of Labour activists, but a leadership which has doggedly, mystifyingly ignored commonsense calls for a return to the left of centre. The kinds of policies contained in the People's Charter, which is not wild-eyed Trotskyism, but a modest raft of policies which would restore people's faith and hope in Labour politics.
The Tribune link is below
http://www.tribunemagazine.co.uk/2009/05/07/tribune-comment-the-time-of-reckoning-is-very-near/

THE GRAVY TRAIN STOPS HERE

No-one would expect the Telegraph to be a friend of Labour but Peter Mandelson's suggestion that exposing the ludicrous expenses claimed by sundry Cabinet Ministers is some kind of Zinoviev letter scenario is frankly absurd.
Harriet Harman ( see link below) has it right when she says that people are angry - and that people are probably right to be angry - despite the fact that n one of these MPs were breaking any actual rules. Years ago, Labour MP Dave Nellist took an ordinary wage in solidarity with those of us who earn rather less than Cabinet Ministers or MPs. I don't think most of us would expect that MPs shouldn't be paid their dues for working long hours and spending most of their lives ( as most of them do) looking after their constituents.
I don't think anyone reasonably can have a problem with MPs who live outside London having a home near Westminster.Most Northern MPs I know choose the most affordable, modst homes they can. MPs also need staff these days to cope with the mountains of casework they incur. But the latest rash of disclosures is frankly an unaceptable and excessive milking of a system which, as Harman says , needs to change. The payback for the privilege of being an MP is being beyond public reproach. Too many - in all parties - have regarded it as an unstoppable gravy train. It has to stop - now
http://www.politicshome.com/Landing.aspx?Blog=7608&perma=link#

£4000 GOAL REACHED FOR HOSPICE

Last night I was at the Trades Club quiz night where a generous band of quizzers collected £95 to take us over the £4000 target for the Overgate Hospice in Elland. Thanks to all.
Tonight is the launch of the Hebden Bridge Arts Festival which I'll be enthusiastically supporting. Last night I also fitted in a peeting of the Halifax Friends Of Palestine with a talk by Kevin McGrother of the FBU who was part of a trade union delegation to Palestine a year ago. Kevin goes out on the stump to meetings large and small and people like him are the reason many of us remain committed to the labour movement. They are a sharp contrast to politicians who seem determined to milk as much money as they can from the system.
I just wanted also to say a word or two about my meeting with Lord Morris (Alf Morris former Labour MP) the other day in the House Of Lords, At 81, Alf is still campaigning for the causes he believes in. The latest being justice for the haemophiliac victimes of contaminated blood products- justice currently being denied by the Government.
One of eight children brought up in poverty in Ancoats, Alf was an MP for 33 years. When he submitted his ground-breaking Private Members' Bill in 1969 he was told the then Government could not support it on grounds of cost. He went ahead anyway and 40 years we have come a long way on rights for the disabled. But, without a new generation of MPs who are prepared to stand up for what is right, not expedient, I wonder where we will be. People like him were/are the heart and soul of the Labour Party. How sad it is there are not more.

ASHAMED? NO

Charles Clarke said earlier this week he was "ashamed" to be a Labour MP.Let me make one thing clear. I'm still proud to be a Labour councillor and proud also of my comrades in Calder Valley who are exemplary in fighting for fairness and social justice.
Tonight, I did my last official gig as Town Mayor and we're going to make my £4000 target to raise money for the local hospice. It's a real achievement for which I profoundly thank all the members of my local community who have contributed. I just wish the powers-that-be in the Regional Labour Party and NEC had listened to our voices. We would not be in the mess we are currently in if they had. To win this seat at the next General Election, we needed grassroots activists rooted in the community.

OLD SCHOOL LABOUR

This afternoon I'm being elevated to the House Of Lords, where I'm meeting Lord Morris of Manchester, aka Alf Morris, ex MP for Wythenshawe and someone I have known since i was a teenager. One of Alf's Commons speeches gets a mention in Hansard's latest publication and i am writing a piece accordingly. I am looking forward to the meeting - Alf, like Jack Jones and sundry others of his generation, is a shining beacon of integrity. Shame there aren't more like him in the current crop of career politicians

CALDER VALLEY PPC - TODAY'S YORKSHIRE POST

Today's Yorkshire Post carries the following story . My only comment is to reiterate that I am absolutely appalled at this latest development. As a matter of urgency, I will be making a complaint to the NEC Chair Cath Speight as, contrary to reports which have appeared in the local press, the PPC candidate still has to be endorsed by the full NEC

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/Wouldbe-Labour-MP-accused-of.5231327.jp

CIVIL WAR AT WESTMINSTER

Charles Clarke has a majority of just over 3,000. Which probably explains why he is back in the business of slamming the Prime Minister and leaking stories to the media about leadership challenges. I was recently told by an NEC member that any MP with a majority of less than 3,000 should be scanning the jobs pages . The reality is many more seats are now at risk due to the unrelenting stream of bad publicity for the Government.
Most is self-inflicted. The issue of the Gurkhas, Damien McBride, MPs' expenses have all combined to make for a poisonous stew of suspicion and recrimination which means Labour is in freefall. How on earth to quell this awful miasma? Hazel Blears's "solution "is to have a go at Gordon Brown in today's Observer. With a rock-solid majority in my old constituency of Salford, she is one of the few Cabinet Ministers almost certain still to be there if it's as bad as seems likely at the next General Election. There is talk of 12 MPs defecting to the Liberal Democrats, a stalking horse challenge in the next few days, and inevitably a witch-hunt of the MPs who rebelled on the Gurkha issue. Downing Street strenuously denies talk of a hit-list which has been drawn up by the Chief Whip. The fact is that the NEC was recently treated to a presentation by Nick Brown targetting the rebels. And the intent is clear. Get rid of the Left because they are likely to be in the ascendancy after the next election.
If members of the Government would stop squabbling, take a step back and look at the recent policy mistakes they have made there might be hope of rescuing something positive from this mess. Scrap Trident, scrap ID cards, stop the smearing and the back-room manoevres. Likely? I fear not. The rabbits caught in headlights tendency is now not just sleepwalking to a Tory Government, it is actively encouraging it . And if they start on a witchhunt, then the Party really will be over .

MORE STRIFE IN ERITH AND THAMESMEAD

With the re-run of the Erith and Thamesmead selection set for May 16, more strife reported as the CLP Chair is got rid of by Gen Sec Ray Collins. The "crime" which Frank Lerner committed was to write to CLP members telling them what had happened and had the temerity to ask for a total start from scratch due to the furore over postal votes. Surely he was right to do so. My Branch Labour Party was also right to ask the Regional Labour Party to investigate some concerns we had over the selection process in Calder Valley. Those concerns have now been passed on to Cath Speight , Chair of the NEC.

HAPPY MAY DAY!

Even by my grim standards, I seem to have been passing on unremitting gloom from this neck of the woods. So I would just like to wish my readers a happy May Day. My most memorable one was 20 years ago in Leningrad in front of the Winter Palace on an official platform.
Today is a rather more muted affair but I will be enjoying a nice lunch with a friend cooked by my good self and tomorrow heading to Leeds for the traditional May Day march and rally. Wherever you are, comrades, have a good day.......

WHERE NOW FOR REGIONAL JOURNALISTS?

I learned this week that yet more of my friends and former colleagues at the Manchester Evening News are to be made redundant. Highly skilled, experienced writers and subs in their forties and fifties suddenly find themselves without work - and little prospect of finding anything comparable with the wages they are used to. Today, I read on-line that the MEN's TV wing, Channel M, is also to lose half its staff. These are terrible times for journalists everywhere , but in the regions things are getting desperate.

The only reason I am currently recession-proof is due to the fact I am now living off the earnings which I saved in the good years as a freelance. Those who were less circumspect with their money face the prospect of mortgages they can't pay, children they can't help through university, and the sheer misery of being flung on the scrapheap at an age when they still have years to give.

A couple of years ago some friends of mine tried to be inventive and set up a radical PR agency - but that was before the recession and that didn't come to much either. The reality is that staff jobs are geting fewer and freelance work has dried up. Yet thousands of teenagers are still signing up for journalism and media studies degrees and dreaming of a glittering career. This is good for ex-journos who need an alternative source of income . I did some teaching last year and will be touting around my CV again in the hope of further employment. But, if I'm honest, my advice to the starry-eyed youngsters would be to choose an alternative degree. Journalism, as we knew it, is dead.