WHY THE LEFT MUST STAY AND FIGHT

By any standards, it has been a bad year for the Labour Left in Calder Valley. The PPC who most of us wanted was de-selected, we have another one in place thanks to machinations which many of us in the CLP are still angry about - and which the NEC have ignored.

And now, due to that mixture of activists' anger and apathy in an extremely fraught year, the largest Branch in the constituency ( mine) has no elected CLP officers. The right, in short, has taken over and dispatched us to the sidelines. So be it.

I went to France the day after a CLP AGM which several of us left in disgust. Why? Because a moderate candidate for CLP Chair , one who had expressly said he would work to mend the horrors we have endured, was done over . Another, who has served the CLP for years, found himself opposed by as Vice-Chair by someone who no-one has ever heard of. Both had committed the cardinal sin of supporting Janet OOsthuysen and then myself for PPC. So rather than work to unify the CLP ( which is what I would have done if PPC) Steph Booth and her supporters decided to get rid. At the next election, when they are looking for people to deliver leaflets, they should not be too surprised if bodies in Calder Branch , the biggest by far in terms of activists and members, are rather thin on the ground. Politically and strategically, it was a stupid thing to do . But, given the state of play in West Yorkshire, there are many Labour MPs who need support so after last week's shenanigans I have no compunction at all in saying I will be off to Batley and Spen to help Mike Wood and also helping Linda Riordan in Halifax.

Others I know are just going to resign from the Party. Understandable though that is. it really is not the way to recover strength or a strategy with any positives whatsoever.

En route to France, I chaired a session at the Labour Briefing AGM. Some there had left Labour. Most had not. NEC member Christine Shawcroft (pictured with me at the meeting) pointed out she had been done over so many times that she had far more excuses than most to throw in the towel. She hasn't. Now more constituencies are up for grabs, I hope Christine will once again put her hat in the ring. Because we must not give up. I have no intention of doing so. As Briefing founder Graham Bash said to me after the meeting, we have a collective responsibility to re-build the Labour Party and make it Labour again - not walk away. As New Labour implodes, it's time to take the Party back. However difficult it seems.

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

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.

HOLDING THE LINE AND DRAWING A LINE....

It has been a very strange week up here in Calder Valley and I think that events are far from over. The row continues in Erith and Thamesmead and it remains to be seen what will transpire here. The media frenzy we have had over the Georgia Gould issue would probably not have happened without the internet -nor the revelations regarding Damian McBride.
As far as my constituency goes, i think it's now best for others to answer the questions we have put. I can only say there are going to be others. For now, I think it's best to draw a line. But I'm also holding the line that the whole process of how we select our candidates must be looked at by the NEC and I would urge people to contact their CLP representatives . This week, the grassroots have risen up and said enough is enough. I'd like to thank everyone who has phoned or e-mailed me and I'd like to hope that in the end the result will be a posiitve one for Party democracy and for all those of us who want to see politics be more open, honest and transparent. The smearing , and the tactics used by those who do it, cannot go on.

ACCUSTOMED AS I AM.....

I've been writing a speech. To tell you the truth, it feels like I've been writing a speech for a long, long time. After four months campaigning in Keighley and Calder Valley, I am suffering from serious speech fatigue so I shall give it a good 24 hours and then rely on my old standby of last-minute panic to spur the juices of creativity.
The other night I finished reading the Chris Mullin diaries and by the end I was amazed at the number of times he tried to wing it. There are some occasions when you can and some occasions when you can't. PPC hustings is one of them.
Various remedies have been suggested to quell the inevitable stomach-churning nerves which inflict one on these occasions. They range from homeopathic remedies to a large G and T.
However I think I will rely on that good old standby of making sure I do my homework beforehand. And, tomorrow, I'll go back to drafting the speech..,...

MY PARTY RIGHT....OR WRONG

I have just got back very late from a meeting in Manchester to discover that our PPC selection is now on hold till...January. This is because certain members of our constituency have seen fit to go to the right-wing media with bogus, utterly unfounded allegations about our candidate which now have to be investigated. I really hope they are pleased that campaigning in this highly marginal constituency is now further on hold, which will only derail our chances of winning - already slight. It is utterly despicable conduct. Unlike them, I will not be ringing the newsdesks with further tittle-tattle which can only damage the Labour Party. But let me say that, if we on the left had lost the vote in July, it would have been regarded as a fair and square decision. It seems that some people cannot accept they have lost the political argument - and choose to resort to personal vendettas which, had we the financial wherewithal, would end up in the libel courts. An utter disgrace.

BRASSED OFF....

Tonight to Hebden Bridge Brass Band concert - yes I know they are a Northern cliche but being a sentimentalist and a Northerner I adore brass bands so well done all and very enjoyable, too. Finally celebrated birthday yesterday in a manner NOT befitting a woman of my years. 3am is far too late ..... my excuse was it has been a stressful week . In case anyone out there is wondering, yes there have been a series of events in my local constituency which I intend to comment on at the appropriate time. Which isn't now. It is a pity that the self-styled "loyalists" have not shown the same discipline. And concern for the long-term chances of us winning this seat at the next Election.

OVERWHELMING VOTE OF CONFIDENCE IN JANET

Tonight's Calder Branch meeting @ the White Lion was a good-natured affair. There was no blood on the carpet, no nasty name-calling. Just two candidates putting their case before local Party members. The verdict was overwhelmingly in favour of Janet Oosthuysen, who almost won a seat in Calderdale and who is a hard-working town councillor and LRC member. Fair play to Steph Booth, she turned up in what is hardly New Labour territory and was absolutely honest about where she stood and why. Both Janet and Steph ( the others didn't show) were right to point out the good things Labour has done since 1997. But failing to recognise that policies need to fundamentally change - and that it's not enough to keep harping on about Surestart and the minimum wage (buying less each day) when child poverty is INCREASING just won't win us back our lost votes in this Valley. This constituency needs an upfront, socialist candidate. Tonight our Branch made the right decision and I hope the constituency does the same.