I'M MANDY, FLY ME......

The decision to bring back Peter Mandelson from the political hinterland was hailed by many as a political masterstroke. Several months on, it seems that Mandy's return has only led to more travails for the Government.
Mandelson's bid to part-privatise the Royal Mail has been met with howls of protest from MPs , trade unions and grassroots members . It breaks a Manifesto commitment to keep the service public and is opposed by 65 per cent of the public, according to the latest poll.
Then there is the furore over Mandelson's friendship with BAA boss Roland Rudd, and the deeply unpopular policy on the Heathrow third runway.
At today's National Policy Forum in Bristol, the PM was met by angry protestors. Yet he continues to plough on with a plan opposed by over 130 MPs, including several PPSs.
One wonders why the counsel of so many in the labour movement is studiously ignored at a time when Labour is facing serious difficulties.

OVER 150 LABOUR MPs SIGN ROYAL MAIL EDM

ROYAL MAIL
13.01.2009
Smith, Geraldine
That this House notes that the Labour Party Conference 2008, with the backing of Ministers, supported a vision of a wholly publicly-owned, integrated Royal Mail Group; welcomes the conclusion of the Hooper Report that the current universal service obligation offered by Royal Mail, including six days a week delivery, must be protected and that the primary duty of a new regulator should be to maintain it; further welcomes the recommendations in the Report that the Government should take responsibility for the pensions deficit which followed an extended contributions holiday; endorses the call for a new relationship between management and postal unions and welcomes the commitment of the Communication Workers Union to negotiate an agreement which would support the modernisation of the industry; observes that in 2007 the Government agreed to a £1.2 billion loan facility on commercial terms to modernise Royal Mail operations; rejects the recommendation of the Hooper Report to sell a minority stake in Royal Mail which would risk fracturing one of Britain's greatest public services; further notes that the Government is currently advertising for a new Chair of Royal Mail; and urges the Secretary of State to appoint a Chair and management team who are committed to the principles of a modern public enterprise.

A poster called Labour Forward suggests my views are way out of kilter with the PLP. As over 150 MPs , most Labour, have now signed the above EDM and fiercely oppose Mandelson's proposals I would dare to suggest it is he, not us, who does not ubnderstabd the current political zeitgeist. These proposals will only go through with Tory support - that doesn't help any of us seeking to be elected either now or in the future. Madness........if you go to the Compass website you can sign up and register your opposition too.