BY-ELECTION LOSS IN HEBDEN BRIDGE

Bad result last night for Labour in Hebden Bridge. We lost the West End ward - which reduces the number of councillors we have to six out of 18. Bad, especially, as our candidate was an excellent choice and would have been a real asset to the council. He has also lived here for 12 years with many years' experience in the Labour movement - unlike his Liberal Democrat oppo who moved here just a few months ago. That's politics. And that's unfortunately the state of play at the moment for the moment when Labour stands in elections. Thanks to those who helped leaflet and canvas. Here's to a better result next time.

LOBBY COMPASS FOR A LEFT AGENDA

It has been a strange kind of day. People angry, people sad. People apologising to me for not listening when we warned Gordon Brown woukd be a nightmare.

I take no joy in Schadenfreude. But those in Compass now sadly disappointed were told a year ago that either they supported a proper left leadership agenda or they were aiding New Labour. They protest too much for me to care very much. But Neal Lawson, Cruddas and the rest are pretty much responsible for the mess Labour is in. After all the platitudes and eulogies re Brown, finally the penny has dropped. Let's quote their latest directive

"The strategy that saw the Party continually triangulate interests and concerns, tacking endlessly to the right, doing what the Tories would do only doing it first, fixating on a mythical middle England and denying that free market policies are having a damaging effect on society is now finished.The atrocious results from last night clearly show that the Blairite strategy, revived by Gordon Brown, of targeting middle class votes while assuming the working class would back the Party come what may, no longer holds. The working class are now staying home or voting for anyone other than Labour as an alternative to the Tories. Millions still identify with the Party but won’t back it because its policies and rhetoric is alienating them. There is now no point trying to pile up middle class support in southern seats if our core vote is deserting us and destroying our voting base. The whole electoral strategy of New Labour is in tatters. "

Great analysis. Trouble is that Compass claims it has been has been saying this since 2005. To what end? Typically, its spokespeople now nick proper left policies ( which they wouldn't back a year ago) As Lawson points out: "If Brownism is just Blairism without the economic boom then the Party is finished."

What COMPASS doesn't say is that the road ahead was quite clear 12 months ago and they chose to advocate Brown. Nor that the radical policies they are advocating are largely borrowed from the lrc. Which makes me rather glad that LRC Chair John McDonnell will now be speaking at a fringe meeting at the Compass event on June 14 and, I am sure, pointing out to Messrs Cruddas et al that their hand-wringing now needs to be translated into decisive action to bring the left and centre-left together in a positive and constructive way.

The alternative, clearly, is landslide victory for the Tories. And none of us want that. On that note, will collapse into bed nefore get horrors of the Mayor of London result. One disaster at a time.....

ALMOST THERE....WITH A SOCIALIST CANDIDATE

Just 53 votes short in Calder ward of WINNING seat from Liberal Democrats. Why? Because our candidate Janet Oosthuysen fought an honest, Real Labour campaign from start to finish. We made ir clear we were not New Labour, we stood up for peace and against racism. Janet, who is an LRC member, stated plainly "Vote Labour - Get A Socialist." Seems to me that it's not a bad slogan toi build on and indeed counsel others to follow.
Elsewhere, our worst vote for decades. No wonder. No time for considered thoughts. Three hours' sleep last night and about to gather for lunchtime wake. But we have plenty to be proud of here. I await the London Mayor result with growing sense of dread......

MAY DAY GREETINGS...

And good luck to all Labour candidates across the UK. Now have to dash off as strangely an urban guerilla has strung up a huge VOTE LABOUR poster in the middle of Hebden Bridge which the Highways Department aren't too pleased at . I have my scissors at the ready and naturally I deplore such tactics.......

VOTE LABOUR- GET A SOCIALIST!

In a week's time I will be at the count in Halifax - West Yorkshire in its questionable wisdom does the results the day after. The night before I will be in Manchester town hall on behalf of the Press Association - phoning in the result. Manchester, I'm pretty certain, will stay solidly behind Labour. Elsewhere it will be a different story.
Here in Calder, our Labour candidate Janet Oosthuysen has fought a brilliant campaign and deserves to win. She's up against the Liberal Democrats' leader Coun Janet Battye so has a fight on her hands. But Janet's latest PR ploy just might swing us a few more vital votes.
"Vote Labour - Get A Socialist" is the line - a simple but seriously effective message which maybe one others hould consider for future reference in their bid to be elected.

FIGHTING THE BNP

I have been spending a lot of time away from home at various meetings/conferences/revelries so this weekend it's all hands to the pump as we fight the BNP in Calderdale. We're seriously at risk here of losing two seats to the far right . So I will be joining comrades from UNITY at 10am outside Sainsburys in Halifax to bead off to Ovenden and Mixenden.

Also disturbed to receive an e-mail from my friend John Wiseman who informs me the BNP are fielding NINE candidates in St Helens so if you are from that part of the north-west then please try and give Labour a hand. Because we need it.

VOTE SOCIALIST LABOUR!

I am nominally a candidate on May 1 in an unwinnable ward but the real hard work round here has been done by LRC member Janet Oosthuysen who is standing for Calder ward.
Janet deserves to win. No doubt about it. For the past six months she has been working her socks off and getting involved in the local community on issues from fair pay to social housing. Yet, predictably, and understandably, she's getting stick on the local Hebweb thanks to Gordon Brown's ever-deepening unpopularity and depressing tread rightwards day after day .
It's not fair , is it? Thousands of oridnary Party members want to see a return to Labour values, hundreds more are standing as candidates at our town halls up and down the country. But are we likely to wake up with a rosy glow of victory come May 2.?Probably not......
Yet we do have a chance of winning in Calder so to all those who are thinking of voting Green ( yes the candidate is very young and pretty but for heaven's sake get real) , spoiling their ballot papers ( pointless exercise) , or taking out their justifiable anger re Brpwn on a local Real Labour candidate, I say this. Wake up, smell the coffee, stop messing about and vote to get a socialist councillor elected. There, I said the s-word ......

OPINION POLL DRUBBING.....

Too busy teaching today to blog but my thoughts could probably be apprehended by regular readers . My sympathies to all the candidates who are fighting hard to retain ground at this seriously awful period for the Labour Party. No sympathy at all to MPs who sold people the illusion that Brown would be better......or chose to believe it themselves

LABOUR 4 CALDER!

Modern political campaigning requires modern political tools so congratulations to the comrades who have put together the campaign website for Janet Oosthuysen who is standing as candidate for Calder in the forthcoming local elections. Janet is an LRC member fighting a community-based campaign which means lots of slog in the far from glamorous arena of wheelie bins, dog dirt, and fighting unwanted development in the Calder valley. Janet's also fighting for fair wages and plans to take the campaign on to fight for more council and affordable housing . For IT skills alone, she deserves to win!

LOW PAY CAMPAIGN IN HEBDEN BRIDGE

I spend a fair amount of my time getting upset ( too much maybe) at the iniquities of Government. Locally, Labour has much to be proud of. At the moment, we are running a campaign to highlight the fact that several employers in Hebden Bridge are flouting the minimum wage legislation. We are hoping to persuade them otherwise - and signing up young people to our campaign to stop this practice.

Next Wednesday, Calderdale election candidate Janet Oosthuysen (pictured in the toown square last weekend collecting signatures for a petition) is organising a young people's public forum on low pay. We're calling for a Living Wage in the longer-term and will be linking this in to hopefully raise awareness of the work already underway in the COFUP initiative launched by the Socialist Youth network. Janet, I should point out, is a splendid candidate and a member of the LRC. I took the photograph!

CONGRATULATIONS......

To my fellow town councillor and friend Janet Oosthuysen who last night was selected as our candidate for the Metropolitan Calderdale council next year. The Calder ward has not been a Labour seat for some years but last year we were within a whisker of winning and , with a political, community-based campaign the our chances are better than ever. We will be knocking on doors, going out to local radical groups and aiming to engage with people on an issue by issue basis. Janet, who is one of three LRC members on the Hebden Royd Town Council, has set up a campaign Committee and we will ned HELP in the New Year.

NO, I'M NOT A BLAIR BABE!

A man called Joseph posts on our local website. He won't be voting Labour as he wants to give Blair "a kicking." Blair is "my man", he says, because I'm in the Labour Party. I am known locally for campaigning on national issues So he won't be voting Labour. Even though he acknowledges I am anti-war and anti-Blair .The logic of which mostly escapes me.But I have to note where he is coming from.

Four years ago, three years ago, two years ago, one year ago. Blair was the major problem. Unfortunately, despite his announcement on the news last night that a departure date is due next week, it seems he still is for many people. Despite the fact he won't even be in the GOVERNMENT in a few weeks ( and expect a by-election soon in Sedgefield).People have simply had enough - and they want to protest. It's illogical, unfair, unjust. And very tough on all the thousands of candidates up and down the country. Well, I've done my best to answer this guy's points. Am just off out to deliver last leaflets.

Tomorrow night, will be working in my home town of Manchester where, actually, the "Blair kicking" era is now largely over. I expect a friend of mine (Kath Fry, good left-winger) to re-gain her council seat in Whalley Range. How did they do it? Largely by re-branding themselves "Manchester Labour" and distancing from national policy. To be fair, Manchester has also benefitted hugely from central government funding. The city council has a great track-record , which helps......I won't know the actual results round here till Friday, which is when West Yorkshire in its bizarre wisdom holds the count. Lots of BNP candidates. Hope the news isn't too bad. At the last count (picture above with local MP Chris McCafferty) our local The Fox And Goose had record takings. Let's hope against hope that this year it's for the right reasons.

Election biog as seen on Hebweb

I was elected to Fairfield ward in 2003 and have been a Labour Party member for 30 years. Locally, Labour councillors have been a positive force for good on Hebden Royd. Since 2003, we have supported dozens of community groups including Hebden Junior Band, the Woodcraft Folk, the Alternative Technology Centre and intitiatives like the Hebden Bridge Arts Festival and Make Poverty History.
Our councillors helped shape the traffic review and pedestrianisation of Hebden Bridge, saved local bus services in my ward, and have contributed to employing an Environmental Community Warden to improve life in the town. With the help of Labour councillors Stewart Brown and Robin Dixon, we recently secured funding for Central Street.
I would be delighted to be re-elected for Fairfield. So I have to say a word or two about national issues. I know many voters in Hebden Royd are deeply concerned about the direction Labour has taken nationally. So am I.

Since 2003, I have been an active anti-war campaigner and recently attended the anti-Trident demo in London. In recent months, I have been campaigning for John McDonnell MP, who is hoping to stand on a socialist ticket against Gordon Brown. John inspired many at his recent meeting in Hebden Bridge and I hope people like him will be able to help us change direction in the months and years ahead.

On a personal note, I have lived in Fairfield for 10 years , am Chair of the Calderdale Branch of the National Union of Journalists and love living here after spending much of my life as a Mancunian townie. Thanks to local photographer Alison O'Brien, who has kindly supplied me with a series of photos from our recent Labour Party meeting at the Stubbing Wharf. Sometimes, you have to have a sense of humour to stick around..........

UNISON ABANDON LABOUR IN SCOTLAND

The sheer magnitude of the problems facing Labour if we do not change policy direction is illustrated starkly in Scotland - where UNISON is not supporting Labour.
The general council of the Scottiish TUC has agreed by ONE VOTE to back a Labour victory at the local and Holyrood elections as being in the best interests of workers.
Public service union Unison was among those which refused to support the STUC taking a party political position.
SSP leader Colin Fox, not someone I would normally have time for, is right to say this speaks volumes about the current state of the Labour Party.
Yet people like Dave Prentis seem determined to press on with their tacit support for Gordon Brown, whose recent policy pronouncements have not been good news for the public sector.The portents could not be clearer .The union activists have had enough , and they want Real Labour back ASAP.That does not mean endorsing New labour candidates at the forthcoming leadership and deputy leadership elections.

LOCAL ELECTIONS 2007 -VOTE LABOUR!

Just had official notification my nomination papers are OK - so that's the first hurdle over in being re-elected as a local councillor for the Fairfield ward . Only an idiot would under-estimate the unpopularity of Labour nationally at the moment. But in Hebden Royd the Labour track-record is second to none.

In the past four years, we have supported dozens of community groups, improved leisure facilities in Calder Holmes Park, backed Fairtrade initiatives, and achieved the best attendance records at council meetings. My council colleague Stewart Brown helped save local bus services and Coun Dave Young was one of the main instigators of the Environmental Street Warden scheme.

Hebden Royd Labour Party is NOT New Labour. As the above picture shows, our comrades have supported many anti-war demonstrations and affiliated to Labour Against The War.

We have called on Blair to stand down several times (we're still waiting) and a sizeable number of us hope to vote for John McDonnell as Labour leader in the forthcoming leadership contest.

Currently we have five councillors. There are 12 of us standing this time. Help us get a decent majority on the Town Council and vote Labour again.