SAME OLD SAME OLD.......

It's rather rich that James Purnell should attempt to defenestrate Gordon Brown and then start preaching to the rest of us how to "renew" the Labour Party.

Another day, another think-tank. More sharp suits and cue for sharpening of pens by Polly Toynbee and all the other Westminster political elite who seem to think they have the answers but just re-tread the same old lines.

Meanwhile unemployment continues to grow, people struggle more every day to pay the bills, and even Alan Milburn has realised that free university education might be the best option if you're to improve the "life chances" of working-class kids.

Milburn twas of course who two years ago launched the "20 20 Vision" think-tank to similar ballyhoo with his partner in crime Charles Clarke. It sank without trace.

The last thing, frankly, which Labour needs is more nebulous window-dressing and "debate" which clearly, as Roy Hattersley said on Newsnight, is basically a re-branding of Blairism under a "left" tag. Old bruiser Peter Kilfoyle MP was also right to point out that what Labour needs to do is listen to its members and get back to core values. That won't be done by a Demos brochure or yet another swanky website written by the usual suspects living lives far removed from the reality on the streets.

Let us also remind ourselves this is the same Purnell who advocated cutting welfare benefits and making people work for them while claiming £400 a month for food on top of a Cabinet salary. So all his talk of wealth redistribution and concern about inequality rings pretty hollow.

I read his piece in the Guardian today and it had nothing new to say, basically re-hashing the mantras about "choice" which we've heard so many times before. And we on the real Left know what that means. New Labour in another guise.

Purnell and his fellow plotters disgusted many in the Party with their bid to topple Gordon Brown. I don't think many will be listening to what he has to say. Sorry, James, we've heard it all before........

WHY WE'RE FIGHTING BACK

It would have been nice if the Halifax Courier had actually contacted me before writing the story below which today appears on its website. As usual, they have just quoted from the blog without ringing for more information. Still, it's largely accurate.
Our Branch, the largest in the constituency, has lost many of its activists as a result of the de-selection of Janet Oosthuysen by the NEC and then the subsequent concerns over the selection of Steph Booth, which were ignored again by the NEC. It is, however, suggested that it is only " a handful" of malcontents who are unhappy at the way things have panned out. This is not so.
My Branch, by far the biggest in the constituency, overwhelmingly supported Janet as our best candidate and later endorsed me and I'm grateful to have had the support of the clear majority of Branch members in the hustings.
As a consequence of what has happened our former Chair resigned from the Party with several others but by affiliating to the LRC, our Branch will be hoping to re-build and recruit new members so that we will continue to have a wide support base in our immediate locality, which will be needed in the period ahead if we are to survive as a campaigning Party.
Let's be clear. This constituency has lost many of its foot soldiers with many more disillusioned , disengaged and disaffected because of bad calls by the NEC. And also because of the "handful" of Party members who did not accept the fact a left PPC won fairly and squarely in the first place. And then launched a personal vendetta which, unfortunately, succeeded.
http://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/news/We39re-hanging-on-by-our.5472373.jp

WAITING IN THE WINGS.....

I'm quite glad that Parliament is shutting down this week as I've had more than enough of career politicians. "Courageous" Purnell has already landed himself a job with Demos and does nothing but carp about his former boss. Jacqui Smith was on the telly the other night bleating about how she should have had "training" to be Home Secretary. Poor dear....
Certain wisdoms can only be acquired by life experience and the problem is that most of our Cabinet has never faced the daily grind of an ordinary job and an ordinary life. People like Purnell were parachuted into safe seats (I know because his predecessor, Tom Pendry, boasted about it to me during a magazine interview a couple of years ago) They strut around thinking they are demi-gods when in fact they are devoid of any other principle other than self-interest.
MPs on already big salaries think they are perfectly entitled to claim every perk going, including £400 a month EXTRA for food, when most of their constituents are heading off to Lidl and struggling to hang onto their jobs.
The electorate has lost faith in its MPs and during the summer break they should think long and hard about how on earth they are going to re-build confidence and faith. Even the "party faithful" have had enough.
The good news is that in at least one London constituency , Brentford and Isleworth, the CLP is taking active steps to try and remove the gravy trainers. A shame Salford CLP did not take such a stance over Hazel Blears.
At the beginning of this year, I had aspirations to be a PPC. My only aspiration as of now is to try and get more work to pay the bills . I had a frenzied few days this week writing film and book reviews for an internet site only to discover that the average remuneration is about four pence per 250 words, It is not a career option......
When my fortunes improve, I will probably re-discover an enthusiasm for blogging. At the moment, along with millions of others, I'm just trying to survive. And hold together my local Labour Party branch which has almost fallen apart.

WAITING IN THE\ W

WAITING IN THE\ W

HENRY ALLINGHAM.....

Last year I had to fight back tears as I watched Henry Allingham struggle heroically to place a wreath on the Cenotaph at the annual Rememberance Day parade.It was clear the old chap knew it was probably the last time he would be there - and he wanted to do his best for his fallen comrades. He died a couple of days ago and the news programmes have been full of tributes to his courage as someone who made it his job in latter years to tell others of the horrors of war.

When Henry went to war, in the "war to end all wars" he was just 18. The same age as the youngest soldier killed in Afghanistan. As Gordon Brown heads off to the Lake District for his summer break, he should maybe ponder how our descendants in 90 years time, when we're all long gone, will view our eight-year sojourn there and the hundreds of deaths incurred as a result. As poet Wilfred Owen said many decades ago "Do not tell me the old lie, dulce et decorum est, pro patria mori."

TRIDENT MOTHBALLED

Today, the Telegraph claims Trident may well be another casualty of the recession and abandoned.
Welcome news, but it could have been a positive announcement from Number 10 instead of a swept under the carpet job.........
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/5844275/Gordon-Brown-delays-Trident-work.html

FARRAH'S STORY - ALL OUR STORIES

I never watched Charlie's Angel's. But with the help of Carmen rollers in the 1970's along with millions of other teenagers I tried to have hair like Farrah Fawcett. I suppose if I'm honest I always thought she was a bit of a Hollywood airhead but after watching tonight's extremely moving documentary on Channel 4 I'm astounded at her bravery in charting two years on film of invasive and terrifying cancer treatment.

Ten years ago this August, my sister died aged 51 of secondary cancer in her liver. She wasn't a Hollywood actress but she shared with Farrah Fawcett a profound concern for her children and family, rather than herself. At 61, my mother died of lung cancer when I was only 28 so to some extent it has been a major shadow over my life as it is for millions of others. Once it's been your loved ones in the frame the fear it might be you next never quite goes away.

When I was Mayor I tried to do my bit my raising as much money as I could and we collectively managed to raise £4000 - a decent enough total but only enough to keep the hospice going for one day. Their work continues.

At times in our lives, we all get wound up about trivial stuff like not enough money and getting older. We should be glad we are alive. I may spend a lot of my life in political activity - but I never forget mortality, the great leveller which none of us can escape. Nor cease to be affected by the bravery of others facing the end before their time. Like the rest of us, Hollywood legends have to die. And Farrah Fawcett emerged from her last movie with serene dignity and style.

NO MORE STITCH-UPS FOR BLAIR

The news that Tony Blair is being endorsed as President of Europe should come as no surprise to anyone who realises where the real power of this Government now resides. Peter Mandelson, plotter-in-chief and one of the most effective politicians of his generation, now effectively holds the strings which are keeping Brown in power. It's only thanks to Mandelson that Brown survived the serious coup attempt of a couple of months ago and, obviously, there was a price to pay.

One of which is, seemingly, suggesting the return of TB to the stage as holder of a £275,000 a year post in the EU. To Blair, now earning millions on the US lecture circuit, this is chickenfeed financially. But presumably he misses strutting around as a player closer to home.

New Cabinet Minister Glenys Kinnock, also part of the cabal which saved GB, is already enthusiastically drumming up support. Which is all deeply depressing news for all of us who have had enough of corrupt power politicians who seem to think they have a God-given right to high office.

Hasn't Blair done enough in consigning troops and the indigenous people of Afghanistan and Iraq to endless violence without returning to wreak havoc in the EU. I may not have said yes to No2EU. But I most definitely say NO to TB.

Frankly, the Labour Party has had enough of the Blairs and their unending boarding of the gravy train.

WHY OUR TRAINS ARE A NATIONAL SCANDAL

I don't blame the poor bird who flew into the windscreen at Oxenholme for turning my journey home into a nightmare. That honour goes to the staff at Preston station who tonight refuted the view of the guard at Lancaster that I was entitled to a taxi to get me home after the unfortunate creature had caused me to miss my (last) connection.
Thus a 40-mile journey took three hours, I had to go into Manchester and out again, two hours added to my journey, and it was made clear to me it was a case of like it or lump it.
In pre-privatisation days, British Rail honoured their customer contracts and did their best to get people home at the least inconvenience when things went wrong. The private companies don't give a monkey's.
So" thanks" to Virgin Trains for rendering a previously delightful day at my niece's graduation into an exhausting and unnecessary horror story. Is it any wonder people are reluctant to use public transport? And why we call for re-nationalisation

CALDER BRANCH LABOUR PARTY.......

Tonight affiliated to the LRC. We regard this as an absolutely fundamental step which will help us re-build and recruit more members. It will also enable us to send out a clear message that our Branch, the largest in the Calder Valley constituency, is not signed up to New Labour policy and that we retain the socialist values which we have stood for ever since we campaigned against Iraq, tuition fees, privatisation, and the other policies which the LRC stands for.I urge other Branch Labour Parties to do the same and our next fund-raiser on Thursday August 6 will give part of the proceeds to the LRC.

A DIRTY GAME.....

Politics is a dirty game and after 30-odd years I see no reason why it should change - much as I would like it to. Stitch-ups, treachery and jobs for the boys have always been a part of Labour Party culture which is why in the early 1980's groups like the Campaign For Labour Party Democtacy struck such a chord with activists.
CLPD is still gamely hanging on and trying to reverse measures like the abolition of contemporary resolutions at annual Conference. The results of which we will see at Brighton in a couple of months but that will only happen if the unions come on board. Which, hopefully, they will.
OMOV voting for the National Policy Forums would be another advance , making the NPF more representative and ending the sheep-like mentality of the current set-up which is still overwhelmingly dominated by what's left of New Labour.
The mood locally in my Labour Party Branch is unremittingly bleak folowing the NEC's refusal to listen to us over the Parliamentary selection(s) and several of our keenest activists have resigned. Most members are just apathetic and unwilling to engage - and who can blame them.
As Branch Secretary, I face a Herculean task turning that round but we still have over 100 members and the only way forward is to try and motivate people which is not going to be easy in the current circumstances. In the long term, things can change and with local elections coming up next year we will need candidates in place who our members will campaign for.
If there are any more stitch-ups, or candidates barred for spurious reasons, Calder Branch will be in terminal decline.As things stand, most of us are just hanging on in there by our fingernails.

BONUS CULTURE MAKES MOCKERY OF DARLING'S POLICY

Earlier this week, the Chancellor was criticised for his failure to adopt stringent regulation on the banks bailed out by US. Today's Mail reports the bonus culture is back......
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1198904/City-banks-reward-staff-mind-blowing-bonuses-months-bringing-world-economy-brink-meltdown.html
The Left Economic Advisory Panel's take is here

THE GREAT FOOD DIVIDE

I blame the fact that I was force-fed as a (very) premature baby both for a lifelong obsession with food - and a lifelong problem with my metabolism. I'm currently (successfully) managing to eat rather less but note today's CiF thread on a report in the Mail which suggests us Northerners spend far less on fresh produce and eat more junk than our counterparts in the south. Oh, yawn.

Some 70 years ago, in The Road To Wigan Pier, George Orwell pointed out that people with very little money or indeed time would tend to opt for a tasty fried fish supper rather than take the time to concoct something healthier or cheaper.

His evocation of the fly-blown tripe shop remains one of the great examples of descriptive prose in the English language. The fact is that diet is still largely determined by income and by class. Not by geography.

Until recently, it was fair to say that food in Britain remained cheap. Not so any longer. The days when you could cram a bag full of veggies for very little are long-gone .

Hebden Bridge, where I live, is a haven of foodie-ness with two delis, an organic veg and meat shop, two butchers, greengrocer's and no big supermarket. Two farmer's markets a month and every week a market where this week I bought a fresh piece of perch for £2.47 and baked it in the oven with lemon and herbs. I must confess it was rather bland and a portion in batter with some chips would have tasted rather better. And cost rather less.

I skipped on the fruit and veg ( apart from a punnet of strawberries for £1) because it was far too expensive.And frozen veg is just as nutritious.

Due to diminished income, I've become adept at stuffing sell-by cheapies in the freezer, I can make a pan of soup for about 50pence, and being a post-war child am also pretty skilled at the comfort dishes my mum made like shin beef stew ( Tater ash if you're a Mancunian, Scouse if you're a Scouser) and liver and onions. But, North and South, the art of cooking is dying out.

Junk food is undoubtedly more prevalent and I see far more takeaways when I go down to London than there are in Manchester city centre. It's all part of a quick-fix, corporate society where a vegan cafe has little chance of success in a world dominated by KFC and McDonalds.

I'm reminded of that wonderful TV documentary where Michael Portillo took over the cooking for a family in Liverpool and shamefacedly confessed he spent more on one meal out than the family did in a week. And that's the bottom line. Iceland, Lidl and Aldi are the ports of call for anyone with mouths to feed and very little money to feed them on. Ocadia and Waitrose the preserve of those with oodles of cash. Those with very little will eat what they can afford. And chips are very very cheap.....

A TERRIBLE TOLL

It is not Bob Ainsworth's fault that the speaking clock is probably capable of emoting more distress than he is able to in the wake of the news that the death toll in Afghanistan hasnow reached the same total as Iraq.But never was a man less suited to the role of conveying public sorrow at private grief. He talks like an automaton.
That's no doubt why one of the bereaved relatives today accused him of being uncaring about the deaths of so many soldiers in so few days. I am sure that is not really the case.
However, it is surely time for the Government to consider bringing the troops home and ending the carnage.

CELEBRITY POLITICOS

George Clooney is arguably one of the most handsome men currently on the planet. And, if I were Sarah Brown, I probably wouldn't exactly turn down the chance to meet him either. But I wonder what both were doing at the G8 summit in Italy.
Most of the tabloids coverage of the summit has consisted of blow-by-blow accounts of what the various wives were wearing and who looked the best. Why, exactly, do the wives have to be there? It only adds to the cost of the whole circus and it's rather depressing so little progress has been made and that the world's leaders are still male, middle-aged and parading their partnes around as if it were London Fashion Week rather than a serious political summit. It 's all a bit farcical and, frankly, a distraction from the global changes which desperately need to be addressed. Still, fair play to Carla Bruni for snubbing Berlusconi so she could take George to the opening of a cinema. Given the choice, who wouldn't ........

PHONE TAPPING.....

John Prescott is right to call for an enquiry and it beggars belief that Andy Coulson. as editor of the News Of The World, would not have known what was going on.......

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8141720.stm

SLEEPWALKING TO DISASTER.....

The pitifully small rebellion on the 10p tax rate was sadly another indication that the PLP has not learned from the mistakes of the last couple years- and most of all the dreadful results in June. Today, I received the final report from our former MEP Richard Corbett - a decent bloke who did not deserve to lose his seat to the BNP. It was utterly nauseating to hear Nick Griffin on the radio as a bona fide member of the Brussels Parliament being given time on the BBC explaining why he thought boats carrying illegal immigrants should be sunk. Why are we giving oxygen to these scumbags by ignoring the plight of the most vulnerable, and betraying our fundamental values? Reversing the 10p decision would have sent a clear message out that the Govt has listened and learned. Instead, we are, as John McDonnell puts it in the Morning Star article below, sleepwalking to "disaster." And local MPs like Gordon Prentice and Mike Wood, who were brave enough to join the rebellion, are among those most at risk as a result.
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/britain/labour_on_the_road_to_disaster

STAY AY HOME UNIVERSITIES

Bear with me for a Dark Ages moment or two. When I left home in 1977 to go to university it was a door into a different world.I met students from a wide range of backgrounds, I was independent, I was an ADULT ( well I thought I was) . The notion of staying at home and going to university would have been absolute anathema.
Today, the news channels report the Govt plans financial incentives - no tuition fees - for students who stay at home.
Some 30 years on my nephew is planning to do exactly that because he does not want to be lumbered with thousands of pounds in debt. And no doubt, in the current climate, he's making a highly sensible decision. But we have to ask ourselves what will happen if this policy, which on the face of it helps thousands of young people, comes to pass.
Effectively, those with least money will choose to stay at home. It will create a two-tier system whereby the rich and affluent will choose universities on the basis of the best place for their courses, enjoy the freedom of three years away from home, and of course the unique experience which university offers in learning how to survive as an adult for the first time ever.
Those with no such resources will study close to Mum and Dad. They will also lose out both intellectually and be the "poor relations" in an unacceptable way . The only answer is for the Govt to re-introduce proper maintenance grants, stop the iniquitous financial burden which students carry, and reform the tax system so that university is open to all. With no worries about debt, tutition fees, or the highly necessary practice of cutting free from the comforts of home.

CAMPAIGNING FOR THE LEFT

As the General Election draws nearer, the LRC is drawing up a list of MPs whose track-record in Parliament merits extra support at the General Election. One might have hoped the list of MPs rebelling over the 10p tax rate would have been longer than the 18 who supported Frank Field's bid to stop its abolition. Another opportunity wasted to win back support from the General Public. At present I can't source a list of the rebels on the internet so if anyone can supply it I would be grateful........Update: Gordon Prentice, Peter Kilfoyle, Jeremy Corbyn, Kate Hoey, Mike Wood, John McDonnell, Paul Flynn, Alan Simpson, Dai Havard, Mark Fisher, Kelvin Hopkins, Frank Field, Lynne Jones, Dianne Abbott, Martin Caton,David Drew, Andrew Mackinlay.

FREELANCE MONTH

It's kind of ironic that this month is designated by the NUJ as Freelance Month as this month is when I cross the Rubicon from scraping by to being seriously skint. Of course, I'm far from being on my own. Which is why the NUJ is highlighting the plight of freelances.

Most journos I know are either facing redundancy, scratching their heads and wondering how on earth they are going to replace the work they have lost, or seeking alternative means of employment.

At 51, the reality is that my chances of getting a staff job ( if they still existed) on a local paper are precisely zero. My only option is to contact as many people as I can and try and pick up PR or other forms of writing work to tide me over. But I'm not particularly optimistic.

My young nephew is a hotshot on using the internet to make money and has informed me of one or two sites which pay up for reviews of books etc. This blog earns me a tiny amount of money and I'm thinking of setting up a credit crunch blog to cheer up others in the same boat by sharing tips on saving cash.

One step I have taken is to lock away what remains of my savings to ensure they do not fritter away - so that if push comes to shove I will have to take whatever work I can find. It is probably time to stop going to the pub and to invite friends round, get the pulses out of the back of the cupboard, and hope that at some point in the future things will improve.So, solidarity to all the other freelances I know who are prowling the supermarkets for red stickers, discovering the charity shops, and harking back wistfully to the days when we took all that well-paid work for granted. In the meantime, I am open to offers.........and please click the ads!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD

Today is my Dad's 89th birthday and I just want to wish him a good day though truth be known he probably doesn't know what a blog is......last year he gave us a bit of a scare and spent most of the summer in hospital but he's rallied round and defied medical logic once again to be looking forward to attending his grand-daughter's graduation next week. Only the second generation of the Press family , as Kinnock once put it, to go to University.
When he came to MY graduation, 29 years ago, I thought he was knocking on a bit! In fact, he was only 60 but when you are 22 that seems very old indeed.
Born in 1920 to parents who left Northern Ireland after having the gall to fall in love across the religious divide, he was sent back to Portaferry on Strangford Loch for some years when five kids proved to much to fend for in 1920's Manchester .
My well-worn theory is that the fresh air and fresh food he had in his days as "Johnny Manchester, " as the local kids used to call him, are partly responsible for such amazing longevity .
I hope I've inherited his genes and ability to withstand less than abstemious behaviour .....I certainly inherited his interest in politics, trade unionism, and love of an argument over a drink or two. Now counting down to 90...........fingers crossed. Happy Birthday, Dad.He's pictured above with me and my sister at last year's Mayor-making,

EQUALITY IS ALL

I have just had to turn down an invitation, which I would happily have accepted, to speak to the Greater Manchester Fabian Society in November. It clashes with another commitment but I hope they will ask me back at some point as it is always good to engage with others - even if you're not always going to agree. Here in the north, we also don't have the plethora of meetings and discussions which people in London take for granted and are pretty blase about.
The Fabians may not be normal territory for the LRC but let's not forget 'twas they who organised the infamous debate on the Labour Leadership Election that never was and provided the only opportunity for John McDonnell and Michael Meacher to debate with Gordon Brown. As Brown was outflanked completely, he saw both of them off the very next day but that's history.
However, in recent days. John Denham has kicked up a storm with a speech he gave to the Fabian Society claiming Labour should ditch notions of egalitarianism and worry more about "those in the middle". Quite honestly, I was a bit astonished. Wasn't this the very same John Denham who at one point in 2007 was being touted as a possible "left" contender against Brown? . It also shows a bewildering lack of political nous, frankly, for such a senior politician not to be tuning in to the cultural zeitgeist in an economic climate which is very different from the prosperous days of 1997 and 2001.
I fundamentally disagree that people don't care about fairness and social justice and closing the gap between rich and poor. As unemployment rises, and will continue to, more and more will realise the illusions fostered by New Labour that everyone can prosper under capitalism and that it's OK to be "intensely relaxed" about the filthy rich are simply not so.
Young people, in particular, are seeking fairer ways of running the world and campaigning tirelessly on issues like global poverty, climate change and peace.
Denham got it wrong - which is why he has been lambasted by that doyenne of social democracy Roy Hattersley. I trust Denham's views are not representative of the Society as a whole. And I hope to be able to debate with them at some stage......after all I believe Tony Benn is also a member.

AND THEN THERE WERE NONE.........

One morning soon I expect to wake up and find the top 100 monopolies nationalised.......or something damn close. Because every day now seems to bring another U-turn on New Labour policy.

The LRC has been calling for years for the railways to be nationalised, for compulsory ID cards to be scrapped. And, most recently, for the Royal Mail privatisation plans to be abandoned. Now by the osmosis of the capitalist crisis all the above are to happen. With the blessing of the Government......

Every day there is also the announcement of another prominent Blairite jumping ship. Tessa Jowell and former Chief Whip Hilary Armstrong are the latest said to be standing down following in the footsteps of Milburn, Hutton, Hewitt. Reid, and a swathe of backbenchers who have decided to jump before they are ousted either at the hustings or in the wake of the expenses' scandal.

There is a terrible irony in all of this because of course the policy changes are the result of pragmatism, not principle. Let's face it. Lord Adonis must really have indulged in some serious gritting of teeth before opting for taking the East Coast line back into public ownership.

But all these developments give the Left a serious window of opportunity.

On rail re-nationalisation, endorsed gleefully by John Prescott and dozens of Labour MPs, it's now time to take things to the logical conclusion and launch a campaign in and outside Parliament for wholesale re-nationalisation of the railway system. Supported , incidentally, by none other than Peter Hitchens on Question Time the other night. And of course backed in 2003 as Labour Party policy at the Bournemouth Conference......

The Left can also use the U-turns caused by pragmatism as an opportunity to unite around the principles which will vastly improve our chances at the next Election. There must also be a new campaign to stop Trident , which according to reports Gordon Brown is now considering scrapping on the grounds of cost. ......There is all, IMHO, to play for now.

The same is true of dozens of constituencies newly vacated by sitting New Labourites, which present left candidates with an unexpected chance of standing for Parliament. I would urge anyone who wants to see a newly reinvogorated Left in the next Parliament to put their names forward and go for it. And, by the way, you do NOT have to be on te existing Parliamentary Panel.

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.

TRAINS, BOATS AND NATIONAL EXPRESS

I've sampled all the above in the past seven days but did not expect to return to a re-nationalised railway line in Yorkshire.
The fiasco over the National Express franchise illustrates perfectly why re-nationalisation of a failing sector should be an urgent priority for the Government.
At a recent public forum, Calder Valley PPC Steph Booth said she was not in favour of the railways once again being in public hands. The news about the East Coast franchise shows how seriously she is out of step with even the Government on this issue - let alone the Labour Left and of course the Labour Party which agreed some years ago it was Party policy. Fares in the UK, the highest in Europe, are a national disgrace.
Today I've travelled from Normandy to Yorkshire. A round trip of over 200 miles on SNCF cost £25. I paid £66.10 on a Virgin Trains Pendolino, where we stormed first class and refused to move as a train had been cancelled and there was nowhere to sit. Eurostar was an eye-watering £122.00 single London to Paris.
Lord Adonis has done right to take the franchise off National Express ( which I never use as it's too expensive) but it's madness to suggest the nationalisation is only until another private consortium can be found. It's time the Govt listened to the rail unions, and the general public who are sick and tired of over-priced, overcrowded trains run only for profit. The fact private companies can just walk away from franchises, leaving the Govt to mop up the damage , is wrong both morally and financially. A Labour PPC taking up the cudgels on behalf of rail users would find that stance a vote-winner. Ignoring the reality, that we've been ripped off for years by the private sector, is frankly, not. More on the RMT and LEAP websites

OFF ON HOLIDAY.....

Having spent the past few weeks to-ing and fro-ing across the country I'm finally getting a break and travelling to France tomorrow night for a few days in Normandy.
But first, I will be chairing the afternoon session of the Labour Briefing AGM which has the theme of "What's left of the Left?"
I've been reading the recent biography of Ken Livingstone and it's bizarre to find that almost everyone quoted is someone you know which made it fascinating, despite the fact the author clearly has little time for left-wing politics and a very jaundiced view of the Labour Left.
In the 1980's I was on the periphery of all the faction-fighting mentioned in the book but remember CLPs in Brent South where a couple of hundred people would be arguing the toss. For reasons which I've gone into at length elsewhere, tonight's CLP AGM in Calder Valley is unlikely to prove so crowded. The recent furore over our PPC has led to several people I know resigning from the Party and others contemplating it.Nevertheless I will be there and expect to be there long after the votes are cast at the General Election.
On the way home last night, it was a surreal experience seeing many on the train from Manchester singing and dancing to "Rockin' Robin" as the news broke that Michael Jackson had died. Bit like an episode of Shameless.......
Calder Valley has its own Robin who is standing as CLP Chair and, in the interests of an end to the ideological schism which has torn our constituency apart, I hope he wins. Right, I'm off to do my packing......... back Thursday.

TIME TO RE-CLAIM THE UTILITIES......

Last night I attended a People's Charter meeting in Manchester which amongst other issues discussed the reasons why its frankly modest aims would strike a chord with voters. As John Hendy QC, one of the architects of the Charter, said, what's really astonishing is why the Government doesn't "get it" that obvious steps like stopping the profiteering of the banks and private utilities would not only be morally right, but electorally popular. The Morning Star outlines why below ......


http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/britain/energy_bills_soar_by_42

IRAQ INQUIRY - LABOUR REBELS

Thanks to a Westminster source for passing on the list of Labour rebels who joined the call for an open, independent and publicly transparent inquiry into the Iraq War. There has been much spin that Brown has done a U-turn on this one. Not so. A concession, true, it is that some parts will now be in public but most of the hearing will still be in camera - and those conducting the inquiry do not have the independence needed to make it anything more likely than another whitewash. It truly beggars belief that only 19 Labour MPs had the guts to stand up and be counted on this one. The rebels were:

Jeremy Corbyn, Parmjit Dhanda, David Drew, Paul Farrelly, Frank Field, Mark Fisher, Paul Flynn, Roger Godsiff, Kate Hoey, Kelvin Hopkins, Lynne Jones, Andrew Mackinlay, Bob Marshall-Andrews, John McDonnell, Gordon Prentice, Alan Simpson, Sir Peter Soulsby, Gavin Strang, Mike Wood.

Ths extract from Hansard outlines John McDonnell MP's intervention:

regret to say this, Madam Deputy Speaker, but the problem is the Prime Minister. The fact is that he does not understand that he does not understand. He came along last week to announce the inquiry and he handed it down like tablets of stone. What he basically said is, “We are the Government, so we decide.” That simply will not do. Things have moved on since last week. We were told that it was going to be a Franks-style inquiry—quite wrongly, I think, for reasons I have explained—but it has now mutated into something completely different. The Prime Minister and, downwards from him, his advisers, were panicking, so he wrote to Chilcot and asked him to see what he could do about having some sessions in public, using what is said in their phrase to be some “equivalent to the oath”. There is no equivalent to the oath; there would be more value in the wolf cub’s promise than what they are proposing. That is the fact of the matter. There is no such equivalent to the oath and the Prime Minister knows it. [Interruption.] If the Minister thinks I am wrong, I repeat my call for him to explain when he replies from the Dispatch Box what this equivalent is that will have the force of law and criminal sanctions if it were ever to be abrogated.
As I have said, the Prime Minister does not understand that does not understand. The real test of all the stuff he has been saying about rejuvenating Parliament—he almost puts the blame on the rest of us for bringing Parliament into disrepute—is whether he is prepared to acknowledge that this Parliament has the right to decide the nature of the inquiry into why and how it was misled on the Iraq war. I am buttressed in my arguments by many of the people the Prime Minister relied on to say what a good idea a Franks-type inquiry would be. One after the other over the past seven days, those civil servants and members of the judiciary, for example, have said that that idea is nonsense. A few nights ago, I cheered when General Mike Jackson said on “Newsnight” that evidence to the inquiry must be given under oath. It showed that the Government cannot hide the fact that some military people who have seen the conflict and seen the evidence knew what was going on. They say this must be an independent inquiry and that evidence must be given under oath. Why does the Minister not understand that? Why does his boss the Prime Minister not understand that?
It is time the Minister went behind the Chair and phoned the Prime Minister to tell him to accept the motion. If the Prime Minister does not do so, he may win the vote—I am not certain—but he will certainly lose the debate. The arguments for an independent inquiry will go on and on and on until one is conceded.

And George Galloway said.........

'People have queued up to say they have nothing against the membership of the inquiry. Well, I do. The more the Foreign Secretary adumbrated their distinguished characteristics, the more I saw a parade of establishment flunkeys—Sir Humphrey This and Sir Humphrey That. Those who are not just grey blurs are in fact partisans. Freedman is one of the authors of the intellectual case for the war. He and his neo-con friends were the people who made the then Prime Minister’s bullets for the war. Gilbert hailed Bush and Blair—imagine, they are already two of the most discredited political figures in the world, and history has not even started on them yet—as akin to Roosevelt and Churchill. Yet both Freedman and Gilbert are among the very small group of people who will conduct the inquiry.'

WHAT WE NEED IS A LABOUR PARTY.......

Ex Blairites like Polly Toynbee and Simon Jenkins are now a bit like ex-smokers in their resolve to cast off the fumes of an ideology they once fervently espoused. In his call for a renwed Labour Party, Simon Jenkins gives little credence to the notion there is much left of the democratic socialist tradition. He should get out beyond the Westminster bubble but nevertheless an interesting piece which gives weight to my current plea to people NOT to leave the Party. One I make with rather more vigour since the dire Euro results......


http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jun/23/labour-left-democracy

THE LOTTERY OF THE RAILWAYS.....

I spend an awful lot of time ( too much) travelling up and down to meetings in London so I'm probably the world's expert on cut-price deals. This morning for example I boarded a train at St Pancras, got off at East Midlands Parkway onto a coach which took me direct to Halifax. The cost was........£5.50. £1.50 more than it cost me to get the Tube to St Pancras.
Last Friday evening en route to another meeting the cheapest option was a First Class Virgin Trains ticket from Manchester which for £34.00 brought with it limitless coffee, a couple of G and Ts, sandwiches and fruit. On Saturday I'm off to France but such is the Lottery of cheap tickets that I'm going to be Paris-bound on the bus from Victoria over the Channel ferry - £25.
It makes one yearn for the days when you could walk into a station and buy an affordable ticket without booking three weeks in advance, going on line and going through all kinds of credit card convolutions to get on track. And, fun though it is to pay peanuts for the Megabus/St Pancras deal, which is truly astonishingly cheap, this particular aspect of de-regulation is merely a loss leader till East Midands Trains gets sufficiently full to make as big a profit as possible.
Most importantly, what happens if you have a family crisis and need to get somewhere fast, have an early morning meeting in London, or are for whatever reason unable to indulge in off-peak travel at rock-bottom prices. That's right- you pay through the roof.
If people really are to leave their cars behind in bigger numbers we need accessible, affordable railways. As long as the private companies are running the show, it will continue to be a bizarre Lottery.

GOOD LUCK TO TRIBUNE......

One of my abiding memories as a Labour activist was the Tribune rally in 1981 at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton. The one where ( at the risk of sounding like an episode of Friends) Margaret Beckett threw down the gauntlet to Neil Kinnock for not backing Tony Benn as Deputy Leader.
Earlier this year, Tribune faced oblivion but it's been re-launched and the link below shows the recent celebration in Parliament. Beckett features along with John Prescott and Peter Hain plus Billy Hayes and Tony Benn. I wish it well and as Benn says it's " a beacon of hope." So are the MPs who maintain our hope in democratic socialism as New Labour implodes. Let's not give up on the Labour Party. The fact Tribune is still around is a cause for optimism.

http://www.labourhome.org/forum/?p=6031

THE GHOST OF TONY BLAIR......

When Tony Blair resigned as Labour Leader two years ago many hoped it would be a fresh start. Yet the dead hand of Blairism continues to wreak havoc at the heart of Government - and Labour's chances of getting re-elected.
Today, the Observer alleges it was Blair who advised Brown to hold the inquiry into the Iraq war in private - against the advice of many in the Cabinet and to the chagrin of many MPs who now face a backlash of opposition and accusations of yet another whitewash.
The news comes following the horrific deaths of two more British hostages and at a time when people are demanding open and transparent Government at all levels. Why don't they get it?
At yesterday's Morning Star Conference, speaker after speaker expressed their anger at the Government's dogged refusal to change direction - and stop the Tories getting in at the next election.
It's a sign of the current anger that UNISON's Dave Prentis has called for a halt to funding for Labour and clearly if the Government doesn't listen then more trade union dissent - and disaffiliations - will be the consequence.
At the Conference, the LRC held a well-attended workshop on the Welfare Reform Bill and the consequences of effectively punishing the most vulnerable at a time of rising unemployment - while billions are lost in tax avoidance by the rich and bankers continue to give themselves big bonuses and carry on unregulated despite partial nationalisation
Yvette Cooper, who has taken over from James Purnell at the DWP, says she will not be revising any of its draconian measures. She should think again. If you're not convinced, read the following statistics supplied by LEAP - the Left Economics Advisory Panel

Tax havens cost the UK Exchequer at least £18 billion per year.

Over the last 15 years, executive pay has risen at 7 times the rate of the average worker.

The poorest 20% of the population pay nearly 40% of their total income in direct and indirect taxes, compared to 34.8% for the richest 20%.

In March 2009, the government announced £2bn to bailout failing PFI schemes.

If unemployment benefit had kept pace with earnings since 1980, JSA would be worth over £100 per week today. Instead it is £64.30 or £50.95 for under-25s. If an earnings link had been introduced in ‘97 it would be £75.

In 1980, the basic state pension was worth 23% of average male earnings, now it is worth 14%.

At 17% of average earnings, the UK state pension is the lowest in Europe (the EU average is 57%!!!!)

13.2 million people live in poverty, including 2.1 pensioners and 3.9 million children.

Over 20% are officially income poor, in 1979 it was 13%. However, 58% of British Asian and 40% of Black British people are income poor.

The gender pay gap is 17% for full-time work and 38% for part-time work.

BLACKOUT ON MPs' EXPENSES

Inexcusable, unacceptable and not what Gordon Brown promised to the PLP two weeks ago. An unbelievably stupid own goal. You couldn't make it up......

HAZEL SHOULD GO - BUT SHE WON'T

I've just watched Channel 4 News with footage from Salford where Hazel Blears as I write is facing a no-confidence motion from the CLP. Here's my prediction. She will survive. She will survive, not because she should, but because the CLP delegates will be under tremendous pressure and because many are scared of appearing disloyal in an area where comradeship still really means something.

I have the fondest of memories of my years in Salford - and of the Party members many of whom are sadly no longer with us. Hazel took over the seat from the late Stan Orme who spoke at a memorial service some years ago for the splendid left-wing MP Frank Allaun. Both were a credit to their Party and, in Frank's case, a lifelong supporter of CND.

Quite frankly, both these stalwarts would have been disgusted at the way Hazel Blears cravenly hung onto Cabinet office in the face of serious alegations and then plotted to bring down the Prime Minister. And I know that many members of the CLP are. The argument I've just heard from the CLP Chair that it would be wrong to pass a no confidence motion is I'm sure well-meant but utterly misguided. It would send a powerful message to the electorate if the constituency did what it should do tonight. Sadly, I don't think that will happen. Salford deserves better. And so does the Labour Party. UPDATE: Unfortunately, I was right. Bad call, comrades.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5572418/Hazel-Blears-survives-deselection-vote.html. .

NOW KITTY USHER GOES.....

Within a 20-mile radius of Hebden Bridge, there are several constituencies. Burnley, 10 miles down the road, is now to lose its MP Kitty Usher as a result of her avoiding capital gains tax and being told that her position was untenable. In Bury North, about 15 miles down the road, David Chaytor is standing down. One wonders who will be next. Just out of interest, I would like to know why Kitty has been told she must go yet Hazel Blears, surely guilty of similar manipulation, hangs on. I might also be considering my position in the light of all these unexpected vacancies........

BLEARS - WHY THE DISPARITY

NEC member Peter Kenyon rightly pointed out the other day that the Special Endorsements Panel set up in the wake of the expenses scandal was supposed to be in charge of whether Mps had transgressed the rules so unacceptably they should be de-selected. But only, it seems, if you are a backbencher. So far Ian Gibson, Elliott Morley and David Chaytor have announced they won't be standing again after being interviewed by Cath Speight and co. In Gibson's case, he has resigned. It seems Jim Devine, who inherited the late Robin Cook's seat, has also been told to walk the plank. Yet Blears is seemingly only at the mercy of her CLP, who will allegedly back her in a no-confidence vote tonight. Where is the equity in this? Last I heard the final say would be down to the NEC. Why is there one rule for ex Ministers and another for those who can more easily be dealt with. In the interests of fairness, Blears should be referred to the panel and the last shout, as Peter says, should not go to the CLP. Especially as in the case of Ian Gibson his CLP did NOT want to de-select him. But of course the NEC has a long track-record in imposing one set of rules for New Labour - and sweepng their misdemeanours under the carpet.

ANOTHER WHITEWASH ON IRAQ

Bob Piper says it doesn't matter that much as what's done is done and what should not have been done can't be changed now. Jeremy Corbyn disagrees

NORTH AND SOUTH

I have been out of blogging action for the past couple of days as I went down to Brighton to join MP Kelvin Hopkins at a UNISON conference fringe meeting organised by leading activist Marsha jane Thompson of the LRC National Committee. Kelvin is often descrobed as the "alternative Chancellor of the Exchequer". His grasp of economics is way beyond most of us but he manages to explain it all in a way so accessible one can only wish the current Chancellor would take note. A report of the meeting is in today's Morning Star ( see link below).

As I was making the long trip back North from Brighton, Dave Prentis was urging the Conference to suspend payments to Labour CLPs on the grounds that UNISON should not be funding a Party which does not carry out its policies in Government.

The problem though is possibly more the MPs than the ordinary members, who are consistently frustrated and opposed as they move progressive policies at Party Conference and the National Policy Forum - only to have them kiboshed by the leadership.

UNISON has a large tranche of sponsored MPs in Parliament , many of whom ignore their calls against more privatisation in the NHS, and concerns at public sector pay. It is certainly time to call them to account.

http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/britain/brown_must_start_taxing_the_richest

CALL FOR A COMMONS DEBATE ON TRIDENT

No time to blog today really as heading south to speak in Brighton at a fringe UNISON meeting tomorrow but this is interesting reading in today's Morning Star

http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/britain/commons_committee_calls_for_trident_debate

BRING ME THE FINEST WINES KNOWN TO HUMANITY.......

Today I gave in and bought the Sunday Times purely on the basis it had a DVD of Withnail and I. This is now a cult classic and I adore every anarchic minute of its evocation of the 1960's but the film actually came out in 1987 at the height of Thatcherism. I remember a colleague going to interview director and writer Bruce Robinson at Manchester's Cornerhouse, It came...... and went. It's only in the years since it has acquired iconic status. I've never done the "drinking game" which I understand is popular with male students whereby you neck back every substance mentioned in the film as it progresses......however I did go to Penrith recently. And last I heard the tumbledown cottage owned by "Uncle Monty" was up for sale.

One other random point I wanted to make this sunny Sunday is that since I dropped the anonymous messages I've noticed all the people who post here are male. Is that because women don't read political blogs? Or is it because they are less opinionated? If there are any leftie women bloggers out there who I've not linked to already ( ie the excellent Harpymarx and Stroppyblog) do get in touch. And now I'm off for a trip to Chesterfield......nothing to do with politics but even I have weekends off.

NO CONFIDENCE IN HAZEL.......

Life is full of strange coincidences and one of the strangest is gatherng dust on my bookshelves in the form of a yellowing newspaper cutting. Back in 1990, a very young Hazel Blears was with me at the opening of the ( as then was) Labour History Museum in Manchester and Guardian photographer Don MacPhee captured this moment for posterity.A couple of years later, up popped Hazel again as a would-be PPC in Salford.
It was in the days when Branches actually got to question candidates and suffice to say my vote went to someone else. I left Salford shortly afterwards but have retained an interest in my old CLP - particularly the news that someone has been brave enough to table a "no confidence" motion in Ms Blears at next week's constituency meeting.
Already Hazel is eating humble pie and has conducted a contrite interview in which she expresses regret at doing the Party such damage by resigning on the eve of Euro polling. It won't wash.
Her expression as she was photographed post resignation was one of smug triumphalism. The wearing of the "Rocking The Boat" badge was both childish and inflammatory, to say the least. But it didn't work. Mandelson steadied the ship and the North West has ended up with Nick griffin as one of its Euro MPs . Blears must take part responsibility for that. Let me just say that if I were still a member of Salford CLP I would be voting for her to stand down. Apology or no apology. As my late mother used to say when I had misbehaved, sorry is too late.........

CHANGE - OR FACE A CHALLENGE

John McDonnell explains the background to last week's attempted coup - and why the left is pressing for change as the only way of saving Labour from electoral meltdown

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jun/12/labour-change?commentpage=1&commentposted=1

WHICH WAY FORWARD?

There is a bit of a debate going on on the Hebweb about Labour's future. The following is a shorter version of my post on what Labour should do to recover lost ground.

New Labour was the result of many years of Tory Government and sheer desperation that Labour would never win office again. So many (myself included) were prepared to conpromise. In Tony Blair we (rightly) assumed we had an electable Leader who could win over a broad coalition of support. That broad coalition has now fallen apart and in its desire to keep Middle England sweet, Labour has lost much of its core support. Most siginificantly that of the working-class .
No-one disputes the achievements of the 1997 Govt. Surestart, Minimum Wage, Northern Irealnd, devolution. But in 2003 Tony Blair took us into an illegal and immoral war in Iraq which for many was the tipping-point out of the Labour Party. We have yet to recover from that.
When Gordon Brown became Leader many also hoped for a change in direction but it has not happened. Far from it. New Labour continues on its road of unnecessary and unpopular privatisations, ie Royal Mail, presides over a society in which the gap between rich and poor has widened, not lessened, and we have a tax system which remains beneficial to the rich. Well-off people actually paid more tax under Thatcher.
In 1997, we said we would re-nationalise the railways and not introduce tuition fees. We reneged on the promise re the railways and did what we said we would not do on top-up fees.We continue to allow the rich to get away with billions in tax avoidance.
Tax credits have helped many people but welfare benefits are derisory. According to the TUC, Jobseekers Allowance should be about £100 a week just to keep pace with inflation. It is about £60.00.
Yet we have committed billions to a new generation of nuclear weapons. At a time when four million people are on waiting-lists for council homes.
So it's not enough to say the Tories would be worse. The fact is many simply don't believe that. What to do? New Labour's status quo is not an option.
Labour backbenchers and trade unionists need to put pressure on the Government to put into place the policies which would win back support. Old state nationalisation might not be the answer but there are many models of social enterprise and alternatives to the iniquities of global capitalism - currently in meltdown.
We need to call for:
A fairer tax system
Millions more investment in social housing
More accountability for the banks we have bailed out.
Scrapping ID cards and Trident
The return of the private utilities into public ownership (doesn't have to be a State monolith) to end the profiteering which is leading many millions into fuel poverty.
The Socialist Labour Party and No2EU are not to blame for the BNP winning. Their vote was frankly, derisory.It says far more that Labour's vote collapsed and we got a BNP Euro MP. If people in the Labour Government are not prepared to listen to that message, then we really are doomed to have a Tory Government.

LRC HEADS UP MORNING STAR CONFERENCE

On Saturday June 20 the Labour Representation Committee will be providing key speakers at the Morning Star 's annual conference at Congress House. Theme for the day is Surviving Capitalism's Crisis. The day opens with a speech from Jeremy Corbyn and there will be a series of workshops on everything from the state of the NHS to climate change . The LRC's workshop is on the Welfare Reform Bill and there will be lots of opportunity for discussion and debate plus the opportunity to meet activists and trade unionists from across the left. More details here.
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/conference

JEREMY CORBYN ON WHY GORDON SURVIVED - AND WHAT LABOUR MUST DO NOW

Last night's PLP was not the bloodbath the media were hoping for. Jeremy Corbyn explains why..........

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

ANONYMOUS POSTS

I don't mind honest criticism, but I've begun to tire of abusive remarks from the anonymous brigade. Therefore I have decided that in future NO anonymous comments will be published. So please don't bother sending them as they will be deleted.

ZERO TOLERANCE TO FASCISTS

As we're still reeling in the North after BNP victories, some cheering news.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8091605.stm

LRC MANCHESTER MEETING

LRC Greater Manchester holds its second meeting tomorrow night 7pm at the Friends Meeting House. No time to say more as have train to catch but hope people turn up and join in the post-mortem......

WAKING UP TO FASCISM

I gave up on the Euro elections about 1.30am and in some ways I'm glad I did as the sight of Nick Griffin winning in my home territory of the North West would have been pretty unbearable. Griffin went over the Pennines after failing to win in Keighley at the General Election. This time, he did it. The news is a terrible blow for al of us. But particularly those of us in the North of England who wake up with two fascists representing us in the Euro Parliament.
I'm going to be careful what I say because my gut instinct is to go into a bit of a tirade against those in my locality who said they could not "bring themselves" to vote Labour.
This morning I just ask them what voting for the Greens, or No2EU, or Arthur Scargill's Friends Of North Korea party has achieved other than to give the BNP a massive blast of oxygen - and the serious prospect now of winning seats at Westminster.But such ire would be misdirected.
Round here, the BNP's share of the vote was highest in former mining communities in Barnsley and Rotherham. Places where traditional working-class communities have felt disenfranchised and abandoned by Labour. We have to ask why and we have to do something about it. And the blame game isn't going to help.
I'm surprised in a way because when I was trying to stand as a PPC in Keighley a common view there with activists was that the BNP had been seen off in 2005 and that they would quietly wither away. Halifax, too, has seen the BNP's share of the vote dwindle at local election level. Now they are back - with a vengeance.
There is truly only one answer to this sickening result and that is for Labour to stop worrying about Middle England. It's now irrelevant. Last night it was crushed and came second to the Conservatives in its Welsh heartland. If Labour does not reconnect with its core vote, get out onto the estates , start re-connecting with the very people who have registered their anger by voting BNP then Labour is finished.

YOU SHOULD HAVE VOTED LABOUR....

I have just watched the Euro election results from Yorkshire.Awful. A decent Labour MEP, Richard Corbett, has lost his seat at the expense of the BNP. Many people I know thought they could register a protest with more "left" parties like the Greens or No2 EU but the truth is that even with PR that those who voted for them, however good their intentions have only aided the BNP. The lesson is this. It's not enough to send out messages saying "don't vote BNP." The BNP has been handed a seat because people deserted Labour. I didn't. Whatever my grumblings when push came to shove there was only one choice. The BNP now has its first seat in the Euro Parliament. It makes me sick to my stomach.Whatever reasons people had for not voting Labour, and I know plenty who said they wouldn't, they made a fundamental mistake.It's a lesson which must be taken on board at the General Election.One can onlyhope Nick Griffin does not win in the north west.

THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT 2

Many years ago Clare Short referred to "the people who live in the dark." These same people should be facing perpetual political oblivion following their repugnant coup to topple Gordon Brown.
Today's Mail On Sunday leaks an e-mail sent by Peter Mandelson to Derek Draper listing Gordon Brown's personal shortcomings. For once ( but what do I know) I don't believe Mandelson had anything to do with it. He may be many things but he is not a fool.
It's clear Mandelson thinks that Labour will do worse - not better- if Brown goes. He also is right to say that, if Brown were to be replaced by another unelected Leader, there would be irresistible pressure for a General Election. And that those results, in the current climate, would be far more catastrophic than they might be in 10 months' time. Of course, Mandelson also wants to ensure that what is left of the New Labour project also carries on. That is where he is wrong. But there is now a real opportunity for the left-of-centre MPs in the PLP to also put on irresistible pressure for change.It's Brown's - and Labour's - last chance to survive wipeout
The disgraceful primadonnas who comprise WAGS (Women Against Gordon) are apparently determined to carry on with their kami-kaze mission which would take most Labour MPs to hell in a handcart. I suggest they are immediately referred to the NEC and told they cannot stand again.The same goes for Purnell, who at least is no longer in the running in any future contest for the leadership
Tonight's Euro elections are likely to determine what happens in the next few days . But now could be an opportunity for political pressure on the Cabinet to finally listen to the groundswell of opinion within the Party for change. THAT is the only way we can avoid meltdown at the next General Election. And better we have that Election after the dust from this appalling mess has been allowed to settle. The results tonight may well overtake such a measured approach to the debacle. But I don't think the Party will ever forgive the ex Ministers who have behaved so selfishly and so arrogantly to the detriment of activists, councillors and the Labour MPs now even more likely to lose their seats as a result of their plotting. The Telegraph has details of the plot.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/gordon-brown/5463596/Revealed-how-Cabinet-Blairites-plotted-to-topple-Brown.html

CAROLINE FLINT AND IAN GIBSON

The last time I saw Caroline Flint in the media she was featured in a rather glamorous photo shoot for a glossy magazine. By any standards, she is a very attractive woman. Her resignation letter to Gordon Brown was rather less alluring.

In a move calculated to cause the maximum damage to the PM, she launched a highly personal attack, accusing the PM of using her as "female window dressing". What tosh.

Caroline Flint resigned as part of a highly organised coup with her mates Hazel Blears and Jacqui Smith and one can only wish that she does not revive a political career devoid of princple but packed with personal ambition. The behaviour of the Blairites deserves punishment - not praise. When Robin Cook resigned from the Cabinet over Iraq, for example, his coleagues on the backbenches applauded him. There is nothing to applaud in the self-seeking antics we have witnessed in the past few days. Yvette Cooper has replaced Purnell at DWP and one hopes she will take another look at the draconian Welfare Reform Bill. Purnell's baby.

On another note Ian Gibson, caught up in the scandal over MP's expenses, has announcd his resignation. Whatever his culpability , one must conclude he has acted out of principle.

It is a shame that the Cabinet Ministers who have also been fingered in the long list of MPs taking advantage of the system do not show one ounce of responsibility, or humility, and do the same.

END THE FACTION FIGHTING- AND CHANGE THE POLICIES - SAYS JOHN McDONNELL

PRESS NOTICE:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

McDonnell calls for end to faction-fighting to focus on radical policy change

The expected disastrous election results for the Labour Party are now emerging, Ministers are resigning in personal faction-fights, and a Cabinet reshuffle is taking place.

John McDonnell MP argues that it is not the faces, but the policies that need to change - and urgently - if the Party is to survive.

He said: "The Labour Party was founded to transform our society. Undoubtedly disputes broke out in each era and were often bitterly fought but they centred on the basic policies and political direction of the party."
"Party members have looked on aghast, in disgust and anger, at the self interested, self serving political faction fighting amongst Ministers and MPs over the last week."
"It says it all that as Ministers have announced their resignations to the media not a single policy difference has been mentioned. Bouncing through a cabinet reshuffle simply to tie down potential rivals or plotters can only be a short term temporary fix."
"The message of the emerging election results continues to demonstrate the need for policy change if this Government is to survive. People have been alienated by the policies of illegal and immoral wars, privatisation of public services, attacks on civil liberties, unfettered greed in the finance sector and amongst the political class."

AND NOW HUTTON.....

Just been announced that John Hutton, arguably the most rigt-wing member of the Cabinet, is resigning. Good. Riddance.

DIANNE ABBOTT ON THE BLAIRITES.......

There is a sensible piece by Dianne Abbott in today's Guardian urging Gordon Brown to stay. My guess is whether he goes or stays now depends not on a bunch of unmourned Blairites but the results of the Euro elections. If he stays, it could well be the case that things can't get much worse. If he chooses to resign, we have a duty as Labour Party members to ensure there is a contest for the leadership. The Blairites have behaved with such despicable disloyalty because they want to instal Alan Johnson, get their jobs back in the Cabinet, and clone another generation of New Labour Ministers. This is untenable in the eyes of the electorate and the Party. I'm absolutely delighted Blears and Purnell have shown themselves for what they are.Let's not allow their vile little plot to succeed. And let's work together - minus the Blairite cabal - to turn this Party round. Whatever happens......

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jun/05/gordon-brown-leadership-labour

BASTARDS....

With the resignation of James Purnell there is no doubt that the Blairites have decided to destroy Gordon Brown if they can. Let's be clear.
The Left, in the two years since GB became Leader, have repeatedly tried to persuade him to change direction politically. This was not based on personal vendetta, but a genuine wish to see Labour recover its core vote and regain respect and credibility with policies which could inspire people to vote Labour againThe odious politicians like Blears, Purnell, who have milked thousands from the system, are disgraceful destroyers and they should be kicked out by the NEC.They shame thousands of Labour Party activists, who have done their best to see Labour through this crisis . What they want is the coronation of another Blairite, They are scum. My only hope is that Gordon Brown will finally see he's courted people who don't deserve to be in Government. Quite frankly, they don't deserve to be Labour MPs

MILBURN AND BYERS.......

... Are allegedly the ringleaders of the e-mail plot to oust Gordon Brown. Do I believe that? Probably, yes. The don't seem to get it that re-arranging the deckchairs on the Titanic, without changing the direction the ship is going in, matters not a jot.

NO PLOTTING ON THE LEFT...

The rumour mill is going frantic with talk of a round robin letter being circulated by backbenchers who want Gordon Brown to go. A source at Westminster asks me to point out this is not the machinations of the left, or any possible left candidate, but Blairites ( again) who want to see Alan Johnson elected without a contest. That would of course be utterly unacceptable. Both to the Labour Party and to the public.

VERA DUCKWORTH IS NOT THE ANSWER

You would have to have a heart of stone not to laugh. Amid the shambles of the resignation-fest, I just had one of those awful automatic phone calls from Liz Dawn ( aka Vera Duckworth) urging me to vote Labour tomorrow.If this is someone's idea of a call to arms to boost morale, they must be off their heads. Yes, actually, I will be voting Labour tomorrow. But getting ex Coronation Street stars to record a message in the hope that will get the punters out at a time when we're in political freefall is not only risible but insulting. I'm sure Liz, bless her, did it with the best of intentions. But whichever aparattchik dragged her out of retirement with such a woeful PR stunt should be shot at dawn.

WHO ARE THE LOYALISTS NOW?

Just posted this on CiF article by John Harris
It's typical of a Blairite "loyalist" to wield the knife on the eve of an election where Labour is already set to do catastrophically. And risible that Blears talks of "re-connecting" with the Party, She should not just stand down from the Cabinet, she should be hauled in front of the NEC and de-barred from standing again. It's ironic that atfer years of the Left being told they are a destructive force within the Party, the ultras are bringing about the destruction of Gordon Brown - not out of political conviction, but personal spite, blind arrogance, and the assumption they have a God-given right to be in Government. They don't.The only good that can come out of this is a new Parliamentary Labour Party- devoid of the New Labour cabal which has now pressed the self-destruct button.

BYE BYE BLEARS

So now we're officially in meltdown. On the eve of the local and Euro elections, in a move guaranteed to cause maximum damage to Gordon Brown, Hazel Blears has just announced she is leaving the Cabinet and "going back home to Salford."
I, too, think she should go back home to Salford - minus her role as an MP in one of the safest constituencies in England. Likewise James Purnell, Geoff Hoon, and all the other Government members who have transgressed rules just as much as Elliott Morley, David Chaytor and Ian Gibson. When Labour's "star chamber" was set up to look into the prime suspects it was said that the process would be fair. How can it be fair that there is one rule for Government backbenchers - and one for the disgraced Ministers. I know there is concern at the highest levels that this is not proving to be the case. Hazel should therefore stand down.How interesting it now is that the only possible contender for the Labour leadership at Government level is Alan Johnson. Coincidence? I don't think so. But Labour cannot withstand another "coronation" and therefore don't rule out a leadership election - soon . I think , thanks to the Blairite "enemy within" that Gordon Brown is now finished




http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8080777.stm

PITY EXCEPTIONS ARE NOT THE RULE.......

I would like to thank my 88-year-old dad , with whom I had lunch today, for alerting me to the fact that Daily Mirror columnist Paul Routledge, who I understand via Tribune is a fan of this blog, pointed out the other day that there are some MPs who do not board the gravy train.......


http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/05/29/mps-aren-t-all-bent-and-all-are-better-than-esther-115875-21397555/

THE SAD CASE OF SUSAN BOYLE

Like millions of others, I somehow got sucked in to the brouhaha over Susan Boyle against my better judgement and- being somewhat sentimentally drawn to middle-aged women getting an unexpected break - was willing her to win on Saturday. The plain fact was she was beaten by the better act.

And now the predictably horrible media circus begins charting what is likely to be a tailspin of sharp decline for the 48-year-old from West Lothian. What wasn't clear during her first, jaw-dropping, performance on BGT was that this was someone utterly unsuited to cope with celebritydom. As indeed most instant celebrities are.

To get up on a stage in front of millions of viewers you have to be supremely talented or supremely delusional. Had Susan been average-looking, or even better than average, with the nice but unremarkable voice she's got she would have got nowhere. People were simply astounded that someone so patently homely and unworldly could get out there and show a bravura which was superficially extraordinary. In reality, it was down to the fact she had no conception of her limitations. A plus on the night- but ultimately a disaster.

In the past few weeks, the media certainly put paid to that, dubbing her the Hairy Angel and coming up with all kinds of other deeply unflattering epithets which undoubtedly led to her defeat on Saturday.

Britain loves an underdog, but unfortunately our national psyche also loves nothing more than building someone up - and then bringing them down with ruthless precision.

A couple of years ago, I interviewed a professional opera singer. It was on the day Pavarotti died and we talked about Paul Potts, a previous ( also unlikely) winner.

She was philosophical about the shedloads of money such figures can earn, saying that in the long-term they are doomed to fail because they a) don't have the talent nor b) the years of training and experience required to stay in it for the long haul. Potts, I understand, is still doing the rounds but is hardly the name on everyone's lips anymore. The same will happen to Susan Boyle - perhaps a lot more quickly as she grapples with her demons.

Her story appealed to all of us who can belt out songs from the shows after a couple of drinks - and feel sympathy for someone whose life seems spectacularly humdrum

But , in hindsight, she might have been better off sticking to the karaoke nights and the devotion of her cat Pebbles. The dream she dreamed may end up being a nightmare.......

LIBEL LAWS GONE MAD......

A rather nasty case of libel laws gone mad is over at the Socialist Unity blog. It has serious implicarions for freedom of speech and involved a Guardian journalist facing ruin over making assertions re chiropracters. The same could apply, of course, to anyone expressing an opinion and is deeply worrying for the media's ability to have freedom of speech in all areas, including of course the political arena.
http://socialistunity.com/

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.