A WEEK IS A LONG TIME IN POLITICS

A week ago I was enjoying the balmy sunshire in Manchester and sitting outdoors chewing the fat about the future of the Left. One week later I'm coming down with a filthy cold and the weather is foul . Do not expect interesting blogging for next few days......paracetamol is beckoning

VICTORY IN GARDEN STREET BATTLE

Last night I spoke on behalf of Hebden Royd Town Council to a packed meeting - 300 people - on the thorny issue of whether the Garden Street development should go ahead. After more than three hours of discussion the planning committee voted to echo the unanimous objections of HRTC. Well done to the campaigners, well dome to ward councilor Nader Frekri and Planning Committee member Peter Coles who in particular wiped the floor with the oppposition. There will of course now be an appeal - but I reckon the campaigners will be more than up for the battle - whicb isn't about NIMBYISM, but the fact that what we need in Hebden Bridge is more affordable and social housing, not more retail opportunities and exec apartments at a time when the whole economy is about to fall around our ears.....

WHY "CHOICE" ISN'T THE ANSWER

My own ineptitude is entirely to blame for the fact I travelled 25 miles today to a hospital appointment that did not exist. So tomorrow I will set out again for Bradford - a train and bus journey of around 90 minutes each way.
The reason why I have to traipse all this way is because my nearest hospital in Halifax chooses not to offer the treatment I require - at least not complete with anaesthetic and I am afraid I am a complete and utter wimp .
So having been told it was not on offer in Calderdale I had to go back to my GP and do a ring around myself as is the way with New Labour . Now you could argue this is a Good Thing. At least I have a choice. But the fact is that Calderdale Hospital, wonderfully modern though it is, was built with PFI money and clearly won't incur costs, as they see it, unnecessarily. I was told I had no choice as far as this particularl procedure was concerned and the only reason that I knew alternatives were available elsewhere was following a conversation with a friend who is a GP. Most other women round here would not. In other words, women in Calderdale are not getting the "choice" which women in Bradford do unless they plead and beg for it. And, when it comes to the Lottery of drugs treatment, things are even worse.
We should be proud of our NHS - and proud of what Labour has done to build it in the past 60 years. But the market-led approach to healthcare should be one of the fuirst things which Gordon Brown abandons if he wishes to stay in Government. Universal healthcare should be exactly that. Universal

GOODBYE,BUTCH

When I was a schoolgirl, the female world was divided into two camps. Those who idolised Paul Newman. And those who were fans of t his sparring partner Robert Redford. The two films they made together remain classics and seriously good therapy if you're in need of the feel-good factor. So I was saddened earlier today to read of the death of Paul Newman. Because he really was one of the good guys. An American liberal, he opposed war in Vietnam, was on the CIA's list of potential trouble-makers and raised millions for charity with his salad dressing, Newman's Own. As if all that weren't enough he was a brilliant actor and remained devoted to his wife, Joanne Woodward, for over 50 years. Pretty rare in Hollywood. His last film, The Road To Perdition, is a truly brilliant evocation of the 1930's in America and I recommend you seek it out.

DRESSING FOR THE OCCASION....

Today, the Observer ran a profile piece on Sarah Brown.It included the rather interesting information that her superficially unglamorous outfit for taking the stage at Labour Party Conference cost somewhere in the region of £900. More or less equivalent to a month's pay on the Minimum Wage.

Now Sarah has every right to spend her money as she pleases and she is clearly a charming woman who is devoted to her husband. However, I thought she had no place on that rostrum. It was frankly, manipulative PR mangement in the worst American traditions. And the "downhome" clothes she wore were of course far above the means of the "hard working families" we hear so much about.

Indeed, one of the key problems we now have in politics is the fact that most Cabinet Ministers, and most MPs for that matter, simply have no idea about how ordinary people live or what it is like to manage on the Minimum Wage.Or NOT to be a member of an HWF and trying to struggle on a single wage .Last night, I had dinner with a friend whose daughter has just split up with her partner. She's a low earner but just above the benefit threshold . Her disposable income after paying all the household expenses is now £10 a month. So her mother, a pensioner, is having to bail her out.

Years ago, Michael Portillo spent a week with a working-class Liverpool family for a TV documentary and was genuinely shocked at the fact their income was roughly what he spent on a good dinner out in London. So I suggest that John Hutton, James Purnell, Hazel Blears and all the others who tell us how grateful we should be for the Minimum Wage and how only those who are "pulling their weight" should get benefits swap salaries with the low-paid or jobless- it might give them a reality check. And it might also stop them being so smug and self-satisfied

THE BATTLE OF GARDEN STREET......

It's not very often that Hebden Bridge is in the national papers - and when it is it is usually some twee little piece about house prices . But today's Independent outlines the massive opposition to the Garden Street development. Along with hundreds of others I will be at tomorrow's planning meeting in Calderdale to make the case against this development.

Given the economic climate, what's actually needed in this town is new social housing - NOT more executive apartments

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALICE!

The happiest of bithdays to my friend and comrade Alice Mahon, who celebrates her 71st birthday today. I had the pleasure of spending a lot of time with Alice over Labour Party Conference and she is truly an inspirational role-model when it comes to standing firm and sticking to principles. Alice is also co-chair of the West Yorkshire LRC and will be at our AGM on Saturday October 11 at the Trades Club in Hebden Bridge

CONVENTION OF LEFT

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/sep/25/labourconference.labour

The above link takes you to John Nicholson's thoughts on the Convention Of Left. Predictably.lots of right-wing trolling follows. But I think that is a great insult to all those who put their hearts and souls into the occasion. Hundreds turned up - and enjoyed serious debates. Well done to all and look forward to COL 2009................

INTO THE REAL WORLD...

I'm far too tired and drained of adrenalin to write much today but just to note Brown's speech has been undermined completely by the leak of Ruth Kelly's resignation. The left often gets accused of treachery but the Blairites and right-wing are positively Machiavellian in their intrigue. How deeply dispiriting it all is.
By way of contrast, last night's Convention Of The Left meeting got around 250 people, enjoyed a sparky debate, and the mood in the pub afterwards where I stopped off briefly before getting train home was positively euphoric. Thanks to all the organisers, particularly John Nicholson, for inviting the LRC to take part. I know when we started out in January some people were sceptical the Labour Party still had socialists. Or that Labour Party lefties could work with others without falling out. Just one small point. Miles, stop asking when we're all going to up and leave the Labour Party. As Bob Griffiths said so pertinently, that route has already been tried quite a few times recently and it hasn't, er. worked.......

OUT OF THE BUBBLE....

I have just got home from Labour Party Conference. I will be heading back to Manchester tonight for the final session of the Convention Of The Left Rupa Huq wrote a predictably sneering piece in Comment Is Free but the Guardian have just rung me and hopefully there wil be a counter to that from John Nicholson. John Nicholson was once Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council. He is now a member of RESPECT. One of the thousandsof socialists the Labour Party has lost in the last 20 years.
The reason I did not get round to blogging from Manchester was because I was busy sorting out media interviews and other events for the alternative event in the Friends Meeting House. I didn't miss much by not being in the Conference sessions for most of the time. The unions saw to it , in their usual turkeys voting for Christmas fashion, that the Calder Valley resolution was defeated. Thanks to the CWU for suppoting us, though. 22 per cent of the CLPs backed it - despite us being denied a proper debate ( three speakers onb 10 rule changes- pitiful) and despite some serious spinning that it was an anti-Brown resolution. As our delegate said clearly, we wanted to ensure that next time there was a contest all wings of the Party could be represented. People like Tony Woodley and Derek Simpson, who have splendid rhetoricsal skills, obviously can't cope with that, because they vetoed UNITE support.
I was asked at the last minute by the CLPD to withdraw the resolution but refused. Why? Because rule changes can only be proposed every two years - in 2010 the reality is that we will have many fewer MPs . And New Labour will alays find some excuse to try and stifle Party democracy. Frankly, we had nothing to lose. Until the trade unions start getting real and stop kidding themselves about where we are then we will carry on , not sleepwalking, but as someone said to me last night, being frogmarched to disaster.
I watched Brown's speech. The American Convention-style schmaltz was embarrassing and
deeply cynical. There was much talk mof fairness in Gordon Brown's speech. Don't be fooled.
We are now the pro-business , pro-market, Party which only helps people who" pull their weight" and restricts immigration to those who are expedient to the economy. We continue to employ troops in Iraq and Afghhanistan.
There is much to be proud of in the NHS. But what the choice agenda really means is a drugs Lottery and billions wasted on PFI. Hpowever glowing Gordon's rhetoric, however faux socialist it may sound, that is the reality. At the Convention Of The Left, these issues were debated for hours. Labour delegates are lucky to get five minutes. One positive is that many people involved in the Convention Of The Left were delighted to meet what's left of the Left in the Labour Party. I hope some of them will consider joining us. This year 200 constituencies didn't even bother to send delegates. It is hardly surprising...

GRIMMER FOR GORDON IN MANCHESTER....

The political situation could not be worse for Gordon Brown. Capitalism is in crisis, there is a global credit crunch. And thousands of people look set to lose their jobs in the wake of the takeover of HBOS by Lloyds TSB. So it's nice to know that Andy Hornby, the man who brought HBOS to the brink of collapse as chief executive is to keep his £2million-a-year job.
Amid this chaos - and the worst ever polls in Labour's history - leading figures in the Labour Party like John Prescott are sticking to the "steady as she goes" script and even launched a campaign this week for a fourth term. What planet are they on, exactly?

Gordon will survive the Labour Conference. The cheerleaders will see to it he gets a standing ovation. Voting has been abolished so there will be no embarrassing defeats. The trade union leaders will rally round him. But outside the parallel universe of Manchester Central the real world is waiting. Personally, I will be to-ing and fro-ing between the Conference and the Convention Of The Left , which is already attracting national attention from papers like the Guardian which normally eschew any left events. I urge others to do the same.

Once Conference is over , and our hangovers have been thoroughly nursed, the real world will still be waiting. In the shape of the Glenrothes by-election. If Labour loses, there is no way that Brown will survive. Many on the centre-left are running scared and say he is better than any alternative. That is only true if he gets up in Manchester and ditches his New Labour ideology. I don't expect that to happen. Another by-election loss and Gordon is out. If that happens, I hope he goes with some dignity. We will then be able to have a leadership contest which under current rules will need 45 names to get on the ballot paper. Let us ensure that if that happens this time round we have a truly representative contest - and put John McDonnell on the ballot paper. Now I'm off to Manchester......

DIRTY TRICKS DEPARTMENT

Today a story appeared in the Halifax Courier quoting me as "spokeswoman" for the Calder Valley CLP. The Courier has basically lifted a piece I wrote some months ago about our rule change motion for the LRC website and quoted me as "spokeswoman" for the CLP. I know many people from the constituency read this blog so I just want to set the record straight. The first I knew of this story was when a comrade from Halifax rang me to tell me it was in tbe papers. I will be ringing the Courier tomorrow (today) to lambast them because my personal views do NOT represent anyone other than myself and if they had had the grace to ring me I would have made it clear I was speaking in a personal capacity.
But let me be clear. Our constituency passed this motion - now on the agenda at Labour Party Conference - 17 months ago. Long before the Blairites started plotting against Gordon Brown. It's not an atack on anyone. It was designed as an attempt to ensure that in future - when there is a vacancy - there would not be another "coronation."The good news is that many constituencies are going to support it .The bad news is that some are confusing a principled stance with the dirty tricks and manoevring of the New Labour Right.

TORIES AT 52 PER CENT ...........

Apparently, the latest MORI poll that's going to be the headline story in tomorrow's papers. Roughly translated - 121 Labour MPs left. What a great legacy for New Labour. Just how long can Brown stay in office? My guess - as long as the next by-election defeat. And that will be it......

LABOUR LEFT FIGHT'S BACK

Can I point my readers in the direction of a new blog from Owen Jones who is back in the blogosphere .Owen, along with felow LRC blogger Marsha Jane Thompson was one of the driving forces behind the John4Leader campaign. Welcome back, comrade!

BAD CALL BY THE NEC

As a mere ordinary Party member, I'm witnessing the current shenanigans over the leadership with a growing sense of disbelief. Because it seems the NEC is living in a parallel universe from the rest of us. They seriously think they can get away with not issuing nomination papers - on the basis they have got away with it for 11 years. In the short-term, they have won. In the long-term, a seriously bad call.

In various guises over the years, I have tried and campaigned for Party democracy to be restored. Groups like CLPD and Save The Labour Party have tried unsuccessfully to get this rule over nomination papers implemented. Now the Blairites are discovering just how undemocratic and unjust the Great Clunking Fist of the Brownite machine can be. Last year, they were a party to us not having a leadership election. Now they realise they were wrong - but are discovering just how determined Gordon Brown is to stamp out any opposition. To say it doesn't look good is an understatement. Stalinism at its best.

The faction-fighting between the two New Labour camps ( because that is what it is) does not interest me. It makes no difference whether Brown, Miliband or any other neo-liberal is Leader.

The tragedy is that while they scrap the Labour Party is almost certainly going to hell in a handcart. Had the NEC done as it should, at least we could have used that opportunity for an honest and open debate.Instead, it will be backstabbbing and off-record briefing on a grand scale around the Manchester conference centre.

ORWELLIAN WORLD.....

The NEC has just issued the following missive on the leadership issue. Quelle surprise. Those MPs requesting nomination papers are being blocked .Much as I think little of any of the plotters, surely this is against all notion of democracy ? Nothing new there, then as far as Labour Conference goes......



16 September 2008
Internal procedural debates will not divert the Labour Party from building a fairer Britain -
Dianne Hayter, Chair of the Labour Party's National Executive Committee (NEC) and speaking on their behalf, said:"The Labour Party National Executive Committee is in agreement that internal procedural debates will not divert the Labour Party from our mission of building a fairer Britain and helping people through these challenging times."The NEC fully endorses the view of the Labour Party's General Secretary and the party's independent legal advisors. A Leadership election when in Government can only be held if requested by a majority of party conference on a card vote, only Labour MPs can trigger the process and the NEC is confident that most MPs know their responsibilities under the rules."The Labour Party has followed this procedure for 11 years, as long as we have been in government under these present rules, and it has not required the issue of nomination forms at any time."The NEC has a responsibility to ensure the party follows these long-standing procedures and we will do so. The Labour Party will not waver from its historic responsibilities to our country and to those in greatest need."

ONLY THE LEFT CAN SAVE LABOUR.....

John McDonnell, who will launch the Convention Of The Left with Tony Benn on Saturday , makes the case for Labour's left in today's Comment Is Free. Here's the link.http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/sep/16/labour.gordonbrown?commentpage=1&commentposted=1

INFAMY, INFAMY......

Former Tribune editor and Conference rabble-rouser Mark Seddon has an interesting piece in today's Guardian. I don't concur with his view that one must always be loyal to the Leader. Sometimes, Leaders don't deserve our loyalty ie Blair and Iraq. But as he says the attempted putsch by the Blairite cabal smacks of nothing else but self-preservation. It will also do nothing to improve Labour's chances at the next election. For that reason, I do not support the essence of what they are doing. Which is - to ensure another Blairite replaces Brown . There are muddy waters here because as I understand Party rules they have every right to demand those nomination papers. But the only reason they want them is to get rid of Brown - and stop the Left taking part in a future contest. If by some chance they get the 70 MP names needed for a contest then frankly we are stuffed. Because no left challenger be it John McDonnell or Jon Cruddas or anyone else can get those numbers. Step forward Miliband or Purnell in a bogus "no contest" v Gordon Brown. In those circumstances, who would you vote for ? Preferably, none. In reality, even Brown is better than either Miliband or the oleaginous Purnell. Policy? No difference.The only way forward is this. To continue to press for policy change. To campaign for and defend "real" labour MPs and trade unionists now facing annihilation because of New Labour's mistakes . And, if Brown goes after the Glenrothes by-election ( still my prediction) to try and ensure a left canddiate on the ballot paper, a proper debate and the final nail in the coffin of Blairism. Janet Anderson and co are like dying wasps at the fag-end of summer. But, frankly, not as appealing.

I TOLD YOU SO 2

Well, the gloves are off. Re-arranging the deckchairs on the Titanic is going to be a spectator sport at Labour Party Conference. Some of us have more constructive moves up our sleeves. Watch this space.......