GIVE IT A REST , BARRY

Huddersfield MP Barry Sheerman, the man who bottled out of challenging Tony Lloyd as PLP Chair ( he knew he would lose) is banging on about why Gordon Brown should stand down. I think it's time Sheerman shut up and did us all a favour. How dare he and the rest of these dreadful Blairites ( who are scared to death of a non New Labour leader after the General Election) lecture us on "loyalty." They are a disgrace. As were the "briefings" about the supposed Gang Of Five plotting to replace Brown with David Miliband. Don't the words "flogging " and "dead horse" mean anything to the control freaks in the Cabinet. If any Miliband is more likely to be a future Labour leader, the chances are it will not be the Foreign Secretary.

DEATH OF A DECADE

I won't be sad to see the end of 2009. In truth, it has been an awful year which I shall be glad to see the back of.
Good friends I have known for decades died this year, the health of immediate family members continues to give cause for concern.
And, until very recently, personal financial penury was most definitely looming.
At the start of the year, I invested much time and a considerable amount of cash in pursuing a Parliamentary seat in Keighley.
Last weekend, friends "kidnapped" me in an impromptu lunchtime drive up to Appletreewick, around 20 miles from the northernmost part of the Keighley constituency, for a splendid lunch. I reflected along the way that it was not - and nothing ever is - a complete waste of time. I met some great people - and learned some very hard political lessons.
My Christmas was less than wonderful thanks to the stupidity of a local DIY man who switched off next door's water supply ( therefore also curtailing mine). This took five days arguing with Yorkshire Water to ascertain.
Still, I now know it takes three litres of cold water to flush a toilet. And that there are far more important things in life than hot water. Like friends, family and basic facts like being healthy and relatively prosperous in a world where most people are not.
So I sincerely hope that 2010 is better. For all of us. A Happy Socialist New Year

DAVID TAYLOR MP

Sad to hear just now of the death of David Taylor MP, who represented North West Leicestershire. I interviewed him a couple of years ago and he was a decent old school Labour MP, Campaign Group member, who championed his constituency with conviction. He died while out on a Boxing Day walk with his family.

NO WATER WORLD

There is still no water to speak of in my house. My powers of British stoicism are running out and I have had to rely on the largesse of friends to have a bath. It has ruined my Christmas.
Yorkshire Water, to whom I pay over £30.00 a month in water rates, say there is nothing they can do and with temperatures set to plummet over New Year, it looks as though the situation will continue. I am at the mercy of the elements.
But what I didn't expect this morning was a dismissive phone call from the Yorkshire Water "helpline" to say it was an entirely private matter, there was nothing they could do, and basically to sod off.
I know that in the great scheme of things this is a trivial matter. But, as every woman knows, the simple joy of taking a bath is one of life's great pleasures. So forgive me while I contemplate crawling under the duvet and howling until the Big Freeze is over. It is nice to know the vast profits made by the privatised utilities are paid back in customer satisfaction

THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW......

All I actually want for Christmas is a bath. And running water. There has been more bloody snow overnight and what little water I had has now gone completely. The plumber said there is nothing which can be done until the Big Freeze is over - when gallons of water are likely to flood the basement. God bless us every one......

Fortunately, I am going to friends for Christmas lunch. I may also join the gym down the road just to have a shower. As I look out the window, the scene could not be prettier. The reality is that sub-zero temperatures have truly messed up my Christmas.And yes, I know I should not whinge.But sod it........

On a more positive note a truly Happy Birthday to my friend Pete Lazenby who is 60 today. Pete is a lifelong socialist , journalist and lives in Hebden Bridge. He works for the Yorkshire Evening Post and writes on the Guardian's Comment Is Free too . The only man I know who can stomach vindaloo curry for breakfast in the office at 9am in the morning. Have a good one and see you later for a birthday drink.....if I can find some hot water

IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER

I'm waiting for the plumber. I face the grisly prospect of Christmas without hot water - thanks to the Arctic weather we have had in Hebden Bridge. What joy.
Snow is great on the Christmas cards. Not so great when you are at the mercy of the elements and hoping against hope for an overnight thaw.
Trivial stuff, really, compared to the perils of being elderly and vulnerable in this kind of weather. Which at least are currently being assuaged by the severe weather payments which will now go out automatically to people like my dad who has not been able to leave home for a week. Payments which, under the Tories, are likely to stop.
But it's seemingly way too much for Peter Mandelson, that little inch of clear red water which still separates Labour from the Tories.
Apparently, he is letting his displeasure known to the press that Gordon Brown refused to be nice enough to the bankers and still wants to fight an election on the differences, not the common ground, between us and the Tories. The differences let's face it which keep many of us in the Labour Party despite everything.
No coincidence, surely, amid this talk of renewed plots against Brown that uber-Blairite John Hutton should finally own up to being the Minister ( which we all knew anyway) who said Brown would be a "f***ing disaster" as Prime Minister.
Once again Miliband, it's rumoured, is preparing to position himself for a leadership contest in the New Year.
I've always found it amusing ( in a wry kind of way) that what's left of the left gets accused of undermining Labour's chances when members of the Government feel free to brief the lobby they are not happy with the PM.
But they are living on another planet if they think a cynical pre-election coup will do Labour any favours whatsoever.
Is it the threat , not of election disaster, but of a hung Parliament, which has suddenly resuscitated the anti-Brown camp? It could well be they would prefer Brown to go down in flames rather than hang on - with a majority dependant on a de-New Laboured Party shorn of many of its most right-wing MPs , including people like Hutton who is standing down. We shall see but one thing is sure - Mandelson is up to his old tricks and Brown should also start positioning himself - around Labour's core values .

FESTIVE GREETINGS.......

A snowman greeted me this morning as I trudged through the town in Dostoyevskian fashion this morning to the railway station. He was still there as I trudged back tonight.

It is COLD, dark and I am looking forward immensely to the Christmas break which starts on Wednesday evening.

I just want to take this opportunity ( not having had much time to blog of late) to wish everyone I know a happy and peaceful Christmas.

2010 will be a challenging year for all of us I have no doubt. In the meantime time to recuperate and gather one's energies for the struggles ahead.

The good thing is that from now on the nights start getting lighter. And hopefully I will have time to return to the blog in the New Year. Thanks particularly to all who have supported me politically and personally in 2009. Happy Christmas, comrades.

FESTIVE READING -THE LRC RED PAPERS

One of the most disheartening things about the immediately pre-Christmas period is the sales signs going up . Now the majority of the UK population has spent up for the festive season, High Street retailers are already gearing up for the capitalist bonus of "bargains" which will increase their killing even further.
Today I finally got my act together and had a tree delivered. Tomorrow, I will frantically sign and address cards and maybe this weekend buy family and friends some modest presents but on the whole I find the corporate spectacle which Christmas has become pretty dispiriting.
One thing I've not had the chance to do recently is digest some serious reading on the economic prospects (bad ) for 2010 and, with some days off work over Christmas, I plan to go throught the Red Papers published by the LRC and get my head round some serious socialist analysis
The Papers are here and can be downloaded.They are an invaluable resource for those of us in need of facts and figures
http://www.l-r-c.org.uk/policy/LEAP

MARCH 25 - WATCH THAT DATE

A March election is on the cards according to the BBC - and according to many at Westminster.
Interesting times........
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8410502.stm

IRAQ - STILL JUSTIFIED BY BLAIR

At the last election, the Labour vote was decinated by the shadow of the Iraq war. Six years down the line, Tony Blair shows little remorse - seemingly discounting the WMD excuse which was used at the time to persuade otherwise ambivalent MPs to vote for the war.Astonishiing, really.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8408918.stm

GREED IS NOT GOOD......

I'm no saint but one thing I am not is greedy. Unlike MPs on all sides of the House who seem incapable of moving an inch without filling in their expenses forms.
One expects the Tories to be unpalatable toffs. One does not expect Labour Mps to be swimming in so much money that they claim the doubtful accolade of being the wealthiest MP in Parliament.
Shaun Woodward was of course once a Tory, He has four homes, land in the West Indies and a Northern constituency where he was parachuted in following his defection.
Rather amusingly, his CLP is actually affiliated to the LRC thanks to the stalwart efforts of the CLP Sec John Wiseman. But it's not very funny, is it, that this greedy Parliamentarian claimed £21,417 for his second home expenses despite being as rich as Croesus.
Likewise Quentin Davies, another defector from the Tories, who submitted a claim for more than £20,000 for work to the bell tower and roof of his 18th century mansion - a £5million pad in Lincolnshire.
These two jokers ( at our expense) make a nonsense of any attempt by Labour to adopt a "class war" strategy in the run-up to the General Election. What on earth are they doing , frankly, in the Labour Party? And why on earth did we allow them in ? Their sheer avarice and waste of public money is an absolute disgrace.

FIVE THINGS I WOULD HAVE BLOGGED ABOUT.....

Pressure of time is making serious inroads into my blogging time. But even when I had several hours a day to muse on the political arena there are matters best left to the experts. These include the Pre-Budget Report.
Other events have occurred in the past few days I would have liked to say my piece on. For the record - they are.
1. The 100th soldier to die this year in Afghanistan
2. The Iraq War inquiry and the increasingly damning evidence against Blair - with even Prescott jumping ship
2. The NEC's decision to take over all remaining Parliamentary selections
3. Michael Meacher's Coalition For A Labour Victory campaign
4. An interview in which Cherie Blair ( with husband Tony now worth an estimated £12million) said she still worried about money.
5. Rumours that the General Election will now be in March
I hope to take up the cudgels on some of these at least in the weeks ahead.
For the moment, unlike Cherie, I am blissfully happy to have a modest income coming in, even if it does require 5.30am wake-up calls and a two-hour commute.

NOT QUITE ENOUGH......

The Pre-Budget Report had some welcome measures like the rise in NI contributions, one-off tax on the bankers. But, as Dave Semple makes lucidly clear on Though Cowards Flinch, not quite enough...........
http://thoughcowardsflinch.com/

See also LEAP

A PHONEY WAR

It's all very well for Gordon Brown to start using the "class war" tactic against the Tory toffs who largely live on a different financial planet from the rest of us. Given that 19 of the 29 Conservatives on the front bench are millionaires it is a justified tactic in the cut-and-thrust which is Westminster politics.
If only it were reflected in Labour's policies.
Instead of dog-whistle rhetoris, this Government should start REALLY attacking the rich - sacking the greedy bankers, taxing the highest earners, and making a serious fist of closing the gap between the rich and the poor ( which it has failed to do in 12 years in power) .
Jokes about Lord Snooty and his Pals may be frated hilarious by backbenchers. They won't find it quite so funny if they lose their seats at the General Election due to Gordon's failure to match rhetoric with action. NB: Former Tribune editor Mark Seddon has an excellent piece on this topic in today's Daily Mail. Yes, I know, but it is still a very good article......

NO CHRISTMAS BONUS FOR THESE GREEDY BANKERS

It's kind of difficult to fathom the greed of bankers at the Royal Bank Of Scotland. Already earning salaries most of us can only dream of, they see it as their right to demand a "bonus" adding up to an estimated £1.5billion. £75,000 each. At our expense.
The Government has an 84 per cent stake in the RBS yet bank bosses are telling the Treasury to get lost over its veto of the bonuses. Unbelievable, isn't it?
What also beggars belief is that the Govt is seemingly allowing them to call the shots.
It's time for the Treasury to take control, end the perks for already rich directors, and give the public, most of whom are coping with LESS money this Christmas, an early present.
Such a move would win widespread public suport, and boost Labour's chances of a much-needed boost in the polls.

MORE TIME FOR JOURNALISM

It's been difficult in past days to find any time for blogging. Today back from London from meetings, hauled in to do some volunteer stuff for Oxfam, then to another meeting and just finishing article before I head off to bed and up at 5.45am. So please bear with me while I adjust to a new routine.
Glad, however, to note Tim Gopsill, the recently retired editor of The Journalist, has a new blog, Victor Noir, which I have linked to ......
Tim, sadly, did not cover our last ADM due to internal union issues which don't belong on the blogosphere. But his contribution was massive and he will be sadly missed.
Tim says he will now have "more time for journalism." I hope that's true.

COALITION FOR A LABOUR VICTORY

At the recent LRC AGM we had a useful fringe meeting comprised of people from all part of the country. One of them was Sarah Evans from Andover, who has just been selected as PPC for NW Hampshire.
I'd like to wish Sarah the very best of luck in what is not, sadly, a Labour stronghold. But I know she plans to use the campaign as a chance to stand on a socialist platform and win back support for Labour in her constituency.
It takes guts to stand in places where the chances of winning are slim and months of pounding on doors is unlikely to result in victory .
In the past few months Michael Meacher has been trying to rally people to put their names forward as part of a "Coalition For A Labour Victory". The idea was to encourage more PPCs standing on a left ticket and make the most of the unprecedented number of vacancies before the General Election.
However it seems the NEC are now to take over the remaining seats where there isn't a candidate and I fear that will not be good news for more potential candidates like Sarah.
So what we need to start doing now is building a tranche of talented candidates from the left who will be ready and able to try and stand as PPCs in the years to come.
Whatever happens in 2010, we need a new generation with socialist ideas and principles to stand as Parliamentary candidates. I hope the LRC can do its bit in the months ahead to start that process.

NO MORAL COMPASS - PART 2009

Because I have been squirrelled away in a conference hall for the past few days I missed the Guardian story about Compass supporting some alleged leadership coup.
However I was pleased to note that Tony Lloyd MP has tonight been elected unopposed as the Leader of the PLP.
By no stretch of the imagination is Tony hard left. But I've known him for 20-odd years and the Manchester Central is a decent man of integrity and principle who I would back any day of the week against Barry Sheerman, the Yorkshire MP allegedly aiming to replace him.
The Guardian story ( which I can't link to as their website is rubbish) suggested Compass would back some alternative to Brown in a New Year coup. I ask the question- what's the point? Ironic really that Brown's erstwhile biggest cheerleaders are now aiming to ditch him.
I think those of us outside the Westminster bubble recognise the General Election is imminent, we're going to be immersed in a salvage operation, and maybe, just maybe, the result won't be as bad as some of us have feared due to lamentable own goals by the Tories and a change in the political weather. If anyone thinks a leadership election at this stage would be a good thing they are living in a parallel universe. Neal Lawson and his Management Committee should get real. And what a great pity they didn't in 2007. Now we live with the consequences. And do our best to hang on

WHAT'S ON THE HORIZON.......

The following article appeared in Friday's Morning Star. Truly frightening - but valuable ammunition .
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/news/content/view/full/83512


Also see LEAP

POLITICAL GENDER BALANCE -

AT the NUJ conference held last week in Southport there were very few issues that were contentious. Which made, if I'm honest, for a very boring agenda.
When you are in a conference hall for nine hours at a stretch there is nothing like a good old spat to get the adrenalin going and stop one nodding off in solidarity with everyone else who agrees with you .
The one major barney was between delegates backing a rule change to insist on 50 per cent nominations male/female for the union's NEC and myriad committees and sub-committees.
Rather surprisingly, it was defeated. Largely on the grounds it would be nigh impossible to carry out and that our union is struggling to find ANY nominees at all for bodies like the NEC, Ethics Council etc etc etc.
Now I've been a delegate to NUJ ADM for at least five consecutive events. Not because I'm the only person in my Branch with anything to say, not because I'm the greatest activist. But quite simply because no-one else ever seems to want to spend four days holed up in a hotel listening to motions they are probably going to agree with anyway . In short, we are very thin on the ground.
And that's why......I voted for an amendment calling on the union to campaign for more involvement by women - but stopping short of a statutory requirement for gender balance.
I know this will incur plenty of wrath from other female comrades.
But for some time I have been ambivalent about the outcomes achieved by hard-and-fast enforcing of all-women-shortlists, and other policies which are /were well meant and ethically right but in practice actually used to facilitate political gerrymandering.
Yes, the leftie world is still male pale and stale. No question. At the recent RMT conference which I spoke at, it was depressing to see an audience comprised of around 90 per cent men - mainly middle-aged and white.
In such a macho environment, many women would feel utterly intimidated and no doubt discouraged from getting more involved.
And there's no doubt most men find issues like speaking at rostrums, standing for positions etc far less stressful .
In the LRC, our National Committee is 50/50 gender balanced and actually works rather well. But the upshot is of course that very good male comrades have a more difficult task getting elected.
I think we need to ask ourselves why more women are disengaged from the political structures - and stop assuming it is because they need their hands held or because they have childcare issues.
At the recent LRC Conference we rightly provided a creche with properly certified carers. The take-up was tiny. That does not mean we abandon a commitment to enabling women to be there. But we do have to ask ourselves what else we need to do to change the overwhelmingly male world of politics. Imposing quotas is not enough......