Sent: 20 September 2010 15:58Subject: MESSAGE FROM JIM FITZPATRICK MP: Labour Chief Whip Contest
Dear Colleagues
I am intending to stand as a candidate for Shadow Chief Whip in the forthcoming contest, and hope to be able to speak to you personally, soon after the result of the Labour Leadership vote.
I shall be grateful for your support.
Kind regards.
Jim Fitzpatrick MP
The votes are cast. All that’s left is to jump in the car, hop on the train or fire up the battle bus for one last leadership road trip.
We asked the leadership contenders for their desert island discs. The eight tracks they couldn’t live without. They tell you something about them, about where they’re going and where they’ve been. So what better mixtape for the leadership groupies’ journey to Manchester?
Grab yourself a couple of TDK 90s, squeeze into the car share, and hit the road.
Uncut – The road to Manchester
(You need Spotify to access this playlist. Unfortunately a few songs aren’t listed.)
The candidates’ selections were:
Harry Belafonte – Scarlet Ribbons
The Beatles – Things We Said Today
The Temptations – Ain’t Too Proud to Beg
Bob Marley – Exodus
Buju Banton – Driver A
D:ream – Things Can Only Get Better
Paul Roberts – Reflections in the Water
Ladysmith Black Mambazo – Nkosi Sikelel ‘IAfrika
Elvis Presley – Can’t Help Falling in Love – (live, Madison Square Gardens 1972)
Joshua Redman – Blues for Pat (Wish)
Herbert Howells – Like as the hart (St Paul’s cathedral choir, Hyperion)
Spandau Ballet – True (12? version)
Bach – Partita No. 2 in D Minor for violin – Itzhak Perlman, EMI
Dolly Parton – I will always love you
Handel – Ariodante Act 3, Dopo Notte atra e funesta (Janet Baker, Philips)
Billy Bragg – Saturday Boy
How soon is now – The Smiths
There is a light – The Smiths
The Sick Bed of Cuchulainn – The Pogues
Dirty Old Town – The Pogues
Ten Storey Love Song – Stone Roses
Every day is like Sunday – Morrissey
Bones of you – Elbow
Protection – Massive Attack
Sting – Englishman in New York
Elvis Costello – Oliver’s Army
Fritz Kreisler – Liebeslied
Sibelius – Violin Concerto
Shostakovich – Symphony No.10
James Taylor – How sweet it is (to be loved by you)
Elton John – Your Song
The Beatles – All you need is love
Paul Robeson: The Ballad of Joe Hill
Billy Bragg: A New England
Josh Ritter: Good Man
Hard Fi: Stars of CCTV
Housemartins: Caravan of Love
Robbie Williams: Angels
A-ha: Take on Me
Beethoven: Ninth Symphony
Tory and Lib Dem MPs are about to betray a big group of supporters. The government will shortly announce compensation for people who lost out in the failure of Equitable Life ten years ago. Before the election, David and Nick promised the earth, claiming people would get a better deal by voting for them. But – and this is becoming a trend – they are going to break their pledge.
The pledge was drawn up by Equitable Life members action group (EMAG). It was signed before the election by the prime minister, deputy prime minister and chancellor.
But the pledge – like, I fear, many others – will not be fulfilled. EMAG was led up the garden path by Tory and Lib Dem MPs to increase their vote before the election.
The scale of the betrayal became clear in a Commons debate last week. Pre-election, the pledge was signed by all but 26 Tory MPs and all but six Lib Dem MPs. (It was also signed by a much smaller number of Labour MPs – 42.)
It’s almost over
The five-month long contest for the Labour leadership ended tonight as the ballot closed, leaving the two Miliband brothers, David and Ed, waiting until Saturday afternoon to discover which of them will be given the task of leading the party. The result, which is said to be too close to call, will be announced at the opening of the party’s annual conference in Manchester, giving the new leader two days to prepare his set-piece speech to the conference. Both camps exuded private confidence that they had won, but also stressed that the victor would reach out not only to his brother, but also to rival supporters to heal any wounds inflicted during the contest. – The Guardian
The 109-day leadership election is over. On Saturday 25 September, the 20th leader of the Labour Party will be announced at its annual conference in Manchester. His name will be Miliband. Whether the victor is David or Ed – and we have made clear our preference for the latter but also our admiration for the former – the challenge facing the new leader will be the same. How will he rebuild a party that slumped to its second-worst vote share since 1918? How will he refresh and re-energise Labour, which left office after 13 years demoralised, fractious and hollowed out? And how, above all, does the new leader persuade the electorate that the party can once again be trusted to form a government and manage economic policy? – The New Statesman
What now?
David Miliband made a plea for unity yesterday as the ballot closed in the contest for the Labour leadership. Mr Miliband, the slight favourite ahead of his brother Ed, said the contest had been “hard and tough”. He added: “Whatever the result on Saturday, we have all said we will unite behind the party’s choice and turn all of our energy into exposing the new government and presenting a strong Labour alternative. “This is a vital time for the country, which needs a strong Labour opposition.” – The Mirror
Four long months after it wheezed into life, the Labour leadership contest has proved one thing beyond doubt: for all the ideological gymnastics of the New Labour years, the party’s political centre remains much where it ever was – on what used to be called the soft left. Spurning the most laissez-faire aspects of the Blair and Brown years has been obligatory. Ahigh pay commission and living wage are the season’s policy must-haves. Equality is all the rage; even David Miliband has been chided by the Times for looking dangerously social democratic. What has happened to the party’s right? Most of its remaining number are clustered around MiliD, and aside from the odd pop at “Red” MiliE, keeping shtoom. But do not be fooled: they are as fired up as ever, and preparing for a return once the membership gets back to leaflets and balloons. – The Guardian
Waiting game
Plans to inform candidates 30 minutes before the announcement, after removing mobiles, reminds me of the TV carry-on surrounding the 2007 deputy leadership. Sky did a deal with Alan Johnson’s enforcer, Gerry Sutcliffe, to receive a signal as the hopefuls left a briefing room before entering the hall – if Sutcliffe departed wearing glasses, Johnson had won. Reeling at a narrow defeat, Sutcliffe forgot and emerged four-eyed. So Sky News wrongly reported that Johnson had triumphed. The BBC reached an understanding with one of Hattie’s entourage under which arm a handbag would be carried. Thus the Beeb correctly predicted that Harperson would be crowned. Look out for unusual nose-scratching in Manchester. – The New Statesman
It’s a metaphor for the whole campaign. Ed Balls’ desert island discs are the coolest. No question.
But they’ve come too late. Even the shouting is over. The avalanche of taste-esteem that will engulf the shadow education secretary this afternoon cannot save him from electoral oblivion. Not even the hardcore Labourista’s luxury of choice can save him now.
Nobody is surprised that he has turned out to have an immense appetite and aptitude for the brutal business of opposition. Less predictable was the warmth and “normalness” which was reported in the second half of his campaign.
Had it been a six month campaign, Ed Balls would have done better. But three was too long already.
On St Helena, he would have had Dolly Parton’s astonishing voice, Elvis Presley’s unabating coolness, Billy Bragg’s best song and Bach’s most difficult violin piece to console him. Which might have been quite nice.
In real life, whoever wins will expect Ed to do most of the work.
Elvis Presley – ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’ – (live, Madison Square Gardens 1972)
Joshua Redman – ‘Blues for Pat’ (Wish)
Herbert Howells – ‘Like as the hart’ (St Paul’s cathedral choir, Hyperion)
Spandau Ballet – ‘True’ (12″ version)
Bach – Partita No. 2 in D Minor for violin – Itzhak Perlman, EMI
Dolly Parton – ‘I will always love you’
Handel – Ariodante Act 3, ‘Dopo Notte atra e funesta’ (Janet Baker, Philips)
Billy Bragg – ‘Saturday Boy’
Luxury: Karaoke machine
Book: Swallows and Amazons – Arthur Ransome
Film: Some Like it Hot
