The leader of the Fire Brigades Union (which is not affiliated to the Labour party) has written a letter to all Labour MPs urging them to support John McDonnell for the leadership.
Getting women in the shadow cabinet becomes a leadership issue
25/05/2010, 12:14:47 PMThe next leader of the Labour Party will be a man. Everybody knows that. And not because it is obvious who will win. It isn’t. But because there is only one woman candidate, who is not even trying to win.
Dismal though this is, it might work for women MPs’ interests in the end.
Under the rules as they stand, the number of votes which MPs must cast for women in shadow cabinet elections is four.
The last time one of these arcane contests was held, in 1996, four women out of 19 seemed rather progressive. Now, it seems pretty lame. (more…)
John McDonnell’s letter to his rivals
25/05/2010, 12:05:09 PMDear David, Ed, Andy, Ed and Diane,
First of all good luck in the leadership contest.
I think that the entry of all of you into this election will demonstrate what dedicated and talented people we have in our party.
Now that nominations are underway I am writing to ask if you would consider the proposal that we work together to ensure that every declared candidate gets onto the ballot paper so that we have a range of candidates that truly represent the party both men and women, black and white and a range of the political views reflecting the spectrum of views of our party members. (more…)
John McDonnell’s letter to the Parliamentary Labour Party
25/05/2010, 08:30:14 AMBY EMAIL 24.05.10
Dear Colleague,
As you know the nominations process for the Labour leadership election opens today. I am writing to ask if you would consider nominating me.
In this leadership election we were hoping that there would be a genuinely democratic contest with a platform representing the diversity of our party, including men and women, black and white and the range of political views from Right to Left.
This started to go wrong from the outset. I am disappointed that Harriet Harman and Yvette Cooper never came forward. I was on a number of platforms with Harriet when she stood for deputy and saw how she was able to relate so well to people.
Unlike some other former ministers she did not line up lucrative jobs after the election and has loyally stuck at her task. Similarly I may disagree with many of the policies Yvette pushed through in office but you cannot deny her ability and commitment. I believe that Jon Cruddas also should have run because with Compass he has effectively articulated alternative visions for our party. (more…)
Ed Miliband’s letter to the Parliamentary Labour Party
24/05/2010, 12:09:15 PMFormer Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband is the darling of the eco-kids.
So it was careless of him to send his letter to the Parliamentary Labour Party by hard copy only. Ed Balls and Andy Burnham sent theirs by email only.
It is a tiny thing, but telling.
The epistolary juices of the older Miliband and the two far-left candidates are yet to flow.
You can read Ed Miliband’s speech to the Fabians here.
Ray Collins forgets to pay lip service
23/05/2010, 11:59:18 AMRay Collins did two things last week which politicians don’t usually do. First, he expressed an unfashionable view to a difficult audience because he thought it needed saying. Then – once he realised that he’d overdone it – he apologised even though he didn’t have to.
He might reply that he is not a politician. That he is foremost a trade unionist, and that as Labour’s General Secretary he is merely an appointed official; the servant of the party.
In fact, he is a skilfull politician who has wielded an influence as general secretary not seen since Tony Blair wrested it from Larry Whitty and never gave it back. (more…)
Why the bakers won’t save John McDonnell
22/05/2010, 06:14:55 PMJohn McDonnell was always going to struggle to get on the ballot paper. With only one other candidate standing, he couldn’t manage it in 2007. Five other candidates this time made it almost impossible. Once Diane Abbott split the far left vote, it moved into miracle territory.
More telling was that left-wing MPs like Linda Riordan and David Hamilton have, at the outset, come out for Ed Miliband, while Davey Anderson has backed Balls.
David Hamilton is a proper, no-nonsense left-winger from Middlothian. He grew up in the National Union of Mineworkers when that meant something. He went to prison during the 1984-5 miners’ strike. Dick Gaughan’s song about the miners’ strike salutes Davey Hamilton. If you were looking for a totally straightforward, implacably left-wing, tell-it-like-is, bow-his-head-to-no-man Labour MP like they used to make ’em, you couldn’t find a more impressive one than Davey Hamilton. He is the only man in the Parliamentary Labour Party who might beat Eric Joyce in a physical fight.
It is significant, in which case, that Hamilton is backing Ed Miliband. It gives the lie to the notion that the far left will eat the Labour party now that we have lost. In truth, there is less point to the Campaign Group now than there has ever been. Which is saying a lot.
McDonnell is mounting a valiant rearguard. He is an impressive campaigner and an excellent Member of Parliament. Sadly for him, though, neither that nor old friends in small unions will likely be enough.
Andy Burnham’s letter to the Parliamentary Labour Party
22/05/2010, 08:29:20 AMDear Colleague
RECONNECTING LABOUR
Yesterday I announced my intention to seek enough support to be able to go forward as a candidate for the leadership of the Labour Party.
It is a big step but one I am ready to take. I have been a proud member of the Party for 25 years. In that time, I have served it at every level. In the last five years, I have held demanding Ministerial briefs, including Chief Secretary to the Treasury. Throughout all the ups and downs of Government, I always put loyalty to the Party and both leaders first and foremost.
My reason for standing is because I have a clear vision of how I think we need to rebuild our Party for new times. We must become a more modern, open and campaigning force for good.
We must reconnect with our own members and grassroots, bringing the wider Labour family back together.
We must reconnect with young people. I want it always to be the case that Labour is where all young people look first if they want to change the world.
And, above all, we must reconnect with the people who have lost confidence in Labour in recent years. I believe I can reach those people and ensure that their concerns are always our concerns. (more…)
That Diane Abbott quote in full
21/05/2010, 09:13:38 AMOn the Today programme this morning, Diane Abbott explained her surprise candidacy for the leadership of the Labour party thus:
“If not now, when? And if not me, who?”
This was a very Abbottian remark. She is better read and has a better ear for language than most MPs. Politics is all about ideas and communication, so it is bizarre that so few British MPs read books or respect words. Abbott does both, which is as much to her credit as it is to the rest of their shame.
No surprise, in which case, that her Soundbite for the Day was a literary reference. Slightly more dissonant, though, were the sources. (more…)
Ed Balls’ letter to the PLP 20.5.10
20/05/2010, 04:58:59 PMDear colleague,
The election for Labour leader is not just about the future of the Labour Party. It’s about the future of our country. This contest has to be about the public first.
That’s why yesterday I launched my campaign to lead our party at a public meeting in Gedling, a marginal seat we held against the odds. On the way, I visited a pre-school playgroup in Basildon with our former colleague Angela Smith – a seat we must win to get back in to government.
Over the next few weeks and months, I’ll be meeting not just party members, but the public too, in town halls, community centres and homes right across the country. A debate which takes place only in Westminster – just in party meetings or think tank seminars so we can then present the public with what we have decided – cannot produce the ideas or forge the coalition needed to win power again.
Leadership is about being strong, about taking tough decisions, about taking people with you and building a consensus for change based on your values and what you stand for. But it must also be about genuinely listening and hearing first before you decide. (more…)
