This Once Great Movement Of Ours

[CumbrianLefty]

Crick really is a curate's egg, true enough.

His book on Militant in the 1980s was, and remains, a genuinely impressive work that stands up well.

[YL]

Abtisam Mohamed, councillor for Firth Park on Sheffield City Council, has been selected as Labour candidate for Sheffield Central, beating Eddie Izzard among others.  From what I've heard she's quite impressive.

[EastAnglianLefty]

Years ago I described Neal Lawson as the soft left answer to Dan Hodges.

Things haven't altered much since.

He really needs to just piss off and join the Lib Dems. He'd be a lot happier there and we'd be a lot happier with him there too.

Abtisam Mohamed, councillor for Firth Park on Sheffield City Council, has been selected as Labour candidate for Sheffield Central, beating Eddie Izzard among others.  From what I've heard she's quite impressive.

The surprising thing to me about that result was that Izzard actually came 2nd (on the first round, anyway), which is better than I thought she'd do. Pick a more suitable constituency and she might have a decent shot at winning selection.

[YL]

Abtisam Mohamed, councillor for Firth Park on Sheffield City Council, has been selected as Labour candidate for Sheffield Central, beating Eddie Izzard among others.  From what I've heard she's quite impressive.

The surprising thing to me about that result was that Izzard actually came 2nd (on the first round, anyway), which is better than I thought she'd do. Pick a more suitable constituency and she might have a decent shot at winning selection.

What do you think might be a more suitable constituency?

[EastAnglianLefty]

Somewhere that hasn't had a large number of local office-holders sniffing round it for at least 5 years and which doesn't reckon it has a chance to elect a leading member of the Cabinet in 10-20 years time.

The shortlists in some marginals that will fall on quite small swings have been fairly uninspiring (and not just because of factional sorting) so picking one or two in that category and working them hard might be productive.

[CumbrianLefty]

Somewhere that hasn't had a large number of local office-holders sniffing round it for at least 5 years and which doesn't reckon it has a chance to elect a leading member of the Cabinet in 10-20 years time.

The shortlists in some marginals that will fall on quite small swings have been fairly uninspiring (and not just because of factional sorting) so picking one or two in that category and working them hard might be productive.

Not thinking of somewhere local to your good self, are you? Perish the thought

(still at least looks like they will be only one of a handful of washed-up Progress dinosaurs elected to the next Parliament even if Labour wins a big majority - there are shortcomings in the general class of people winning selection in this parliament, but that isn't one of them)

[EastAnglianLefty]

I have no particular animus about the candidate in question (not yet, anyway, but ask me again in a couple of months...) Nevertheless, that did seem like a quieter contest than it might have been and there have been a few others like it. And most of those do not seem to have been due to people being kept off longlists, but rather factional candidates hovering round a smaller group of seats (not all of them notably safe) and ignoring perfectly winnable contests elsewhere.

[Blair]

Yeah I’ve noticed there isn’t anyone new running in a seats lost in 2010 who has immediately set off my radar; I wonder if it’s a hangover from 2015 when a lot of people ran in ‘target’ seats that ended up not even being close.

There will ofc be some last minute retirements I suspect- that tends to be the old way of really stitching up seats for favourite sons and daughters.

[CumbrianLefty]

The selection for Gloucester yesterday was another example of the "obvious" front runner not winning - there have been a few of these now.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Two internal reports commissioned by Unite's new leadership have confirmed the existence of massive corruption under the previous management and have been passed to the police.

[CumbrianLefty]

Two internal reports commissioned by Unite's new leadership have confirmed the existence of massive corruption under the previous management and have been passed to the police.

But still H*w*r* B*c*e*t grandstands on Twitter.

[Coldstream]

I’ve still got my hoodie from the 2019 election that has “promoted by Howard Beckett” on it - I’m wondering if it’ll become evidence.

[Blair]

I see the Wes for Leader campaign has had another awful morning.

Should have been Bridget as Health- but she’s been very good at Education and is finally getting attention from the lobby.

[Blair]

Despite my username the one thing I hated most about New Labour was the weird obsession with thinking that voters cared about you banging on about ‘reforming the public sector dinosaurs’ or whatever this morning was about.

They even seem to forget that New Labours reform agenda came after billions of spending… there are a number of changes that need to happen imho (I assume GPs and social care coming further into the fold will eventually happen ) but I really hate the aggressive framing of it.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Most of what he says on the subject is fine and would be supported by most people in the health service - if more is done in the community then you have less pressures down the line in hospitals etc - but he does have a habit of being unnecessarily aggressive in terms of rhetoric, which is not always... helpful, and does undermine this idea of him as a Great Communicator. Though having poor relations with the BMA isn't really a New Labour thing, so much as a Labour thing, full stop.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Should have been Bridget as Health- but she’s been very good at Education and is finally getting attention from the lobby.

The one drawback of having people who really are very good is that they can only hold one major post at any one time...

[Blair]

Something very THIGMOO about Tarry attacking Streeting over the NHS.

I stand by my comments above but still it is just quite funny when the wider context and backstory is omitted.

[CumbrianLefty]

Stuff like this is a major reason why I don't think Streeting will ever be Labour leader.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Stuff like this is a major reason why I don't think Streeting will ever be Labour leader.

He's a bit too much of A Young Man In A Hurry and is also a little bit... er... feet first when it comes to communications sometimes: the latter reflects the truth that though he has a Student Politics background, he's fundamentally an East London Labour figure with all that that implies (and always has...) in terms of style.

[Blair]

Very interesting how many Slab figures are now coming out to run in Scotland. A few ex Cllrs, MSPs and even the odd MP.

I’m sure they’ll all be able to tell the panel what community and party campaigning work they have done…

[CumbrianLefty]

Oh dear, looks like the bloke we selected in Bolsover wasn't *totally* open and honest about things.

(though they somehow managed to stand for nearby Sherwood in 2019 without this coming to light)

[Blair]

Interesting Guardian piece on Labour frontbench dynamics- some chafing at the return of Douglas Alexander and rumours around Ed Balls and David M. Basically just a ‘well they weren’t here for the hard part why should they get a cushy job’.

Also some complaints re those who have big jobs (Dodds again) and asking why some don’t (C***sy- no doubt because of her helpful interventions on Brexit)

Interesting there was a line re Nandy not seeming to enjoy her role- I thought she was and just needs to be given a big housing offer. You can see one being made in health and education… and the state of housing is going to be one of the biggest challenges for a Labour government. It’s not just the awful private rented sector either anymore…

[EastAnglianLefty]

Though most of the quotes in those articles are usually from Pat McFadden. I'm not convinced they all are this time (some seem somewhat rational) but they should never be taken as an accurate summary of ShadCab opinion.

[Blair]

Though most of the quotes in those articles are usually from Pat McFadden. I'm not convinced they all are this time (some seem somewhat rational) but they should never be taken as an accurate summary of ShadCab opinion.

Ed Miliband got praised which is rare in Labour briefing.

I don’t want Douglas to return purely because it adds another layer to the ‘people fighting because they haven’t forgiven someone over what they did in the Brown Government’.

[YL]

Interesting Guardian piece on Labour frontbench dynamics- some chafing at the return of Douglas Alexander and rumours around Ed Balls and David M. Basically just a ‘well they weren’t here for the hard part why should they get a cushy job’.

To be fair to Balls the reason he wasn't "here for the hard part" was the voters of Morley & Outwood.  Boundary changes there are quite favourable as it happens...