What a difference a day makes! Yesterday, we questioned whether Stephen Kinnock, who sent his daughter to a Danish private school, was a suitable potential Labour MP. Since then, we’ve heard that Kinnock now stands little chance of winning the Aberavon constituency selection. His all-star strategy has backfired. Paying to opt-out of state education hasn’t gone down well in a working-class constituency, and neither has flying over Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt – his wife – for a party dinner. As such, Kinnock has not won a single branch nomination – and thus won’t make it onto the shortlist. Instead, it seems party hacks have thrown their weight behind lawyer, Oxford graduate and former Progress NPF candidate Jeremy Miles as the man best-placed to beat the left-winger. Continue reading
Tagged with Progress
The Blairite party-within-a-party recognises its lack of support at grassrooots level
Two months ago we questioned whether the Blairite party-within-a-party, Progress, would be able sustain its alliance with the more traditional Labour right-wing faction, Labour First, whose leading members are John Spellar MP and Luke Akehurst. The combination of a growing political gulf between the two organisations, especially over primaries and the role of trade unions in the Labour Party, and the realisation that Progress faced an embarrassing defeat seems to have sealed the end of their electoral alliance in internal party elections.
Having advertised for candidates to apply for endorsement as NEC candidates by their elected strategy board last November (in a process designed to convey the appearance of transparency and internal democracy), it finally emerged this week that they have decided to back two candidates: Continue reading
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So when will the Labour Party apologise to Stevie Deans?
Yesterday, the Scottish police confirmed that they had found “no evidence of any criminality” in their inquiry into the activities of Stevie Deans, who was until three months ago full-time convenor at the Ineos plant at Grangemouth (where he’d worked for 25 years) and Chair of Unite in Scotland as well as the sometime Chair of Falkirk Labour Party.
This is the second time, allegations against Stevie Deans have been investigated and dismissed by the Scottish police, the first referral having come from the Labour Party, the second from INEOS. Unsurprisingly, Unite yesterday condemned the fact that “the police’s time has been wasted by vexatious complaints and their attentions diverted from catching real criminals and solving real crimes“. Continue reading
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Labour Students no longer bothers to pretend it’s not just Progress’ youth wing
Last weekend (16-17th November 2013), the National Organisation of Labour Students (NOLS) organised in Manchester their political weekend. Over the course of the weekend, the Blairite clique that dominates Labour Students ruthlessly reaffirmed their hegemony. But they were met with a surprising consensus for greater dialogue and plurality within the organisation and its events.
The weekend began with lunch, announcements and an overwhelming three hours of speakers and a panel. Unlike in previous years, where student-led workshops and policy forums encouraged dialogue and discussion among participants, the extent of engagement this year was limited to asking questions. For the price of £40 (plus transport), over 150 students had come to Manchester to be lectured at. Continue reading
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Will the Labour Right maintain its unholy alliance in internal elections?
Today saw nominations close for Progress members wishing to stand for Labour’s national executive in 2014 to apply for the organisation’s endorsement. In a process designed to convey the appearance of transparency and internal democracy, the strategy board invented last year for the same purpose will meet shortly to select two or three candidates who Progress will back alongside the two sitting Labour First members.
This is a significant departure from previous years when organising the right wing slate was a fairly simple process. It was decided by two people. Continue reading
