Saturday 25 October 2008

The Slow, Lingering Death of the Labour Party

Yet another chance encounter with an old friend who has left the Labour Party ("with bells on", as she herself puts it). She says that she now plans to concentrate her political efforts on child poverty, in which (like me) she takes it as self-evident that New Labour has no interest whatever.

Just how many people are there left in the Labour Party who are not either in receipt of Councillors' allowances or closely related (usually married) to those who are? I am not saying that those Councillors do not do much good. Many do. But even so.

Meanwhile, even Tom Miller writes:

"I just missed re-election to the Young Fabians exec, which is a bit sickening, considering that I am membership officer and we ended the year 52 up, taken against the otherwise declining membership of the society as a whole.

I came top of the non-elected pile, which is even worse. As far as I'm aware, there is now nobody on the executive of the body who self-defines as being on the left of the party, which is a bit of a nightmare considering that two years ago we had a fairly broad spread, even including one members who is somewhere between Compass and the campaign group.

I plan to stay involved with the organisation despite it's now rather narrow focus, as I believe that the professionalism of those involved in planning things, the workable budget and the de jure factionally impartial nature of the organisation gives people from the whole spread of Labour Opinion somewhere to work. I will of course also be having a pop at co-options.
"

Say it like you mean it, Tom.

Tom Miller is just shy of 23.

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