I tried and failed to think of anything about
trouser presses to serve as the title of this, my twelve thousandth post. But
the relevant county motto turns out to be ideal.
A Labour victory in the forthcoming Corby and East Northamptonshire by-election is effectively guaranteed. The selection of the Labour candidate is therefore the test of the Labour Party's seriousness in having become the party that alone now represents the Union as a first principle, any concept of English identity, a universal postal service bound up with the monarchy, the Queen's Highways rather than toll roads owned by faraway and unstable petrostates, the renationalisation of the railways promised in the 1997 Labour Manifesto, Her Majesty's Constabulary rather than the British KGB that is the impending "National Crime Agency", the National Health Service rather than piecemeal privatised provision by the American healthcare companies that pay Andrew Lansley, the restoration both of energy independence and of the economic basis of paternal authority through the reopening of the mines promised by Ed Miliband to one hundred thousand people and the television cameras at the Durham Miners' Gala, keeping Sunday special, the historic regimental system, aircraft carriers with aircraft on them, no Falkland Islands oil to Argentina, a referendum on continued membership of the EU, a free vote on the redefinition of marriage, the State action necessary in order to maintain the work of charities and of churches, and the State action necessary in order to maintain a large and thriving middle class.
In other words, it is the test of the depth and stability of Ed Miliband's reversion of Labour to its historical norm as the voice and vehicle of a many-rooted social democratic patriotism in all directions, inclusive of social and cultural conservatives as well as of social and cultural liberals, inclusive of rural as well as of urban and suburban voices, inclusive of provincial as well as of metropolitan contributions, and inclusive of religious as well as of secular insights. The 2010 intake is very largely "classic Labour", the boys in their dads' suits having decided to sit out the hard work of Opposition. As a result, Labour has long enjoyed a commanding lead both in the opinion polls and at the actual polls.
But we all know that these things cannot be taken for granted. To this day, I have never had an answer from the Labour Party to the question of whether or not Louise Mensch has ever actually ceased to be a member of that party, which she only joined out of devotion to Tony Blair, known in the circle around David Cameron as "our real Leader". He may be theirs, but he is no longer Labour's. Is he?
Ed Miliband, over to you.
In other words, it is the test of the depth and stability of Ed Miliband's reversion of Labour to its historical norm as the voice and vehicle of a many-rooted social democratic patriotism in all directions, inclusive of social and cultural conservatives as well as of social and cultural liberals, inclusive of rural as well as of urban and suburban voices, inclusive of provincial as well as of metropolitan contributions, and inclusive of religious as well as of secular insights. The 2010 intake is very largely "classic Labour", the boys in their dads' suits having decided to sit out the hard work of Opposition. As a result, Labour has long enjoyed a commanding lead both in the opinion polls and at the actual polls.
But we all know that these things cannot be taken for granted. To this day, I have never had an answer from the Labour Party to the question of whether or not Louise Mensch has ever actually ceased to be a member of that party, which she only joined out of devotion to Tony Blair, known in the circle around David Cameron as "our real Leader". He may be theirs, but he is no longer Labour's. Is he?
Ed Miliband, over to you.
Labour already selected the candidate early some time ago as they have done, and are doing, in a number of seats particularly target ones.
ReplyDeleteIf Mensch is still a member of the Labour Party, she must have paid her membership fee, to avoid being lapsed, for the past 15 years. Likely? Almost as likely as you ever getting anywhere in politics.
ReplyDeleteThe rules for by-elections are entirely different. It is strictly an NEC decision on paper so a Leadership one in practice, the two years' membership rule does not apply, basically and ultimately the Leader can have whoever he wants, entirely regardless of anyone who might already have been selected by the CLP. So, who does Ed Miliband want?
ReplyDeleteThey won't deny it. Just as they won't deny the persistent more-than-rumour that Tony Blair stopped actually being a Labour Party member just after the 2001 Election. Never resigned, of course. Just lapsed. Felt that he had transcended it. They won't say that that isn't true. And they won't say that this isn't true, either. Funny, that.
ReplyDeleteWhat have you got against Andy Sawford?
ReplyDeleteNothing, necessarily. The only thing that I know about him is that his father was until 2005 the Campaign Group MP for Kettering. A new Campaign Group MP in November? Now, there's a thought...
ReplyDeleteA membership lapse means you are not a member.
ReplyDeleteReaders should note that David Lindsay thinks Louise Mensch has been a Labour member the entire time whilst being first an A-List candidate for the Tories then one of their MPs. You couldn't make it up.
No, you couldn't.
ReplyDeleteBut apparently any number of A-listers still held Labour or Lib Dem membership. They don't call Blair "our real Leader" for nothing.
Mensch hasn't been a Labour member for years - and why would Ed want to do anything with the selected Labour candidate in Corby other than support him? He appears excellent, and I think its good that someone towards the left of the party is seen as part of the party again.
ReplyDeleteI think you will have to accept, David, that on some issues, Labour won't be going back to social conservatism. There will be same sex marriage. But there will also be a lot more concern for the collective and the community
Mike
Like most people, I no longer expect same-sex "marriage" ever to make it to the floor of the House. It would certainly never emerge from the other House, which is never going to be reformed now.
ReplyDeleteOh, it will, because there is a clear Parliamentary majority for it, within each party. And because its really not very controversial any more and would be an easy piece of legislation to pass
ReplyDeleteEd is strongly committed to equality in this area as is Yvette Cooper. It is likely to happen at about the same time as the Scottish vote. Both will be won comfortably
This Government certainly won't introduce it now, although both parties to the Coalition have put themselves in the position where they do pretty much have to have it as a manifesto commitment in 2015. When they are not going to win, anyway.
ReplyDeleteAll that Labour has to say, though, is "a free vote if anyone tries to introduce it as a Private Member's Bill". And we all know what that means.
Yes, we do
ReplyDelete1. All but a handful of Labour MP's voting for it
2. About half of Tory MP's voting for it
3. All Liberal Democrats voting for it - they won't have a free vote
4. All Plaid MP's voting for it
Outcome: enormous majority in favour, reflecting the vote on Civil Partnerships, with much the same people voting against
And likely to happen at the same time as the Scottish vote.
Dream on.
ReplyDeleteThe seats that Labour needs to win back are such that not only has the party always guaranteed a free vote on this (do you never ask yourself why that is, if only a handful of Labour MPs is opposed? Could it be that, you know, scores of them are? In places like, you know, Merseyside?), but I am told that it is now actively recruiting potential candidates in those localities who will, among other things, use that freedom in order to vote against it.
No one, no one at all, expects this to come to a vote in this Parliament, where the mere suggestion of it has already Conservative Party membership and fund-raising to collapse.
One Labour MP on Merseyside is opposed to marriage equality. The others are all supportive. The GC of the non-supportive MP unanimously indicated their support for equality in a recent meeting, and should that MP resign, I can assure you any successor would be expected to support equality
ReplyDeleteThe free vote has traditionally been given on this and other similar issues, and the outcome in recent years has been very clear - all but a handful vote for the pro-gay stance
We only have a single additional seat on Merseyside which we could take from the Tories - we hold the rest , and Southport is currently beyond our grasp, so there are no candidates to select unless we have a resignation, which is unlikely.
It will come before this parliament simply because the Conservatives will want to get it out of the way before the election, and all the other parties are overwhelmingly supportive.
Perhaps you could offer me some actual evidence. I have given plenty but so far all I have had from you are comments which aren't true. like the 'scores' of Labour MP's on Merseyside opposing equality, where in fact there is only one.
The candidates recently selected by the party have all supported equality when asked by LGBT Labour.
Well, they would, wouldn't they? But LGBT Labour is not the sum total of the vote in either the Catholic or the Muslim heartlands, nor is it the obvious vehicle for reaching out to Middle Britain.
ReplyDeleteI know more than I can say at this point, so I only ask you to ask yourself why this has never been Labour Party policy, and why nothing more than a free vote (and that, in the event of a Labour Government, only on a Private Member's Bill) ever will be.
Cameron is desperate for this to go away. So, in this Parliament, it pretty much has done.