Crossing The Street

When an Emeritus Professor makes a point of crossing the street to shake one's hand and to implore one to stand for Parliament again, then one really ought to stand for Parliament again. Thankfully, one was already standing for Parliament again.

I am told that I am being unduly harsh on the Constituency Labour Party here at North West Durham. Apparently, I have rather stung it, so delicate are its sensibilities. Well, 22 years ago this month, the then Prime Minister, Tony Blair, gave a Party Conference speech in which he blamed the mere existence of the Conservative Party for the imprisonment of Nelson Mandela, for the assassination of Martin Luther King, and for the murder of Stephen Lawrence.

When the Labour Right was having one of its fits of the vapours during the Corbyn years, then an old friend of mine on the blue team told me that, "Now they know how it feels to be a Tory." "I don't doubt it," I replied, "and now they know how it feels to be on the Left." He concurred. So no, I am not going to be letting up between now and the General Election. Quite the reverse, in fact. It is not going to be another snap Election, so get ready for a proper fight from me this time.