Labour to regain Blaenau Gwent?
The parliamentary selection in Blaenau Gwent in South Wales looks like it might in experienced campaigner Nick Smith (previously at the NSPCC and Wales Labour Party), who grew up locally in Tredegar, be coming up with a candidate who can win back what ought to be a safe seat for Labour. It was lost to independent Peter Law and then in a by-election to his Agent Dai Davies in the fallout from a previous controversy over All Women Shortlists.
Nominations have now closed, with each branch nominating a man and a woman and a BME candidate, and three candidates have secured nominations from branches with a majority of the CLP membership and are therefore automatically shortlisted: Nick, Keren Bender and Nicholas Dobrik.
Nick’s website is: http://www.nick-smith.net
posted by Luke Akehurst at 12:44 pm
14 Comments:
Keren Bender run in Welsh Assembly contest last May (Trish Law increased her majority).
Labour seem still to have some internal troubles in BG. The council leader (who run against Trish Law in the byelection) resigned last week, it was a "jump before being pushed" resignation since he has confirmed reports that he would have faced a no confidence vote.
The Deputy leader was suspended weeks ago after a complaint to the Ombudsman for Wales about alleged bullying.
4:29 pm, November 13, 2007
Not sure that an ultra-loyalist New Labour type candidate would have much chance here against the incumbent (who usually votes with Labour anyway). Better someone in the more independent Rhodri Morgan mode.
6:24 pm, November 13, 2007
Nick's a fantastic campaigner with loads of experience - and not just with the party, I hear he was great at the NSPCC.
He's a loyal party guy with fantastic team building skills. If there are problems he's the one to get the party back on track.
6:49 pm, November 13, 2007
Win Blaenau Gwent?
You should read this blog
9:10 pm, November 13, 2007
Labour needs a Rhodri-type or someone even to his left in Blaenau Gwent...
But I think it should work on winning back over Dai Davies himself who is a good bloke...it could take time due to the history but is a reasonable aim...
11:25 pm, November 13, 2007
You know the bust up in Blaenau Gwent happenned because of a falling out between Peter Law and Rhodri Morgan?
10:37 am, November 14, 2007
Wasn't just about AWS though, was it?
"Like Nye Bevan, Michael Foot and Neil Kinnock, I'm a supporter of the Tribune Group."
Well that's about as good a start as anyone could make in my selection books. :op
8:19 pm, November 14, 2007
No it was mainly over Rhodri Morgan sacking Peter Law to make room for Liberal Democrats in his cabinet.
Thus getting rid of the last old Labour right working class man so that he didn't have to sack any of the middle-class lefties he was mates with.
11:08 am, November 15, 2007
Liberal Democrats?
Lefties?
12:23 pm, November 15, 2007
More thinking of Jane Hutt, Jane Davidson et al. There was a point where 7 out of the 9 Welsh cabinet members had been Cardiff Councillors.
Peter Law got a bit upset by that.
3:10 pm, November 15, 2007
Love the usual New Labour nonsense about righties being working class and lefties being middle class.
3:12 pm, November 15, 2007
All the mates I have from working class backgrounds are always asking for wage cuts and worse employment rights. And for money which could be spent on their schools and hospitals to be spent on nuclear weapons.
5:33 pm, November 16, 2007
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11:06 am, November 19, 2007
Smith has won the Lab selection
11:50 am, December 07, 2007
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