Back Ken
I never thought I would be posting this, but I am, and enthusiastically. Join the campaign here: http://www.kenlivingstone.com
posted by Luke Akehurst at 5:16 pm
Friday, January 04, 2008
About Me
- Name: Luke Akehurst
- Location: North Durham, County Durham, United Kingdom
Labour MP for North Durham since 2024. Labour Party activist since 1988 - firmly on the moderate wing of the party. Member of Labour’s NEC 2010-2012 and since 2020. National Secretary of Labour Students 1995-6. Parliamentary candidate for Aldershot (2001) and Castle Point (2005). Hackney Councillor (Chatham Ward) 2002-2014, Labour Group Chief Whip 2002-09, Chair of Health Scrutiny 2010-2014. Dad. Unite and GMB union member. All views expressed in a personal capacity. The rest will become evident from reading the blog.
33 Comments:
hahaha! ha!
9:37 pm, January 04, 2008
Luke you must be going mad! I always thought you'd demand the re-emergence of Norris over a progressive Labour candidate!
Good on you though! It may have been difficult but you are heading in the right direction.
Next step is to discuss through your next speech to a Progress meeting with Jeremy C.
2:16 am, January 05, 2008
Ken Livingstone supported by Luke Akehurst?
You are 'aving a larf, is he 'aving a larf?...
He's 'avin a larf!!!
4:50 am, January 05, 2008
Dear hazel b
Good on you though! It may have been difficult but you are heading in the right direction.
Nooooooo..left direction, surely?
10:06 am, January 05, 2008
hazel b,
You jest but there was in fact an active plan by London Young Labour to covertly campaign for Norris, were Livingstone selected as Labour candidate over Luke's former boss Frank Dobson.
Sadly it was a sight we were denied.
12:48 pm, January 05, 2008
Hi Luke, Just added you to my new feed reader. Keep up the good work.
2:12 pm, January 05, 2008
Doesn't it bother you that if a New Labour clone was standing instead, they would stand no chance?
Ken Livingstone if the ONLY Labour candidate who could beat Boris, based on his reputation of being everything you are against in the Labour party
2:17 pm, January 05, 2008
Left Lib said...
Doesn't it bother you that if a New Labour clone was standing instead, they would stand no chance?
Ken Livingstone if the ONLY Labour candidate who could beat Boris, based on his reputation of being everything you are against in the Labour party.
Please, Left Lib, I hope you're not suggesting that Luke drops his principled stance (that's a joke actually) and goes tactical, surely?
12:29 am, January 06, 2008
Seriously though, there is a dilemma here for progressives. Whilst Johnson is obviously a 'bad thing', how can those Labour supporters who abhorr Ken's bizarre relationship with al-Qaradawi, his poor judgement or disapprove of his inept handling of the City Hall grants scandal contemplate voting for him? These people will not be bought off with his campaign bleating on about more buses etc.
I don't see a shift to any of the other candidates from Ken (see Paddick's poor polling, for instance), just a drop in turnout on the day among those who voted for him last time and in 2000.
If I was on his campaign I'd be suggested means to ameliorate these deficits as well as championing his record.
Luke's tepid (lukewarm, even!) endorsement of Livingstone here suggests that many on the right of the party are going to have a hard time bothering to vote for him, never mind campaigning for him.
1:18 pm, January 06, 2008
It says a lot that people have come on here to have a laugh because Luke Akehurst is promoting Ken Livingstone's victory over the Tory Thatcherite Boris Johnson, but they themselves have not done what Luke has done and provided a link on their sites to the page that enables supporters of Ken Livingstone to sign up to his campaign and donate.
It should be noted that it is Luke, not Peter Kenyon, who has promoted the weblink to sign up to Ken Livingstone's campaign.
Ditto left sites such as Susan Press.
Whilst it is possible (and necessary!) to have disagreements with Luke Akehurst, credit where credit is due - he is the one promoting Ken's campaign, not those coming on here to have a laugh at his expense.
2:25 pm, January 06, 2008
socialdemokrat wrote;
'These people will not be bought off with his campaign bleating on about more buses etc.'
Well, if having a decent bus service, as opposed to one run by the Tories, is not of any importance to you then so be it.
There is no dilemma in this election. There are plenty of reasons for voting for Ken, based on his record of delivery and working with the government to make a difference in London.
A massively rejuvinated bus service; free bus and tram travel for all under-18s in full time education; defence of the Freedom Pass from Tory attacks that it is a 'stealth tax'; half price bus and tram travel for all people on income support; record numbers of police including a beat police team in every neighbourhood; falling crime; the licensing of the minicab industry; the biggest investment programme in public transport for fifty years; the go-ahead for new rail lines such as the East London Line Extension and the multi-billion pound Crossrail; traffic reduced in central London through the congestion charge; winning the bid to host the Olympics; bringing the Tour de France to Londoon; a near doubling of cycling in London; achieving a shift from car use to public transport; racist attacks down; London leading an international coalition of cities and with Bill Clinton against climate change.
And there are plenty of reasons for defeating for Boris Johnson, not least that he is a total Thatcherite - despite his attempts to disguise this fact.
3:35 pm, January 06, 2008
Not really clear why comrades would laughing at Luke for supporting a politician who - in the areas where he actually has power to do things - pursues a broadly similar political programme to that which Luke himself advocates.
I'm supporting Ken, too, but let's face it, he's not Tony Benn, is he?
4:09 pm, January 06, 2008
To be honest I prefer Boris. Boris is pro business which is what London needs and not someone who is determined to make London a no go zone through congestion charges, C02 charges etc.
The tide is turning against Labour but I think Ken will keep his job this time but it's going to be close.
4:22 pm, January 06, 2008
socialdemocrat
Far from me going to "have a hard time bothering to vote for him" I am the contituency agent for Ken and our local GLA candidate in Hackney North.
I also wouldn't be so sniffy about buses - where I live they are the main mode of transport so improving the service is a good reason for re-electing the Mayor.
6:13 pm, January 06, 2008
Vote Ken! and David Floyd should read this if they want to know why we are all laughing at the idea of Luke Akehurst supporting Ken Livingstone!
Luke says he is "the contituency (sic) agent for Ken and our local GLA candidate in Hackney North." Maybe, as in the words of the (4th Century BC) Chinese general & military strategist, Sun-tzu: it is important to "keep your friends close but your enemies closer".
And a word of advice, Luke. Before you start claiming to be a constituency agent ... try learning to spell the word!
6:50 am, January 07, 2008
Shambolic
luckily the role does not involve any writing, therefore ability to spell is not essential.
I love the use of "claiming" with the implication I made it up ...
8:05 am, January 07, 2008
Luke, not so long ago you were pressing for Livingstone to face internal discipline under the party rulebook over the Standards Board case. What's changed, other than the election?
9:07 am, January 07, 2008
What's changed is that I don't want to live in a city led by Boris Johnson.
9:26 am, January 07, 2008
Typical new Labour, they change their colours to suit their needs.
10:41 am, January 07, 2008
Fair point, Luke. I have no objection to a third term for Livingstone but think Labour ought to start thinking about a post-Livingstone GLA.
10:52 am, January 07, 2008
I say back Boris, we need change and Labour needs a sharp shock.
11:06 am, January 07, 2008
So why wasn't Livingstone disciplined?
Answer, you haven't got the bottle to take him on. Too busy drumming up pathetic charges against lesser people. Now you're his agent- Pathetic!
12:13 pm, January 07, 2008
Sorry, but giving Labour a 'sharp shock' is pointless when Johnson is the alternative and when the Labour candidate is no Government lackey in any case.
3:40 pm, January 07, 2008
"how can those Labour supporters... contemplate voting for him?"
Because he's the Labour candidate?
socialdemokrat, when was the last time you voted for a candidate you were 100% in agreement with on everything? I've certainly never done it and I'm sure I never will. People will choose between Ken and Boris Johnson and I do not believe for a second they will trust Boris to run a city like London.
Also, defending Luke does not come naturally to me, but I do not see how it is inconsistent to oppose Livingstone when he is standing against the Labour candidate for Mayor and to support him when he is the Labour candidate. To be honest, that seems more consistent than supporting him when he stands against Labour and stopping supporting him when he stands for Labour.
3:57 pm, January 07, 2008
I'm refuse to remain loyal to any political movement if they fail to remain loyal to core supporters.
Some of you lot would vote UKIP if they dressed it in Labour.
I've switched to the tories after almost 20 years of supporting the Labour party. I represent 1000s of people who are switching in attempt to remove this government.
Success is almost certain now and will we seek to push for change through the ballot box no matter who reigns.
5:32 pm, January 07, 2008
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9:00 pm, January 07, 2008
'Rich' is hilarious!
He claims to be switching away from Labour because we haven't been true to our core supporters - yet he is backing Boris Johnson. A man so far away from Labour's 'core support' he may as well be on a different planet.
You have to laugh at all the 'I'm never voting Labour again' types. If all of them had actually voted Labour in the first place we'd have had continuous Labour government for fifty years.
11:24 am, January 08, 2008
Ok Ian, then wait till the next election to find out.
My point is that we are removing a government that is failed it's core voters and not because we believe in what the conservatives stand for.
Labour need to taught a lesson.
11:35 am, January 08, 2008
Boris would teach all sorts of people a very stark and painful lesson about what a Thatcherite Mayor means for London. If you think giving Livingstone and Labour a bloody nose is more important you are one sick puppy.
12:59 pm, January 08, 2008
I am glad you are supporting Ken Luke, Compared to that tory idiot he is a shining light.
I think it is right that Luke and many of our comrades in the party and the movement should be appalled at Ken.
People should remember, he told tube workers to cross their own picket lines in 2004.
To quote Dave Prentis, the general secretary of Unison,
"It's outrageous and shameful that someone in Livingstone's position, with his history and background, should be telling people to scab on their trade union."
Mind you the LABOUR government asked those same workers to do the very same, oh and the postal workers.....
1:39 pm, January 08, 2008
Rich: I am also questioning whether I will vote Labour next time - but switch to the Tories? You must be joking! Do you think they would be responsive to the concerns of 'core Labour supporters'?
5:22 pm, January 08, 2008
I will add Ken Livingstone's campaign site to my blog forthwith. As I live 300 miles away not exactly at the forefront of his campaign but glad to oblige.
I look forward to Luke offering similar support to a left-wing Labour Government in the future. Or, at least, a Labour Government.
7:06 pm, January 08, 2008
Merseymike, You should question a Labour vote. Brown is proving to be a very poor choice of leader to be honest and his economic record is also very poor.
Take a walk around the poorest areas Mike and see the problems first hand. I am seeing communities turning into ghettos and it's a direct result of Labour policies.
Young people are some of the worst hit and are being trapped into low paid jobs...with little hope of bettering themselves. Too many companies that used to offer skilled work are vanishing and going abroad and are being replaced with housing estates and shopping mals.
We also have a massive immigration problem, this is making it hard for schools and service providers. I'm hearing this from head teachers and local councils. But Brown is completely ignoring our voice.
We've had ten years and to be honest this government has done nothing concrete to secure the future of this country.
9:07 pm, January 08, 2008
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