A blog by Luke Akehurst about politics, elections, and the Labour Party - With subtitles for the Hard of Left. Just for the record: all the views expressed here are entirely personal and do not necessarily represent the positions of any organisations I am a member of.
My Labourlist column this week is encouraging Labour people who haven't got elections in their patch on 5 May to go and help in places that have: http://www.labourlist.org/luke-akehurst-twin-to-win
posted by Luke Akehurst at 12:33 pm
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.
7 Comments:
I've just checked the nominations for my original true-blue stamping ground. Appalled to find that Labour have far from a full slate in Wycombe district and are leaving some wards uncontested which we held as recently as the 1990's. And South Bucks has just two Labour candidates. No wonder our vote has collapsed in these areas
Can you raise this at the NEC? I think someone needs to go to Bucks and find out what is going on
10:37 pm, April 04, 2011
I want know how to vote in the referendum. Do
I vote yes or no, there is no noise coming from the labour camps.
I would like reform but not one that gives the lib dems a broker position at the next election.
8:18 pm, April 05, 2011
Its not much better in Aylesbury. If UKIP can tin a full slate of candidates then why can't Labour?
12:24 am, April 06, 2011
Northamptonshire, with a robust Labour tradition, is if anything even more shocking.
Not least the main town itself, where Labour are about a dozen candidates short (with both Tories and LibDems on a pretty full slate)
Disgraceful - and not good enough.
12:45 am, April 06, 2011
What's the use of replacing one Right wing government for another right wing government?
I was a Labour supporter all my life, but under New Labour we had 2 illegal wars and so much rubbish PFI, where the public took the losses and private sector took the profits and look at the wealth gap the biggest between 1997-2010 ever, you would need to convince me to go out and canvas for Labour?
1:08 am, April 06, 2011
Rich:
Must admit I have similar problems with the referendum. There are some truly dreadful people on both sides.
However, one problem with AV is that it could well exaggerate a trend and thus give the winner a much larger parliamentary majority than is a good thing. In a mayoral election, this is not a problem as there is only one post to fill.
Also, some of the criticisms of the present system are a based on dubious assumptions. An election is all about swing voters in marginal seats. However, that assumes that existing voters will swallow anything that is put in front of them. Labour has demonstrated that that is not really the case.
Also, no seat can really be considered safe in perpetuity. Even safe seats can be lost as Labour demonstrated in a few cases at the last election and in 2005.
And, of course, a safe seat can also quickly become much less so.
11:53 am, April 06, 2011
A very selective view of what the last Labour government did, that.
I suppose if the past year hasn't convinced people that there IS a difference between even "New" Labour and the parties of the REAL right, then it is hard to see what will. Still, the mileage of hard left delusionalists who virtually destroyed the party as a serious force 30 years ago may differ.
As ever ;)
12:53 pm, April 06, 2011
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