I returned this morning from an enjoyable evening yesterday at The Hawthorns stadium in West Bromwich, attending Rt Hon John Spellar MP's constituency annual dinner, to find a whole bunch of comments on the posts below demanding to know how a moderate Labour type like me could justify supporting Ken.
The answer, luckily was at hand. The successor organisation to Charter 88 has designed this nifty website: http://london.votematch.co.uk/
It tells you which mayoral candidates' policies you most support.
I've taken the test and it turns out that I'm not just backing Ken for reasons of party loyalty - I actually - on London issues - agree with his policies.
I am disgusted you have not written about the recent teen killings and that your party has no sympathy even on their website. Do you ever write about issues that affect the people in your own ward or is this blog more interested in pushing forward your own career agenda. I used to vote labour because I believed they were supposed to care.
ReplyDeleteIt's Luke's blog, and he's free to write about what he wants to.
ReplyDeleteYour disgust seems misdirected.
I honestly don't think there is anything meaningful for me to write about the stabbings that adds to the blindingly obvious - that any young person suffering a violent death is a tragic waste of a young life. Me posting that would just look trite.
ReplyDeleteI don't usually write about the nitty-gritty of my work as a ward councillor because it usually relates to people living in just one street or estate - and I don't think they would thank me for broadcasting it, or is personal casework that I couldn't write about without breeching confidentiality and data protection.
If I want to communicate with my constituents I go and talk to them.
Estelle is right that Labour looks increasingly uncaring. It makes me so sad - I was brought up to believe Labour was on the side of good, compassion and 'doing as you'd be done by'. I'm still a member, but no-one in the higher echelons of the party seems to have any genuine regard for people's welfare, or any humanity. If only we had more MPs like Clare Short or Diane Abbott who actually passionately want to make people's lives better. I live in hope...it's quite tiring though.
ReplyDelete"If only we had more MPs like Clare Short or Diane Abbott who actually passionately want to make people's lives better."
ReplyDeleteDianne Abbott? Shurely shome mishtake!
Luke you appear to have lost touch of reality. There are real issues affecting real people and Ken and the Labour party are not even willing to address.
ReplyDeleteWe are on the verge of a economic disaster caused by a lack of financial regulation,low interest rates and artificially low inflation. All of the above is the result of this Labour government.
Have you any idea how the hell we are going to finance the governments spending plans? In two years this country and it's people will be on it's knees thanks to Brown and Blair.
No mistake. Diane is an articulate, caring voice of the left, who embodies a lot of what the Labour Party should be about: compassion and honesty and human decency.
ReplyDeleteJohn you forget to mention that Diane Abbott insists that Hackney residents send their children appallingly underperforming local schools whilst sending her own son to a private school with fees of £10,000 per year!!
ReplyDeleteMost people in Hackney would love the choices Diane Abbott has. She represents a party that do not care about the people only themselves.
Labour make me sick and good ridance in the elections next month
Chatham Ward resident
ReplyDelete- actually Hackney North Labour Party agrees with you on this and censured Diane over her choice of school.
The irony was she chose to do this just as the closure of failing schools and opening of what will eventually be 5 city academies means that state secondary education in Hackney is no longer a disaster zone.