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Labour Selections: Fear and Loathing in Rochdale
The Rochdale Observer carried an amazing story last week, telling how a shortlisted candidate had received funeral wreathes and 'phone threats encouraging him to pull out. The Mirror's Kevin Maguire follows up with news that the supplying florist and credit card details have now been traced.
This is part of what I added as a comment there:
I sincerely hope that this little stunt has been dreamt up and delivered by Lib Dem tricksters, by some fool thinking it would help the victim, or by some of the squabbling people who have been rooted out by Labour or passed over for mayor by the Lib Dems.
Interesting that this guy is pedantically claiming he is not a Blairite, seeming to think that by saying he is now a Brownie this will impress those locally who HATE New Labour of which project both Blair and Brown are clearly integral.
An anti-war candidate would have a greater chance of winning in Rochdale than anyone who has toed the line on that terrible catastrophy for Iraq and for Labour.
Chris Paul at 15 Jan 2007 10:38
Rochdale has latterly been part of a very strange throwback world in Labour terms. This selection offered recovery and redemption.
Lorna Fitzsimons was not a universally popular MP, trying to boss the local constituency so that they only passed "on message" motions. She was gung-ho for war and for every New Labour policy under The Sun.
Lorna was defeated after a bitter and expensive looking campaign by erstwhile Lib Dem Council leader Paul Rowen. Not as foolish as some others in the vicinity.
But next upset came as Council control was whipped from under Mr Rowen as Labour's Allen Brett did a deal with the Tories. Fallout from the war, the general election, and this "coalition of the losers" saw a bit of a witch hunt and talk of expulsions, warnings, and good behaviour agreements.
Though the Lib Dems are back in control after some gains their course is rocky with some very disappointed councillors not feeling well done by over the mayoralty and other preferments. In short there are plenty of suspects in and around the murky world of Rochdale politics. It will be a close run thing and I'm not sure if Simon will be defeated as Maguire now predicts by the ante post favourite, the most excellent Afzal Khan. But for my money Simon is, like Lorna, too loyal and controlling to gain the support of the socialists of Rochdale.
Simon looks shaken as he answers the 'phone. That's just a pixel thing.
UPDATE: Paul Rowen's boy Dave Hennigan has started blogging comments. More.
13 comments:
Chris, lets face it we are in a complete mess in Rochdale. It was one of those seats that we won in 1997 and I don't see it coming back. We can't even get control of the council in a minority administration and their is a hospital reorganisation in the constituency. Not the best of omens.
So are you saying that even if it's not fatal for Simon it could be a bit of a hospital pass for someone? (Rugby Union term for a pass so late that the recipient gets clobbered). Afzal could and would turn it round and the Council would follow. IMHO FWIW.
But no he wouldn't Chris, fantasy land I'm afraid.
The libs have entrenched themselves there and much of that has to do with us going into coalition with the tories and not the war. The council wouldn't follow.
You need your base in local Govnt to win a hard seat like that. Like I think Afzhal's really good but theres bigger fish to fry than Rochdale I'm afraid.
Hi Adele
Perhaps you are right, perhaps not. But, apart from saving our own seats such as Bury North, Withington and Rochdale are surely the main targets? And wherever your analysis is coming from I wouldn't want to be sharing it with Mr Cllr Rowen MP and his cronies!
Lorna and the earlier council seats were clearly lost over the war and the like. The coalition only kicked in later. And it is hard to distinguish the effect of that from the national swings (apart from the brilliant Manchester in 06). But we can turn that round.
And when we do we will start getting those Council seats back. No more negative talk! There are plenty of seats in the world with a shortage of Labour ward councillors but Labour MPs with healthy majorities.
Chris P
I'll save the Bury North analysis for face to face then ey!
Thanks for the points - I work for the Liberal Democrat Group in Rochdale and Paul Rowen, your assessment is correct Adele. The main difference between Rochdale and Manchester is that Manchester Labour do work in the community. Here they don't bother - their lack of campaigning activity is an open goal as is their increasingly bizzarre leader Allen Brett!
Now that we remember Hennigan's on the scene in Rochdale we can take quite another view of the bizarre happenings around Labour's selection. I will NEVER forget the way Hennigan addressed comrade Ahmed Ali in the Town Hall Members' Room before the 2004 all-out when we were waiting for Jim Battle there. And I will not forget the same despicable nickname being used shamelessly by that ass Paul Shannon in the ESU. In fact, thanks Mr Hennigan, I may well blog about those disgraceful incidents and the poisonous cameradery of some of Manchester's finest Fib Dems very soon indeed. Do come back and visit again soon won't you?
Be very careful Chris what you say, I know that you are very bitter against the Lib Dems but we would expect that as Lib Dem success has blocked your fledgling 'career' in politics alongside your own 'comrades' but your insinuations are incorrect and indeed potentially libellous!
We have had nothing to do with the situation with the selection of a Labour Candidate in Rochdale. For the record I think that the threats to Simon are absolutely disgraceful and have no place in politics in Rochdale or elsewhere. I was as shocked as you were with the death threats and hope that the Police sort it out as soon as possible and release the name of who did it. The reason I came across your website was that I was looking into it. It is also true that Afzal Khan will not be the next Labour Candidate in Rochdale, I have been speaking to Labour Councillors in Rochdale who admit as much.
As per the incident in 2004, please remind me,
Regards,
Dave
You really cannot remember how yourself, Shannon and as far as I know others in the Lib Dem group (Shannon made his comment with Ashley, Leech and I think Wheale in the room as well as a candidate from the Green Party though I'm not sure the first three were listening) were referring to Ahmed Ali, a candidate in Manchester City Central, as recently as 2004? I find that hard to believe matey. The day Shannon made his impolite enquiry after Ahmed's well being he was burying his brother. Which news shut Shannon up.
Obviously you had nothing to do with the wreathes and threats.
Dave, I'm sure I've not told you anything you don't know about the situation in Rochdale.
All I know is that, death threats e.t.c are an absolute disgrace and have no place in politics.
You go into politics to do a job not to get a job. Once you lose that, you may as well jack it in.
Hi Chris, all very interesting these fun and games in Rochdale. Didn't realise she had so much life in her..
Memo to Dave: why are you and the labour councillors so certain Afzal won't win? Do you know something we don't? Care to share or are you all getting hot under the collar because someone who actually has the balls to do the job properly is going to win. Sorry about the bad language, Chris.
It's OK Amina - welcome aboard - you are a saintly and polite compared to that Shilpa character - and it must be said compared to the author of this blog from time to time ... Chris P
Thanks Chris though, don't you mean the "Jade" character. Actually I was wondering if Dave and his cohorts are getting tips off the Big Brothers contestants....
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