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Campaign Group: Alan Simpson Follows Dr Lynne Jones in Early Retirement
Alan Simpson MP has told his Nottingham South constituency party that he will not be standing at the next election. He is reported to have told them that some of his PLP colleagues "would vote for the slaughter of the first born, if asked to do so". This decision follows not long after that of SCG colleague Dr Lynne Jones (below, speaking) who might I think have made a better Left/Centre Left challenger to Gordon Brown than either John McDonnell or Michael Meacher.
Simpson famously refused to back John McDonnell's bid to be the Left's leadership challenger and broached the idea of a Michael Meacher candidacy as long ago as early September 2006. His announcement is seen in some quarters as confirmation that Mr Meacher - with his family property business, support for 9-11 conspiracy theories, and vote for the war - does not have a hope of getting the 44 nominations he would require.
13 comments:
Given Lynne has absolutely no base whatsoever among the trade unions, why would she have been a better challenger than John?
Agreed about Meacher - game over! Hurray.
It's arguable of course. Clearly other left and centre left MPs would have freely shared their bases in the Trade Unions, other affiliates and in the constituencies!!! Like good comrades. No-one trying to corner the market.
Don't know about you but I find the jealous guarding of the assets of individual personalities to completely fly in the face of the policy-not-personality rhetoric and indeed socialism.
Have always wanted to see a sensible process of debate and selection of a centre left champion.
I smell a conspiracy. Why are all these youngish Socialist Campaign Group MPs jumping ship so quietly. I reckon New Labour's digging the dirt and they've been pushed....
Seriously, Chris, Lynne Jones is regarded as a total maverick by her parliamentary colleagues - not least her comrades in the Campaign Group. There's few other figures on the Labour Left with as small a base as Dr. Jones - in Westminster, in the CLPs and in the unions. She's a fairly prickly one-person show - the idea of her standing is beyond wacky.
Jones probably wouldn't have as much support as McDonnell by this stage, but she's not without a base - in CLPs, especially in the Midlands, and in local goverment circles. If the SCG was running a candidate for deputy, she'd have been, far and away, the best choice. She'd also have been an excellent pick for the DCLG brief in a McDonnell (or, for that matter, Brown) Cabinet - indeed, she's one of the most able members of the PLP and it's a waste that she's never been on the front bench.
One of the reasons she's seen as a maverick in the SCG is that, when the rest of the Group (espcially Alan Simpson) was talking about endorsing Brown for the leadership, to avoid a contest and in the hopes of influencing him, she pubicly declared that if nobody else tried to challenge him, she would. It was an appealing prospect at the time; as a mother of two from Middle England, she'd have made a formidable leader (she'd certainly have wiped the floor with Cameron).
OK anonymous. It's beyond wacky. But so is a dog fight between McDonnell and Meacher, so is the talk of personal power bases in a supposedly socialist and comradely community, and so really is the concept of the first man to put up his hand having a clear run. That is not a democratic or socialist way to pick a champion. Even if Ken did it to John all those years ago. Back to Jones ... she might have been able to marshall support from women at the nomination stage that stretched way into the centre of the PLP, prickly maverick or no prickly maverick. It is bizarre to see ten years on that there is so little credance given to women in the PLP going for or performing responsible roles.
"Back to Jones ... she might have been able to marshall support from women at the nomination stage that stretched way into the centre of the PLP"
How nauseatingly patronising
Nauseatingly patronising? Come on. What is your problem?
The idea that women support women because they are, er, women is truly irritating.
I have never bought into it. On that basis , I would be voting for Harriet Harman as Deputy and have no intention of doing so. Even less Hazel Blears . I don't vote for somoeone on the basis of their gender, but their policies.
It's a shame about Simpson but he lost the plot big-style when he tried to get Meacher to stand against John McDonnell. A positively perverse decision which made him few friends. If you want a left-wing woman to watch out for, it's Katy Clark. She also happens to be a good , old-fashioned socialist.
Agree Susan about Katy Clark. Very strong. Though she got some heat early doors over not jumping to support JMcD.
Some women (and some men) do support women deliberately - other things being more or less equal - you may believe that irritating, nauseating or whatever but that does not make it untrue.
At the stage of nominations I believe that this observed phenomenon could have some effect in the leadership and deputy leadership battle.
However marginal that effect might be it might have been something. And however prickly and maverick Dr Lynne Jones is considered by one or two here there was an opportunity to spike the "no personalities" squabble between left personalities by both of them stepping aside.
Are you saying that no-one finds McDonnell or Meacher prickly and maverick?
Predictably Luke Akehurst is cock-a-hoop that another SCG MP is bowing out.
I cannot comment on Lynne Jones being "prickly" or "maverick". I have attended several Campaign Group events over the years and she's only spoken at one.
All I know is that it's a shame she's standing down.Likewise Alan Simpson. But some in the McDonnell camp feel (understandably) that he has been less than helpful, indeed positively obstructive.I hope Alan will still get behind the McDonnell campaign ( as Katy Clark has) if only to nominate.
I suspect it must get very wearisome being on the left and surrounded by bag-carriers and what Cruddas recently called "nodding-dogs." Still seems odd he's standing down.In answer to your original point, no I donot think Lynne Jones would have been a better choice.
I was a trade unionist in Birmingham for 20 years and it was great, after Lynne beat the old double-barrelled Tory, to have a local MP who instinctively backed our campaigns and helped them.
We could do with her like in Greater Manchester.
Tony Lloyd is probably the nearest - but he is muich more cautious.
Thanks Lynne.
I said: "If the SCG was running a candidate for deputy, [Jones would] have been, far and away, the best choice."
I saw McDonnell speak at Ruskin House in Croydon tonight. Funnily enough, when asked who he'd like to be Deputy Leader and why he didn't have a running mate, all he said was that he had been hoping that Lynne Jones would run for the post and was very sad that she'd decided to retire.
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