Rupa Huq on Ealing Southall: Gives Watson a Hat Tip for NOT Giving Her a Hat Tip, How Queer

So, surprise surprise, Ealing Southall CLP select a certain Cllr Virendra Sharma. Not a woman. Certainly not a visible turbaned Sikh. Tales of the unexpected took a new twist.

Those with a long game will be rather satisfied. At least twas not the young guy with 40 years in him.

As the Rt Hon Sir Gerald "Curly" Kaufman says about the young rivals (pictured in link) that constantly guard him against tumbling in front of a speedy bus: “Ahhhh, yes, so-and-so could have made a fine MP - shame they were not born 20 years later”. He's a card.


In fact Curly's youthful exhuberance knows no bounds and he even claimed excitedly in 2004 of the Brown-Blair succession:

If Labour won the next election it was "inevitable" the chancellor would be moved from his job.
"Whether he'd accept any other position, who can tell? You'd have to ask him, I don't know his mind, I've never discussed it with him," he said.

Gerald's sporting wager came true just three years later when Gordon finally took the hint and grudgingly vacated No 11 and moved to the "any other position" of his choice! Blair must be a very fine negotiator to budge such recalcitrance.

Back to business. Sharma will I think be, as Gerald ever is, the most “experienced” in the field. Perhaps barring grey backed independents.

The young man who was second in this strange contest has an interesting distinction: The cool head barrister who successfully defended various young hotheads from charges against them of an alleged Ricin plot.

I’m not sure what Cllr Virendra Sharma does with his time now. He seems to have cleared the decks well in advance. So will be able to devote 100% of his time and legendary energy to being an energetic and effective MP.

PS: I think Tom should have given you the hat tip Roops. Perhaps he felt he shouldn’t let on in case you were shortlisted or selected and that this strictly above board selection then looked like a plot. Bloggin’, rather than Ricin.

UPDATE: Rupa is getting some bigging up attention in comments.