Derek Draper: Man Going Overboard in Every Sense

Iain Dale is now it seems being copied in on Labour Party NEC correspondence! His latest post HERE runs includes this email and document:

>>
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Message from the NEC Chair and General Secretary
Date:
From:
To:



*To: National Executive Committee

*
Dear colleague

Cath Speight and I thought it important to keep you fully informed of
the response we have given to the press today regarding Derek Draper and
Labourlist. Please find the information below.

In addition, Cath has asked that we re-iterate for colleagues that if
contacted by the media please refer them to the Labour Party Press
Office on 020 7783 1393.

Best wishes

Ray


Ray Collins, General Secretary of the Labour Party,

"As you will recall from November's NEC Away Day, last year Derek Draper
volunteered one day a week of his time to Labour HQ on an unpaid basis.
He subsequently left Victoria Street to set up the Labourlist blog.
Since then he has offered advice and opinion on an adhoc basis which
ended in March of this year and will not be sought in the future.

"I receive advice and opinion from many Labour Party supporters in my
work as General Secretary but I decide what advice I take or seek and
act in a manner appropriate with my values and those of the Party which
certainly does not include smears or personal attacks. I want to
reiterate that Derek Draper does not hold a position or role with the
Labour Party and this will remain the case.

"To make clear Labourlist is an independent left-of-centre website and
blog. The Labour Party did not fund its activities. What the Party has
supported is an effort to promote left-of-centre bloggers more generally
by bringing interested supporters together at a series of events.

"I absolutely support the Prime Minister's view that scurrilous rumour,
gossip and personal attacks have no place in politics and no place in
the Labour Party."

<<

Knowing a good few of the people who sit round the NEC table, representing Unions, constituents, the PLP or whatever I must say that as a reasoned analysis Iain's thoughts make a good hissy fit:

The mendacity is truly remarkable. Nothing to with us, guv, he seems to be saying. And yet Draper's bloggers breakfasts were held at Labour Party HQ and he was personally asked by Collins to take on the task of setting up LabourList. He says Draper's role ended in March. Really?

Perhaps UNITE may now follow suit and end its funding for LabourList. I've already been sent a couple of emails sent to Derek Simpson urging him to do just that.

"Mendacity", just like "smear", is getting over-used in some quarters. But hey, this is an utterly mendacious smear of the good name of Ray Collins, and the many decent people of good faith comprising the NEC. I can assure Iain that their reaction will be more like Frank Field's - though not generally as treacherous and defeatist - than that of some of Draper's Labour Students' sock puppets. The Draper Youth.

Thinking ahead I think that other serious parties would do well to identify and root out their own McBrides. Most of us can name one of our own or someone else's for the accolade of our home region's mini-McBride.

And surely Iain isn't really advocating the cutting of funding of Labour List? That has not been the problem. Except that is in Draper's spats and feuds which most other participants and observers discouraged. Conservative Home is funded. Doughty Street was funded. Total Politics is funded. Labour List should be a candidate for funding in the same way. The problem begins and ends with Derek Draper.

Unite should make funding after the end of this week dependent on Derek being thrown overboard in his natty life ring. Anyone else who thinks they can have Party control over something and also claim it to be authentic and independent needs to be kept away from the succession.

And finally, whoever does take over SHOULD NOT arrogate or be assumed as a spokesperson for grassroots Labour or Labour movement or Labour blogging. We did not elect of select Derek at all, never mind to be a mouthpiece for us. The New Editor(s) should earn their stripes, not be handed them like some kind of Brownie points.