Leadership Election: Use Compass to Point Recalcitrant MPs in the Correct Direction

You may have noticed from my twitter feed that I am one of those comrades and colleagues in the Labour Party who believes that the front runners in the leadership contest already have plenty of nominations. Obviously the Parliamentary Party are in the chair on nominations. Them's the rules. But they'll be letting us down if they don't actually provide the wide choice that all the candidates say they want.

And the winning candidate isn't going to be picking on their Hon and Rt Hon friends who nominate generously; now are they?

Compass Online have provided a begging/bugging letters widget to send emails to the PLP members who are yet to nominate. There is a standard text. Or you can freestyle. Here's mine:

Dear PLP Member,

After three terms of government during which we have achieved great things for our people we have been defeated at the polls, albeit in an inconclusive way. We must now have an open and honest conversation amongst ourselves, and with our committed and potential supporters.

I don't think we can have that with three or four candidates who are ex-SpAds, ex-Oxbridge, ex-Cabinet, 40-ish, men in charcoal grey suits with pantone ties.

As one of the gatekeepers of our great party's leadership contest - a pretty rare and important event in our life - I believe you should approach your responsibility with the interests of the wider party and the country in mind.

In local government and parliamentary elections nomination forms are finite. Once one has the ten names that's done. Would be nominators who are not restricted from doing so can and sometimes do back other candidates to see a democratic contest.

The party is fortunate in having six candidates willing to take on the debate and if successful the leadership of the party in opposition. To take the fight to the condem coalition.

Please avoid giving excess nominations to candidates who will already be on the ballot paper. Please use your nomination to increase my choice and to increase the debate that members, supporters and voters at large will experience.

Trust us. We are the ones who carry the burden of your campaigns. Delivering leaflets, identifying supporters, providing intelligence and support.

Apart from anything else providing a wide choice will maintain the incentive of democratic socialists of all shades of opinion to join and rejoin our party, and vitally for Trade Union levy payers to convert to full membership.

Providing a real choice and a real debate and a real incentive to join and get active is the only way to ensure the party has a genuine opportunity to renew itself.

Best wishes

Chris Paul

Manchester

UPDATE 12:47: PLP Members continue to waste nominations on nominated Miliband Tendancy - party-within-a-party candidates, HERE. Stop it will you? Wise up!