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Manchester Withington Selection: Disappointment from Lucy on Head-to-Head Hustings
Action Without Theory has just posted a Man Wit nomination exclusive. Miles is working on USA West Coast time or the like so please don't worry about his insomnia - just add seven hours.
Miles claims that Lucy has told the organisers that she thinks: "the selection is an 'internal matter' for party members". Which is something along the lines Lorenzo23 expressed in comments here last evening. 
Presumably this means that Lucy would agree to take part in a head-to-head hustings with the other nominees so long as only Labour Party members are allowed to attend. Many would see that as a step in the right direction and would welcome organisation of this immediately before or after the public session.
At the time of writing only Jenny Lennox is known to have accepted the invitation - from a collection of church, community and single issue groups, leavened with a few politicians from assorted parties and sects.
Jenny said: "I think the Labour Party needs to engage with the anti-war movement in the constituency." Also invited are Cllr Nargis Khan, Dr Yogesh Virmani, and Naheed Arshad-Mather MBE.
UPDATE: I am told that as of tea time today Jenny, Nargis and Yogesh have accepted invitations and I believe that all are prepared to double up and do a members only meeting with Lucy.
8 comments:
Excellent suggestion I feel about Members Only version. Is there any reason why the EC of the constituency cannot or didn't want to encourage that? It seems like a good test.
But I can see Lucy's and Lorenzo's point actually. Given Chris' extra information it would have been far smarter for the Anti War people to put up a church or even CND as the primary organiser. It would have been closer to the truth anyway. Putting up a Respect activist is a bit naive I think.
But if say only Nargis and Jenny attend the public one and there are 50 party members and 50 others they could almost be having the head to head run off for the candidacy.
Or could someone without a clear position on the war win these days in Manchester Withington?
The Labour selection in manchester is none of stop the wars business. It is Labour Party business. Once Withington CLP has a candidate then they can go off and get bashed by trots for fun if they so desire but the idea that we should make RESPECT part of the Labour selection process is nuts.
It would be a much better idea to have proper hustings within the Labour Party. The danger is that they get fixed but that is better than the certainty of appearing in front of stop the war / respect
I completely disagree - I think it is entirely the business of trotskyists of the 4th International to help select a Labour candidate that we can stand against in the next election and beat. The other bloke Miles is not a member of the Labour Party either so obviously he has his own motives for backing Jenny. Long Live the Revolution
Mr Trot
Guess what I've got in my hand?*
I've been a Labour Party member for 26 years.
In this order I've been in
Manchester Wythenshawe CLP
Birmingham Ladywood CLP
Mid Worcestershire CLP
Birmingham Ladywood CLP
Birmingham Perry Barr CLP (boundary change)
Manchester Blackley CLP
Blackley and Broughton CLP (boundary change)
*Answer: My membership card.
Can see your point Will. However the powers that be have organised a "serial" hustings rather than a head-to-head. I don't know how they are going to manage the question selection.
Clearly as you say there is in theory quite a lot of room for either some deliberate bias or simply accidental bias or plain bad/good luck.
I like the selection meetings where more or less the same questions are asked - from the floor - by activists who choose to do this to make it a fair test and get the best selected.
As I blogged there were some small differences in the way the set questions were asked at the pre-nomination hustings. Things like asking a particular question (a) with no geographical limit (b) saying "in Manchester" and (c) saying "in the constituency".
It may sound like splitting hairs. But it made quite a difference to some of the candidates who could've answered one perm better than the one they got on the day.
Clearly Respect don't have a part in selecting our candidate ... except to provide the "extras" for a screen test for the nominees.
Latest btw is that Yogesh has been forced by a diary clash to withdraw and Lucy is not persuaded, leaving Jenny, Naheed and Nargis on the platform ... and John Leech in the audience if he dares!!
I have heard that only Jenny and poss Naheed will be there for our Trotfest
Nargis is not attending.She will issue a statement on her position on the issues being discussed which will re-state her already publically stated views. The statement will be sent to the organisers and they can choose to read it to the meeting or not.
At this stage of the process Nargis is busy talking directly to members of the Labour Party.
Will blog these developments as a current story.
Naheed was intending to take part as of Saturday but I'd imagine she will see the way the wind is blowing and may follow Nargis' recipe of a clear written statement.
Jenny's people can comment when the post goes up soon. And also perhaps on a post I have simmering about Bethnal Green and Bow and in part Respect antics there.
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