The SKWAWKBOX has come into possession of a confidential report by a Labour North investigator into the workings of a Labour council group within Labour MP and arch-critic of Jeremy Corbyn Tom Blenkinsop’s Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland (MSEC) constituency.
The report dates back to the end of 2012, but its contents bear out the idea – completely contrary to his attempts to offload the blame for a recent council seat loss onto the Labour leader – that Blenkinsop allegedly presides over a relationship with councillors and constituents so deeply dysfunctional that Labour’s standing in the area has been deeply damaged.
In 2012, the state of Redcar & Cleveland council’s Labour Group had reached such a pass that Nick Wallis, a member of Labour North’s regional board, had to intervene over a period of five months – and he described what he found as a ‘sorry state of affairs‘ that had caused multiple complaints to Labour’s regional and national HQs, including bullying behaviour. Things were so bad that Wallis described himself as ‘frankly appalled‘ by what he found when he attended meetings.
Most damningly, the Wallis Report described a near-complete breakdown in trust and communication between Blenkinsop and the Labour group. A breakdown that was so complete that one councillor, even knowing the board member to be present, described Blenkinsop to his face as,
the enemy within
Wallis described a ‘completely unacceptable‘ – and almost incredible – situation in which trust was so absent between the council and the MP’s office that the council had effectively shut up shop and refused to take any questions from Blenkinsop or his team unless they submitted a Freedom of Information Act request.
Extraordinary, but clearly not a one-off, as things do not appear to have improved in the intervening four years, at least as regards the behaviour of the MP.
An MSEC Labour member told the SKWAWKBOX:
As a Labour member in Tom Blenkinsop’s constituency I can honestly say that Tom is a very rare visitor to the area. He pops up for photo opportunities but never engages with people. He hides in his many bolt holes, actively avoiding interaction with the local constituents.
He always finds reasons to not attend meetings, now giving excuses that this is to avoid the merciless and savage behaviour of the far left faction of the Labour Party locally who in his opinion are hell bent on ruining his Labour Party.
He has his hard man image now he is a military policeman. However I think this is more of a ploy to try and win votes from servicemen, ex servicemen, veterans and relatives, without even having to talk to them, which might not be a good idea as I think they would see right through him.
His behaviour over the last couple of years has given the impression that he believes a successful politician must behave like a petulant child to be successful, His days of engaging positively and constructively with workers, businesses, communities and individuals are sadly long gone.
And this is the MP who tried to blame Jeremy Corbyn for the loss of a council seat in his constituency for which Blenkinsop seems to have done next to nothing to help win and, judging by reports of his behaviour, plenty to help lose.
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Tom Blenkinsop is a prime example of a right wing Labour MP who placse his own interests above the interests of the Labour Party.
Despite being selected as a Labour candidate by the party and despite his election as an MP being entirely due to the support and funding of Labour Party members, Blenkinsop believes he is separate from the party and can attack and sabotage the party with impunity.
He sums up the deluded thinking of the right wing of the Labour Party.
Without the party these people are nothing. They are nobodies. They owe everything to the Labour Party, yet they are intent on losing Labour the next General Election in order to maintain power over the party machinery in parliament and on the NEC.
The right wing of the Labour Party is an existential threat to the parliamentary Labour Party and to the Labour Movement.
These people declared a civil war against the Labour Party. So be it. It is always best if civil wars are ended quickly. Traitors like Blenkinsop must be politically despatched ruthlessly and without mercy.
The future electability of the party depends upon traitors like Blenkinsop being deposed by their CLPs.
The boundary changes signify the start of the cull. My CLP is ready, is yours?
Reblogged this on Sid's Blog and commented:
Blenkinsop is a through-and-through Bitteriiiiite
He clearly has a Far-Right clarity of vision, known as “moderate”
https://www.theyworkforyou.com/regmem/?p=24848
I was blocked by him and I hadn’t even written to him. I guess he must trawl around Twitterland blocking anyone & everyone who shows the least interest in Corbyn. That way he only has his RW mates on his feed. That’s a bit sad aye? No gumption to engage in real debate? No courage? No bottle? Having read this report I can now understand why. He is most definitely a Bitterrite. Time the CLP gave him the chop.
Further to the references to the Nick Wallis report under the direction of Labour Party North. It was obvious that there had been a ploy to get rid of the Labour leadership on Redcar & Cleveland Council, the same leadership that had regained the council in 2007 following the disasterous defeat in 2003. Whilst the council Labour leadership attempted to keep a steady ship, constant boat rocking by said MP and wannabe MP took it’s inevitable tole, as the then Labour machine were obviously working with aforesaid. What happened then and now to the Labour Party is shameful.
Its a very sad state of affairs and I know there are good people working very hard to make the change that is needed in that CLP.
Reblogged this on Declaration Of Opinion.
what can his local party do to deselect him?
Not much until there’s an election – might have been different had Cameron not broken his ‘right of recall’ promise.
I recall the ‘enemy within’ comment, highlighted in the Nick Wallis report from December 2012. The guns came out in big style to get that senior politician. How true their words turned out to be. Of course for those of us around from 2003-2015 in the party, hardly surprising the treachery going on then and now, especially against the leadership.
why is he still a member of the Labour Party? He should leave. You surely find homegrown people who respect their constituents.
With friends like him, who needs enemies?
Reblogged this on sideshowtog.
kier hardy began the labour party,ramsay macdonald first labour primeminister both scotish.come on scotland together we can return power to the people