Those who pay attention to Labour’s internal democracy – or otherwise – may be aware that the selection of Labour’s candidate to contest the next parliamentary election in Watford has been abandoned for the time being, amid vaguely-framed concerns about ‘irregularities’ concerning postal votes.
Locals have told the SKWAWKBOX that the ‘irregularity’ consists of the fact that the person designated to handle completed postal votes is alleged to have been the agent of a ‘centrist’ candidate standing for selection.
If true, this would leave the process wide open to abuse in ways that are not hard to imagine – and demonstrates again the lengths to which the right will go to try to sew up parliamentary and other positions.
Regardless of the ill-founded bleating in Haringey and other areas about a supposed Momentum-driven ‘purge’ of centrist candidates, the reality of the situation around the country is one of right-wing factions using, bending and if necessary breaking rules to try to retain a foothold that their support does not democratically merit.
This article originally stated that the return address for the postal votes was that of the candidate’s agent. Locals have clarified and the article has been amended.
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Shades of Luciana Berger in Liverpool!
Careful now!!
Shinanacins, Double Dealings, Snakes in The Grass!
The Right, continually trying to fight the losing game, no matter what they do, we will win!
Come out from your hiding places and let’s have a proper fight!
“COWARDS”!
Reblogged this on patrob428wordpress.
Basically, it’s a tale of two parties and the only surprise is that it took them so long to fall out!
In the right-hand corner, is the constituency party machinery, which is run by the same group that selected the Blairite Claire Ward as their candidate in 1997, and which holds fundraising dinners with celebrity MPs.They seem to make their CLP meetings deliberatly boring in the hope that the rank and file will not bother turning up (and it works).Some of these people describe themselves as social democrats.
In the left corner, are the Unite/Momentum supporters, who are really quite benign but want to get behind the twice-elected Party Leader.
Personally, I think that Labour could have taken this constituency at the last General Election had they got behind jeremy Corbyn and selected a more charismatic leader.
The local newpaper, the Watford Observer, has run a typically sniffy editorial in its printed edition in which it puts Labour’s high turnout down to the charisma of its decidedly uncharismatic candidate, rather than to the ‘Corbyn bounce’. But then it’s never really been keen on Labour anyway.
http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/15771317.Labour_candidate_selection_process_suspended/
The postal pack included a pre-labelled return envelope. The return address was FREEPOST WATFORD LABOUR, which delivers to the CLP office.
Can you please tell me how I initiate the 21 day complaints process that IMPRESS says its members adhere to?
According to Huffington Post Ostrowski is alleged to have once been a Tory. Still, I suppose if you are a Blairite, there’s probably no difference between the two parties – just privatise everything and sell off your council housing to a bunch of tax dodgers.
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/labour-suspends-watford-parliamentary-selection-after-postal-vote-irregularities-unite-mike-hedges-chris-ostrowski-corbyn_uk_5a321b6fe4b07ff75b0041e7