The SKWAWKBOX understands that left-winger Simon Foster has been selected by Labour members as the party’s candidate to fight next year’s election of the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC).
Foster beat Blairite former MP Mike O’Brien, who had been backed by outgoing PCC David Jamieson. Former Sandwell Council deputy CEO Melanie Dudley withdrew from the contest at the end of July to support Foster for the position.
The news should be formally announced shortly.
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Meh.
http://giphygifs.s3.amazonaws.com/media/PYEGoZXABBMuk/200.gif
This “magnificent” victory for the Left does indeed inspire a “meh”!
Making a meal of such a “success” merely serves to draw attention to the chasm between the way the Left has conducted itself since Corbyn became leader and the strategy the Left needed to act if it were serious about transforming society.
In the context of personnel there needed to be an adoption of open selections (which the leadership should have pressed for) accompanied by an active deselection campaign to repopulate the PLP and discard the Blairites.
Instead we have had appeasement (not least on the trigger) and an effort to make the Left more like the Right (not least on Brexit) in order to silence grumbles. To be sure, such capitulations purchased a modest measure of internal party peace, but only at the cost of creating a Labour Party which is unlikely to win the next election having done itself grave harm in the 70% of Labour-Tory target seats which voted Leave. Furthermore the political appeasement means that if it came to office it would not change anything very much anyway.
Your post from “This” to “Blairites” inspires a “Duh.”
The rest inspires a “Pfft.”
You don’t think about much other than brexit, do you?
Making a meal of such a “success”
77 words is hardly a “meal”. It’s barely a light snack.
Do you have nothing else going on in your life?
More pontification from the gang with two left feet.
Of course – behind this lies the issue of the Tory idea of PCCs.
It’s part of that wider debate about the constitutional structures and governance in this country since Blair mainly ducked the opportunities granted after the 1997 election.
The problem is that the size of the agenda to be tackled is now much bigger after 20 years of further Tory predations.
Very excited about this. I helped with Simon’s campaign because I thought he was a genuine socialist, from the work he has done. He put alot of effort in his campaign too. I don’t he went for the job for the money but he genuinely wants to make changes and he’ll do.
Good for you Ms Ramsden. You did a great job.
Cushy job – big salary – pointless position brought in by Blair as a pretence of more democracy.
Correct.
Further proof of the revolving door, the ‘jobs for the boys’ culture prevalent within the halls of bureaucracy. A sinecure for those not deemed worthy of a peerage (yet).
A simple question for the three stooges.
If foster wins on a 15% turnout (because nobody’s remotely arsed about these ‘jollies’) will you push for a re-run seeing as at least 85% didn’t vote for him?
Apart from the fact that it isn’t remotely parallel and that it’s reversible because there *is* another election built in to the system (the whole point)? No.
Beyond that, I would like a rerun on the question of whether the whole Tory scheme should be abolished – and if only a third said ‘no’, I take that as confirmation that it was a shit idea.
”Apart from the fact that it isn’t remotely parallel and that it’s reversible because there *is* another election built in to the system (the whole point)? No.”
So you’re admitting brexit’s ‘irreversible’ without that 2nd ref & remain option the fat shithouse obtained by acting his usual c**tish self and NOT going through the democratic process by getting it passed by congress, now?
I’ll take that as a massive thank you off you to watson from that.
Oh, and what’s ‘Not remotely parallel’ about it? It’ll be decided by a vote, won’t it?
Have ALL votes GOT to have a later confirmatory vote, or ‘best of ‘x’ many until my side takes the lead’ , is that it?
You’ve got a warped notion of what constitutes democracy. It isn’t an ‘as and when it suits’ , you weirdo.
Makes a change for a left wing candidate to get a decent paying job.Usually the right wing stuff the lords with right wing gong obsessed oldies.The pay and perks that good many stumbling from the subsidised bars and restaurants in the palace of Westminster.Can anyone give me a lodgical why we need taxpayers subsidies for booze and food don’t we subsidise enough….maybe they should sample the menu at the nearest food bank..Hope he realises that trying to influence a rightist police force and judiciary will be a difficult task…but good luck to him
Ps I do realise he’s not won yet,but I think he will!
I imagine he would be significantly better than Mike O’Brien.