Many people expected Tony Blair to announce he was standing down as an MP last week, as well as giving up the Prime Ministership. You can now expect him to make the announcement either on the day he leaves Downing Street (June 27th) or between then and the beginning of the summer recess in July. This would pave the way for a by election in the autumn. I am told that there are three front runners for the Labour nomination to succeed Blair. These are:-
* Phil Wilson - local man, who was on Blair's original selection committee
* Patrick Diamond - former Labour apparatchik
* Chris Leslie - former MP for Shipley and head of the New Local Government Network
I am sure that more names will be popping up soon and spending every waking hour in Sedgefield. Do feel free to pass on any info!
54 comments:
Good scoop again Iain. You're on fire lately.
He can't be an MP if he is banged up in chokey.
I thought he had already denied this was going to happen.
Chris Leslie is said to be frontrunner to follow John Prescott in Hull East.
Cherie....Noooooooohhhhh!
Labour are gonna lose Hull East to the Lib Dems.
I too thought he specifically denied this when asked. Oh dear, not ANOTHER lie!
FunnY Iain, you seem to have missed the main political story of the day, 'Tories tear them selves apart over dumping of Grammar Schools by Cameron and two brains'
Patience is a virtue...
Who cares about Blair he's done, he has inflicted lot's of damage to us scum with a lot more before he goes ,what is up with Cameron where the hell is he these days all we get on tv is a loon NuCon saying he is going to help destroy grammer schools, FFS we should be miles ahead in the polls ,great one dave, NuCon still won't be in charge after the next GE the way things are going. /end rant
I thought Labour favoured all women short lists these days?
I should imagine Mr Reg Keys will also be taking a keen interest in the prospect of a by-election.
Good scoop? You're kidding. This has been reported in the MSM in various ways for months, nay years, including same name(s )of front runners. And yes those denials.
This seat really ought to be an AWS. Though to be fair in the NE representation of women is fairly good. But it would be fairly interesting to hear what excuses the NE Region and NEC could come up with for this NOT to be an AWS.
It would certainly have to have BME and women each making at least one third of the six-person short list unless there is some exceptional overriding of the guidance.
Yeh sod picking the best people. If they are black or women they will do.
You turd.
Wouldn't surprise me if the first thing Brown did in office was to change the boundaires of the constituency so no one from that part of the ward could ever challenge him again.
chris paul
AWS
BME
NE
NEC
NOT
Stop talking in bloody acronyms FFS...
Great, just what we need: another tear-jerker of a speech in which he bangs on about this wonderful Brave New World he and his Labour cretins have created for us.
What have the good people of the Chiltern Hundreds done to deserve a steward like Blair?
'Tories tear them selves apart over dumping of Grammar Schools by Cameron and two brains'
Boris is part of the team isn`t he ?This is long overdue , the Conservative Party make themsleves look ridiculous clinging onto this Grammar School nonsense. Well done Willets. I hope the Conservative Party can react in a mature way to the education debate. Lotteries are the way ahead if we want to see the return of competitive meritocracy and reverse class division.
One Nation Conservatism or Brown. Thats the choice
"Whipped through the lobbies"?
What do you think the whip's gonna do to him? Threaten him that he's not going to get promoted if he doesn't do what they say?
Not sure your right on this Iain.
Can't see Blair giving up the MP's salary - £300,000 over 3 years plus the perks.
+ still left on the world stage with a walk on part that will stop the media traffic whenever he chooses.
+ what would happen if Broown fell under the proverbial bus? - our Tone could play the hero by stepping back in.
Blair need not attend another session at Westminster AND keep his options open.
I just can't see what benefit he would see in resigning.
I wouldn't be surprised if John Burton, Blair's constituency agent, was to replace him. I think he's widely respected in the Labour Party, but more importantly, he's greatly respected in Sedgefield and Trimdon. You don't want a major figure to replace the Prime Minister. The chances of him getting anywhere would be slim, in my opinion. You therefore need somebody to fill the gap for just a term or so. John Burton would be just the man for this.
Anonymous 3:23, no they are not. Don't be silly. And David Boothroyd, the frontrunner to succeed John Prescott is his son. Seriously.
As for Sedgefield, the Constituency Chairman (at least as was a few months ago) is a strong supporter of John McDonnell for Leader, so who knows who might actually end up as MP there?
And why not? Gordon Brown will not rule out either a Lib-Lab coalition (being campaigned for by Newsnight) or the BBC's long-preferred Alternative Vote electoral system (being campaigned for by The World At One). Only a vote for John McDonnell is a vote against these things, and he should be shouting that fact from the rooftops.
Furthermore, McDonnell has thoroughly conservative, "Middle English" views, as has the traditional Left generally, on Europe, on civil liberties, on the decidedly unconservative neoconservative war agenda, and on neoliberal economics (hardly of benefit to, say, farmers or shopkeepers).
For good or ill, the Irish Question is no longer being asked. I do not welcome into the government of either part of Ireland those who believe the (notably undisbanded) Provisional Army Council to be the sovereign body throughout Ireland. But I seem to be in a minority of one on that score. And at least John McDonnell was advocating it a very long time before either Gordon Brown or David Cameron.
John4Leader say I. Do you? And if not, why not? Are you a supporter of a Lib-Lab coalition, of AV, of European federalism (although Brown's no slouch on that - he's a hell of a lot more Eurosceptical than Cameron), of the further erosion of civil liberties, of the neoconservative war agenda, and of the neoliberal destruction of everything that conservatives exist in order to conserve? No?
Well, neither is the Chairman of Sedgefield CLP. And neither, I trust, will be the new MP for Sedgefield.
Indeed, being from County Durham (I sit writing this in the shadow of Durham Cathedral), I might even put up as an Independent in a Sedgefield byelection, if anyone can raise me the &500 deposit: davidaslindsay@hotmail.com
Try this one for size. Report from the Coronation to follow.
As for the MAN who uses the word "turd" as praise for top bloggers I'll say this:
I am ALL FOR picking the best person for the job in every case. Selecting as some of you mob want only from 10% of the white, male population is NOT THE WAY to get the best person for the job.
That's an absurd way to select. But that's what Tories want. Remember Iain's hissy fit about selection for MEPs with some mild action to give some women a small chance of getting elected?
Well despite having a good couple of elections under PR Tories have just ONE Woman MEP. Are you REALLY saying that the proportions in the EP or indeed in the HoP reflect the relative abilities of women to be part of the legislatures and executives concerned?
Can I quote Dave-id on that as he tries to capture the women's vote?
Turd yourself!
Only ten per cent of the population are male and white? You sure about that Chris?
Does Brown really want a by-election this soon?
Under a Resolution of the House of Parliament in 1623, Members of Parliament cannot directly resign their seat. Death, disqualification, elevation to the Peerage, dissolution or expulsion are the only causes by which a Member's seat can be vacated. Therefore a Member wishing to resign has to go through the process of applying for a paid office of the Crown.
As Mandelson is already the Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of
Northstead, and as I really cant see Cherrie allowing Tony to pay Gordon for his peerage. So unless Blair is 'banged up' or 'tops himself', It looks as though he will be going for the Chiltern Hundreds then.
.
chris paul.
I love it that you can get all hot under the collar about this shit. Keep up the good work. I don't know what you do, but I'm sure it makes a difference in some dusty little corner of this vast, mysterious universe.
In his youth Chris Leslie was also an intern for Gord, and has now risen to the heights of 'Chief Executive' of the Brown leadership campaign currently.
Mandy's old adviser Patrick Diamond was rumoured (by Patrick Diamond?) to be a front runner for more than one seat before 2001/2005 general elections ... but it never quite turned out that way.
Will Shirley Bowes stand for the tories? She can't do much worse.
Do you have any comment on the grammar school thing? Such as "this grammar school boy will take no lessons from that public school boy"?
I am sure Blair has got it all fixed on the logistics front.
The Labour Party plays fast & loose with its rules.
eg The campaign is going to be 7 weeks .... no sorry its now 6 weeks. So why not 0 weeks
They also have a Chair of the party appointed by Blair but never recognised formally by the party.
I am just hoping for that bus to come along
Blair is already comitted to his commercial interests and would never renege on them he's got a lot of catch up to do & will regard £300,000 over 3 years as petty cash.(Sorry Tone made me do it...)
He should undoubtedly outperform William Hague only in a financial sense.
I'm sure his (encouraged, nay driven by Cherie) objective is to be in the Rich List within 7-10 years at most.
Can the population of Sedgefield vote for another Liebour candidate after the last one they elected. Don't these people have any morals, oops sorry thats their MP!
Ian, why is anyone surprised? The Tories have always been against grammar schools.
As Education Secretary, Thatcher (who sometimes came as close as possible to claiming to have attended a state grammar school without actually telling that lie) closed so many of them that there were not enough left at the end for her record ever to be equalled.
During a very prolonged period in office, the Tories made no effort to reverse comprehensivisation, because, far from being Socialist, its suited, and suits, their requirements to a tee, with strict selection by parental income through either or both of fees and house prices.
As for Labour, comprehensive schools were what it came up with when it gave up (a very long time ago) on serious wealth redistribution. "Equal Opportunities", "meritocracy", and all that. Nothing to do with Socialism at all, to say the very least.
Still, it is notable that a vote for the Tories is now a vote to close down even the grammar schools that still exist. But again, why is anyone surprised? The Tories have never done anything to defend the grammar schools.
And why would they? Indeed, how could they? Even in flagship Kent, that job has been left to Eric Hammond. Of course.
This is what I expected, you can't be a good MP and run around the world stage full time earning millions.
Only one problem his constituency agent is adamant that he will remain MP for Sedgefield until the next GE because that is what Blair promised him and the voters of Sedgefield.
Davd Lndsay said...
Ian,
Good start ... but I'm afraid its all down hill thereafter!
LOL
Let it be Chris Leslie....pleease.
He was the most smarmy and toady little New Labour clone who did zilch for his constituents except cr*p on them as often as he could.
He closed fire stations when Prescott wanted them closed - even though his constituents were livid as huge housebuilding projects made the fire station even more essential.
Chris Leslie was so into brown-nosing with his party that he forgot his constituents - but they couldn't forget him and waited for the chance to kick him into the long grass.
Chris Leslie is wet, weak, lazy, stupid, wholly insincere, and a complete t*sspot....but he has his insurance for when the country sinks under Labour bilge ...his mother is American and I bet he has his green card already
Then shortly afterwards he will be invested with the Order of the Garter no doubt as is usual with retiring PMs, subject to a vacancy occurring amongst the existing members of the order,("to refuse would be a personal insult to the Queen"after all !You've got to admit The Rt Hon Sir Anthony Blair, K.G, P.C will go down extremely well in the 'states when he goes to collect his Congressional Medal prior to his lecture tour. It'll be worth it alone to see how the republican Cherie takes to being called Lady Blair !
I thought it was the Old Etonian Boyle as Education Secretary under Macmillan who started the Comprehensive juggernaut....he of course was childless and unmarried....but the lower orders just need rabbit hutches to breed and run around....can't have them mixing in the squires' enclosure
Have you picked up on that rumour that Dave has said something on education.
No wonder he waffled at those hustings.
The no more grammar schools thing is the worst betrayal of all - not of us older former conservatives, because we're getting used to the crazy socialist bollocks Cameron spouts in his desperate race to get votes, any votes, doesn't matter whose votes, power is what counts.
The real betrayal is of clever children from poor families, stuck in the social squalor and deprivation that New Labour has created for them. What future have they got now - one of Cameronblair's "Academies"? God help them.
Cameron has actually said this is a pointless debate. So these children, and their parents, had better just give up now.
I note that on the day that Balir announces he will step down as MP the Ft prints a story saying that
Bank Close to conceeding on Wolfowitz
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/bf91014a-03d2-11dc-a931-000b5df10621.html
Two entirely unrelated stories? I presume the US will want to have its replacement organised before Wolfowitz steps down.
"because we're getting used to the crazy socialist bollocks Cameron spouts in his desperate race to get votes, any votes, doesn't matter whose votes, power is what counts.
The real betrayal is of clever children from poor families, stuck in the social squalor and deprivation that New Labour has created for them."
You mean he is just being honest about a policy which the tories have followed for years in and out of power. How many grammar schools opened for business in the 18 years we were in power?
What you that middle class parents either buying their way into a catchment area or paying for their kids to tuition to pass exams does not betray clever kids from poorer backgrounds.
But let's not forget the ultimate insult of having a party leader seriously attempting to deliver a Conservative government, what next expecting that government to appeal to a damn sight more voters than your narrow little world view, I suppose that would be social mobility at its worst!!!!
Tone 4.44pm - "Can't see Blair giving up the MP's salary - £300,000 over 3 years plus the perks."
But he'll have to account for his fees on the lecture circuit in the register - look at the shit falling on Hague's head, and multiply that by ten.
The guy will quit, no doubt about it.
David Lindsay said...
May 16, 2007 6:16 PM
"As Education Secretary, Thatcher (who sometimes came as close as possible to claiming to have attended a state grammar school without actually telling that lie)"....
I notice that Wikipedia says: Kesteven and Grantham Girls' School (KGGS) is a grammar school for girls in Grantham, Lincolnshire.
The school opened in 1910 and has since expanded on the same site, overlooking the town. Its most widely known student is Margaret Thatcher.
Did she attend KGGS or not?
Anonymous said...
I note that on the day that Balir announces he will step down as MP the Ft prints a story saying that
Bank Close to conceeding on Wolfowitz
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/bf91014a-03d2-11dc-a931-000b5df10621.html
Two entirely unrelated stories? I presume the US will want to have its replacement organised before Wolfowitz steps down.
May 16, 2007 7:49 PM
It is reported that Blair is in Washington meeting with Bush tonight. Wonder if that topic will come up at all? I tell you all - the deal is done. Blair for President (of the World Bank).
You saw it here first.
Why vote conservative when you can get the real thing by a good solid labour vote?
Spot on-why go for Dave's cheap imitation?
I don't think Tony Blair is a suitable person to be Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds. They deserve better. I'll do it, if you like.
Clothilde Simon
If Blair isnt going to have a proper job perhaps he could take Prince Harry's slot in Iraq.
Anonymous 8:58, but it wasn't a state grammar school, and she never quite said that it was, although she was very good at leaving that impression.
It was all part of her never-quite-said "grew up in the flat above a corner shop" routine. In fact, her father was a prominent local businessman and politician, who ran most of the charities and committees for miles around, sent her to a fee-paying school, and then put her through Oxford without a scholarship. She was no toff, but nor was she ever lower-middle-class as she allowed other people to assume.
We all know he and his parasite of a wife are going, the only thing I want to hear is a judge saying the words...
"Anthony Charles Linton Blair you have been found guilty...."
One to watch:
Pat McCourt, local boy, real lefty, TGWU.
Was overheard at the Manchester Conference with Wilson trying to do a deal in a pub.
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