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Outside Labour HQ right now...
Posted On 18 June 2009 at - 13:33 by Richard Lane
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Sunday Telegraph: It was the Blairites wot done it
Posted On 06 June 2009 at - 22:35 by Richard LaneInteresting article in the Sunday Telegraph tomorrow that claims to outline details of the 'Blairite' coup that unfolded over the past few days.
The main points of the piece are:
- The Sunday Telegraph can disclose that they were part of a group of Blairites that met secretly for months and tried to co-ordinate last week’s resignations.
- Their intention was to force Mr Brown to stand down in favour of Alan Johnson, the then Health Secretary.
- The Sunday Telegraph has learnt that the group of Blairite ministers behind the plot to oust the Prime Minister planned a “phasing” of resignations after Miss Blears quit on Wednesday.
- Miss Flint, the Europe Minister, was meant to follow her on Thursday night but held out to try to get a better Government job, leaving Mr Purnell, the Work and Pensions Secretary, to stage his dramatic walkout instead.
- Miss Blears, the former Communities Secretary, telephoned other ministers to try to get them to close ranks behind Mr Purnell.
- However, the coup was effectively thwarted by Lord Mandelson, the Business Secretary.
Take a read here.
Over the past few months Paul Staines, aka Guido Fawkes has been vocal in his criticism of the Telegraph, claiming that the paper has been all too eager to reproduce Downing St spin lines.
Is this article once again the reporting of spin under the guise of journalism in order to undermine and devalue those who have resigned from Government?
A Labour Party we can believe in
Posted On at - 22:19 by Richard Lane*** Sadiq Khan named as first Muslim Cabinet Minister ***
Posted On at - 21:59 by Richard LaneSadiq Khan has been keeping eveyone hanging on his Twitter feed as he announces his reshuffle promotion...
The Wandsworth Guardian has the full scoop, claiming that the Tooting MP has been appointed Minister of State for Transport. He has joined the Privy Council and will attend Cabinet.
A promotion for Sadiq Khan?
Posted On at - 21:50 by Richard Lane
Come back Tony, all forgiven
Posted On at - 21:41 by Richard LaneA new You Gov/Channel 4 opinion poll shows that over half of Labour party members believe that the parties fortunes would be better under the leadership of Tony Blair. The survey also shows that 47% of Labour members would like Gordon Brown to stand down as leader of the party.
As Blair said yesterday, when I went to see him speak at a Policy Network conference on climate change at the London School of Economics, and he came to the rostrum to warm applause:
The headline news, of course, is that 47 per cent want Gordon Brown to step down before the general election, as against 46 per cent that want him to lead them into that election.Funny little anecdote from the John Rentoul over at The Independent:
Most entertaining, however, is the finding that 53 per cent believe that the party would be in a better position "if Tony Blair were still leader"; 19 per cent say "worse" and 23 per cent say it would make "no difference".
As Blair said yesterday, when I went to see him speak at a Policy Network conference on climate change at the London School of Economics, and he came to the rostrum to warm applause:
"Very kind indeed. You obviously don't remember me."Come back Tony, all forgiven...
Latest poll: 7 Cabinet ministers face election wipeout
Posted On at - 21:24 by Richard LaneTomorrows News of the World will make painful reading for Labour Ministers and members tomorrow, with its latest poll projecting an election wipeout for the party.
The ICM/NOTW poll show an massive 12% swing from Labour to the Conservatives and projects that the parliamentary party will lose several of its most senior members, including a number from the Cabinet.
The polls suggest that:
- An election would unseat SEVEN Cabinet Ministers - the same as Labour managed to kick out when they beat the Tories in 1997.
- Chancellor Alistair Darling, Justice Secretary Jack Straw, Work and Pensions Secretary John Denham, Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell and Scottish Jim Murphy will all lose their seats.
- Two of the new recruits to the Cabinet appointed on Friday - Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw and Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liam Byrne - will also lose their seats.
- And four of the Cabinet Ministers who resigned last week - Jacqui Smith, James Purnell, Geoff Hoon and John Hutton - also face the chop.
- Labour's vote has dropped by 17%, while the Lib Dems have managed to hold on to their support, falling by just 1%.
- less than half (46%) of voters who backed Tony Blair in 2005 would vote for Gordon Brown in a General Election.
- nearly two thirds (58%) of voters in previously safe Labour seats think Gordon Brown is doing a poor job.
- almost a third won't vote in a General Election because of the expenses scandal.
- Tomorrow's poll shows that support for the Tories has shot up by 20% in the Cabinet's own constituencies since the 2005 election.
- Labour's vote has dropped by 17%, while the Lib Dems have managed to hold on to their support, falling by just 1%.
- Across the country there has been a 12% swing from Labour to Tory.
This will add further pressure on to the Prime Minister; although he managed to avoid the prospect of out and out rebellion on Friday, there is sure to be a spate of damaging Sunday paper headlines - the latest polls, and as I have already blogged, the allegations that Lord Mandelson sent emails stating Gordon Brown could not win an election.
Then there is the fact that we are still awaiting the European election results.
*** BBC reporting leaked two-year-old emails from Peter Mandelson saying Brown can't win an election ***
Posted On at - 18:57 by Richard LaneMore to follow shortly...
Hat tip: ConHome
*** Update ***
This is part of the report:-
“..Lord Mandelson does not believe Gordon Brown can win a general election, according to leaked emails published in the News of the World… . Lord Mandelson claims that the Labour Party are lagging behind in the polls because Brown has no strategic direction…He says Brown is too obsessed with celebrity gimmicks over the vital job of saying what he stands for..The Industry Secretary, who is likely to head up Labour’s general election campaign, says “strategic policy formulation” is more important than “telling people you watch the X-Factor.”
- Political Betting
The full story will appear in tomorrows News of the World. More details can be found over on Sky News.
*** Update ***
Some more details from News of the World:
But in a series of leaked emails sent by Lord Mandelson, he reveals:
- Gordon will lose the next election.
- the PM cannot do "X-Factor politics" of his predecessor Tony Blair.
- he slams his leadership style.
- Brown is "complex", unable to hide his insecurities and too self-conscious.
- voters are put off because they think Brown is "angry".
Kinnock: Brown should stay for two more elections
Posted On at - 18:50 by Richard LaneSkip to 2 minutes 50 seconds to hear Lord Kinnock stating that Gordon Brown should not stand down until he has won two more elections. That would be in about 2016.
Update: 19.5% swing to Labour in my by-election. Best result in country?
Posted On at - 12:00 by Richard LaneThanks to Tom for his very helpful comment my previous post about the by-election upset that saw me take second place in the Harpenden South district council results.
I make that a 19.5% swing from Conservative to Labour. Replicated across the country, that would give a Labour *majority* of 443, and leave the Tories with just nine MPs. Depressingly, Christopher Chope would still be one of them.
We can dream.
This made me chuckle...
Posted On at - 11:50 by Richard Lane
A depressing sight..
Posted On at - 11:43 by Richard Lane
Was my by-election defeat the best Labour result in the entire country?
Posted On at - 00:52 by Richard LaneAs well as being the Labour candidate for the County Council seat of Harpenden South West, I stood in the Harpenden South District Council by-election; the election was triggered after Conservative District Councillor Stuart Roberts stood down earlier in the year.
Now judging from previous results in the seat and the County Council results across Hertfordshire there were no expectations of anything other than a third or fourth place finish.
The results for 2007 and 2008 are as follow:
2007:
2008:
But I received an email yesterday afternoon stating that there had been somewhat of an upset at the by-election count and that my share of the vote had increased drastically, pushing Labour in to a shock second place finish.
2009:
The result shows that I achieved a far higher proportion of the vote than any other second place candidate in the district council seat for some time. I received 703 votes, or a 23.4% share - an increase of 527 votes or 550%!! OK... now for the minor details of the result. Apparently there was a mix up at the count for the seat; according to my 'election agent' the result was wrongly declared, placing me in second place with 703 votes. However, the Liberal Democrat, Conservative and Green Party candidates did not protest the result. This therefore means that my second foray in to elected politics (the first being the County Council elections some hours earlier) will now go down as a huge swing to the Labour Party in an immensely difficult election year, thus massively bucking the national trend.
Did any other Labour candidate in the country receive a similar swing on Thursday? I am going to go out on a limb and say that the result now suggests my District Council election result was the most successful Labour campaign in the entire country (in terms of increase in share of vote). Huzzah!
(Disclaimer: tongue firmly in cheek!)
My election results!
Posted On 05 June 2009 at - 18:02 by Richard Lane
Not at all unexpected, but dissapointing none the less. Slipped from third place to fourth in the ward - a similar story for a number of Labour candidates in the ward. Share of the vote down by 6% on the 2005 election result.
But on a positive note, the last election held in this ward was a by-election in 2008 where the Labour candidate recieved 4.8% of the vote - meaning that I have seen a 1% increase in the Labour share of the vote. Huzzah!
Murphy RESIGNS from the Government
Posted On at - 17:13 by Dean NewbyJim Murphy continues the spate of Ministerial resignations.
Flint RESIGNS from the Government
Posted On at - 17:09 by Dean NewbyRuthless timing - right in the middle of the Prime Ministers 'comeback' press conference.
McNulty RESIGNS from the Government
Posted On at - 15:53 by Dean NewbyMinister of State for Employment and Welfare Reform has resigned.
Beckett no longer Housing Minister
Posted On at - 15:48 by Dean NewbyThis morning, while searching the web for information about the reshuffle, I stumbled across Wikipedia's UK Cabinet page. At about 11:30 it showed that Margaret Beckett was no longer the Minister for Housing - yet the BBC is only just now (at 15:45) reporting the news that she is indeed no longer in the Cabinet.
So, who updated the Wikipedia page...?
Byrne becomes Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Posted On at - 15:39 by Dean NewbyReplaces Yvette Cooper who is DWP bound.
More to follow...
Hoon RESIGNS from the Government
Posted On at - 15:33 by Dean NewbyHad been tainted by the expenses scandal, but PM is insisting he is still loyal. ConHome beat the main stream media by a mile on this one!
