I was pleased to be invited to speak to Holborn an d St Pancras Labour Party on Tuesday. As regular readers will know, this is my home Labour Party, so it’s always good to get an invitation.
As tends to be customary in these occasions, the MP’s report was the first item of business. Frank Dobson was, inevitbly asked about Ian Gibson, whether he should have been disallowed from standing again as a Labour MP and whether he should have resigned and caused a by-election. The sympathy for Ian Gibson was palpable, including Frank. My own view is not quite the same. I think action had to be taken against MPs who did not do the right thing over expenses and that Ian Gibson comes into the category of those who were in the wrong. I am also very strongly of the view that Ian Gibson shouldn’t have caused a by-election. No other aggrieved MPs have felt the need to do this.
Following Frank, I spoke mainly about the strange, not to say, unpleasant, alliances the Tories are making in the European Parliament in their new Group, the European Conservatives and Reformists. I have blogged on this a few times, the most recent being yesterday.
It was good to catch up with my old friend Hilary Lowe who is a stalwart of the Holborn and St Pancras Party. She has recently done great work fundraising at Glastonbury and other such festivals.
And finally ………….. just to let you all know that it is now our summer recess, which lasts until 24 August when normal service resumes in Brussels. Although I do not intend to stop blogging all together, I will not post every day. No it’s not because I am off to sunnier climes, but rather because I am embarking on a whole lot of decorating (nothing fancy, painting only, I hasten to add)
I agree with Frank on this one. Yes, Ian Gibson did milk the expenses system, which should be punished, but the Labour hierarchy used this as an excuse to get rid of a good independent-minded representative and replace him with a New Labour puppet. They thought it would make the public think they were doing something about the terrible system but it backfired on them and now the poor people of Norwich North have a Tory. Why wasn’t Hazel Blears barred from standing at the next general?
My own labour MP has spent £15,000 over the last 3 years on cleaning products. Not even the greediest banker living in the largest mansion can spend that much on cleaning products, yet he hasn’t been deselected because he has only voted against the Labour majority once since he entered parliament in 1994.
I want to vote Labour but physically can’t while these ridiculous double standards remain.
I agree with you on the Conservatives’ group though. It’s now led by a former member of the ultra-nationalist and racist National Revival of Poland.
Gibson did not milk the system we are told he did nothing wrong, if you think others can sell on a house they bought from tax payers money and pocket this as a retirement, whats the difference in selling it to your daughter, the fact is the whole system stinks and still does.
I’ve spent a life time in labour, but called it a day last year. If your going to pin point one MP how about Blears paying back £13,000 why was Gibson not offered to repay the difference, will Blears be banned from standing, how about the new Lefty Purnell.
As normal Labour stinks