Tomorrow (Saturday) is D-day for local Labour MPs Hazel Blears and Ian Stewart, as local party members in Salford & Eccles constituency decide which MP is the weakest link. As I commented earlier this week, the race looks to be going down to the wire. It will be interesting to see whether the Salford Labour Party has the guts to deselect a Cabinet Minister who has let our City down badly.
Iain,
Hazel Blears has won it 174 votes to 79.
Incidentally, I might see you at the politicalbetting.com party on Friday - if so, could I ask that as long as we are in that company, you refer to me only by this username (you will work out how we know each other from my e-mail address!).
Looking forward to a catch-up
Morus
Looking forward
Don’t think I’m going to be able to make it to the PB.com Party unfortunately, but I am sure our paths will cross sooner or later!
Stewart is actually in a ‘good position’ now that he’s got nothing to lose; he is free to be the radical democratic socialist he has always wanted to be and which he is at heart. He can give the Labour Whip the time-honoured two fingers now and conduct his political career exactly how he pleases for the remainder of this electoral term. And come the general election he should stand as an Independent - or how about “Socialist Integrity Party” - against Hazel Blears to gain the ultimate revenge. No true Labour man amongst the general electorate will vote for Blears in preference to Stewart. I don’t like Stewart’s politics but I’d rather have a socialist with integrity than a Blairite stooge - and so would most people, left or right.
If Stewart decides to embrace his new freedom to be a loose cannon for the greater glory of socialism - and if he stands against Blears at the G.E. - we might even see the formation of a ‘Tories for Stewart’ Group! Or how about he just join the Tories (to keep Ken Clarke company)!