It was interesting to compare the attitudes of our local Labour MPs at the local election count last week.
Ian Stewart was his usual friendly self – I spoke to him briefly at the start of the night. It was very noticeable that he was the first person there to congratulate and commiserate Labour candidates (see the MEN video of the Irlam declaration) when the results were announced.
Barbara Keeley by contrast seemed almost invisible, maintaining a very low profile and being reportedly rude to any opposition activists who tried to say hello – something noted by Liberal Democrat Councillor Steve Cooke as well as at least one Conservative.
Yet Ian lost out to Barbara in the Labour selection contest for the new Worsley & Eccles South seat. Perhaps he will allow himself a wry smile if – as current polls suggest – Keeley is beaten by the Conservative candidate at the next General Election.
(Hazel Blears, incidentally, was not at the count, having been summoned to the television studios to give the view from the bunker)
Iain, I wouldn’t expect anything else from Labour – that’s the way they were behaving in Wolverhampton, where they were thrashed, and I’m sure elsewhere they were being true to form.
They should give up on Labour, you know; otherwise, it’s going to be a tough decade or two for them…