Now -read the book!

Here is a link to my memoirs which, if you are a glutton for punishment, you can purchase online at https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/an-obscure-footnote-in-trade-union-history.
Men fight and lose the battle, and the thing that they fought for comes about in spite of their defeat, and when it comes turns out not to be what they meant, and other men have to fight for what they meant under another name. (William Morris - A Dream of John Ball)

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Leadership - will we get a choice?

Unsurprisingly most Labour MPs (282) have already decided to back the frontrunner – Gordon Brown – including most members of the UNISON group of MPs. 27 MPs so far back the idea that the membership should have a choice of leader and are backing John McDonnell.

Our trade union movement needs a political voice – and we won’t get it with Brown as Leader of the only political party we have. If Party members and trade unionists are to offered a choice in the election to the post that really matters another 18 Members of Parliament need to nominate John. With 44 members of the PLP not yet having made a nomination this is clearly a tall order.

However, nominations remain open until Thursday lunchtime – those of us who want to see an opportunity for our members to have their democratic voice need to chase up the MPs who have not yet nominated and try to persuade them.

The list of MPs who have nominated Gordon Brown is here.

The list of MPs who have nominated John McDonnell is here.

1 comment:

Matthew Stiles said...

I saw this post at the LabourHome site
"326 Labour MPs have nominated for Leader. 26 have not. MPs prefixed by an asterisk have nominated for Deputy Leader:

Anne Begg (Aberdeen South)
Joe Benton (Bootle)
*Colin Burgon (Elmet)
Charles Clarke (Norwich South)
*Jon Cruddas (Dagenham)
*Andrew Dismore (Hendon)
*Jim Dowd (Lewisham West)
Gwyneth Dunwoody (Crewe and Nantwich)
*Frank Field (Birkenhead)
*Dai Havard (Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney)
*Kate Hoey (Vauxhall)
Piara Khabra (Ealing Southall)
*Peter Kilfoyle (Liverpool Walton)
*Siobhain McDonagh (Mitcham and Morden)
*Rosemary McKenna (Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
*Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock)
*Fiona MacTaggart (Slough)
*Alan Meale (Mansfield)
*Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby)
*Terry Rooney (Bradford North)
*Graham Stringer (Manchester Blackley)
*Jon Trickett (Hemsworth)
*Paul Truswell (Pudsey)
*David Winnick (Walsall North)
*Anthony Wright (Great Yarmouth)
Dr Tony Wright (Cannock Chase)

John McDonnell needs 16 of them to nominate him to get on the ballot. I have to say that it looks doubtful - some of the names on this list are Blairites who distrust Brown for reasons of their own."
and http://chrispaul-labouroflove.blogspot.com/
even has the e-mail addresses of those who haven't yet nominated