The end of an era

On Tuesday of this week I stood down as Constituency Secretary of the Northampton South Labour Party.

I always thought that it would be a difficult decision but in the circumstances was quite easy.

The decision of the National Party to exclude Anjona and Geoff at the weekend made it quite clear that enthusiasm, determination and sheer hard work count for nothing when the party has a bee in its bonnet.

We all fought hard for the party in the New Duston campaign and would have done the same if on a political Groundhog Day we started all over again.

The intent of the leaflet in question was clear, to win votes for Labour. I stand by this so I have had stepped down in solidarity with my colleagues.

It is now up to Clyde and his supporters to run the campaign to the General Election as they see fit and prove their point.

Where does this take us?

Is this a good thing in the run up to a General Election?

http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/Labour-Party-suspends-political-group.5638628.jp

Michael Jackson

It is with great sorrow to me that Michael Jackson is dead.

Here was an exceptional talent as a singer, dancer and general entertainer that is lost to us.

Clearly the poor man had no real childhood, harsh disciplinarian father and masses of hangers on that saw him as a route to personal wealth.

He will be missed.

Minimum Wage

So when it came to the crunch the Tories bottled it and pulled their bill to allow opt outs of the minimum wage.

This campaign was led by Labour with the redoubtable John Prescott in the lead.

It seems quite amazing that this should be still an issue so long after the original battle was fought and won.

I guess it goes to show that the Tories instincts are always the same.

MP's Expenses

Is part of the problem the emergence of more career politicians who have moved from university to the Commons via Political Researcher or some other party apparatchik role.

Therefore their approach is to maximise their income much as employees do by working for benefits such as overtime and expenses.

Historically particularly on the Labour side have been miners and railwaymen who have seen entry to the commons as a privilege and an honour rather than promotion to a better paid job.

Blood Donors

I am donating blood this evening.

Isn't it time you did.

Just an hour of your time and someone's life could be saved.

Just do it.

Remember the Bomb?

A long time ago people on the left and right argued endlessly about nuclear weapons and whether or not it made any difference if the UK had it or not.

This issue is now so much more relevant now that President Obama is now actively planning weapons reductions with his counterpart in Russia.

So where does that leave us?

Have we benefitted from having our self styled independent deterrent even though the ability to use in without approval of the US administration was non existent?

Should we seize this opportunity to dispose of our remaining missiles and save the expenditure on replacing the four Trident submarines with something that is more meaningful to our lives?