The Big Chill is over-we hope

I'm sure many other parts of the country are still snowbound but down here the snow has at last melted. Apart from anything else it means catching up with leaflet delivery abandoned when the little ice-age set in.

On Saturday I went to Withington and will be going over most of this week-anyone who wants to come and help is more than welcome, give me a ring on 07880 790182

Nec Sub-Committees

On Tuesday I was down in London for my Labour Party NEC Sub-Committee meetings. They were all reasonably short meetings as Routine business is drying up in the run-up to the election. At the womens,race and equality meeting I was elected Vice-chair with responsibility for disability- anyone who wants to help me in this job can give me a ring on 07880 790182.

At the Organisation Committee we had a discussion on the events of the previous week. Its fair to say that if Capital Punishment had been an option many members would have been tempted! The one thing the whole episode shows is the solid support in the wider party for Gordons leadership-in this case Solidarity really is strength.

Had to leave the meeting early to get back to Salford for my Branch AGM.Lousy weather but a good turn-out of mainly young and committed members-we are clearly doing something right.

Members deserve better

I had to put a bag on my head today when I went to Tesco's to buy a" Mail on Sunday". Its not the sort of thing I usually buy but I had heard there was an article by former Labour Party General Secretary Peter Watt.

As a former senior official of our party you would have hoped it would have been an account of how Labours policies have made Britain a better place or the importance of a Labour victory at the forthcoming election.

But no, its an attempt to denigrate Gordon Brown and help the tories in their election campaign. You can judge its veracity by the fact that Peter Watt is the man who assured me personally in September 2005 that the Labour Party's finances had never been in a better position - shortly before doubling the cost of membership.

Party members are entitled to expect better from those who have had the honour to be Cabinet Ministers, NEC members, MPs etc - instead we have been badly let down this week.

Loyalty and solidarity built this Party........lets see a bit more of it this week.

Winter Wonderland.....perhaps not!

With temperatures literally colder than the South Pole round here, it makes you appreciate the importance of local services. The people who are out gritting around the clock, the councils who open emergency services for stranded motorists and the voluntary services, police and paramedics who work their socks off to hold everything together.

I wonder how the Tory proposals for councils being run like Easy Jet would work. Would we all be being charged and extra £20 for using gritted roads?

...or would it be like Cheshire West & Chester council where the Tory deputy leader gets his private road in the middle of the country gritted and everywhere else is left untreated - rank has its privileges! See the Chester Chronicle 31/12/2009.

Manchester Withington

Manchester Withington is a key marginal and one we are going to win back from the Lib Dems. Last Monday I was out delivering New Year calenders for our candidate, Lucy Powell with Fred from Eccles. Unfortunately we were snowed-off half way through - but we'll be back!

I'll be going to Withington at least once a week up to the General Election. Anyone who wants to come and help just give me a call on 07780 790182.

ps. Congratulation to Lucy and James on the birth of Katie.

Bury South Jan 23rd

Bury South Clp are organising an interesting fund-raiser shortly. David Miliband will be in Prestwich being interviewed by Fiona Phillips. There will be a meal and the event will be at the Longfield suite at 7.30pm. Tickets £30...Phone Hazel on 0161 773 5500(daytime)

OH NO....

You really couldnt make it up... just as I finished the above bit about the need to be positive and take the fight to the Tories two MPs decide to do just the opposite and take the fight to Labour by resurrecting the leadership question.

Lets be clear-there is no support in the wider movement,amongst the members or Trade Unions for these self indulgent attempts to get rid of Gordon-we want to get on with the job of winning the election.

Happy New year-and dont eat the yellow snow

Well there we go, as soon as 2010 starts it grinds to a halt! Hopefully it will have cleared up by May 6th because thats when we will be having a General Election which means that those of us in the Labour Party(and anyone who wants to keep on building a better,fairer Britain) has got just 18 weeks to turn things round.
It can be done, there is no love for the Tories out there and no-one talks about the Lib-Dems at all. It can only be done by going on the front foot, exposing the extreme right wing nature of the current Tory party and the threat they pose both to our economic recovery and the public services which rely on that recovery.
That job is going to be done in the marginal constituencies up and down the country-on the doorsteps and on the phone-canvassing,delivering leaflets,fund-raising and making members. I will be doing my best to get that job done, if you want to help give me a ring on 07880 790182-and all the best for the New Year.