I have been round the block in the Labour Party; there are very few things I haven't done (except National Conference). Oh, and vote for the winner in a Leadership contest...
I have been a member for 24 years and in that time I have participated in several Parliamentary selection processes. For 1987 in Altrincham and Sale it was a bit half-hearted; it would be when you know your bloke - and let's face it, it was mainly blokes back then - would come a poor third. I think we actually selected a chap called Geoff but he ended up withdrawing and Dave Hinder came a poor third to Fergus Montgomery, knight of the Shires, and Greg Mulholland's Dad. By the time I moved into Nottingham South Alan Simpson had already been selected as candidate. Despite my best efforts, he didn't win in 87, but thankfully did in 92, and, sadly, is standing down next time around.
I think I participated in selection process in Southend East, but again, it was to select the bloke who was going to come third to the redoubtable Teddy Taylor. I see a name on a Spreadsheet but it brings back no memories.
This meant, of course, that I missed the famous Streatham selection (timed to coincide with the Worldcup semi-final - the night Gazza cried), designed to select a candidate to overturn a Tory majority of 2407. By the time I moved into Streatham, Keith Hill was embedded as candidate, and the internal campaigning newsletter was called "2407". We won in Streatham in 1992, with a majority of 2317, so you can guess what we called the campaigning newsletter up to 97!
There were boundary changes for 97, with six constituencies becoming five over Lambeth and Southwark, so there was a semi-serious attempt to ensure that John Frazer, MP for the disappearing constituency, had a fair crack fo the whip. I don't recall there being anything of a selection process for 2001 or 2005.
However, after nearly sixteen years as a fantastically good constituency MP, and having risen to the lofty position of Minister of State (before becoming the PM's PPS until last June), Keith is standing down. And we have a selection process in full swing.
There was much talk in the summer about there being as many as 23 people interested in the nominations. Rumours of a snap election being called by Gordon fuelled panicky phonecalls about the likelihood of a candidate being imposed. Gordon obviously took notice, and since Christmas, Gert Cottage has been bombarded with a huge stack of paper, and more than a few phone-calls from the aspirants and their supporters. I skim read the leaflets, and also considered what I knew about the candidates. I believe that I have excellent political instincts but I also know they are rusty. My gut feeling was that there were three candidates that stuck out head and shoulders above the rest. Which is where it becomes difficult, because there were two more that I have considered as friends a long time, both of whom I have affection, admiration and respect for, and a third whom I don't really know other than through Facebook, but ditto.
Politics has come a long way since 1992. We now live in an era of All-Women Shortlists, but not in Streatham. I don't know for sure, but maybe the decision not to make us all-women was based on the fact that the other two Lambeth MPs are Kate Hoey and Tessa Jowell. I have always supported All-Women's Shortlists. Parliament cannot really be considered as 'representative' until the representation of women is broadly comparable with men. I don't believe in quotas or positive discrimination for employment, but where the key task is to represent, I don't see how a body made up almost entirely of white straight able bodied men can seriously represent the country.
We have another issue in Streatham. For some utterly strange, vindictive and politically asinine reason, back in the early 80s Brixton was split into 3 different constituencies, including Streatham. Brixton is iconic as the capital of Black Britain; the ethnic mix has become far more complex in the past twenty five years and it might just be the most multi-cultural part of the most multi-cultural city on earth. So, it's not irrelevant to consider ethnicity in the selection process.
In the selections for the last council elections, we had a definite policy of actively encouraging more BME candidates , especially BME women, which is absolutely right. I wrote at length about encouraging women to stand for Council, and I think to a large extent the same principles apply for BME.
However, although I support All Women shortlists and definitely think there needs to be more BME MPs, I am not so certain about the need or desirability to make a point about actively encouraging women and/or BMEs. If you are going to stand for Parliament you need to be ruthless and driven, able to take the flack, and with a profound understanding of the issues. Don't even bother applying if you're not - and that goes for every party. I read leaflet after leaflet extolling the virtues of this candidate or that, very many of them with proven track-records as councillors, or community campaigners, or national campaigners. I don't think any of them needed 'encouraging',not at this stage. Before the shortlisting I had made up my mind whom my first preferences were going to go to.
I arrived at the venue, and spent a pleasant few minutes greeting old old friends, some people I have known all my time in Streatham CLP, others who were at my councillor selection meeting in 1993, and many others, some I haven't seen for aeons, some who are as inactive as I am. I counted 62 people. Admittedly, we are a branch of two wards, but in 24 years of the Labour Party I have never attended a ward meeting of 62 people.
In conversation I discovered that the Youth Forum last night had nominated exactly the people I was intending to give my first preferences to, which made me feel happy that my political instincts are not so out of kilter.
We were presented with a list of 47 people who had submitted CVs for consideration. Most of them were entirely unfamiliar names and the chair remarked that many had done nothing other than submit CVs. I suppose if you live in an eternal Tory constituency such as Altrincham & Sale or Southen East it is difficult to imagine the passion and competition that surrounds the selection of a prospective parliamentary candidate in a Labour held seat. Albeit one with a majority of 'only' 7,456 (down from 14,270 in 2001), and a multi-millionaire selected to fund an expensive campaign for the LibDims. Nominations were invited from the floor, and members were invited to speak for or against nominees. Then we voted in three categories, to get three names to go forward for shortlisting by the constituency.
One woman stood up and observed that her perusal of the leaflets had made it seem as though they were running for "Mayor of Streatham" and I thought that a point well made. I think all of them concentrated too much on local issues; the best showed how national politics affect the local area. But I don't think any of the leaflets fully confronted the fact that an MP (whether as a backbencher on Select and Standing Committees or as minister has a national and indeed international remit).
Nevertheless, I felt happy to cast my vote in the BME category for Chuka Umunna, who was duly nominated; in the women's category Dora Dixon-Fyle who didn't get nominated in an utterly ridiculous result borne out of perverse voting. But hey, why open the wounds from the 90s for a second time in an evening ;-) In the 'open category' I decided to vote strategically. It was a bit illogical because even under an preferential voting system, there is no prize for coming second, and it was pretty obvious who was going to come first. So I didn't vote for Steve Reed in the end but I am entirely happy that he secured the branch nomination. If I had any the slightest doubt that he would be runaway winner, I would have voted for him. How illogical is that?
The constituency's shortlist will be drawn up on 1 March, I believe, and there will be a hustings/voting for all members running concurrently with the arrival of my sister and family to visit. Grrrrrr. I suspect that it will end up being between Chuka and Steve. Either one of them will make an excellent candidate and a superb MP, as indeed would Dora, and it's sad that one of them will end up losing - but that's the harsh reality of politics. As it happens, both are members of BASH, as is our retiring MP.
Wikipedia - Steve Reed and Chuka Umunna
Comments