Labour Party sends Bliar a message

Good to see there's still some fight left in the Labour Party.

If ever there was a 'Bye, Bye' message to a serving leader this must be it:

Heckler voted on to Labour's NEC

Walter Wolfgang, the heckler ejected from last year's Labour conference, has been elected to the party's ruling National Executive Committee (NEC).
The 83-year-old, from south-west London, was fourth in a poll of ordinary party members - which guarantees him a seat on the body.

He said his heavy-handed treatment in Brighton had "woken people up" to Labour's "control freakery".

news.bbc.co.uk...

Now if only the PLP could show some similar back-bone it's be 'walkies' for the poodle

I don't want to burst your bubble there Strangerous or nothing and I am not disagreeing that a section of the Labour party membership has certainly blown Tony Blair a raspberry with this
but
I take it that you do know that that is largely how the NEC has always been used by some within the membership towards the 'leadership' and the PLP in general in the Labour party, right?

Finding that a member (or even couple of members) have been elected to the NEC who might be expected to get Royally right up the leadership's nose or be heavily disapproved of isn't exactly something new you know, even with 'New Labour' and this leadership.

Yeah I know that the NEC is increasingly ignored by the PLP and the Govt and it won't have the impact it would have had in the old days but you have to admit it's damned funny

Just another straw (ha!) that may one day break the poodle's back.

S

Strangerous believe me (and I suspect you already know this) the NEC has always been ignored, but within the rules, by the PLP (Parliamentary Labour party for those not au fait with the acronyms) particularly when the PLP was in government, if it was convenient or politic.

Mainly because as their strength ebbed and flowed the 'irritant minority left' has always used the NEC, where they could, to promote their own agenda and stand out as the malcontent element.
But for all that minority they are and will always remain in the Labour party (especially today).
They are not the 'mainstream' no matter how often they hitch their wagon to well known seemingly 'popular' topical events
(as Mr Wolfgang and story certainly was.....it's not to defend his rough ejection from the - private - party conference but if you knew Labour party conferences you would know that the out-of-touch old CND'ers and Trots seeking to make a stir - especially anything that might embarrass 'New Labour' etc aren't exactly too difficult to find.
No doubt Mr Wolfgang will expect to be heard and not shouted down in his new position, eh)?

But I suppose it makes for grist to the political mill, for some.
It'll be whatever you want it to be and be seen however you wish to see it I suppose but whether it makes the slightest difference is quite another matter.

......and I suppose it's just a tad redundant pointing out that the successful election of Mr Wolfgang to the NEC is actually a fine illustration of how this supposed 'control freakery' is simply a rather catchy sound-bite if somewhat empty slogan
(cos if the 'control freakery' was so endemic and all-powerful he wouldn't have got anywhere near it, right)?