Exclusive: Labour NEC/Regional Office Suspend Stoke Central Constituency

This has been going on for over 9 months now and the regional office in cahoots with a few party traitors have sought to crush the local members. One thing that this whole crew have in common is that they are all non-Stoke people living here worshipping the regional director and the failed elected mayor.
We all know they are out for revenge over mark merediths downfall, they blame everyone but themselves and think mark meredith has great vision even though he is the most hated local politician of all time.
I'm glad that Barry, Mike and Gary are hitting back on behalf of the whole membership and I suspect that no chance will they be silenced. The hint is that one of them will stand on behalf of the members and good luck to them. This isn't a Stoke thing now, it is the Countrywide membership versus Brown,Harman Reilly and the NEC.
Stoke picks who speaks for us and not some joker in London or Sandwell.
Sarah hill my arse.
Jane heggie? A wind up surely.

Just when you thought the Party had hit the bottom, cluck, they get the shovel out and dig some more.

Personally, I hope they pick Sarah Hill, I cant wait to remind people of what job she did in the City some ten years ago and what she oversaw.

Vote Matt Wright... seriously and Labour claims NOT to be BULLIES.. DO as WE SAY or be SILENCED.. nice and caring attitude that.. Stoke North Stoke South take not rid the city of these BULLIES

Labour have obviously decided that Stoke is lost and that they really don't care. They have decided to test the old joke that a monkey in a suit could win the seat..

this shows contempt for the voters in my opinion.
I just hope the lib dems and tories can get their act together and fill the void!

Sorry Tides, don't want to burst your bubble or anything, but the Lib Dem PPC at the Youth Hustings (Dr Z Ali, current councillor), didn't inspire me with any confidence whatsoever that the Lib Dems could "get their act together and fill the void".

Unfortunately he came across as what he is - a small time local Councillor serving a city with broken politics and no idea of how to move forward.

If Dr Ali is a typical Lib Dem PPC, I won't be voting for them any time soon. Having said that, I have absolutely no idea who to vote for, as no one seems to be offering what I want, not just locally but nationally too.

A number of points:

1.Sarah should say how long she has been a current member of the Labour Party.

2. Does she think Stoke Central CLP supports her ambitions to be:
(a) Chair of the 'womens forum'.
(b) Councillor.
(c) Chair of City Party.
(d) MP for Stoke Central.

3.Will Sarah support the view of Stoke Central that:

(a) It was the NEC that forgot to install her into the new City party and that the report given in London by the NEC to the NEC, which claimed a conspiracy of members to keep her out (and her friend) is a total fabrication of the truth and in fact, a lie?

(b)That the AGM 2010 carried out by Stoke Central is entirely correct according the the National Rule Book and the 'null and void' ruling by the NEC is a ruse to keep existing (2009)members in place who have uncanny views similar to the NEC/Regional Office but not to ordianry members?

(c)That the 'two year plan' for Stoke, of which she plays a part, has almost completely ruined the Labour Party at every level of office in the City, has resulted in a complete boycott by members in selecting Labour Candidates due to Birmingham satellite Labour members administering the process?

(d)That she is an imposed candidate for Fenton of which Labour members boycotted her installation?

Take you time in answering each point.
There's more to come.

So the LibDems have a uninspiring Dr Ali who can't move forward
The rightly binned Dave Jack (not heard from him for a while have we?) for allegedly sending recist emails

John Refern polled 10,000 votes less than Mark Fisher in the last general election in central

Henry Jebb 12,000 less than Joan Walley and 1500 less than the conservative candidate in Stoke Norht

Andrew Martin pulled 12,000 less votes than Rob Flello in Stoke south and 4500 less than the conservative. Andrew had a personality which is somethign Dr Ali is missing.

LibDems? Not in my lifetime.

As I read this blog thoughts sprang to mind which when I read the comments were already well made by others:

"Just when you thought the Party had hit the bottom, cluck, they get the shovel out and dig some more." - Potteye.

"Barry, Mike and Gary are hitting back on behalf of the whole membership and I suspect that no chance will they be silenced. The hint is that one of them will stand on behalf of the members and good luck to them." - Stoke Central Party member. This is the obvious thing to do. After all, 'proper' labour party members are hardly going to want to vote for an imposed labour parachutist are they. Question is whether they can carry the non-party labour voters their way. But it's either this or try to persuade their voters to turn libdem, or tory.

"Labour claims NOT to be BULLIES.. DO as WE SAY or be SILENCED" - Ian Norris. And they worry there may be a fascist uprising, there is, in their party, they should tackle this as a priority. I have to say the information in the blog that "The Regional Officers and NEC have also declared the recent Stoke-on-Trent Central AGM null and void" has me utterly gobsmacked. I knew they were dictatorial and were attacking democracy throughout the city, but this extreme has even me rather surprised.

"I have absolutely no idea who to vote for, as no one seems to be offering what I want" - Alison. Couldn't agree more. It's going to be a case of voting for the least bad option again. As we're in the South constituency we can consider Zulfiqar Ali and the libdems. I agree with you on his local performance being weak and feeble and pretty typical libdem, although he seems a bit less bad than some of the other libdem councillors and has some advantage over the 'never-visited-the-city' libdem from last general election. Also we balance that against national policies which are, comparing the parties, least bad in my view. Having said that I'll more likely vote independent in protest. That's not completely satisfactory as Terry Follows, despite being a good ward councillor for Trentham and also helping the defeat of the planning application for Adderley Green, has still as a cabinet member helped shaft the wishes for schools in other communities in the city. Least bad - it's the only way to go.

Yesterday I wrote that I hoped Regional Office and the NEC would prove me wrong in the way they handled selecting a PPC for Stoke Central constituency, sadly they didn’t. If the rumoured suspension of the CLP and its officers comes to pass it will be very much business as usual.

The situation is as sad as it is unnecessary, no worthwhile objective will be achieved and in preventing members from making an official tribute to Mark Fisher they are adding another name to the long list of loyal and long serving figures treated with much less respect than they deserve.

All that can come of this latest move is bitterness, division and the loss of yet more party members. They say you don’t leave the Labour Party, it leaves you; after this latest exercise in creative destruction on the part of the party hierarchy, I, like a lot of grassroots members am beginning to wonder if the only thing the Labour Party has to say to people like me is, adios.

Dave, you don't seem to understand the political machine or process, so let me help a little.

If you put your name up, people will ask questions and it's as simple as that.
You somehow seem to regard my questions as unworthy, but they will be asked regardless in this setting or in a more formal setting.
Asked, they will be, so please try to get over the fact that politics can seem a little harsh.
I know for certain that if 100 people make it onto a shortened shortlist (!) then everyone one of them has always harnessed a desire to come to live in sunny Stoke and look after all the poor people.

Let's move on quickly from that and get to the point of Labour's destruction in this City and who is responsible.

I asked Sarah questions, answers are easy. Her version, or the questioners.

Add your questions into it:
1. Where did you take the Parlaimentary interview?

2. Did you say in your evidence to the NEC (in Stoke) that "The people love the Mayor and will vote to keep him"?

3. That your casting vote (2 votes) were used (both of them) to keep the Co-op delegate (Mick Williams) out of his rightful position in Labour for 9 Months, thus causing the complete breakdown of Labour and the imposition of candidates in Stoke?

Take your time, there is more to come.

Dave, there is destruction in this City resulting in a legitimate CLP being suspended, a new party being planned for the breakaway by Labour members and a 45 seat attempt to remove Labour from the political scene in Stoke-on-Trent.I know what I must do but......

Who is responsible?

It's the Ides of March around about now. I have a thought, given the discord, mayhem and general bother around the Labour party especially in Stoke Central, perhaps candidates could organise a march outside the West Midlands Regional Labour Party holding up the banner as did the Roman gladiators ( I'll spare you the Latin) Hail Caesar, those who are about to die salute you.

The state of Governance and Leadership in our City is the real reason for these actions and whilst the process and methods used are unpleasant to say the least the more important issue is one of trying to create a City that can engage with a fast changing ultra competitive global world .

So maybe the ends justify the means but only if what we have instead is better than what we have now

What you have is the Elected Mayoral system and those removed alongside, it kicking our ass.

Mr Elsby shows his ignorance in his first question to Sarah Hill; if he knew the first thing about membership of political parties he would know that Sarah Hill was in a job that membership of a political party is banned. That does not stop you voting for, supporting, and even working behind the scenes for whichever political party you support.

As for the comments about Stoke Central's AGM by Nicky Davis, can Mr Elsby confirm the information I have received from two members of the NEC that letters were sent by the Labour Party before Christmas asking CLPs to postpone their AGMs until after the last date for holding a General Election in June, and that that request was upgraded to an instruction in the first weeks of 2010, and included a decision to push back the date for nomination of a delegate to Annual Conference? If he can confirm this information, the rubbish spouted on this site about a vendetta against Stoke Central becomes considerably less credible.

I am also surprised that people seem shocked by the possibility of an all-women shortlist, given that the Labour Party were employing them in the years prior to the 1992 General Election, so they are hardly a new invention designed simply to stifle the political ambitions of Stoke Central's Secretary as seems to be the inference in another blog here.

See, I don't agree with this all woman shortlist thing. After all, if I was competing for something, I'd want to win it against all competition, men and women.

An all woman shortlist is basically saying that no woman is better for this job than a man, and that women can't compete with men in this type of arena, so we will have to give women a headstart.

Well I'm sorry but that's bullshit. There are loads of women out there who get good jobs/careers, not because they've been given an easy ride and have only been interviewed against other women, but because they have worked hard, got themselves well educated, well experienced and have commitment, drive and passion for the job they do.

Surely if a woman is good enough that will shine through, regardless of her gender?

I apologise if this is all too simplistic, but I would hate to get a job based on these rules. If I got the job, it should be because I was the best candidate full stop. Not the best of a bunch of women only.

Alison, I would largely agree with you except for two things: the UK Parliament has one of the lowest numbers of women MPs of any Parliament in the world (even supposed non-democracies such as Iran and Cuba have more women MPs), and there is overwhelming evidence to suggest that on an open shortlist, a man is more likely to be selected than a woman. These are the reasons for all-women shortlists, and why Parliament overwhelmingly supported their incorporation into anti-discrimination law.

I personally would like to think that a person was selected purely on merit, but the statistics suggest either that women are not good enough (which I don't believe for one moment) or that there is pro-male bias in open selections - which has to be overcome in some way.

And 'Guest' shows her/his ignorance concerning jobs which exclude the right to be a member of a political party. Membership is not banned, but the holding of office is, or campaigning in a public way, for those on salaries over a certain level. In my day this was about £28k but it has almost certainly been revised upwards since then.

Since we know that Gary is the Secretary of a CLP but we know nothing about the background of 'Guest' we must treat their comments accordingly.

And let no-one kid themselves - the forces of darkness are working to get their choices into all these seats, as witness the Erdington affair. In Stoke Central we are seeing the old 'decoy candidates' ploy whereby local members are given a few no-hopers on the shortlist who go on to suffer by comparison with the imported and experienced talent from outside. Then they have the cheek to claim it was a 'fair choice'. The fact that they are excluding even observers from local CLPs on the long- and short-listings is clear evidence that there is dirty work afoot. Labour's 'Special Selection Panel' voted to exclude them by 8 to 1.

And, unlike 'Guest', anyone can check out my experience in these matters since I was first on a parliamentary shortlist in 1972 (Northwich) and a few others since. And no, I didn't get selected but I will claim that the procedure was a lot fairer then than it is now.

Mick Williams.
Labour Party 1964 - date; Councillor 1970 - 98; former Politics Lecturer (but I had a proper job before that).

Mr Williams is partly right, the definition of politically restricted jobs is:

Certain posts are 'politically restricted', which means that individuals who hold them are effectively prevented from having any active political role either in or outside the workplace. This not only debars post holders from holding political office but also restricts them from canvassing or from speaking in public or publishing a work which might give the impression that they are advocating support for a political party.

In my direct personal experience, and that of other members of my family in Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, the former Cheshire County Council, Stockport MBC and Brighton and Hove Council, we have all been "advised" at some time or another that it would be erring on the side of safety if that was to include not being a member of a political party, as if that membership became known, it is possible to argue legally that such membership is advocating support for a political party. Obviously I cannot speak for Sarah Hill as to whether she was given the same advice.

Mick Williams is rather quick to point to Erdington, may I direct him to Leyton and Wanstead where a candidate who I suspect may be more acceptable to Mick Williams was selected ahead of the so-called Party favourite.

Perhaps Potteye what happened in the city 10 years ago was something to do with an abject lack of political leadership?

At this stage in the process, I think I'll leave it to others to demolish the arguments of 'guest'.

Our AGM was legitimate, and no such direction has been received by me to explain why it was declared 'null and void'.
It does, however, silence the true voice of Stoke Central.
No such memo came my way to 'push back the AGM to June 2010'
For what reason?

Today, I have formally applied to be included onto the shortlist of Stoke Central CLP.
I will make a further announcement on this progress, if I am refused or it becomes an 'all women shortlist'.

I have the backing of senior members to go down this path.

Sarah Hill, Jane Heggie and co (and all comers) must give me the right to stand before my peers and to say why I should be chosen.
Do not be scared of my popularity be positive of your own applications.

I've noted the letter by Sarah Hill in last nights Sentinel and she attacked me personally.
The view above is that men beat women per say.
I disagree.
I have 27 years loyal service to Mark Fisher and Stoke Central CLP and I ask nothing but fairness, equality and no discrimination anywhere upon anyone.

Gary

Sarah Hill tried the "women haters" thing on me. It a cheap shot and totally off the mark and out of order and smacks of desperation.

When she said it to me there was:

- 4 women out of 10 on the EMB (3 Labour)

- All Constituency Chairs were women

- The Group Leader was a Woman

- 1 woman MP

Quite right Mike, that was the line I gave in my 2 hour appeal.
I also put it to them that all 3 officers of the City party/LGC were women, all Stoke Central, that every position in Stoke Central that required a female was voted that way and that the last two women Stoke Central voted to be our Annual Conference delegates were Sarah Hill and Margaret Lilley.

The look on the eyes of the appeals panel gave the impression that the ground needed to open up and swallow them into safety.

Can't wait to go to Court.

Do you have any records of any Councillor/Mayoral position who used swear words during Labour business and then reported to the relevant bodies?

Ken Loach gives what I think is a pretty good political analysis of the demise of the labour party in his interview on:

http://pitsnpots.co.uk/news/2010/03/big-debate-pre-debate-interviews#com...

He makes a point I can relate to from my brief membership of the party (which I struggle to remember when it was exactly but I'm thinking around 1994-5) that all they wanted was a visa card number to collect subscription and they weren't interested in having an active political group.