Archives for March 2010

They may not be looking into the skies above Nottingham East. But Labour activists are expecting another favoured parliamentary candidate to be parachuted into the constituency.

It follows the decision of government whip John Heppell to stand down, after 18 years representing Nottingham East. His wife Eileen has been ill.

There are influential local Labour politicians who would wish to be considered.

Jon Collins, the Leader of Nottingham City Council, would be seen as a front runner.

He was also tipped for Ashfield after Geoff Hoon announced he was standing down.

Timing is everything in politics and the clock is ticking fast to Gordon Brown calling the election.

As in Ashfield, Labour's ruling National Executive Committee looks set to have a big say.

There is still grumbling over the selection process that enthroned Labour's new "Red Queen", Gloria De Peiro, into such a safe parliamentary seat.

In Nottingham East, there's already talk that Christopher Leslie is the favoured candidate.

He's a former minister and was once tipped as "a minister to watch" in the early days of the Blair government.

He lost his Shipley seat in West Yorkshire at the last election and now runs a Downing Street-favoured policy think-tank.

Significantly, he worked with the schools secretary Ed Balls on Gordon Brown's successful (if uncontested) leadership election to succeed Tony Blair.

All this irritates local politicians, who may not get the chance to be considered for Nottingham East; Labour majority 7,000.

Jane Urquhart, Labour's transport supremo in Nottingham, is another would-be candidate wondering what exactly is going on.

But Nottingham East may not be the easy shoe-in for "Friends of Gordon".

A Sunday newspaper suggested a policy adviser to Lord Mandelson was also circling Nottingham East.

Whoever is parachuted in, watch out their lines don't get in a tangle.

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One veteran Labour county councillor from Ashfield said he was "disgusted"; another talked of "careerists putting self interest above the party".

The harsh words have been directed at two of Labour's biggest names from the East Midlands, the Leicester West MP Patricia Hewitt and Ashfield's Geoff Hoon.

The former Cabinet ministers have been suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) after they were exposed in Channel Four's "Dispatches" programme on Monday. They were secretly filmed revealing how much it would cost to hire them to influence government policy making.

The Labour leader of Ashfield Distict Council, John Knight, has warned Gordon Brown that the party faced "slow pain" at the polls, if nothing was done against the former ministers... a sign that suspending them from the parliamentary party may not be enough.

"The real tragedy is it is not just about Geoff. He is a man who personifies an entire generation of middle-class Labour MPs, who have absolutely no affinity or understanding of the people they are supposed to represent," said Councillor Knight.

There's been no word yet from Geoff Hoon or Patricia Hewitt. But they will feel angered at the disciplinary steps taken by the PLP. Was it revenge for their attempt in January to force a leadership challenge to Gordon Brown?

Both MPs have their outside interests listed in the MPs' register. It's all above board. It's within the parliamentary rules. Channel Four's exposure caught them looking for work and consultancies when they are no longer MPs and no longer on a parliamentary salary. There's nothing illegal there either.

They are standing down when the general election is called. That's now going to be very soon indeed.

At least we now know how much it costs to hire a former cabinet minister for a day's consultation - anything from £2,500-£3,000. Nice work.

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Gloria De Piero has probably done the easy bit. The former breakfast TV presenter will be Labour's candidate for Ashfield. She won a postal ballot of Labour members in the Nottinghamshire seat hands down. The real contest now begins. The Liberal Democrats have already fired their first shot. Accusing Labour of parachuting in a celebrity, the Lib Dems claim many local people will be "angry and disappointed" that Labour picked an outsider. In a statement they say:

"Once again, Labour have shown they take Ashfield for granted. She cannot pretend to understand the issues of Ashfield."

Well, watch out for Gloria in the local estate agents. She plans to live in the constituency and is offering the reassuring words that you would expect of any ambitious would-be MP. Her statement says:

"I will listen to the voters of Ashfield to ensure my priorities are their priorities."

The Lib Dems' hopeful is the former leader of Ashfield Council Jason Zadrozny. His election slogan is shaping up as "born and bred in Ashfield".

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If you think parish pump politics is like an episode from "The Vicar of Dibley", then think again. All is far from quiet in parish council land. In fact, there's noticeable disquiet. It's over their future role and the devolving of new responsibilities from Whitehall. The days when parish councils only had powers over the local allotments or playing fields are over. Now they are to get a bigger say on planning issues, parking fines and even anti-social behaviour orders.

In part, this is the result of the abolition of district councils in county areas that have opted for unitary status, such as Cheshire. With the middle tier of local government gone, parish councils have an enhanced role. It's what all the parties have in mind when they talk about encouraging "localism".

But are our parish councils and the "locals" who sit on them really up to the job? Julie O'Neill says definitely not. She was elected onto the parish council in Burton Joyce, a suburban village just north of Nottingham, and quit in protest after two years.

"The members of parish council behave like bumbling amateurs," she told me.

"They are unaccountable, expensive and secretive. Quite honestly, the question isn't whether they should have more responsibilities, the question is: 'Do we really need them?' If they didn't exist, the district councils would still have to provide the services."

That doesn't persuade Brian Wood, of the Association of Parish Councils in Derbyshire:

"I just don't recognise the picture that Julie paints. Our experience is that parish councillors are more in tune with local needs and the prospect of getting more responsibilities handed down is to be welcomed. Newly elected parish councillors may not always have the experience needed, but there is plenty of help and training available."

Devolving power to the parishes is likely to step up after the general election.

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The former war reporter Martin Bell has told me some of his battle plans to field independent candidates in the East Midlands for the general election. The man in the white suit who became an independent MP has his sights set on at least three constituencies.

They are held by some of the region's best known politicians.

The TV celebrity Esther Rantzen is to stand as an independent in Luton South. But Martin Bell rules out parachuting a celebrity into the East Midlands.

So should Labour's Keith Vaz, Alan Meale and the Tory maverick Alan Duncan be worried? After all, all three had some explaining to do in the recent scandal over MPs' expenses. Martin Bell told me:

"We are looking for candidates who are trusted and well known in their own communities. Richard Taylor did it in Wyre Forest. So why can't it also happen in Mansfield, Leicester East and Melton and Rutland?"

Mansfield already has an independent candidate selected. But Martin Bell admits finding independent-minded people prepared to stand is not so easy.

"We had a promising candidate to take on Alan Duncan in Melton and Rutland, but he changed his mind."

Martin Bell isn't planning to stand himself. But if you spot the white suit in the East Midlands in the coming weeks, he may be in search of candidates.

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