Happy now one and all?
Saturday 20 March 2010
the inevitable happens
I posted last month about Anne Moffat MP and the attempts to deselect her. It looks like they have succeeded. The party nationally declined to step in and help, and she blames a sustained campaign of bullying within her constituency party. But that doesn't happen, does it boys?
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Anne is appealing on Monday to the NEC - fat chance that they will do anything.
It seems that she has suffered a really sustained campaign of harrassment ; forced to deny totally made-up rumours of an affair with Jim Sheridan;blamed for being brutally mugged and attacked ('no-one was ever found or charged' said a CLP trusty); accused of 'going her own way'. 'not consulting', 'not attending CLP meetingsd' etc etc. Oh, where oh where have I heard all this before?
Apparently, the national leadership has got a tame 26 year old female researcher lined up for Anne's seat. If this is the case, Labour will undoubtedly lose. This sounds very familiar too....
Would this count as bullying at work and is there a legal remedy?
fat chance indeed, this is familiar territory, this has lost them the seat but what do the NEC care
Yes - it seems to meet all the criteria for bullying at work.
The problem is that being an MP has never been defined as a proper job - ie, who would be Anne's 'employer'?
Is it the electorate or is it the CLP?
You could certainly argue that it is the CLP because without their say so, the so-called 'job' becomes null and void - as is probably the case now.
She should seek legal advice. it makes me thoroughly sick that when the likes of Frank Field and Robert Kilroy-Silk of all people, were threatened with de-selection, the Leader and NEC stepped in with a lifeboat.
But of course, they were boys weren't they and Anne, being only a girl, is expendable.....
Makes a total mockery of that Blair Babe photo - or does it?
In retrospect that was not about 121 new women MPs, it was about a male PM,surrounded by geisha girls. Some got uppity and wouldn't play the game and so they had to be disposed of. Although elected later (2001), Anne was one of those.
For example, she sometimes played it like a boy and went for a drink in Annie's Bar - instead of sipping tea and doing crochet whilst sharpening pencils for Mother Superior Hilary Armstrong.
Therefore a bad girl and had to be removed.
Because some are more equal than others and Anne simply refused to know her place.
Good on her!
This poor woman was accused of an affair with Jim Sheridan, rather than Tommy Sheridan? A gross slur on her aesthetics and judgement, as well as on her morals.
Well the boys in Reading lost 5,000 votes with their pointless deselection and it wasn't so close to the election, but hey the Labour Party has even more seats it can throw away.
I think the House of Commons is the employer because it pays the salary. As an employer, it has a duty of care towards its employees so it should take action to protect its employees from bullying.
Anne has now formally appealed to the NEC, complaining that the meeting itself was intimidatory, bullying and illegal as it was packed with opponents and the wider constituency was not invited to vote postally.
Media have been told that the CLP has objected to Anne's 'style' whatever that means and 'approach to her duties' which is bullshit for saying they want her out at any cost.
It has been leaked that the NEC is unlikely to uphold her appeal because'circumstances have changed' - ie, they have got someone lined up for the seat.
It is disgusting.
She could always engage Stephen Byers to argue her case.
If she's got a spare £5k/day that is.
MPs should get a Union to represent them.
Indeed - she is being booted out because some bullies in her CLP 'don't like her'.
Well, hey - I don't like Jack Straw's contact lenses but didn't know it was an excuse to boot him out of a job.
Though come to think of it....
On the subject of Stephen Byers I note you have been very quiet re the lobbying issue. This wouldn't be because Byers, Hewitt and Hoon are all arch Blairites, a bit like yourself, and you wouldn't want to upset Tone now would you.
oooh anon 1142 get you. I haven't posted about Stephen Byers or lobbying because I don't think it is very interesting. My gaff, my rules. And as for "upsetting Tony", well, I certainly am a Blairite, and I am a fan of Geoff Hoon too. So what? I think it highly unlikely that Tony reads this blog, or any other, and even less likely that he gives a stuff about what I think - or what Stephen Byers thinks come to that.
I don't think that a 'Blairite' is necessarily a slavish follower of Tony Blair the individual. I would have thought that it denoted holding a certain set of politcal views. Being a Thatchedrite doesn't mean that you have to be a fan of Thatcher the person.
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