Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Mr Harman Goes to Westminster?

And so it has come to pass. Jack Dromey looks as if he will get the Labour nomination for Birmingham Erdington. He's on a shortlist of four. But strangely, none of them are women. I'm sure Labour Party chairman and equality spokesperson Harriet Dromey Harman will have something to say about that.

Or then again, not.

32 comments:

Liz said...

Ian Lavery (NUM president) is also on a shortlist for the safe seat of Wansbeck. It was supposed to be one of those seats where an all-women shortlist would be imposed, but mysteriously, the all-women requirement somehow melted away as soon as his name was mentioned in association with the seat.

neiljward said...

Its amazing what union money can buy these days.

moorlandhunter said...

Labour equality is a mantra for Labour, except for when Mr Harman is given a Labour seat?
Was he shoe horned or was greased used to fit in the seat?

Anonymous said...

"Neil James said...
Its amazing what union money can buy these days."

A sex change?

MikeyP said...

NJ:

I would not have thought the NUM has too much money these days. He is more like to know where the bodies are buried! (Likewise Mr Harperson)

Alan Douglas said...

Titus, nearly right - Harpy knows who wears the trousers in their household, so the inverse applies as well.

Alan Douglas

Anonymous said...

Maybe Mr Harman has been awarded the rank of Honorary Female?

I waouldn't put it past The Comrades to rty a manoeuver like that.

Wally West said...

It's nice to be a favourite for a safe seat. Not that Iain would know anything about that!

@liz Wansbeck isn't that safe, hence it didn't go AWS. If you think that the NUM has any sway in the Labour Party any more, you are quite silly. They aren't an affiliated union.

Anonymous said...

How much of the Taxpayer money, designated by ZaNULabour, went to Unite for so called union training? So we the taxpayer are subsidising the cost of Union nominee's for MP constituencies. Yet another form of GerryMandering devised by this SCUM labour gov.

Penfold said...

Nepotism and Favouritism.

Why no squeals of outrage from Harperson.

This stinks and Dromey deserves to lose his deposit.

If this was DC in action with the wife the squeals would be awesome and the meeja would be lining up to take potshots.

A pox on all of 'em.

hatfield girl said...

If I lived in Erdington I'd try very hard to get this lot disbanded and their New Labour tax-payer cash infusions diverted to the local council, where they belong.

'The Erdington Town Centre Partnership (ETCP) is an independent, not-for-profit, local regeneration organisation established to bring the people, businesses and City Council together to improve the delivery of services for the benefit of stakeholders within the Town Centre. It comprises a locally elected Executive which meets on a regular basis and its Board (comprising directors and representatives) is elected from local residents, businesses, community/voluntary groups and local public sector organisations.

VISION
“Erdington to become a cleaner, safer, greener and more inviting place in which to shop, live, work, learn and invest, attracting prosperity to the area”


• Work to bring together the stakeholder organisations partnerships and people involved in town centre developments
• Provide a vehicle for communication and consultation of plans
• Represent the views of the Town Centre Partnership members in developing plans...'

Another New Labour Project diversion of resources that should be under the control of the democratically elected City Council. But Birmingham isn't Labour any more, is it.

golden_balls said...

i would prefer to have more choice than four men but what do you suggest iain should people be included just to tick boxes ?

perhaps a woman a gay and a black man would be a better choice to pick a PPC ??

Anonymous said...

Every time you think New Labour can't plumb new depths, it does.

I wonder if Harman has the faintest idea how ridiculous this makes her and her 'equality' bill look.

On the other hand, perhaps hubby won't be selected.

Ha, bloody ha.

John said...

From what in that article did you get that Dromey is going to get selected? It said nothing about the other candidates and their merits, or the number of nominations from branches/unions for each of them - so either your knowledge of Erdington CLP is better than you're letting on, or you're pre-guessing the results of a democratic process. I would remind you of the Georgina Gould situation, where everyone was wailing about her being parachuted when in fact local members never intended that to be the outcome - it was mere press hyperbole.

Patriccus said...

RE: golden_balls:

Not at all, but a bit of consistency from ZaNu-Labour's arch-manderine of equality would be refreshing.

Anonymous said...

Do as I say Not as I do!

Harman and Labour all along.

I find it crass the way she tries to be so 'working class' when she sends her kids to schools because she does not want them being taught in comprenhensive schools with us plebs, she makes class an issue when she has had a golden spoon background and talks feminism and then allows the rules to be manipulated for her husband.

Bird said...

Apart from union money, and being Harperson's hubby, don't forget, as Party Treasurer, he stuck the knife into Blair by saying he knew nothing about cash for peerages.

Michael Heaver said...

Even I'm amazed with this one. Beyond cheeky.

LibDem Nazi said...

Harman and her nutty policies reminds me of the two ronnies sketch where woman take over! They made the men ware skirts etc.

No thanks to that!

Unknown said...

I'm not sure that Dromey will win. The last time the constituency Labour Party had a parachutist dropped in it didn't work out too well for them.

Dual Citizen said...

Sion Simon did a chicken run because he knew his constituents woul kick him out. How will they feel about their next MP being -

a) Hattie Harperson's Henpecked Husband.

b) Labour Party Treasurer during Cash for Honours, and Abrahams dodgy donations.

c) The man in charge of Labour's finances as it goes bust.

Anonymous said...

Do as I say, not as I do, is Labour's message to its constituency parties.

Why is anyone shocked or surprised by this?

Gerry57 said...

'Bird' you are quite right. £14m came into the coffers from the loans for peerages and Treasurer Dromey 'had no idea'. He'll make a great MP. Harman wants them to be a 'golden couple' to rival Cooper-Balls.

Andy said...

Harman really is the definitive hypocrite isn't she

Anonymous said...

The point, golden balls, is the stinking labour hypocrisy.

HH screams blue murder about equality and the chance to put even a single woman on the short list is ignored in the rush to get her dear left hubby into parliament.

Alvin said...

HarPERSON surely?

golden_balls said...

Patriccus

If you didn't understand the point i was making well thats not my problem lol i think some did or i hope so.

Victor, NW Kent said...

In socialism "all are equal - some are just more equal than others".

Animal Farm, George Orwell.

Mitch said...

Hmmmm lets have a guess eh 3 of these "candidates will have to stand down for odd reasons and Mr Harman will be elected with a postal vote landslide.
Carlsberg don't rig elections but......

Letters From A Tory said...

Gordon Brown, writing in the Guardian, January 15th 2010:

"Our values demand a genuine meritocracy for all British people"

Sean said...

The issue of diversity of candidates is not just a Labour one, although HH's shrill approach makes Labour especially vulnerable to this kind of criticism.

the joker said...

I think you have this one spot on Iain.
All women shortlists is the New Labour device used to fool journalists, who then go on to fool the audience.
The truth is that all women shortlists was developed to keep certain people out.
If a person was targetted, who happened to be a man, then he was all women shortlisted.
The open shortlist comes about when a shoe in is required but other methods are recruited such as advanced membership lists and targetted mailings. Those considered 'suspect' are not mailed.