Lobbydog...

Tuesday 2 March 2010

Runners and riders in north Notts

The race to win Labour’s candidacy for Geoff Hoon’s Ashfield seat is now officially on.

The position has been advertised and the contenders have to submit their CVs by March 5, with an all women shortlist (AWS) to be announced on March 8.

We already know that former GMTV presenter Gloria De Piero (below) is in the running – she has now moved to the area in a bid to combat inevitable accusations that she’s an outsider.

Expect Fiona Twycross – a former regional director of Labour in Yorkshire – to have a go as well.

She recently lost out in the contest to be PPC for Erewash – a seat vacated by Liz Blackman MP in which a new candidate was chosen through an all women shortlist too.

Along with the obligatory union people, Christine Shawcroft, a member of Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee, has also been linked to the seat.

With the local party feeling miffed about Hoon and the imposition of the AWS, it should be an interesting one to watch.

7 comments:

Oldrightie said...

Your pal, Dromey didn't have the cojones to go here!

Anonymous said...

Quite a hotty.

Anonymous said...

Gloria is now living in the flat vacated by another wannabe who failed to make it because he is a male. Although Gloria qualifies she will probably go the same way - back to London. Some people don't get it that there are those who don't like being pushed around. Ashfield has had enough and they will stand up to such tactics. Career politicians ooze it through their skin so no amount of denial will wash away the telltale signs. There is no political oil of Ulay to cover up the imperfections. They'll be sniffed out. The fixers in the Labour Party have got it all very wrong in Ashfield and with a bit of luck they'll get blown away by the fallout. We might then get Ashfield in all its expressions returned to the people.

Anonymous said...

Lobbydog

As all MPs are essentially Lobbyfodder, this all women shortlist is just window dressing.

Why not just bring a bunch of chimps from the zoo, give them rosettes of the appropriate colour and have done with all the expense of electing troughing pigs.

Sees all too sensible to me to catch on but

Anonymous said...

De Piero has been sold a good one here. As one of Blairs "favorite journos" she has not done her research into Ashfield.

The local party has just purged itself of a MP more interested in the national scene than local one. The Labour members are looking for an accomplised campaigner with thier heart set on a local issues to fight a close GE with the Lib Dems.

De Piero by coming out in the national press over the weekend and having very little on her CV apart from student work and GMTV does not stand a chance.

Anonymous said...

Stange how all the criticism is directed at M's De Piero and nothing is being said about Christine Shawcroft's heavy lobbying and mailing of members prior to the shortlist which is morally wrong and probably against Labour Partyy rules. Christine Shawcroft is a representative on the NEC, the same body that decided on an all female shortlist.

Anonymous said...

The last comment is wrong on all counts. There is nothing against letting party members know you are standing once the vacancy is known. The Special Panel of the NEC does not include Christine Shawcroft. It was that group who wanted to see Gloria de Piero become the candidate and slipped her the information early so that she put her nomination in before it was even published officially! All the others waited until it was permissable to do. So who has been disregarding the rules? Also why have some candidates been invited to mini hustings held by branches? Those candidates should not accept as it is ethically wrong. And did Gloria not attend one which was splashed across the news? The problem is that Ashfield is being used as a political football by the establishment of the labour party so once again the people lose out.

Post a Comment