What is Big Society? Maybe debate will tell us.

The battle for the heart and soul of the ‘Big Society’ and what it means will be fought out during today’s backbench business debate in the Commons.

The first motion on the order paper talks about the Big Society as “seeking stronger communities and decentralising power”.

Those are fairly vague aspirations which leave open the possibility of Government spending and social programmes – accordingly the motion has won support from the likes of John Cruddas, Bob Russell and Tristram Hunt as well as some Cameroons.

Meanwhile the proposed amendment is far more prescriptive – suggesting such “stronger communities” should be facilitated by “increased individual and collective responsibility and freedom and reduced dependency on the state”.

In turn this amendment has won the support of the likes of Bill Cash, Christopher Chope and Edward Leigh.

Such a spat over what the Big Society means isn’t going to help David Cameron at a time when he’s already struggling to define the concept to the wider public.

De Piero's first appearance

Gloria De Piero completed her transformation to political animal today when she took up her position on the front benches of the House of Commons for the first time.

A few of the new Labour intake who have sat on the opposition front bench have appeared a little nervous, but De Piero seemed unfazed.

TV journalists tend to have an on-camera “voice” which they slip in to when reporting and De Piero used hers at the despatch box.

It gave her an air of confidence, but she’ll need to back it up with wit if she really wants to stick it to her opposite number.

On the benches behind her were two other MPs who, with De Piero, seem to be an emerging gang which will feature big in Labour’s future.

They were new shadow minister Liz Kendall, who this blog once tipped as a future player, and Tristram Hunt – who knows De Piero from student Labour days.

Former Downing Street spokesman and new shadow minister Michael Dugher, who shares an office with De Piero in Westminster also moves in the circle.

Hunting out problem policy

There has been a lot of lip-service paid to “recognising why we lost the election” among Labour ranks.

But there are a few MPs on the opposition benches who are actually pushing a more critical appraisal of the previous Government’s policies.

Among them is Tristram Hunt, the new MP for Stoke central, who I might add referred lovingly to this site as “that bloody blog”.

He said: “There is a sense on the Labour benches in this period of reflection that we should look at what policies have worked and what hasn’t worked.”

Two areas which he singled out were city academies and Labour’s 14 to 19 Diplomas.

On academies he said Labour had made an “error” in neglecting to make them susceptible to Freedom of Information law.

He freely admitted that there was a danger the schools could secretly force pupils into ‘easier’ vocational subjects in order to push up their league table standing.

That’s something Labour’s shadow education team are still loath to admit – despite the previous Government making the initial move to bring academies under the FOI Act.

Critically Hunt also suggested the 14 to 19 Diplomas – introduced by the last Government in a bid to keep youngsters in education – may be “short-changing” students.

“I have a worry about the weighting of diplomas and their equivalence to GCSEs. It seems to me that you can get an awful lot of GCSE credits for the qualifications," he said.

“But when the students get to further education colleges they will look at those qualifications [diplomas] and ask some tough questions of them – we have to make sure we are not short-changing students.”

It’s unclear whether many of his colleagues on the Labour benches would openly agree with Hunt on this issue.

What they should know is that unless they speak out, like Hunt, on specific policies they think need reviewing, the public won't believe they're conducting a proper analysis of their defeat.

Hunt gives first speech..

The new Stoke on Trent Central MP Tristram Hunt is going to give his maiden speech in the Commons later today.

He is the TV historian that was selected as the seat’s candidate, despite an outcry from some constituency party members who wanted a local to represent them.

The secretary of the local party even quit, so that he could stand as an independent Labour candidate against Hunt.

Being camera trained, the new MP is an eloquent sort and has no doubt understood the need to address the issue in some sort of way.

He’ll apparently talk a little about how his predecessor Mark Fisher became the Labour MP in the seat despite being a former Eton pupil and son of a Tory MP.

“They are, as I have discovered, enormously forgiving in the Potteries,” Hunt will tell the House.

On Labour's Lot...

Some words given to LD from Tristram Hunt, television historian, and the new Labour MP for Stoke Central.

"Now the party will move down a generation. The Blair and Brown era is over and we can move on from some of the internal party struggles surrounding that.

"A lot of the energy that was spent on it over the years was not used effectively.

"The other lesson we learn from this is to have a full and open leadership contest.

"The nature of Gordon’s election didn’t help him I don’t think. Let’s have a debate about the last 13 years and see where the party goes from here."

Labour problems...

Oddly enough Labour and the BNP have a common problem in Stoke Central.

Both parties’ candidates are facing challenges from former members who became disgruntled with the leadership.

Former BNP city councillor Alby Walker is standing against the BNP’s Deputy Leader Simon Darby (see post below).

Meanwhile the former chair of Stoke Central Constituency Labour Party is standing as an independent after quitting in protest at the “fix” which saw TV historian Tristram Hunt take the candidacy.

Gary Elsby (above) said quitting Labour and standing against it after decades of membership was a hugely difficult decision.

He said it was one he felt bound to take when he saw the lives of people in Stoke become pawns in the chess game being played between various figures at the top of the party.

He believes Stoke Central was given to the Blairite faction of the party in return for other safe seats being handed to Balls’ union boys and Harman’s all women shortlist brigade.

But it was really only the final straw by the sounds of it. Elsby said that Stoke residents had been paying taxes but for years had been given little in return compared to other places.

“We are only just starting to get regeneration here. We’re only just getting Building Schools for the Future going. If I’m honest we haven’t really achieved anything here in the last five years,” he said.

If the chair of the constituency party felt that way, I wonder how many other Labour people in the city do too.

Focus on battle for Stoke Central

Last night one of Mandelson’s favourites, Tristram Hunt, won a questionable selection contest to take the Labour candidacy in Stoke Central.

The selection panel did not allow any local contenders on the shortlist.

Fed up of being pushed around by the national party Stoke Central constituency Labour party secretary Gary Elsby has just said he’ll stand against Hunt as an independent.

I’ve no doubt that some of the people that opted for Hunt would have voted for a local candidate if they’d have had the chance.

But the news has raised the possibility of a more significant situation.

The battle between Elsby and Hunt will split the Labour vote meaning a challenge from the BNP will carry a higher chance of success.

The nationalists have a sturdy following in Stoke and a strong presence on the city council.

It’s not a coincidence that the BNP deputy party leader Simon Darby is their candidate for the seat.

People have been watching Nick Griffin in Barking up until now as the main threat from the BNP, now there are two fronts.

The Hunt is on...

The battle for the Labour candidacy in Stoke Central will be kicking off pretty soon.

It looks like the shortlist has been set up to give the seat to Mandelson’s choice Tristram Hunt – the TV historian.

The other two candidates are Saj Malik, a councillor from Oxford, and Joe Ukemenam – a guy that works for the UN.

Hunt (pictured looking mysterious)will walk it I imagine, but it looks like Ukemenam isn’t afraid of pointing out the reason why.

In his address to the party faithful he states:

I have no special friends amongst the top, rich and powerful in our party…

Not a coincidental statement methinks.