The venal and loathsome Hazel Blears survived a vote of no-confidence tonight at her Labour party meeting in Salford tonight held in Swinton Town IMG_5131 copy (2) hall,  by a  margin of 31 votes to 13.

Anger her about expense abuses has been moving between simmering and boiling over during the last few weeks.

  There was a healthy and vocal protest  set up to greet her outside the town hall. But Hazel in a desperate urge to re-connect with the voters, snuck in through some backdoor, avoiding the entire nation’s national TV news crews and a large posse of local and national reporters.

Two issues now follow.

The Labour Party have saddled themselves with the poisoned chalice of Hazel Blears until the next general  election. This can only generate more anger and bitterness over the coming months.

Secondly, by what means and mechanisms does the Left and those who opposed Blears from a principled posiIMG_4653 copy (2)tion come together to select a candidate, that they and the good folk of Salford can rally around and build a campaign that can topple Blears.

There will be a number of chancers willing to have a go, not to mention the suggestion of shoe-horning in the man in white,  Martin Bell. We now have a confident BNP who may make a running of this as well

This is a test of how the left can make its self relevant and demonstrate that it create a democratic and inclusive process as it goes forward in the the task of ‘flipping’ her out of her seat

Richard Searle

Manchester Respect

4 responses to “Hazel Blears' deselection meeting – a report”

  1. Doesn’t it say something about Labour Party membership that Blears gets the support of 31/44 people who bothered to vote on the matter.

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  2. Strikes me that with numbers like this the Labour Left is facing an open goal.Where is the campaign group and the assorted lefts that stayed in the LP. Surely now is the time to confront and get rid of the rightwing warmongers. Is there not a group that calls the left outside the sects. What are they doing??

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  3. Why is Manchester Respect wasting its time with the internal machinations of the Labour Party, especially a Labour Party devoid of the majority of active socialists in this country and with a structure specifically designed to prevent any semblence of meaningful Left wing influence. You surely don’t harbour the illusions of the institutionalised Trots who’ve long-since forgotten why they went in in the first place? Or are you looking around for a half-credible new home when Respect finally goes down the plughole? If so, you’d be better off in the long term to follow the Neil Williams and Nick Wracks of Respect and perhaps move towards helping the establishment of an independent workers party.

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