The enhanced case for the immediate deselection of Frank Field
Though Cowards Flinch (December 2009) :
[T]here is any event no guarantee that Field isn’t simply biding his time in a fairly safe Labour seat before switching sides after the election, and that might mean the difference for Labour between loss and hung parliament, or hung parliament and victory.
If the Tories want to talk to me about a job, I will be happy to.
My door is open to any party to develop ideas. Tory, Liberal, or my own.
I respectfully submit that this is not too late for the NEC to deselect Mr Field, and select a Labour candidate instead.
(h/t Bob Piper)
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Categories: Labour Party News
Give Mandy the boot while we’re at it, seen as he’s also engaged in such bi-partisan career posturing..
agreed
I knew he was on the team at the Demos Progressive Conservatism project, but I didn’t realise his position was as an adovcate
If I recall correctly, his seat was once held by FE Smith. Now there’s a bastardly role model to behold.
Right, I’ve changed my position since last time. Let’s get rid, and do it now.
(I may well revert back to my original position after I calm down.)
I’ve retyped this message repeatedly, trying to get the tone right. Sod it.
He’s a scaremongering economically illiterate bastard with no business anywhere near the Labour party. For that matter no business even being in New Labour and that’s saying something!
Ahhhhh…
That wasn’t particularly constructive, but it did feel good.
I was tempted to say he “always courts controversy”, but he really doesn’t. On economics, on migration, on terrorism he has repeatedly taken the “its a tough choice” like when bending like willow to simplistic tabloid pressures.
I say this because it would be easy to say that the recent comments he’s made are just Frank being something of a controversialist, but I think it may be safer to read something into them. He wants attention of course but he has always had an eye on political positioning first.
Deselect him, I hear Hopi Sen‘s looking for a seat!
He was originally a Tory, he only joined Labour because he was anti-apartheid and the Tories were not. Thatcher is one of his heroes and he has a picture of her in his rooms at the House of Commons.
Think the unthinkable; deselect Frank Field.
I think you’re well on to something there LO; there is no shortage of political clout on the edge and to the back of the Labour party bench, get rid of the deadweight and select Hopi Sen – could I see a national campaign?
We can’t of someone more from our wing of the party than Hopi Sen?
I think in the most naive way possible I just like Hopi Sen, and am aware that he is looking to be selected – from our wing? It won’t be hard to find someone in Liverpool to be honest, we can drag back militants from the dark side hehe
It’s not Liverpool. It’s the Wirral.
Anyway, all this presupposes the deselection of Mr Field. Is there enough general support for a letter of complaint to the Chair of the NEC, Ann Black? Clearly it would be best coming from his CLP, but it’s necessary to be understanding about the difficult position they are in – they’ll be out campaigning, have personal friendship ties etc. – so I think any approach would have to come from outside.
That aside, I think there’s grounds for a substantial letter of complaint focused wholly on his public statement about his willingness to take a post under a Conservative administration. Such a step without explicit authority from the PLP would necessarily lead to the removal of the Labour whip, and therefore there is a real case to argue that Labour’s support forFrank Field’s election will provide the HoC with a non-Labour MP, such an action being totally outwith the party’s own constitution.
Or something.
shit yes sorry the wirral; that was a bad mistake, and not the first time it has happened, perhaps I’m unconsciously discriminatory towards the north
This guy has to go, if his CLP does nothing then the NEC has to.
We are fighting the general election and this guy is now directly attacking Brown over the economy and saying we have almost bankrupted the country.