AWS for Hull East?

alexhilton Tue Nov 06, 2007 at 01:37:22 AM GMT Print-friendly version Facebook

The NEC meets soon to decide on the next tranche of selection arrangements, one of which will be John Prescott's Hull East seat. With Prescott's son David and Gordon Brown favourite Chris Leslie believed to be interested in the seat, will the NEC be prepared to implement an all-woman shortlist?



You might ask why the question should be asked in the first place. I have been given to understand that the Regional Director, Fiona Twycross, personally attended a recent Hull East GC to explain that there is a general presumption that vacated Labour seats should have All Woman Shortlists and that they should hold back their selection arrangements until the NEC has decided whether Hull East will be AWS.

Overall, there are 54 seats in the Yorkshire & Humber region. If you take into account boundary changes, the LibDems hold three seats, Conservatives nine and Labour holds the remaining 42. If our aim is to get 40% of Labour seats represented by women, then the target should be 17 of those 42 seats and currently, if we include the already selected Rachel Reeves, we have 13 women. You would think that would guarantee the next four Labour seat in Y&H to come up would be AWS.

However, there is some local feeling in Hull that the Diana Johnson was selected from an all-woman shortlist and that Alan Johnson was a last minute parachute, meaning there hasn't been an open selection in Hull for some time. I don't know whether either of these suggestions is true. But even if they were, would that be a good enough reason not to hold an all-woman selection?


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AWS for Hull East? | 11 comments (11 topical)

Re: AWS for Hull East? (#1)

by southside on Tue Nov 06, 2007 at 09:13:03 AM GMT

Alex, do you know when this NEC meeting is likely to take place?


In Nottingham South we are still waiting and have not had any indications of what is happening and when.


Re: AWS for Hull East? (#4)

by Radford Mann on Tue Nov 06, 2007 at 10:36:25 AM GMT

If my sometimes poor memory serves me correctly, at the last GC it was considered that Thunderbirds might be go in January.


[ Parent ]

Re: AWS for Hull East? (#2)

by DenDen on Tue Nov 06, 2007 at 09:43:42 AM GMT

Where there are 2 seats coming up the Regional Board can recommend that 1 becomes AWS and 1 can be open.

We have Sheffield Central and Hull East with retiring male MPs, so 1 can be AWS and 1 an open selection.

Calder Valley is also up as the sitting MP is retiring, but as she is a women that seat will automatically be AWS to keep the % in the region up.



Re: AWS for Hull East? (#3)

by Parishpumpspin on Tue Nov 06, 2007 at 10:09:25 AM GMT

Its more than consistant with the AWS policy (which I fully support) to allow an open shortlist in safe seats with neighbouring women MP's if elsewhere in the region a simular seat goes AWS. You never know we might have a selection of a woman in an open contest, which would be nice. Just to point out also Leeds NW is classed a a seat we won after boundary review and that is AWS.


[ Parent ]

Re: AWS for Hull East? (#11)

by Louise Flint on Thu Nov 08, 2007 at 02:20:41 PM GMT

Of course they should both be AWS especially as Shipley wasn’t and there won’t be many more seats coming up at all in the region. But I would be very surprised if either – let alone both of them ended up as AWS. The reasons are simple: Jobs for the boys. Jack Scott lives in Sheffield central where he is hyper active in the constituency and city (Sheffield first, nhs board, ALMOs, uni governor etc). He is also one of gordon’s teams favourite people, blue eyed boy, protege of the brownites, etc.

Also Chris Leslie is desperate to find a seat and get back in to parliament. Everyone knows he is after Hull East and needs payback for organising the leadership election so smoothly.

I guess we’ll see just how important the women in parliament target is to region when these two are in the frame.
Louise


[ Parent ]

Re: AWS for Hull East? (#5)

by themanwithaplan on Tue Nov 06, 2007 at 06:47:59 PM GMT

Sexual equality is now well established in the UK (thank goodness), and I believe the time has come to put the past behind us.
 
I think it is well past time for the party to take the political lead and establish "open" selection processes for all their candidates. And may the best woman or man win (whatever their ethnicity, religion or sexuality)!
 
Before anyone starts berating me for my view, please consider the implications of any restriction on selection.
 
The application of an AWS or a BAME selection process could suggest that policies which we have held dear from the start of our great party aren't working.
 


Re: AWS for Hull East? (#6)

by HenryG on Tue Nov 06, 2007 at 09:52:28 PM GMT

The party agreed to have all woman shortlists until we have 40% female MPs in Westminster. We should not stop until we achieve that goal. How we get there will take a canny mixture of common sense and leadership.


Re: AWS for Hull East? (#7)

by swatantra on Tue Nov 06, 2007 at 10:44:10 PM GMT

Hull East is ideal for an AWS. It could erase the memory of Prescott.


[ Parent ]

Re: AWS for Hull East? (#8)

by lastword on Wed Nov 07, 2007 at 09:29:09 AM GMT

"Erase the memory of Prescott".

A bit harsh I must say!


[ Parent ]

Re: AWS for Hull East? (#9)

by treborc on Thu Nov 08, 2007 at 09:24:34 AM GMT

Well I remember Prescott standing next to me on the miners strikes and being hit and punched by a gang of Thatchers riot Police. It was a pity he tried to become one of Blair's New Labour.

Well lets hope the all women list are better then Wales, Blair send down a name of a women and stated this is her vote. It was a safe seat, yes and now it's independent.


Re: AWS for Hull East? (#10)

by swatantra on Thu Nov 08, 2007 at 10:46:06 AM GMT

Prescott can be complimented on his right hook; it was a joy to see him pile into that smug protester who hurled a missile at him. An example to all PPC's: We are prepared to take political insults but not rotten tomatoes.


[ Parent ]

AWS for Hull East? | 11 comments (11 topical)