The worst thing about the Peter Hain business

jusm Sat Jan 26, 2008 at 04:43:51 PM GMT Print-friendly version Facebook

The worst thing about the Peter Hain  business is the way he managed to raise about £200,000 so quickly. it says to me how badly we have got our priorities all long.




The Party is in mega debt, clp's are broke, many can't afford to send delegates to annual conference and yet a cabinet minister can raise £200,000 from mysterious sources in a very short space of time for what was essentially an exercise in personal promotion and vanity, Are those at the top of the party so bloated on their own importance and power that they can raise such obscene amounts of money for their own ends which did nothing to further the party's electoral fortunes. It says to me a lot about what is wrong with the party at the moment- in power too long and a total lack of appreciation of what the ordinary members experience?

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The worst thing about the Peter Hain business | 4 comments (4 topical)

Re: The worst thing about the Peter Hain business (#1)

by treborc on Sun Jan 27, 2008 at 10:30:44 AM GMT

Because people who lend money including the Unions expect something in return, Unions want rights, others want different things. Money will always buy you a place at the dinner table. We have a society built on greed again those with money get to see God, those without get to see Hain.


Re: The worst thing about the Peter Hain business (#2)

by JoeRoberts on Sun Jan 27, 2008 at 05:22:20 PM GMT

I have just moved house and am in a new CLP. I went along to the meeting on Friday night - 6 or 7 people spoke after the MP's report and all of them were giving it to Peter Hain with both barrels. His ears must have been burning.

First of all, it seemed like, after Christmas, we were getting back on an even keel. There were some signs that the gap was closing in the polls. Then all this blew up, an entirely self inflicted wound.

It really does stick in the throat that people were raising £200K for an internal party election for a position with no real powers and which doesn't even have a salary! I would rather that cabinet ministers were able to use their financial pulling power to get Labour MP's and councillors elected.

There is a growing school of thought in the party that questions whether we really need a deputy leader. I think we don't. The only purpose the deputy-leadership election served was as a beauty contest for a few individuals, some of whom probably wanted the top job but didn't have the bottle to challenge Gordon for it.


Re: The worst thing about the Peter Hain business (#3)

by rwendland on Sun Jan 27, 2008 at 05:41:23 PM GMT

I think the Labour Party is an important enough an institution to require a deputy leader to handle things if the leader is incapacitated for a while. As Kevin Maguire points out, Gordon Brown had a brush with death when the stricken BA jumbo glidied over(?) his armoured convoy at Heathrow. We need a deputy party leader, even if Gordon won't make her deputy PM.

Entertainingly, or is it alarmingly, Kevin also claims the gossip is:

Leader of the Commons, deputy Labour leader, etc, etc, etc, Hattie "Multitasker" Harperson, believes she's the rightful understudy, I hear. Not so, argue supporters of legal eagle Jack "The Lad" Straw, who assert that only their man, the Lord Chancellor indeed, has the authority and experience to do the job. My snout at No 10 whispers that Big Gordie, anticipating the ferret fight, is determined never to miss PMQs.


[ Parent ]

Re: The worst thing about the Peter Hain business (#4)

by JoeRoberts on Sun Jan 27, 2008 at 06:24:16 PM GMT

There are other ways around this. The leader could appoint a deputy, for example, rather than them being elected.

Or we could change the way elections are organised so the party simply sends a booklet to members including personal statements and biographies of the candidates. Candidates would not be allowed to send out their own direct mails to members, or place adverts in newspapers and magazines, like some of the deputy candidates did. I am told that this is how many trade unions hold their internal elections.

I believe Hain put a full page centre spread in the New Statesman? Why? It seems like that mag is only read by disaffected Trots and LibDems anyway.


[ Parent ]

The worst thing about the Peter Hain business | 4 comments (4 topical)