Losing to the Conservatives in Henley was not a surprise; the sheer scale of the defeat was. Can there really be any further demonstration required of the need to change direction?

Left wing Labour caucus Compass unexpectedly backed 42-day detention last night, when its parliamentary leading lights, John Trickett and Jon Cruddas voted for the controversial measure.

Trickett, under fire for this decision has resigned as parliamentary spokesman for the group. Leading left-winger John McDonnell is boycotting the up-coming Compass conference in response.

John McDonnell has announced that he is boycotting the Compass conference this weekend over leading Compass MPs' support for 42 days legislation.  Yet he ignores the fact that it was his own Socialist Campaign Group MPs that made the key difference to the vote.

Guardian article  below. And  John McDonnell is  absolutely right to boycott the event.
COMPASS is still sending  out e-mails to supporters opposing  42 days.Now its MPs  cave in. Is Cruddas a career politician, someone asked ? I think we  know the answer now.

Our policies have to flow from an understanding of the kind of society we want explains Jon Cruddas in the Independent today, he argues 'Elections are decided by which party can convince voters they have the right vision for Britain and the ideas to implement it. They are decided by which party can forge a message and consequential policy agenda that is emotionally in tune with the contemporary challenges of our time'.

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/jon-cruddas-were-talking-a-language-thats-failing- to-resonate-834601.html

Though Labour's loss of Crewe and Nantwich is a blow for Labour and an unwelcome boost for the Conservatives, it hardly represents a surprise. The Brown government's serial mistakes - most notably, the recent watershed abolition of the 10p tax band - and failure to develop a convincing political narrative were always going to make success difficult, but the death blow to the party's chances was delivered by an inept, negative and poisonous campaign.

On the 7th anniversary of the day clerical fanatics left 3,000 dead in downtown Manhattan, it will also be the 5th anniversary of the assassination of Swedish foreign minister, Anna Lindh.

If you had asked any Swedish SD member, of who was going to be their next leader and Prime Minister, chances are, most would have said Anna Lindh. After the Cameroon style Conservatives took power in Sweden in 2006, the Social Democrats had a whole list of women that they could choose for leader. People like Margot Wallstrom and Carin Jamtin, as well as Ulrica Messing were considered. Eventually, they chose Mona Sahlin, who I'm sure is going to be the first female PM of Sweden.

In Denmark, Neil Kinnock (bad omen for the Danish Social-Democrats) 's daughter in law, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, is the leader of the Social Democrats. Finland has Tarja Halonen.

In France, they selected Segolene Royal, who I hope wards off her ex-husband for the nomination in 2012. I personally would like Bernard Kouchener to run for PS.

In Spain, Zapatero has shown his feminist policies, in his cabinet composition. It has more women than men, for the first time, and he has been groundbreaking in introducing social reforms in a conservative Catholic society.

There is a difference though between Labour's increase in female MP's, and other countries. Not only do we not have a realistically competent leader after Brown, it is particuarly potent, in the MP's selected by all-female shortlists. 

I predict Spain's first female PM could be new defence minister, Carme Chacon, the rising star of the party, while Bibiana Aido has a bright future, and Zapatero's deputy is the respected Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega.

Their are some female MP's from 1997 who are very good. I greatly respect Ann Cryer, and my MP, who is a notoriously great, in getting involved in constituency matters, Siobahn McDonagh. I have alot of time for Yvette Cooper, as I also do for Geraldine Smith. There are also those from the pre-1997 intake I respect, such as Joan Ruddock or Gwyneth Dunwoody.

But gone are the days when we could have had a great female leader. Barbera Castle is the best leader we've never had, in my opinion. Mo Mowlam would have been a great leader.

However, there are people who are neither SCG members nor New Labour flunkies, in the Compass section. I think Helena Kennedy's talents are greatly wasted in the Lords, and she should be, at least, Secretary of Justice. I greatly admire Yasmin Quershi (as well as, and I know he's a man, Chuka Umunna).

So all hope is not lost, but when I see other Social-Democratic parties with women, who are clearly to the left of New Labour, but still moderate, I can conclude that there is much work to be done, if we want to win future elections, and gain the political agenda for the Left.

P.S. Could someone please tell me, the Compass-style candidates being selected other than in Streatham and Bolton South-East?

This year's Compass National Conference Born Free and Equal will take place on Saturday 14 June 2008 at the Institute of Education in London. Held in association with Unite, The Guardian and New Statesman the conference will ask the question ‘How do we deliver equality in the 21st century?', high profile speakers include amongst others Ed Miliband, Douglas Alexander, Polly Toynbee, Jon Cruddas, Neal Lawson and Ruth Lister.

New controversy has hit the Brown Government amid the speculation that Lord Digby Jones will be leaving his position as Trade Minister before the next election. The former director general of the CBI was brought in apparently in a move toward Brown's big tent politics. Jones is commonly seen as more Tory than Labour, so his departure is certainly better late than never, but the question should not be why is Digby Jones leaving? But, why was he ever allowed in, in the first place?

Compass are delighted to announce our post-elections debate taking place on Tuesday 6 May from 6pm in the Boothroyd Room, Portcullis House, London.

As time goes by, it becomes increasingly clear that the COMPASS "left" is a chimera. I keep seeing articles by Trickett and Cruddas ( usually with policies first espoused by the LRC) calling for a change of direction but when it comes to actually standing up and being counted what do they do ? Very little.

The culmination of a fantastic campaign by trade unions saw 147 MPs, almost entirely Labour, turn out two weeks ago to back a Bill designed to give more than one million agency workers equal pay and equal treatment alongside their directly-employed counterparts.

Leaders from across the centre-left, civil society and from all corners of the UK, have today urged every progressive voter; activist and organisation to get behind the campaign to re-elect Ken Livingstone, in a statement co-ordinated by Compass.

Compass and Progress are pleased to invite you to a crucial discussion on Labour's future direction entitled: Winning a fourth term: what's the road to victory? The debate is kindly hosted by the LGA Labour Group. Speakers include: Rt Hon Hazel Blears MP, Secretary of State for Communities & Local Government; Rt Hon Charles Clarke MP, Former Home Secretary; Neal Lawson, Chair of Compass; Jon Trickett MP, Compass Parliamentary Spokesperson and chaired by Michael White, The Guardian (tbc). It takes place on Wednesday 19 March, 6pm-7.30pm at the Bevin Hall, Local Government House, Smith Square, London, SW1P 3HZ.

Click here to register

It should not surprise us that again New Labour is claiming that all of society’s ills can be solved through getting people back to work. However, it certainly should disappoint us that this latest attack is made on those most vulnerable in society.

Today Compass has launched a debate and consultation on the counter terrorism bill. We’re delighted that both Jacqui Smith the Home Secretary and Shami Chakrabarti Director of human rights group Liberty have set out the arguments both for and against the government’s proposals on the Compass website at www.compassonline.org.uk. The articles are complimented with a consultation which will run until Friday 15 February.

Take part in the consultation and speak out on the proposals

The statement launched by Progress today is to be welcomed. Not because they are right but because it helps spark a debate. So far its largely Compass saying that Brown needs to up his game. Now there is contestability over which direction and the more free market elements of Labour’s big tent will presumably welcome an injection of political competition.

Following the launch of the pamphlet Machines, markets and morals: the new politics of a democratic NHS we can announce a major debate in the House of Commons at 6pm on Thursday 28 February with Compass Chair Neal Lawson, Professor Julian Le Grand, UNISON's Head of Health Karen Jennings, Anna Coote from the Healthcare Commission and chaired by The Observer's Mary Riddell.

Over 150 people crammed into committee room 9 last night for a lively and informed debate on migration. The meeting was chaired by the country’s leading social policy commentator Polly Toynbee. The debate first heard from the Minister for Immigration, Liam Byrne who set out the reasons why he believes the policies being implemented by Labour are “firm but fair”.