There seems to be a great deal of interest in who the new Labour candidate in St Peters and North Laine might be. The general consensus is that the candidate is female. (I think I may have intimated that already).
The speculation includes former leader of the Council, Lynette Gwyn-Jones who represented the old St Peters ward in the early 1990s. Is she from a family dynasty locally. Her former husband is the former Member of Parliament for Brighton Kemptown, Des Turner. Interesting.
Someone has suggested Tom French’s mother (whose name I don’t know). She lives in the ward and is an active Labour Party member. But can a one-off by-election candidate qualify the family as a dynasty?
Claire Calder has been suggested by Dani (who often has her pulse on events) and another (Farris Hifch – very funny). Both Claire’s parents, Jean Calder and Andy Winter, were Labour councillors in the late 1980s and early 1990s. This heritage has more credibility than, say, the French family, but they are hardly in the class of Theobald, Firch or Les Hamilton.
Luke Walter suggests someone from the Forrester Clan. Delia Forrester was part of the Queens Park Mafia that was so soundly defeated by the Greens four years ago. Tom Forrester was a Labour councillor in Hanover before defecting to the SDP in the early 1980s. Is Delia making a comeback? Or is another generation of Forrester about to grace us with their candidature?
Harris Fitch, a fourth generation Labour activist and future councillor) has written of the prospective candidate: “The person is a dear friend of mine, they are extremely capable and will make a great candidate and councillor! I don’t know when it’s being planned to be announced but you certainly have it right that the Greens will be worried!”
I suspect that an announcement will be made tomorrow or Saturday.
Filed under: Council Elections 2011 | Tagged: Andy Winter, Claire Calder, Delia Forrester, Des Turner, Fitch, Harris Fitch, Jean Calder, Les Hamilton, Luke Walter, Lynette Gwyn-Jones, North Laine, Queens Park, St Peter's, Theobald, Tom Forrester, Tom French |
Brighton Politics Blog 
As an SPNL candidate for Labour I have to say how delighted I am with our new candidate. The news will be announced very soon and I can assure everyone she is of the highest calibre.
We have a fine selection of candidates and the most excellent campaigning team. We are working hard for the right result in St Peters and North Laine.
But for those who want to know now… It’s…. better not..
Is it going to be announced with a big fanshaw – I mean fanfare?
Hmm, this could be awkward! But not especially for the Greens.
By the way has anyone heard from Jean Calder, her blog has been awfully quiet for months?
Claire seems intelligent and decent, although I do worry that a number of young aspriring politicians on the left seem to have chosen allegiance with Labour based on family tradition instead of thinking outside the box.
Tony Benn was right when he once said that politics should be about issues and not personalities. This blog (good though it is and the blogger would be flattered by the number of councillors who do read it) is in danger of becoming a soap opera. Perhaps time for more consideration of the “isshhoos” as Mr Benn would have said?
BTW – the Nasty Party were back in force at tonight’s Council meeting with pretty nasty and unnecessary personal (not “isshhoos” led) barbed attacks on opposition councillors, rewriting of history and misrepresentation from the Dear Leader; Fallon-Khan and; Mini-Mears Maria. How was the view from the public gallery BPB (if you were there)?
Agree with Craig on issues over personalities. Reading this post, I feel as if I’m watching EastEnders after not doing so for several years. I’m not sure who the characters are, and am not sure whether I’m that interested.
Having watched the budget debate online I was amazed at all the petulant grandstanding, most of it from the administration. They gave the impression of bad losers, knowing they were on the way out, although chickens should not be counted on that score.
Any thoughts on whether personal attacks have got worse since the introduction of the more adversarial cabinet system?
Interesting point by Clive re the cabinet system being a possible cause of the increase in arrogance and personal attacks by members of the administration. I’ve noticed a gradual deterioration in behaviour over the last year (the cabinet system has been in play far longer) but any mechanism or system of government cannot and should not be an excuse for failures in standards of personal behaviour.
The real problem which Lab/Green/LD councillors have all commented on at one time or another is that the Tories fail to realise that they are a minority administration and delay or refuse to release information to opposition councillors (I’m still waiting for a detailed update on the Brighton Centre and the i360 after the relevant Cabinet member agreed to provide it in late February!). Political knock about is to be expected but personal attacks are not.
Re Clive’s point about Eastenders: several candidates could certainly pass for Phil Mitchell, myself included!
Excellent news today regarding the announcement of Clare our new candidate who is a superb addition to the team. I’m just back from a days canvassing on some of the estates in the Ward and met some great people but with some serious concerns.
Lots of support for Labour.
I agree with Craig, there has been a steady decline in the standards of behaviour on the council. It’s frankly embarrassing to see some of the personal attacks, point scoring and name calling that goes on in some tax-payer funded public council meetings. Governance committee has been particularly bad as well as full council.
In all the time I’ve been involved with politics in this city, Labour candidates have always been reporting the great response they’ve got on the doorstep. Yet Greens keep advancing. So excuse me if I take their reports with a pinch of salt!
I’ll stay focussed on my campaigning and they can focus on whatever they do. And hopefully we can instil a better culture in the next council, should we be elected.
All the best,
Jason