The new Brighton and Hove Labour Party formally came into being this morning with an all-City AGM. New officers have been elected and my source at the centre of power believes the new line-up of officers makes “a strong team” and that there will be a new focus on campaigning as opposed to endless meetings.
Adrian Morris is the newly elected Chair. (I know it will upset my Labour friends when I remind them that Adrian stood down at the 11th hour as candidate in St Peters and North Laine in the 2011 elections. I hope he has greater staying power this time).
The two new vice-chairs are Nigel Jenner (who did well in the Westbourne by-election in December) and Christine Robinson (who I respect as a strong trade unionist who works for GMB). The new executive committee is made up of Juan Leahy, Tracey Hill, Caroline Penn, former councillor Kevin Allen & Chaun (I am sorry but I don’t know her surname, but
she impressed with what sounds what appeared to be a great speech).
I understand that this AGM marks a watershed for Labour in Brighton and Hove with a shift of focus away from the internal reviews to a new focus on taking on the Tories & campaigning on national issues. Mike Weatherley will be a main focus of some of the campaigning, but it remains to be seen whether the New New Labour in the City will be able to let go of their obsession with the She Devil and All Her Works (my regular readers, Momma Grizzly, Doris and Biker Dave know that that is a reference to Caroline Lucas – not my view but that of the likes of Harris Fitch).
It looks as though Labour will field a candidate for Police Commissioner, which is a shame since the Party has no chance of being successful, where as an independent might just spring a surprise.
The Greens could take a leaf or two out of Labour’s book when it comes to selecting candidates for the European elections. Labour’s selection will have gender balance so if (as expected) Peter Skinner is number 1 on the Labour list, number 2 will be a woman.
So we have a new dawn for Labour in Brighton and Hove which can be nothing but a good thing for the political process. It really isn’t a time for sound bites, but I sense the hand of history on my shoulder …..
(Update: Chaun’s surname is Wilson)
(Update 2: changed ‘sound items’ to ‘sound bites’)
Filed under: Politics | Tagged: Adrian Morris, Biker Dave, Brighton, Caroline Lucas, Caroline Penn, Chaun Wilson, Christine Robinson, Doris, Harris Fitch, Hove, Juan Leahy, Kevin Allen, Labour, Mike Weatherley, Momma Grizzly, Nigel Jenner, North Laine, Peter Skinner, St Peter's, Tracey Hill, Westbourne |
Brighton Politics Blog 
Well having been at the meeting today I would say we have a most capable Chair. BPB you BPB you say you risk upsetting your Labour friends but you haven’t. I stood with Adrian in SPNL, he stood down, we all moved on, stayed friends, and he carried on campaigning for Labour, showing his staying power. I respect BPB’s view that we will be calling the Tories to task but I have to confess that I am in the ranks of Harris Fitch , the She Devil nicked our votes, not the Tories ones, and we will nick them back.
Pavilion is not a case of “nicking back” votes. Look closely at the syllables of my quotation from your comment. A very interesting situation. I do know something about elections, sneer as the Tories might.
No one ‘nicks’ anyone else’s votes, ever. People stopped voting Labour because of the way they acted when in power. Ed Miliband, to his credit, has shown some signs of understanding this.
Really Pete: “nicking back” votes?
I would hope you would try and earn voters’ trust in your policies and candidates, not steal (isn’t that what “nick” means? – and doesn’t it imply dishonesty?) voters’ votes.
If Labour in B&H really think winning elections is about “nicking votes” it’s no wonder the party has 0 MPs and only 13 councillors!
If Labour – or any other party for that matter – is talking about “our” votes it suggests to me there is still a long way for that party to go to regain credibility. Votes belong to voters, not political parties; as soon as parties begin to take their supporters for granted they are in trouble. I feel that Labour’s decline in Brighton is partly as a result of precisely that attitude – many Green supporters and activists (like me) are ex-Labour supporters and and it’s not a case of “nicking back” votes, but perhaps more of explaining to voters why they should back Labour rather than Greens, especially when the She-Devil’s readiness to take on the Government on issues like austerity economics, where nationally Labour appears reluctant to do so, has not gone unnoticed (even here in Patcham).
Ben – I think you are rather mischieviously misinterpreting Pete’s rather light-hearted comment. Touched a nerve maybe?
Positive discrimination is for wimps. Real Women don’t need it. Really valuable women would be embarrassed to be selected on the basis of gender rather than merit. I spit on gender as a qualification for public service…..whatever its form.