Why 2 names and not 5 as they did with Sedgefield? Why excluding some major contenders at shortlisting stage?

It looks to me a quite unwise choice by the NEC. Being shortlised and then rejected by members will probably cause less recriminations than being excluded at shortlisting stage by the NEC. This decision can upset some people (and their camp) and it's not a good thing in a byelection campaign against a strong LD effort.
 

ah, who sit on the NEC panel who drew up this shortlist?

In Sedgefield they seem to have done a better job. A 5 people shortlist with all the 3 major contenders included
 

"ah, who sit on the NEC panel who drew up this shortlist?"

I'd be interested to find that one out.

It all depends how much choice the NEC is willing to give members. Ultimately the only thing the NEC cares about is winning rather than local power bases and will ignore these if it's in the best interest of the Party.

I reckon they think that Sedgefield is the more winnable and is even including some non locals on the list.
 

"Ultimately the only thing the NEC cares about is winning rather than local power bases and will ignore these if it's in the best interest of the Party"

yes, but ignoring it they can make a defeat more likely if some people get really upset and create friction in the next couple of weeks

"reckon they think that Sedgefield is the more winnable and is even including some non locals on the list"

I think there's just 1 not local in Sedgefield shortlist (Henig is based in Chester Le Street which is not very far from Sedgefield). Melanie Johnson seems the one with no obvious connection with Sedgefield or County Durham in general..but maybe it's here just because they didn't want to do a all men shortlist and there werent' local women interested
 

"yes, but ignoring it they can make a defeat more likely if some people get really upset and create friction in the next couple of weeks"

No doubt they factored that in to their noble calculations but realistically the national party runs by elections and if local activists don't like the way they are doing it there is not a huge amount that they can do.

Anyway Gordon is enthusing me so I will be off to do some campaigning in ealing southall before the 19th which ever brilliant candidate comes through the selection process.

I stand corrected about Sedgefield.
 

"No doubt they factored that in to their noble calculations"

well, I'm probably OTT tonight as I liked what I read about Sonika Nirwal, so I hoped she would won the nomination. So I'm a bit pissed at the moment about the fact that they didn't give her a chance.

I just read on Blink that "An insider said Nirwal had "not been around long enough" to justify being selected" ......I don't remember the NEC being too concerned about Woodward not being around long enough before shortlisting him for St Helen South.



"I stand corrected about Sedgefield"

In Sedegefield the 5 are:
Phil Wilson...who was on the committee who "discovered" Blair in 1983. IIRC he used to work for the Sedgefield CLP
Simon Henig who is Chester Le Street DC Deputy Leader
Pat McCourt who is a town councillor in Ferryhill (which is in Sedgefield borough).
Alan Strickland who is from Newton Aycliffe (which is in Sedgefild Borough).
Melanie Johnson...I can't find a local connection with her
 

One of the candidates I've never heard of and the other has a reputation for being, to put it kindly, bone idle. I think the NEC (presumably at the behest of Tom Watson and the big man) have made a serious error.
 

And if there are issues about Nirwal not being around long enough, what does the 'insider' think about Jo Sidhu, who had disappeared off the face of the earth until a safe seat came along?
 

The NEC moves in mysterious ways. Presumably there is some sound reason behind the choice of Mr. None and Mr. Ricin. But no-one has told me yet.
 

PRESS RELEASE

Thursday 5 July 2007

LABOUR PARTY MEMBERS - SIKHS, WOMEN AND YOUNG PEOPLE NOT IMPRESSED BY LABOUR SELECTION PROCESS FOR EALING SOUTHALL BY ELECTION

Around two weeks ago following the death of Piara Khabra, the MP for Ealing Southall, the race began for who would be the Labour Party candidate in the by election on 19 July. Last night it was confirmed the Labour candidate would be Cllr Virendra Sharma after the Labour Selection Panel, including Keith Vaz MP and Tom Watson MP decided on a remarkably short list, of two men on Tuesday afternoon. It is reported that fellow Labour MPs like Fiona Mactaggart were furious with the outcome and made their views known with the new Party Chair, Harriet Harman.

The Labour Party had already announced in March that it would adopt an all women’s short list with the front runner being Sonika Nirwal. However, as this was a by election and a candidate for Ealing Southall had yet to be announced to replace Piara Khabra, when he stepped down, his untimely death provided the Labour Party with an opportunity to open up the selection process.

The Labour Selection Panel reduced the estimated number of applicants for this safe Labour seat from perhaps as many as 100 to eight candidates on Monday evening. Publicly there were two fairly powerful lobbies – one to ensure a woman was selected and the other to get a Sikh into the Commons, preferably a turban wearing Sikh.

It is understood two of the eight on the long list were women – Sonika Nirwal and Jasbir Anand. Seven of the eight were Sikh, with three turban wearing Sikhs, including Cllr Gurcharan Singh who was widely acknowledged as the person with most support within the local Labour Party membership that would ultimately determine who represented them. Most, but not all, on the long list were local candidates. As there were candidates on the long list that were not local some are asking why excellent candidates, like Dr Harkirtan Singh, who has been short listed before in Denton and Reddish, were excluded on this occasion.

After interviews on Tuesday the Labour Selection Panel surprisingly only named two on the short list to take part in hustings that evening and who would be put to the local Labour Party membership. The hustings on Tuesday night were only for local Labour Party members and reports suggest they proved quite tense as there were many who were upset at the short list. The absence of a woman or turban wearing Sikh in the short list were two of the main concerns.

It has been reported that the Selection Panel wanted somebody similar to the Conservative candidate Tony Lit – “an Asian man with a ‘clean cut’ image”. However, it is been unofficially suggested that part of the thinking was that Sonika Nirwal and Gurcharan Singh had some sort of skeletons in the cupboard that the opposition parties might exploit in the by election. Similar allegations could be made against the candidate selected, but only time will tell what tactics and information the opposition parties use. It is interesting that Labour has chosen to keep media coverage of its chosen candidate very quiet.

As Labour has failed to allow a woman or turbaned Sikh to be in the short list there is a risk that an independent Labour candidate will now stand. Labour has brought this on itself. It has also not been lost on the Sikh community in Ealing Southall and throughout the UK that young Sikh professionals have been overlooked for the one ageing non-Sikh on the long list.


Gurjeet Singh
National Press Secretary
Sikh Federation (UK)