JohnBM:Liberal

Questions are being asked by some members of the Calder Valley Labour Party over the selection of Cherie Blair’s stepmother, Stephanie Booth, as their parliamentary candidate.

In an article in the Yorkshire Post members of the Calder branch of the Labour Party are alleging postal voting irregularities including that Mrs. Booth’s supporters directly helped party members to fill in their postal voting papers.

Of the votes 95 cast for Mrs. Booth in the selection, 73 were postal votes.

Of the 52 votes cast for Cllr. Susan Press, 17 were postal votes.

The other votes were made in person at the hustings on April 9th.

Effectively; the selection of Steph Booth was a done deal before the hustings began.

It could be that Mrs. Booth fought a better all-round campaign or, as suggested by some local Labour Party members, it could be a little more sinister.

This latest episode comes on the back of the Labour Party NEC’s ousting of the previous Labour candidate, Janet Oosthuysen, for receiving a police caution for scratching an ex-partner’s car. Janet narrowly beat Steph Booth by a handful of votes last July.

This could well be a space that needs to be watched.

Last night the Calder Valley Labour Party selected Stephanie Booth to represent the party at the next General Election. Steph Booth beat local Hebden Royd Mayor, Susan Press, by 95 votes to 52.

This is second time lucky for Mrs. Booth having been previously beaten for the PPC by local town councillor Janet Oosthuysen by just five votes.

Janet went on to be vetoed by the Labour Party’s National Executive Committee in January following revelations that she had received a police caution for damaging her ex-partner’s car.

It is widely rumoured and believed in the Calder Valley that close supporters of Steph Booth briefed the press with these and other revelations in what was ultimately a successful attempt to unseat Janet and install Mrs. Booth.

It looks like the Steph Booth faction got their way in the end but will the Labour Party unite behind Steph Booth – We’ll see!!!

Hat tip to the fallen (this blog also makes interesting reading for a view of internal machinations of the Labour Party): http://grimmerupnorth.blogspot.com/2009/04/i-lost.html

It seems that the BNP have chosen the wrong week in which to unveil their “What would Jesus do?” poster campaign – for two reasons.

courtesy of bbc.co.uk/news

Firstly a poster campaign which implies that Jesus would vote for an organisation that openly incites hatred, persecutes minorities and preaches violence is deeply offensive to Christians in Holy Week.

Secondly April fools day was last week.

• Back from campaign group meeting and letters to write before bed. Why did I volunteer for this? Must the warm fuzzy feeling. #
• Back from campaign group meeting and letters to write before bed. Why did I volunteer for this? Must be the warm fuzzy feeling. #