The MPs and Iraq
As promised in Umbrella 47 I now examine in detail those Leeds MPs who did not join our heroes Harold Best and Fabian Hamilton as well as hero Paul Truswell in voting for the adjournment resolution on the war against the Iraqi people. All of them have doubts about the way that the Blair faction is leading the country. It is possible for them to be persuaded to follow their consciences further, especially if their constituents started to visit their surgeries and to write to them. With the terrible tragedy in Bali it is fairly clear that the war on Iraq is not simply wrong but a major diversion from tracking down the perpetrators of violence to justice. Given Saddam Hussein's long record of terror against Muslim fundamentalists the one place in the whole world where Bin Laden is not is Iraq.
Let us look at each of our dear Leeds MPs in more detail.
John Battle
John Battle, MP for Leeds West, is a former left-wing Leeds City Councillor, and a former junior science and industry minister. His left credentials came from his work in the Campaign Against the Arms Trade and Catholic Justice For Peace. With his committed and non-cynical approach, he always seemed on the edge of going off-message and he never managed to settle in with the Blair babes. However Blair has used John's many contacts among the religious communities to act as a kind of roving ambassador. Despite having considerably more influence and respect (and intelligence) than the other roving ambassador Lord Levy, not being a business person he has not been trusted by the Blair's inner circle. This is despite the fact that John invented the Blairite mantra of "joined up government". Many of these contacts in the various religious communities are now putting considerable pressure on John's latent conscience. It would not take much for him to be joining the rebels over Iraq. Any attempt to get round the United Nations would tip him over the edge.
Two quotes from John's website indicate how close he is to breaking with the Bush poodle.
From John's September 2002 constituency report:
"President Bush's campaign to attack Iraq seems to me to be based more on the need to deflect attention from disastrous home policies (economic stagnation, rising unemployment and increasing poverty) and also an attempt to get control of Iraq's oil reserves. At present the US is dependent on Saudi Arabia's oil supplies (25% of world output). Any cut-off there would leave the US short. 'Changing the regime' in Iraq might open the way to access to Iraqi oil"
He goes on to modify this with liberal references to the United Nations, and he also flashes up his misgivings in the announcement below:
"The Queen has been pleased to approve that John Dominic Battle Esq MP be sworn into Her Majesty's most honourable Privy Council.
"The Privy Council is the group of statesmen and women who historically advise the monarch. Members have the title of Privy Councillor.
"'This is a great honour,' said Mr Battle. 'One of my first acts might be to advise against war with Iraq.'"
Colin Burgon
Colin, after so many attempts at trying to become both an MP and a Euro MP, was for the first few years content to be just in Parliament. However perhaps the judgement quoted below in the Electronic Telegraph is a bit harsh. He is a former schoolteacher and local Government paid advisor of Wakefield District Council where he developed his workerist approach to politics.
The assessment below from the Electronic Telegraph sums up the general feeling among many knowledgeable Labour movement activists in Yorkshire:
"Colin Burgon, a Catholic-educated (St Michael's College, Leeds) warehouseman, clerk, teacher and finally local government officer, born in 1948, won this seat at his third attempt in 1997. An opponent of local opencast mining, he has done little to trouble the scorers, tabling only 5 written questions in his first year, doubtless happy to have arrived at last and content to be lobby fodder. "
Colin's Elmet constituency is littered with closed pits and therefore he comes under the same pressures from former miners and their families that John Trickett does. Colin was very active during the miners' strike and this history is making him think about the differing relations between Bush, Blair, Iraq, oil and coal.
Colin had to fight Elmet several times before becoming an MP and given the changing population of his constituency he might wish to try to please the majority of his potential supporters by opposing the war. However most wouldn't hold their breath given his previous slavish devotion to Bush's poodle.
Colin Challen
Colin is the newly elected MP for Morley and Rothwell and has not yet managed to find his parliamentary feet. Although a bit of a left-winger in his youth when a Labour councillor in Hull, all this disappeared when he became a full-time New Labour organiser in Leeds. He played a leading role keeping Liz Davies out of Parliament and closing down Leeds North East Labour Party. My close friend Garth Frankland dines out on stories of how Colin was the only one at a meeting of Chapel Allerton Labour Party who heard threats being issued concerning car tyres. Practically everyone else in the room signed statements to the effect that no such threats had been made.
Colin has fancied himself a bit of an author and historian, writing several books, some of which have focussed on Tory dirty tricks. He also appears to have a long association with Robin Ramsey's Lobster magazine. Of all the Leeds MPs he is the one who thinks of himself as a bit of an organiser. So for instance he took up New Labour's suggestions to MPs to keep themselves away from Parliament by holding inquiries into drugs in their area. He has also organized a meeting on the disastrous Johannesburg Environment Conference.
Many who have known Colin from his younger more carefree days have been surprised at his political evolution. I have been at parties (sometimes with that young trainee teacher Colin Burgon) where he has certainly given the impression of a deep commitment to socialism. Perhaps as he gets used to the arcane ways of the British Parliament this hidden belief will surface and he will come out against the war. If he doesn't he will only encourage those loveable sharks from the Left Alliance who constantly circle round him waiting for a fatal political mistake.
George Mudie
George has no love of the Blairites, having been dumped from two parliamentary jobs by them despite publicly displaying complete loyalty, a key factor being his unwillingness to be abandon the needs of his constituents in East Leeds. The Left Alliance has considerable respect for the way George tenaciously fights for them. Any further analysis of George's future political intentions will have wait until the Left Alliance has completed its review of his East Leeds and former coalfields strategy.
Paul Truswell
I missed Paul out from the last Umbrella. Paul is perhaps the shallowest of all the Leeds MPs. Paul, a former punk rock musician and journalist, ended up like Colin Burgon working for Wakefield Metropolitan Council. As the MP for Pudsey he has completely followed the Blair line through thick and thin. His was one of the most surprising votes on the amendment. One is almost inclined to think it was a mistake. Judging from the local papers Paul appears to have turned into that most sad of creatures; an MP who thinks he is some kind of super local councillor.
From Guardian Unlimited:
"Paul Truswell says: On his proudest achievement in parliament since 1997: 'David's Law - my private member's bill - closed the loophole on selling alcohol to young people highlighted by the tragic death of 14-year-old David Knowles in my constituency. It also outlawed the practice of adults buying alcohol and handing it to youngsters outside.'"
Another take on Paul from Byron Criddle in the Telegraph: "conspicuous only for piloting through a bill to make off-licence staff liable for sales to under-age customers."
Perhaps having effectively got a private's members bill through parliament and held Pudsey in 2001 with an increased percentage majority he now feels he can begin to dabble in national politics and not be looking over his shoulder at the Pudsey Times.
Hilary Benn
Hilary shows his breeding in a consistent pleasant approach to everyone. However his political record has been that of a consistent Blair Babe. As part of Blair's London Mafia he is now the only government minister in Leeds. There seems to a bias against keeping ministers who are not London based. The only other government minister in West Yorkshire is the similarly London-based Yvette Cooper representing Castleford and Pontefract. This highlights the very narrow social base of the Blairites.
From the BBC web site:
"Much was made in the run-up to the Leeds Central by-election about the political differences between father and son - in Hilary's words: 'I'm a Benn and proud of it, but I'm not a Bennite.' While Tony is a perpetual thorn in the side of the New Labour government - speaking out passionately against welfare reform and the bombing of Serbia - Hilary is regarded as a fully signed-up member of the Blair faction."
However even Hilary has began to express his doubts privately about Iraq.
Snippets
The Bridge at Harewood
All traffic between Leeds and Harrogate has to cross over the old and narrow bridge at Hareward. The bridge has now been closed for repair. There are no signs telling motorists which alternative route to use. Many have ended up lost on narrow country lanes. However some years ago before he went on to became Chair of West Yorkshire Police (and to be eventually kicked out of the post) Councillor Neil Taggart was Chair of Leeds Council Highways Committee. He was given the chance to solve the problems caused by this very dangerous bridge however he failed to lead the Committee to a permanent solution. The present Deputy Leader of Leeds City Council Councillor Keith Wakefield followed him in the job. He too failed in tackling the bridge. However these days Keith is mainly focussed on becoming the next leader of the council.
Dangerous adulterer visits Leeds
Prince Charles has just visited Meanwood Urban Farm. The assembled guests must have swallowed hard as this hypocritical man spouted his stuff on the environment while sending reactionary letters to government ministers on fox hunting.
He is part of the most philistine monarchy Britain has ever had. They have bought no modern art and sponsored no new music. His whole approach to the environment, education and people smacks of a bygone age. His private utterances make Prince Phillip look like a raving lefty. Inviting him to Leeds was calculated insult to the people of the area.
Reverend Ken Leech
I was contacted by a colleague after the little piece in the last Umbrella over the spiritual coming together at All Hallows.
Apparently Reverend Ken Leech used to run a vicarage and mission in Carnaby Street in the 1960s aimed at runaway children. It was probably the only vicarage in the country where the walls were painted black and festooned with CND memorabilia. He also wrote a book on drugs.
Ken Leech has also thrown more light on a former Trotskyist from Leeds, Alasdair MacIntyre, who was converted back to Christianity at an address on Potternewton Lane. Dulcie Yelland, the late legendary Leeds Trotskyist and Compton Road librarian, always regarded Alasdair as bit soft politically, not having a strong enough class line.
US Pacific Coast Dockers
President Bush has forced the dockers who were locked out by the management to go back to work on the Pacific Coast. He used the Taft Hartley Act, which allows the US president to interfere in industrial disputes. This reactionary law has not been used for over 25 year.
The dockers had refused to negotiate with management over a new contract when the managers turned up with armed bodyguards.
Edward Macmillan-Skate
The Tory Euro MP Macmillan-Scott has changed his name to Macmillan-Skate to highlight the fate of the fishing workers on the Yorkshire and Humberside coasts. This cheapskate (ah!) attempts to copy my good friend Austin Haddock. However the real reason may be that he is up for reselection as a Tory Euro MP. The more publicity he gets the higher up the list of Tory candidates he likely to be and therefore the more likely he will hold his job in Brussels.
Mind you he isn't a match for his recently deceased Tory predecessor Bob Battersby (former Euro MP for Humberside and long term MI6 agent) who paid Gurkha soldiers during the second world war half a crown for each pair of ears they brought him after a battle. It wasn't clear from the Daily Telegraph obituary (now the only readable bit in the paper) from whom these ears were collected.
New Labour wants your money
New Labour is at least £9 million in debt. They have spent the last couple of weeks trying to raise a million from someone who is not a porn merchant or has something to directly to gain from the donation.
With increasing desperation are they are trying to find ways of getting you to pay for their party. The two ways the three capitalist parties can survive are by large donations from those who want something out of them, or by the taxpayer paying more. There is no point in individuals joining these parties because ordinary members are completely disenfranchised. In the case of the Tories their conference has no resolutions. The Liberal Democrats and New Labour conferences have become only advisory bodies, which their leaders can ignore. A further consequence of state funding would be to break the link between the Trades Unions and New Labour. One can almost hear Mandelson and Twigg saying it can't come soon enough.
Privatisation news
National firearms database delayed
This was promised after the Dunblane massacre of 1996. However the tender process has collapsed and the project cannot possibly go live before 2005. The police have been campaigning for the database over the last seven years because it would help with crime prevention and detection.
Over 30 Leeds Schools under threat
The Peter Ridsdale-led semi-privatised Education Leeds has announced it intends to close a further 30 schools in order to solve its non-existent pupil surplus problem. Those who were involved in the campaign to save Leopold Primary School know in some detail the unprofessional and politically motivated direction of the senior management team at Education Leeds. They have already had discussions to ensure the information they gathered during the campaign and subsequently, is made available to all the schools in Leeds. One idea is to hold public people's inspection of Education Leeds.
On the side I understand that despite two public consultations by Sure Start over their proposed new premises which came out in favor of going into an old Victorian house they have been pushed towards making up the numbers in the former successful Leopold School premises. I am still collecting information on this, including documentary evidence of the role of the Chapel Allerton Ward councillors.
TXU...
... is about to close its UK operation down. Its own European web site boasts:
"In Europe, TXU Energy is a dynamic, fast-moving company with interests in everything from energy retailing and trading to energy generation.
Today, we're one of Britain's leading gas and energy retailers, one of the top five energy traders in Central Europe and in the Nordic region and provide risk management worth £2.5bn a year"
However it's so successful its parent company based in Texas has decided not put any more money into its UK operation. This affects 5.5 million customers. This is apparently to protect the credit ratings of the main US company which has already cut its dividend to share holders.
The TXU US web site is also full of idle boasting:
"TXU Energy is the company's global merchant energy business. It was launched on Jan. 1, 2002, when the Texas electricity market opened to competition. Today TXU Energy has emerged as one of the world's largest competitive energy companies."
However it also contain a clue on how they spending their profits in the advert below:
"TXU Energy Extravaganza Lights Up Texas State Fair The TXU Energy Extravaganza is entertaining guests nightly at the 2002 State Fair of Texas. One of the fair's most popular attractions, the Energy Extravaganza is a multi-media light and laser show that brings together strobe lighting, pyrotechnics, water and flame cannons, music and imagery.
The TXU Energy Extravaganza is located at Dallas Fair Park's Esplanade fountain. The 18-minute show is free and begins at 8 p.m. each evening through Sunday, Oct. 20."
This year TXU Energy has sponsored a major report by "leading energy consultants Caminus" arguing for the full liberalisation of the European energy markets and how this would benefit customers.
There are 5.5 million of them wondering where to go next plus thousands of power station workers facing job losses.
-- Half-Celestial Khan
