Falkirk 'Fix Fiasco'

Barely a few weeks ago Ed Miliband was telling the world that the Labour Party was preparing to turn its back on old-style 'machine politics' - the inference being that, in future, Labour would be operating in a more open and transparent way.

The political equivalent of  'what you see is what you get', if you like - whereby grubby, back-room deals become a thing of the past.    

Yet Labour's announcement into the Falkirk 'vote rigging' inquiry suggests otherwise - because it has all the hallmarks of a 'deal' between Unite and the Labour leadership instead of justice being seen to be done. 

Significantly the official Labour report into the Falkirk 'vote rigging' allegations has never been published - though some who have seen the document, such as Tom Watson MP, have been free with their comments about the significance of the charges involved.  

Only a few weeks ago Ed Miliband himself seemed convinced of the need for strong action when he said:  

“Instead of defending what happened in Falkirk, Len McCluskey should be facing up to his responsibilities. He should not be defending the machine politics involving bad practice and malpractice that went on there, he should be facing up to it. It’s wrong because we had members being signed up without their knowledge, bad practice, malpractice and frankly instead of defending that kind of thing Len McCluskey should be condemning it.

"Let nobody be in any doubt, there is only going to be one outcome to this: the Labour Party will act in a way that upholds the integrity of our party, the integrity of our party members and the integrity of ordinary trade union members. I will not allow the good name of the Labour Party to be undermined by the behaviour of a few individuals.”

So, the sudden news that Labour will take no further action in Falkirk seems quite remarkable - especially since this appears to be based on certain unnamed individuals  withdrawing their evidence, as if Labour were conducting the inquiry on the rules of evidence and standard of proof that apply in the criminal courts.

All of which is further evidence, if you ask me, that Ed Miliband is no conviction politician, but a cold calculator of the odds in any really difficult political situation - quite prepared to eat his own words instead of standing up for them.  
        

Publish Or Be Damned (29 July 2013)

The news that Police Scotland will not be conducting a criminal investigation into the Falkirk vote rigging scandal removes the last lame excuse the Labour Party has been hiding behind - for not publishing its internal report on the matter.

Publish Or Be Damned (4 July 2013)

David Blunkett, the veteran MP and former government minister, got it right the other day when he urged the Labour Party to publish its internal report - on alleged vote rigging in the Falkirk constituency.

What possible reason could there be for keeping the details secret - especially when Labour says it is keen for the business of politics to be conducted in an open and transparent manner?

 None that I can see and neither can David Blunkett who sensibly pointed out that:

"We cannot have a go at the vested interests of the Tory party if we don't clear our own house."

And you can't say fairer than that of course - otherwise the party will be accused of terrible double standards - of saying one thing then doing another.

Also, as a matter of fairness and natural justice, the Unite trade union deserves to know the evidence on which Labour's selection contest in Falkirk has been halted - because I imagine that the decision has not been taken lightly.

If there has been a double stitch-up, then the conspiracy theorists will have been proved right - though I very much doubt they are because Ed Miliband himself would have had to have been in on the act.

So, if there is a suggestion of serious wrongdoing in Falkirk then the obvious thing to do is to spill the beans, as they say - Labour Party members, trade union members and the wider public deserve nothing less.