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Free movement now appears to be at the heart of Brexit negotiations

Free movement now appears to be at the heart of Brexit negotiations

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Don Brind on what the assurances to Nissan might mean The new Select committee on Exiting the European Union, who will hold their first meeting on Wednesday, will have the opportunity to shape the debate on what Brexit actual means. The 21-strong committee is like to have a majority of members who backed Remain. Eight of the ten Tories, including Michael Gove, were Leavers but all five of the Labour members, including the chair Hilary Benn, were Remainers. Of the…

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Local By-Election Results : October 27th 2016 and October Summary

Local By-Election Results : October 27th 2016 and October Summary

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Rhyl West on Denbighshire (Lab defence) Result: Lab 199 (48% +5% on 2012), Con 93 (22% -3% on 2012), Ind (Shone) 55 (13%), Ind (Webster) 42 (10%), Lib Dem 26 (6%, no candidate in 2012) Labour HOLD with a majority of 106 (26%) on a swing of 4% from Con to Lab Total Independent vote: 97 (23% +6% on 2012) Collington (Ind defence) and Darwell (Con defence) on Rother Collington Result: Ind 818 (60% +20% on 2015), Con 393 (29%…

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Local By-Election Preview : October 27th 2016

Local By-Election Preview : October 27th 2016

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Rhyl West on Denbighshire (Lab defence) Result of council at last election (2012): Lab 18, Ind 12, Con 9, Plaid 7, Lib Dem 1 (No Overall Control, Lab short by 6) Result of ward at last election (2012) : Emboldened denotes elected Labour 378, 361 (43%) Conservatives 106, 99 (25%) Independent 142 (17%) Plaid Cymru 125 (15%) EU Referendum Result: REMAIN 23,955 (46%) LEAVE 28,117 (54%) on a turnout of 69% Candidates duly nominated: Les Harker (Con), Alan James (Lab),…

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Labour’s “cunning plan” for the Richmond Park by-election

Labour’s “cunning plan” for the Richmond Park by-election

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Don Brind says its to inflict misery on Zac by helping him get re-elected “The man’s a disgrace. His office is just along the corridor from mine and I never see him. He obviously doesn’t want to be an MP. The thoughts of a veteran MP provide the perfect justification for Labour fighting the Richmond Park by-election despite the call from an interesting trio of young MPs for Labour to stay out of Zac Goldsmith’s “vanity project”  Shadow Business Clive…

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Smith backer, Don Brind is amused to find himself on the same page as arch Corbynista Paul Mason

Smith backer, Don Brind is amused to find himself on the same page as arch Corbynista Paul Mason

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Labour needs a leader who can connect with working class voters “Don’t forget, It was Godfather Two that won the Oscar”. That was the cheering thought offered to a bunch of Saving Labour stalwarts who gathered to reflect on their failure to avert Jeremy Corbyn’s second leadership landslide. The unanimous view was that Labour still needs saving from electoral disaster through a change of leader. The Godfather analogy inspires the hope that the next time will be more successful. There…

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Labour’s TINA* nightmare.

Labour’s TINA* nightmare.

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Don Brind evokes Mrs Thatcher’s memorable assertion It’s International Peace Day and I’m in the strange position, for me, of defending Jeremy Corbyn. My audience is someone who ought to be a natural Corbynista – a veteran campaigner for peace and international development. “I like Jeremy as a person,” I tell her”. He’s a decent man.” She is having none of it. “I think he’s a vain old man. He’s loving all that adulation but he’s peddling false hope.” Fast…

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Just how strong is Momentum? Don Brind takes a sceptical look at the numbers

Just how strong is Momentum? Don Brind takes a sceptical look at the numbers

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Perceptions about its size could be greater than the reality I’m only a few years younger than Neil Kinnock so when he tells John Pienaar on Panorama he fears that he may never see another Labour government in his lifetime it’s an “ouch” moment for me. I regularly go in to bat for Kinnock with fans of Tony Blair, especially when they trot out the line “he won three general elections”. My argument is that Blair benefited hugely from the…

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The Boundaries of Wales : 1950 – 2010

The Boundaries of Wales : 1950 – 2010

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Where the total seats are being slashed from 40 to 29 The boundary changes to be announced tonight (and to the MP’s from England and Wales today) will see the first reduction in the number of seats in Wales since the Great Reform Act of 1832 and see Wales be reduced from forty seats to just twenty nine (it’s lowest number since the Great Reform Act) and will the be fifth set of boundary changes since true democracy (one elector,…

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