The Crime Debate in Parliament

By all accounts (well, at least those not written by the Labour Party), our Opposition Day debate on crime on Wednesday was quite a success. Labour members as you would expect were briefed in advance with a long list of misrepresentations, misquotes and misleading points about the Lib Dems. I hear that Nick Clegg flattened them rather well.

So who should pop up yesterday during questions on Business of the House to put in a feeble plea for another debate on crime to attack the Lib Dems? Dave Anderson, the gaff prone labour MP for Blaydon who was recently caught (thanks to yours truly) using Parliamentary stationery and mail to slag off Lib Dem councillors in Blaydon and drum up support for Labour council candidates. (He has been forced to pay back the costs.)

Now, isn't this the same Dave Anderson who, when seeking the Labour nomination for Blaydon before the 2005 general election, shouted from the roof tops about his being arrested and locked up by the police? An interesting unique selling point for an aspiring MP. Mr Anderson's left wing strutting and 'I'm the rebel against new labour and am very working class' posturing won him the Labour nomination. And in the surreal world of trade union fixes within the Labour party, being the boss of Unison probably helped as well.

Now look at him. Bag carrier and loyalist to Blair. All that fancy left wing baggage was dumped the moment he stepped through the door into Parliament. I can see now why Blaydon Labour members are feeling annoyed enough to leak me things that embarrass him!