I was interested to see that one of the Labour MPs who has reported 80 Tory MPs to the Electoral Commission over the issue of declaring donations from 'patrons clubs' is Kevan Jones, member for Durham North, next to Blaydon constituency where I live in Gateshead.
Mr Jones was a Labour councillor in Newcastle before he was dropped into Durham North by the Trade Union juggernaut that runs the Labour machine in the North East. Jones was also some kind of union hack for the GMB and was a bit of an enforcer for the Labour group on Newcastle Council. I suppose it is a compliment to him to say that Labour has fallen apart in Newcastle since his departure.
The spectacular Parliamentary career that was predicted for Jones by some has not materialised. In the Commons he has reached the dizzy heights of the backbenchers. So that frees him to spend more time stirring up problems within the Durham Labour movement and to attack the Tories (not that there are many Tories in the North East to attack).
But it also leaves him time to enjoy foreign travel, much of it at the expense of the arms industry. A quick scan of his entries in the Register of Members' Interests reads more like a military catalogue and a list of foreign governments keen to buy up British weapons.
So with political warfare breaking out over the funding of both Tories and Labour, I guess Corporal Junket Jones is just the person Labour needs to send into the fray.
Can you hear the echo of "Don't panic" seeping out of the Labour camp?
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2 comments:
I suspect that those who predicted a "spectacular parliamentary career" for Jones were taking the piss.
The distinctive lack of Tories in Durham is probably the main reason for Jones causing open warfare within Labour at Consett, Stanley and Chester.
His reselection ?????????????
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