BBC on Livingston by-election (Robin Cook's seat)

[Greeby]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4173766.stm

[non sociopath skin]

1. I imagine that Blair will be much more interested in participating ....

... in the selection than he was in attending Robin's funeral.

The skin

[Anarcho-Socialist]

2. I fear that he'll parachute someone hideous into that seat

Unless Labour feel like losing a seat to the SNP, the constituency LP should elect a respected local candidate.

[non sociopath skin]

3. Perhaps someone ought to tell BlairCo TM that people who voted for Robin .

... all those years might not be impressed by a sharp-suited young Human Resources Consultant from Weybridge who thinks that Gate Gourmet is the epitome of 21st Century Business Nous.

Especially if the ScotNats, McLibberdemmers or ScotSocs field a half-decent candidate.

The Skin

[julianer]

4. Tommy Sheridan??

[...of J.Temperance]

5. Tommy Sheridan

He used to be highly popular in Glasgow. I saw him out and about a few times, he's very orange/red. But he likes The Delgados, so I can forgive him ANYTHING.

[Kicked in the Taco]

7. I'd love to see Tommy in the Commons

But I'd say it's pretty unlikely he'd want to spend half his life stuck in London, given he resigned as SSP leader to spend more time with his family--he doesn't strike me as the type to pull a Milburn...

[...of J.Temperance]

8. Ah, spend more time with his family...

...and spend more time chasing women younger than him all over nightclubs.

[Kicked in the Taco]

10. Really? Have to confess I don't really know much about his background...

...or personal life--I'm not a fan of his party, but he always impressed me as a speaker and seemed to have a genuine passion for social justice. Is he a philanderer? The Kilroy-esque tan certainly doesn't bode well, I agree...

[...of J.Temperance]

12. Well

Perhaps he's calmed down now, but he used to have a reputation shall I say. He's a good speaker and yes he's VERY good on social issues.

He's always seemed to drift between that Robert 'Man Tan' Kilroy-Silk orange and looking VERY red.

[Kicked in the Taco]

15. I did a bit of googling, and I see he was accused by the...

...News of the World of having an affair with an SSP member. I have to admit all this passed me by, when I left Edinburgh he was still sitting pretty as SSP leader and I never delved very deeply into the circumstances surrounding his departure, as this thread makes evident! But yeah, I'm not totally suprised to be honest, that tan had to reflect some serious vanity issues.

[...of J.Temperance]

18. You used to

Live in Edinburgh? I used to live 50 minutes away. It's that small world again!

[Kicked in the Taco]

19. Yep, went to uni up there

But I don't have any connections to Cheshire, so I can promise I'm not following you around on behalf of Charles Clarke or anything.:evilgrin:

[...of J.Temperance]

20. On the other hand

...I could have been following YOU around ;) Ah, back in the day, when the Cold War was REALLY cookin', you know I was one of MI6's TOP TOP agents. Oh yes, the stories I could tell you about all those wild parties checking up on Guy and George and Donald and Kim and John...or Mr. Q as we in the trade used to call him *sigh*



:eyes:

[Kicked in the Taco]

21. Yes, those were the days

Working on the atom bomb by day, sleeping with Marilyn Monroe by night, and selling secrets to the Russians at lunch....

[...of J.Temperance]

22. You too?

:)

Those darn Ruskies, WHO did they think they were anyhow?

[Kicked in the Taco]

11. I should add, before I'm written off as a totally naive fool...

That I do of course take the idea of "resigning to spend more time with the family" with the appropriate sackfull of salt--it's just I was inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt given that (I believe) he and his wife have just had their first child, and I'm basically completely ignorant of internal SSP politics....

[...of J.Temperance]

13. Aw

Don't worry about it. I understood what you meant ;)

[Kicked in the Taco]

16. You're too kind.

Even I'm pointing and laughing at myself right now. Next you'll be telling me that Neil Hamilton's brown paper bags weren't just full of chocolate bunnies and wham bars!!;)

[...of J.Temperance]

17. I'm DISTRAUGHT!

You mean they weren't full of chocolate bunnies? :cry:

[...of J.Temperance]

6. Livingston

Is a VERY Labour area, so I don't think Labour will have a problem no matter who they pick.

[non sociopath skin]

9. As Labour as Blaenau Gwent, I believe.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/vote_2005/wales/4513231.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/vote2005/html/68.stm

The Skin

[...of J.Temperance]

14. Ha!

Well yeah, you DO have a point there :)

I suppose if Labour did lose Livingston, it would probably be to the Lib Dems, the Tories ain't going anywhere and I can't see the SNP going anywhere either.

Maybe one of Robin's sons could stand for their Dad's seat.

[RogueTrooper]

23. It will be Brown who decides who stands for this seat

My guess would bet that Robin Cook's election agent will probably get the spot.

[Blue Dawg]

24. Jim Devine looks like a good man...

...I really dislike the LibDems, but can't say that Blair does much good for Labour these days.

Cook was a great man, and seems to have been thought of very highly in Livingston unlike Leicester S (which Labour retook at the general), Brent E, Hodge Hill and Hartlepool I think Labour should hold this without too much trouble.

Anyword on the SNP's movements?

[T_i_B]

25. Date is set for Cook by-election

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4207176.stm

Voters in the Livingston constituency, where the former foreign secretary had a majority of 13,000, will go to the polls on 29 September.

Labour is hoping for a bounce from its annual conference in Brighton that week.

The party will be represented by Mr Cook's former election agent, Jim Devine.

But the Nationalists are relying on disquiet over Iraq, as well as local Livingston controversies, to give them a boost.