One thing about New Labour is that it will pluck prospective candidates from anywhere. excepting, that is, anyone who might have a whiff of adherence to Labour tradition and its founding values. Well, you might say, we live in a different world where things have changed. Too right they have. We find ourselves bottom of the pile in such fundamental matters as looking after and rearing our young. Mr Reid trumpets “two new prisons”, a symbol of failure if ever there was one. The two are not unconnected. If we can’t even look after our children what hope is there? Under New Labour baby went out with the bath water.
Now that Clare Short has decided to abandon Ladywood the line up of prospectives to plug the gap looks formidable. There’s a former Conservative candidate and whole range of hopeful City Councillors some of whom have only recently waltzed onto the scene who should have a health warning attached.

Wonderful news. A branch meeting of Handsworth Wood Ward has been called for Thursday next. Unfortunately I can’t attend and take the opportunity to find out what’s going on. You see we have only begun to meet again. Sandwell Ward was a vibrant group of people where councillors were able to keep in touch with members, report back and get the views of the people who were responsible for getting them there in the first place. The present incumbents came in with Arjun aka Parmjit Singh who connived and fiddled to achieve his goals. He’s long gone having crossed the floor to the Conservatives and then lost as one of their candidates. He got the help of the Regional Office and members of a prominent temple, although they had many and repeated warnings about him and his ways. Now the candidates believe they have a divine right to stay in.power. One evidently has ambitions to fight the Ladywood seat. Good grief, can Labour ever recover? It won’t while people like Ian Reilly, Midlands Regional Organiser stays in post. Under his leadership postal vote fraud, Arjun Singh and much else that has damaged Labour has bloomed, but he stays shut up in his regional Castle in West Brom untouched by all that passes by.