I have no brief for Jeremy Corbyn personally, but the action of the Labour party’s national executive banning him from being readopted as a Labour candidate for an 11th election in Islington has serious implications for politics generally and for the party in particular (Corbyn gives strong hint he will stand against Labour as independent, 28 March).
All the parties lament the decline in political involvement and in party membership, but what incentive is there to join and to be active if one’s local association is barred from readopting its local MP and fellow party member after almost 50 years in the seat?
For Labour nationally, it risks a repeat of the 2000 London mayoral election, when the party leader, Tony Blair, was adamant in rejecting Ken Livingstone as the Labour candidate. Livingstone stood as an independent and Labour nominated the cabinet minister Frank Dobson to oppose him. Livingstone romped home and Dobson – and Blair – were humiliated.
Michael Meadowcroft
Leeds
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