03.08.1995

Sordid witch hunt

THE RECENT furore over Liz Davies, selected as Labour’s prospective parliamentary candidate for Leeds North East, exposes the nature of the political culture developing in Tony Blair’s ‘new’ Labour Party.

No sooner had Davies been selected, the ruling NEC delivered its own verdict on her candidacy with a 17-6 vote against her endorsement. She now faces an appearance before the NEC’s disputes committee.

What are the alleged ‘crimes’ of Liz Davies? Horror of horrors, she had accrued a civil offence for non-payment of poll tax, even though she insists that she ‘volunteered’ details about her poll tax record at the beginning of the selection process.

Even worse, rumours are circulating that she would be prepared to defy the Labour whip.

Indignantly, she has refuted this smear, stating: “I’ve voted for Labour group policy at hundreds of committee and council meetings.”

Her comments in support of Winston Silcott, though, appear to be the final straw for the Labour NEC and its policemen. The fact that Silcott has been found innocent of murdering PC Blakelock is of no concern to the ‘new’ Labour team.

This sordid witch hunt against the almost pathetically loyal Liz Davies sums up the direction in which the Blairite Labour Party is heading - one of open hostility to working class or leftwing politics of any sort.

Eddie Ford