'Younger generation' could take Labour forward, says new MP
A NEWLY elected Labour MP has tipped one of the "younger generation" to lead the party after Gordon Brown's announcement he will stand down.
Mr Brown said yesterday he was asking the party to call a leadership election in which he would play no part.
Lillian Greenwood, MP for Nottingham South, said up-and-coming political figures could be the ones to rejuvenate the party.
Praising Mr Brown's "dignified statement", she said: "It now leaves the party free to consider who it wants to be its new leader and opens up to further discussions potentially with the Liberal Democrats.
"It is quite interesting. There are some who are the old hands but I guess it is more likely to be the new generation, like David Miliband, Ed Miliband, Ed Balls.
"Other people might be putting their name forward, like Alan Johnson and Harriet Harman.
"My perception is people will want to go for someone from the younger generation because we are going to be choosing a leader for the long term.
"If we had had a leadership election 12 months ago it would be different. This is starting again for the Labour Party for the next 10 years."
However, Nottingham North MP Graham Allen warned against rushing a decision to throw in someone less experienced.
"Alan Johnson will be the favourite," he said. "We must learn from the Conservatives' mistake from rushing to change a generation, which led them to prematurely promote William Hague and Iain Duncan Smith.
"I think we need to make sure we don't rush to judgement by putting in a Cameron look-alike.
"We now need a period of recovery and consolidation, not least since I expect a General Election by this time next year."
Mr Allen, who was at the centre of the movement to persuade Mr Brown to resign last summer, said: "He will go down in history as one of the greatest chancellors. Sadly his abilities as Prime Minister were not as great as his abilities on the economy."
Vernon Coaker, Gedling MP, said of Mr Brown: "Whatever anybody's view of him, he's been a giant of British politics for the last 20 years. He was responsible, along with Tony Blair for the creation of New Labour."
Mr Coaker said Mr Brown clearly felt talks with the Liberal Democrats over a joint leadership would be easier with him out of the way.
"The Liberal Democrats have requested talks with the Labour Party about the future and he saw himself as a roadblock to that and he stood aside," he said.
Councillor Alan Rhodes, leader of the Labour Party on Notts County Council, said he agreed with Bassetlaw MP John Mann's comments that it took a "big and brave" man to make Mr Brown's decision.
He said: "He has done the right thing. He has done it in the interests of the country as a whole and of the Labour Party.
"I welcome the decision. It is right and proper that we remember the good things that Gordon Brown has done as Chancellor and as PM."
Councillor Graham Chapman, deputy leader of Labour-run Nottingham City Council, said: "People will recognise in a year or so's time what he has done to get the world out of recession.
The news of Mr Brown's decision came as George Osborne announced the Conservatives were offering a referendum on the Alternative Vote (AV) electoral system to Liberal Democrats, as part of a final offer on a power-sharing deal.
Under the current system, whoever obtains the most votes wins, regardless of how marginal the constituency becomes. The Alternative Vote sees the electorate state its second choice and this is redistributed if no-one has a 50% share of the votes. Labour is understood to have offered the Lib Dems a bill to introduce the Alternative Vote system, followed by a referendum on full proportional representation.
Liberal Democrat Jason Zadrozny, the party's leader on Notts County Council, welcomed the offer, despite it being different to the proportional representation his party prefers.
He said: "I would welcome the opportunity for the people of Notts to have their voices heard on electoral reform. I think AV is better than what we have got, but it still doesn't mean that everybody's vote counts."
No Notts Tory MPs were available for comment last night.
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by Liberty OR, Death
Thursday, May 13 2010, 12:23PM
“Mr Sensible, did you actually read my post? And if you did, please explain why you didn't bother to answer it.
As for your last post, the alternative idea to the bus plug to cut traffic in the area is the new road they've built to by-pass it. Did you not read about that either?”
by Mr. Sensible, The Real World
Thursday, May 13 2010, 11:01AM
“John, irrespective of the figures, if the County Council were serious about improving bus services they would not be setting about those cuts.
The fact is they undermine anything the County Council says about improving buses, which was actually rather a vacuus promise anyway before they even started given that Mrs T deregulated buses in the 80s.
I have yet to see how they are improving bus services; so far as I can see all they're doing is cutting them.
And at any event, the public enquiry, having listened to all the evidence ruled that just having a bus-based system would not deliver as much benefit.
Of course buses do have a role to play, however doing things like cutting the free bus passes and scrapping the bus plug is a strange way to do it.
And since we're on the bus plug, as I understand it, the money would be claimed back if the County Council did not come up with an alternative idea to cut traffic in the area. Which so far, they have not.”
by Derrick, Bulwell
Thursday, May 13 2010, 7:52AM
“Would that be the new generation which ZANU have been working so hard to brainwash with all their PC nonsense and ZANU ¿socialist¿ political dogma for all these years, rather than teaching them reading writing and arithmetic? Well I don't think so, because very fortunately their parents put their children right at home in most cases thank you very much.”
by m, gedling
Thursday, May 13 2010, 2:23AM
“john you cant win, mr sensible is a typical labourite,
like we owe a fortune but look at how much benefits we get paid,
a tram would be good because it will bankrupt a city and fares would be similar to the buses that would go out of business,
its all boots fault , they dont want to pay half a million pounds extra taxes per year to help the tram get from town to clifton”
by m, gedling
Thursday, May 13 2010, 2:10AM
“heres how the stadium works,
we build so many thousand homes on greenbelt , the kickback from the developers pays for the stadium.
every thing looks hunky dory,
plus we make a whole lot of money from the old stadium which you will have forgotten about,
nuff said,.”
by John, Carlton
Wednesday, May 12 2010, 11:27PM
“Senseless, I still don't think you are grasping it.
In a minor County hall spat between 2 councillors, one says we aren't going to spend £18 million on a tram thats half as much again as we spend every year supporting buses over the whole county.
The other protests saying you are misrepresenting the cost and exagerating. It costs £12 million per year to support buses, so over the 3 year project you will actually be spending £36 million supporting buses. So IN COMPARISON the one off tram contribution is actually half what we will have to spend on buses over the project period - doesn't it sound better presenting it that way.
Along comes Mr Senseless and his logic. "If we don't spend £18 million on a tram we will have to spend £36 million on buses - ergo it will cost twice as much to not pay for the tram as to pay for it.
Its not and never has been an either / or choice. The £12 million per annum bus support will be paid anyway.
And you are still harping on about this £7.5 million. Do you know what this figure is?
It was the Central government grant contribution for the Colwick Loop Road - Not the cost of the Burton Road add on bus plugs as you assume. The Colwick Loop Road will be there and be used regardless of if the bus plugs stay or go. £7.5 million could only be legally claimed back if they shut the loop road - never, ever an option.
As shown by the above example you are intellectually incapable of reading and understanding any information on anything. You see a couple of words that trigger your labour rose coloured filter spectacles, jump at a completely wrong conclusion as to what the article is actually about and then repeat it ad-infinitum until you brainwash yourself so completely that no matter how many times people point out and prove your error you will never let go. All you do is make yourself look really stupid every time you make such statements.”
by Mr. Sensible, The Real World
Wednesday, May 12 2010, 10:20PM
“John, I am not sure exactly how it all works, but I would expect the costs for the stadium will be spread over several years.
And on the tram, the fact is that at the election the Tories said they were going to improve bus services.
And we now have the figures.
And for what?
£7.5 million to leave buses having to compete with cars and other road traffic in and around Gedling; not a bus improvement.
The axing of a school bus to and from Daincourt School; not a bus improvement.
Cutting free bus passes; not a bus improvement.
In short, not bus service improvements, bus service cuts.
Once again, the true face of the Tory party emerges.”
by John, Carlton
Wednesday, May 12 2010, 10:03PM
“Mr S, what a complete wally you are. We know you have trouble spelling but it seems you have trouble reading also.
Nowhere in that article does it say that there is an either/or choice between a tram or improving buses. They will still spend 12million per year supporting buses anyway regardless if the tram is built or not. But if the tram is not built they save 18 million.
Read the article again CAREFULLY its just about a spat between councillors comparing costs of one against the other - not about which one should be done at the expense of the other. You have been making a fool of yourself over and over again by keeping on spouting such nonsense. You are completely wrong and have not understood the article.
Regarding the stadium, you have not answered my question. I said how much is allocated for the stadium in this/next years budget. I suspect a big fat ZERO. So if savings are to be made to prevent cutting services they can hardly divert monies from something in the budget that does not exist.
Don't you get it you wally? I can't run my household budget by saying I need to cut my budget by £1000 this year - how do I do it - Oh I know I won't buy a Rolls Royce this year that will save me £200,000 so I don't need to save the £1000 and I can afford a nice ferrari as well. .”
by Mr. Sensible, The Real World
Wednesday, May 12 2010, 5:38PM
“John, the stadium is I believe set to cost £100 million, and a further £100 million for associated infrastructure. And is projected to fetch the local economy £130 million; a net loss to the local economy of £70 million.
And, my assertion that not building the tram will cost more than building it is based on the County Council's own figures.
They said that the County contribution to the tram would cost £18 million.
They also said that "improving bus services", which frankly I have yet to see; bus service cuts if anything would cost £12 million.
Which we now know is £12 million per year!
Which, over the lifetime of this council will cost the taxpayer exactly £36 million; double the cost of the contribution to the tram.
And don't just take that from me, take it from the County Council's own transport spokesman.
http://beta.thisisnottingham.co.uk/news/Councillor-apologises-tram-cost-confusion/article-1480369-detail/article.html
And this time it's on the right thread!
:)”
by Mr. Sensible, The Real World
Wednesday, May 12 2010, 5:30PM
“John, the stadium is I believe set to cost £100 million, and a further £100 million for associated infrastructure. And is projected to fetch the local economy £130 million; a net loss to the local economy of £70 million.
And, my assertion that not building the tram will cost more than building it is based on the County Council's own figures.
They said that the County contribution to the tram would cost £18 million.
They also said that "improving bus services", which frankly I have yet to see; bus service cuts if anything would cost £12 million.
Which we now know is £12 million per year!
Which, over the lifetime of this council will cost the taxpayer exactly £36 million; double the cost of the contribution to the tram.
And don't just take that from me, take it from the County Council's own transport spokesman.
http://beta.thisisnottingham.co.uk/news/Councillor-apologises-tram-cost-confusion/article-1480369-detail/article.html”