Heidi Alexander should cut the "ordinary MP" routine

Submitted by cathy n on 20 August, 2016 - 9:43 Author: Cathy Nugent

In an article in the Guardian and on their website Heidi Alexander claims to be an ordinary constituency MP, driven only by a desire to serve when asked to be part of the Shadow Cabinet and consequently was shocked by the lack of professionalism in Corbyn's cabinet. In particular, she was upset by John McDonnell's attempts to undermine her with parallel policy-making on the NHS.

She also claims she was never part of a plot to unseat Jeremy Corbyn. That she did not expect, but was nonetheless pleased, to be asked to head up Owen Smith's campaign for leader. Owen had always struck her as a “born leader” etc.

Pull the other one Heidi Alexander! The presentation Alexander gives here (“I was only doing what I thought was right”), is just that — a presentation.

Heidi Alexander is not just “an ordinary constituency MP”, she is a right-wing political operator who wants to do a job for her political cause. And she has a firm eye on her own position within that. The fact that she is giving us her schtick just a few days before the ballot for Labour leadership campaign starts is no accident. Why did she leave it until now to make her complaints?

In the first place this “ordinary constituency MP” is very selective over who and what she backs in her constituency (my constituency too). She will not, for instance, be on the demonstration to save Lewisham libraries from closure/take over on Saturday 20 August.

Alexander won't be saving libraries because she almost certainly admires how professionally, consistently and impressively Sir Steve Bullock, the local Labour Mayor, has been cutting local services and council jobs for many years now.

The wing-woman for Owen Smith may say she admires his “born-again Bevanism” but she herself refused to support, let alone show up at the picket lines, outside Lewisham Hospital when junior doctors were fighting to keep the NHS safe for patients and when she was Shadow Health Minister in Corbyn's cabinet. Maybe her complaint about McDonnell is in fact to do with disliking his attempts to build support for striking junior doctors. Who is really disfunctional person, the really disloyal person here?

Heidi Alexander's appearance in the Guardian is less to do with "exposing" the incompetence of Corbyn and moaning about McDonnell. It has more to do with the fact that her man is going down. Team Smith must be feeling increasingly desperate. Alexander may now have to justify herself to the members in Lewisham East CLP. The same members who had no say over who they wanted for leader (no nominating meeting organised), and certainly no say over their own MP's very quick support for Owen Smith.

But the key point in the article is the argument Alexander uses about the nature of Parliamentary democracy: “Parliamentary democracy only works when the leader of the opposition is willing and able to engage with every issue that lands on their desk. It only works when the leader is able to command the confidence of a reasonable number of parliamentary colleagues. The basic responsibilities of an opposition cannot be performed without it.”

She must, of course, already be thinking about her next steps when Jeremy Corbyn decisively wins the election for Labour leader. If MPs like Alexander go ahead and organise an alternative Labour group in Parliament with, or possibly without, the shiny Owen Smith at the helm that would be a real scandal. That will need an explanation much more politically credibile than, "John McDonnell tried to build solidarity with junior doctors against my wishes, so... so much for party democracy".

Heidi Alexander should cut her routine and own up to what she is — a right-wing politician, who favours a narrow elite point of view (“Parliamentary democracy”) over the political representation of working-class people — and who is prepared to play dirty in trying to win.

Comments

Submitted by AWL on Sat, 20/08/2016 - 18:49

Alexander's own CLP is derelict, apparently many of the Wards never, or hardly ever, meet. Her time would be better spent renovating her own Party.

Of course she has a certain interest in her local Party never meeting - she, and the rubbish Labour councillors that pass on cuts, are not held to account. Apparently Lewisham East now has well over 1000 members, no doubt these people might intervene and change that soon.

I once heard Sir Steve Bullock describe anti-cuts protesters as "Fucking idiots" (he'd forgotten to turn the mic. off). Someone like that shouldn't lead a Council. Let alone a Labour Council.

These are exactly the sort of people we need rid of.

Dan Katz

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