LabourHome is now a few days' old and I've just dipped into some of its early output. It bills itself as the website of the grassroots. It looks more like it's being written by Downing Street...
- "Bromley: Shock mid term win in your hands!" - Posted by Alex Hilton (but can he believe it?)
- To Charles Clarke: "When Ruth Kelly was mired in the "paedophiles in schools" affair, she went to Number 10, worked out a plan of action, had her people deal with their people and ultimately came out looking very strong. When you were in the same situation, you bolted the hatches, refused to deal with Number 10 and tried to manage the situation from the Home Office... and ultimately failed." - Posted by Alex Hilton (but written by Mr A Campbell?)
- "I was in Abertillery last week campaigning for John Hopkins and Owen Smith. It was good to be in Wales supporting two excellent Labour candidates. The welcome I had was fantastic and the people I spoke to told me they were coming home to Labour this time." - A message from Dennis Skinner
Perhaps LabourHome needs a new name. How about IWantASafeSeat.com?
A bit hypercritical considering some of the brown noseing that goes on here!! (Not Tim and Sam so much). Politics is tribal, such is life and I don't really think their site is worth comparing to Stalinesque lies!
Posted by: David Walker | June 27, 2006 at 22:10
Just a bit of joshing David! LabourHome will succeed if it becomes a real voice of Labour's grassroots - not if its Downing Street's poodle.
Posted by: Editor | June 27, 2006 at 22:18
Huzzah! 6.7%...astounding...what am I doing with the Tories? Im missing out on some serious agricultural action!
Posted by: James Maskell | June 27, 2006 at 22:25
I know Tim! However opposition and Goverment are very different situations for activists. I think it will be difficult to compare the 2 sites. I hope it is a success for them, I always think it is great to see political campaigns that are well manned and full of vitality - irrespective of party. Democracy in action is a refreshing sight.
Posted by: David Walker | June 27, 2006 at 22:30
Not much brown nosing on here surely. There are very few sycophants that I've noticed.
Posted by: Andrew Woodman | June 27, 2006 at 22:32
Would this be the Alex Hilton who was a Redbridge Councillor for some years, good at creating much heat but little light?
Posted by: sjm | June 27, 2006 at 22:41
...or the same Alex Hilton whose Canterbury result last year was truly abysmal? Thought so.
Posted by: Cllr Iain Lindley | June 27, 2006 at 23:05
That would be the one Iain.
Posted by: James Maskell | June 27, 2006 at 23:10
Fancy that, "IWantASafeSeat.com", and, "Cllr Iain Lindley" in the same thread. Who would have guessed?
Posted by: Ho ho | June 27, 2006 at 23:13
Oh look, a tedious anonymous poster throwing insults. Who would have guessed that they are too much of a coward to post under their own name?
Posted by: Cllr Iain Lindley | June 28, 2006 at 00:38
What about merging since there is such interest in Labour ? Is the idea to make it a party activists slot to comment on rival parties ?
Why does it matter what Labour is selling, surely it is for Conservatives to develop a policy message to sell ?
Posted by: TomTom | June 28, 2006 at 06:33
Sad thing is, we don't manufacture tractors as such in the UK anymore, come to think of it, we don't manufacture much at all anymore. ;)
Posted by: Paul Kennedy | June 28, 2006 at 07:24
If you really want to see something sad then take a peak at UKIPhome.
This is former tory/Progcon/Imagine and now new UKIP convert - Chad Noble and his attempt to copy this site!
Because it costs £1 to join he has only had one other person posting on his site.
It does have a scatter gun approach with very little UKIP news - no doubt UKIP will demand he removes their parties name from his site - and it will wither and die when Chad gets bored and joins another party!
Posted by: BingBong | June 28, 2006 at 08:52
No, No, Bing bong, you have got it wrong. Its not another party, its another Windmill. Cant you see, he is a reincarnation of Don Quixote. It explains everything.
Posted by: Annabel Herriott | June 28, 2006 at 09:56
'we don't manufacture tractors as such in the UK anymore'
JCB have a range of 5 agricultural machines on their website, all manufactured in Staffordshire. I'm no expert but they look like tractors to me.
Posted by: johnC | June 28, 2006 at 10:35
"IWantASafeSeat.com"
Chad already owns that one :)
Posted by: Serf | June 28, 2006 at 11:28
JCB have a range of 5 agricultural machines on their website, all manufactured in Staffordshire. I'm no expert but they look like tractors to me.
Yes it's a very nice factory if you have ever been round, but they have a nrew one in India, Brazil, and USA and probably China. It is not easy to export from the UK with the Sterling cost base especially when you are competing with Caterpillar and Komatsu.
So yes there is a huge plant at Rocester but if JCB were a publicly-quoted company as opposed to a private one, I doubt it would still be UK-based.
Posted by: TomTom | June 28, 2006 at 11:46
If you really want to see something sad then take a peak at UKIPhome... Because it costs £1 to join he has only had one other person posting on his site.
Or because nobody is interested in the irrelevance that is UKIP.
Posted by: Mark Fulford | June 28, 2006 at 13:19
"JCB have a range of 5 agricultural machines on their website, all manufactured in Staffordshire. I'm no expert but they look like tractors to me". 10:35
Think JCB would be most offended if you call them tractors, they, I think, will refer to them as "specialist" agricultural machines with I suppose the exception of the Fastrac, although I think that is a rather specialist tractor rather than a "run of the mill" one. Interestingly, Massey Ferguson did manufacure a large number of tractors in Coventry and even at one time in Trafford Park in Manchester I think, alas no more.
Posted by: Paul Kennedy | June 28, 2006 at 14:03
"If you really want to see something sad then take a peak at UKIPhome... Because it costs £1 to join he has only had one other person posting on his site.
Or because nobody is interested in the irrelevance that is UKIP."
Maybe better to spend the £1 on the lottery, better odds of winning.:)
Posted by: Paul Kennedy | June 28, 2006 at 14:04
Massey Ferguson did manufacure a large number of tractors in Coventry and even at one time in Trafford Park in Manchester I think, alas no more.
Yes and International Harvesters had the old Jowett Factory in Bradford which is now a Morrisons Supermarket - the strength of Sterling made it impossible to export tractors from Britain to Africa and make any money.
Posted by: TomTom | June 28, 2006 at 15:52
The sad truth is that no matter how low the tractor production cost base, it has proved depressingly hard to make money in Africa.
Posted by: South Londoner | June 28, 2006 at 16:41
"Bromley: Shock mid term win in your hands!"
Blind optimisim is one thing but that is silly. If Labour can hold second, that would do me
Gotta be a good chance in BG though :)
Posted by: comstock | June 28, 2006 at 22:45
it has proved depressingly hard to make money in Africa.
Lonrho did alright; Unilever did okay, Oppenheimers did very well, Shell looks good
Posted by: TomTom | June 29, 2006 at 12:56