Are Tameside Labour shackled to the Shekel? Trade Unionists demand to know!

Fadi Abu Salah - Killed Gaza Border Wall - May 2018

IS it any wonder that the public feel disconnected and disillusioned with mainstream politics, when their elected Members of Parliament, choose to ignore questions that they put to them.  According to research done by 'djs research' in June 2015, some 75% of people don't even know who their local MP is, the survey found, and only 6% of Labour supporters, voted for the party because of their local candidate. 

In June trades unionists in Tameside, wrote two letters to a local newspaper, about a visit that two local Labour MPs - Jonathan Reynolds and Andrew Gwynne - made to Israel in May 2018, as part of a delegation of 'Labour Friends of Israel (LFI). This visit coincided with the mass shootings of innocent unarmed civilians at the Gaza border wall by the occupying forces of the Israeli Defence Force (IDF). These shooting continue on a regular basis.

They asked through the paper who had paid for this visit? Whether Mr Reynolds (Stalybridge & Hyde), had consulted members of the Stalybridge CLP about his intention to visit Israel and whether they had endorsed the trip and the comments he'd made on Facebook? To date, neither Mr Reynolds or the Stalybridge CLP have responded to their questions.  Members of the Tameside Trades Union Council, have  met with a wall of deafening silence.

Mr Gwynne issued a statement that a holocaust survivor had begged him to visit the holocaust memorial in Jerusalem, Yad Veshem. He did not mention that his expenses were paid by LFI, an organisation of which, he is a former Chairman. The same applies to Mr Reynolds, who also got a free trip to Israel, his fourth visit to the region since 2004. Mr Reynolds is also a former vice-chair of LFI and is currently an LFI officer in Parliament.

According to the Electoral Commission, the cash value of these visits between 27 May - 31 May 2018, was £1,600 for each MP. The donors name was LFI and the purpose of the visit was a "fact finding visit." 

Why both MPs should be so coy about answering these questions and declined to do so, is something they find bewildering, given that Mr Gwynne has a weekly column in the same paper and Mr Reynolds is not denied access. But it does go to show the general disdain with which, the political class treat ordinary members of the public, including trades unionists, who are evidently not worthy of a response.

As to the 'facts', Mr Reynolds has stated that many of the Palestinians who died at the Gaza wall in May, were somehow culpable, because of "their willingness to effectively walk into live gunfire in their desperation..." He fails to mention in his Facebook statement that many of the dead were children, or protesters shot in the back, by sniper fire. One murder victim, was a double-amputee in a wheel chair and other victims, included medics and journalists.

Jolly Jaunt - Reynolds and Gwynne on free trip to Israel

In his Facebook statement Mr Reynolds' added - "Israel is the only real democracy in the Middle East, and the only country where minorities have full equality before the law..." Just what planet does Mr Reynolds live on?

Israel is a country where the Prime Minister can describe Arabs as 'beasts', where Palestinians are prevented from marrying Palestinians outside of Israel and where Israeli Arabs are prevented from living in hundreds of Jewish communities, because the law (Access to Communities Act) allows existing residents to bar Arabs from renting properties there. Two million Gazans, live in the biggest open air prison camp in the world, which is policed by the Israeli's. The Israeli Knesset recently passed the 'Jewish Nation State Law', making Israel officially a racist and apartheid state because only Jews have the right to self determination. Whereas, under the famous 'Law of Return', promulgated in July 1950, every Jew has the right to come to the country, this does not apply to the  Palestinians who fled the country in 1948, to escape the war and Israeli terrorist groups. Just what sort of democracy is this Mr Reynolds?

Israel's existence is predicated on the forced dispossession and expulsion of Palestinians which was, and remains, the means by which the country established and maintains its Jewish majority domination. Discrimination is the essential guarantor of that majority, the preservation of which, is an existential imperative for which reason there can be no right of return for the millions of Palestinian refugees. Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories has now reached its 51st year despite being a flagrant violation of international law and an obstacle to peace. The Israeli's continue to expand illegal Jewish settlements on the West Bank and pursue a policy of ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.

Razan al-Najjar -Palestinian nurse- killed Gaza Wall 2018

On 23 December 2016, UN Security Council resolution 2334, condemned Israel's settlements on the West Bank  and demanded that Israel - "immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and seeks a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

In January 2017, the Israeli Embassy official Shai Masot, was caught on camera plotting to "take-down" UK MPs who were pro-Palestinian. Masot had links with, and was sending funds to various groups, including the 'Fabian Society', the 'Jewish Labour Movement' and 'Labour Friends of Israel'. This undercover sting operation by the TV network al Jazeera,  showed the extent to which a foreign power (Israel), meddles in the political affairs of this nation and the influence it seeks to exert over some of its politicians.

Both Andrew Gwynne and Jonathan Reynolds, say they are in favour of a 'two-state solution' to the Israeli/Palestine conflict. But when the following motion was moved in the House on 14 October 2014:- 

"That this House believes that the Government should recognise the State of Palestine alongside the State of Israel, as a contribution to securing a two state solution", only one Tameside MP, David Heyes (Lab) Ashton-under-Lyne, voted for the motion. So serious were Gwynne and Reynolds about securing a two state solution that they couldn't even be bothered to vote for the motion. Yet, two months before the vote, on August 14, Gwynne who represents Denton and Reddish, wrote in a local newspaper:

"We need to show that we are actually serious about a two-state solution, and we need a proper discussion in Westminster about illegal Israeli settlements as well as Hamas' rocket attacks from schools." 

There have been calls for Labour Party members to end their association with LFI. At the very least, Mr Gwynne and Mr Reynolds (who are sponsored by Unite the Union) should make clear on their elections leaflets their support for LFI and also make clear, how they lobby on behalf of LFI.

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Banker's Bargain Booze at Labour Conference

THE current issue of Private Eye reports that 'For all the talk of socialism at the Labour Conference in Liverpool, some bankers were still on hand to spread largesse:  the New Statesmen's invitation-only reception was sponsored by Nat West-a subsidary of state-owned Royal Bank of Scotland.'

According to The Eye though RBS was nationalised and bailed out by the public it 'continued to act like a bad private bank paying big bonuses at the top and squeezing small business.'   But at the Liverpool Labour Party Conference it dished-up the drinks for the party members at a party held at the  bar with a Guevara-chic theme catering in a 'pretend revolutionary cocktail bar?'  

Meanwhile, Shadow City Minister Jonathan Reynolds also enjoyed a private party with the bankers at the conference.  The Eye says:  'He was star guest at the invitation-only Lansons Financial Reception, also held in the REVOLUCIÓN DE CUBA BAR.'   Lansons is a lobbying firm which specialises in city clients, which The Eye claims represents 'overshore financial centres and tax havens like Jersey.'

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Jolly jaunt to Israel by Tameside Labour MPs causes outrage!

Tameside Labour Friends of Israel - Jonny Reynolds & Andrew Gwynne on recent trip to Israel.

A group of Labour MPs have caused outrage by taking a jolly jaunt to Israel and posting tourist-type photos of themselves, shortly after the killing of over 60 Palestinians, which included eight children under the age of 16, at the Gaza barrier on 14 May 2018. At least 2,400 people were also wounded.

The tweeted picture of six Labour MPs and a Labour peer, includes Jonathan Reynolds MP (first left), who represents the constituency of Stalybridge and Hyde and Andrew Gwynne MP (second left), who represents the Denton and Reddish constituency. Although the trip has been described as a "parliamentary delegation", the group are all members of Labour Friends of Israel (LFI). Jonathan Reynolds is currently one of nine Labour LFI officers in Parliament and Andrew Gwynne is a former Chairman of LFI and is now a  LFI supporter. During their visit to Israel the group met with the Israeli Labour leader, Isaac Herzog, an advocate of disengaging with and fencing off Palestinians.

Israel is often described as the only real democracy in the Middle East. Yet it is a racist and an apartheid state, where the Israeli Prime Minister can describe Arabs as beasts, and where Palestinians are prevented from marrying Palestinians living outside Israel or from returning to their Palestinian homeland. Arabs are also prevented from living in hundreds of Jewish communities under the 'Access to Communities Act', which allows existing residents to bar Arabs from renting property there. Many Israeli settlements that have been built on the West Bank are also illegal under international law.

In 2017, a young Israeli Embassy official called Shai Masot, was caught on camera plotting to 'take down' UK MPs who have been outspoken supporters of a Palestinian state. He was filmed asking a UK civil servant Maria Strizzolo, "Can I give you some MPs that I would suggest you take down." Masot had links and was sending funds to various groups including, the 'Fabian Society', 'Labour Friends of Israel', the 'Jewish Labour Movement' and 'We Believe in Israel'. 

In what is beginning to resemble a McCarthyite witch-hunt, a number of Labour members including the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, have  been accused of anti-Semitism or of infringing Labour Party rules for criticising Israel and its policies towards the Palestinians. Jonathan Arkush, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, recently accused Jeremy Corbyn of "siding with anti-Semites." Jackie Walker, the vice chair of Momentum was removed from her position when she said many Jews including her ancestors had been the chief financiers of the sugar and slave trade. Ken Livingstone was suspended by the Labour Party when he said that the Nazi's and Zionists had collaborated when they drew up the Haavara Agreement in 1933. Labour Party member, Jean Fitzpatrick, was denounced as an anti-Semite when she asked how a two-party state in Israel could be achieved in the face of the "atomisation of the West Bank."

It is highly unlikely that Shai Masot would have had Reynolds or Gwynne in mind when he talked about "taking down" certain MPs. The dynamic duo have long-standing links with LFI and are almost Zionist poster boys. Slaughter or no slaughter, both MPs have issued statements defending their decision to go on the Israeli trip.

Andrew Gwynne said that he'd been tasked with opening the debate on anti-Semitism for the Labour frontbench and the day after:

"I was interviewed alongside a holocaust survivor. She begged me...to visit Yad Vashem - the Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem. I agreed and this Whitsun Recess has been my opportunity to make good on my word...That I've honoured my commitment...I hope will be recognised for the right intention."

Jonathan Reynolds said that he had taken the opportunity to attend a delegation of Labour MPs to Israel and Palestine.

"This will be my fourth visit to the region since I first went in 2004. Wherever you go within Israel you see Muslim, Jews and Christians living their daily lives alongside one another. Israel is the only real democracy in the Middle East and the only country where minorities have full equality before the law. The result is a truly dire situation for the people of Gaza, as evidenced recently by their willingness to effectively walk into live gunfire in their desperation."

Unlike the Labour MP Catherine West, who demanded that her name be removed from the LFI website and utterly condemned the actions of the Israeli army in Gaza, Reynolds and Gwynne have not issued statements condemning the massacre at the Gaza barrier in May. Although reports have suggested that many of the people who were killed were shot by Israeli sniper fire, Reynolds would have us believe that the Palestinians brought about there own deaths by effectively, like lemmings, walking into live gunfire.

What Reynolds does as  a LFI officer in Parliament isn't clear, but no doubt, many of his constituents would be keen to know who paid for his trip to Israel and whether he notified his CLP of his intended visit and whether Stalybridge CLP members, endorsed the visits and the comments that he has made. It is also curious that neither Reynolds or Gwynne ever mention on their election leaflets, their involvement in Labour Friends of Israel. The public have a right to know.

Tameside Tories see RED over Communist Party funeral flag!

Tameside Health Campaigner - Rod McCord

A major row has erupted over a families right to display in public, the Communist Party flag, in memory of their father, who was a lifelong communist. 

Last Thursday, over 300 people attended the memorial service to Rodney (Rod) McCord at the Stalybridge Civic Hall.  A local health campaigner and member of Stalybridge Labour Party, Rod died in Willow Wood Hospice, on  Wednesday 15th February 2018, aged 67. Later in the afternoon, a service took place at the Dukinfield Crematorium.

Originally from Openshaw, Manchester, Rod was one of three children of Phyllis and Charles McCord. Along with their father, Rod and his two sisters, Christine and Marilyn, were all members of the Communist Party (CPGB). Rod left instructions that the Communist Party flag was to be draped over his coffin and a communist  banner with the hammer and sickle and "RIP COMRADE", was displayed in the civic hall. The Red Flag and The Internationale were also played at the service and relayed out into the street.

Afterwards, family and friends retired to the Stalybridge Labour Club, where £1,348.94 was collected for Willow Wood Hospice. To show honour and respect to their father, the McCord family, decided to display the CP flag on the flagppole at Stalybridge Labour Club to "mark our Dad's passing."

A local busybody Stalybridge councillor, called Doreen Dickenson, a kind of priggish, parochial, Mrs Grundy type of character, got wind that something rather communist and lefty was going on in her own backyard of Stalybridge.  Even before, Mr McCord had been laid to rest, she was scurrilously tweeting about how un-English and alien it was to display communist flags and play communist songs, in this little northern cotton town. Although Dickenson, later removed the offending tweet, after being contacted by the McCord family, she said she'd received complaints from constituents about the 'Communist Party Flag' and communist music being relayed outside by loudspeakers that she found disgusting. She also seemed to think that because the event took place in a public building (which the family had hired for the occasion), they had no right to fly the flag or play music.

Many Tameside Labour members appear to have been either unaware of the incident, indifferent,  or in support of the kind gesture to honour Mr. McCord, who was held in high regard.  Jonathan Reynolds MP, who represents Stalybridge & Hyde, said:

"Rod was a truly lovely person, generous, intelligent and warm. Many people will know him in particular for his work with Tameside Hospital Action Group... I always thought he was one of the most well read and informed people I ever met. There was a great turnout today, and Rod's sons and grandchildren all gave magnificent tributes to him. Dave Ormsby gave a brilliant eulogy, which was funny as well as poignant. Rest in Peace Rod."

Councillor Jan Jackson, who chairs the Stalybridge Town Council, said the flag was a family matter and was "not aligned or associated in any way with the New Stalybridge Labour Club." she said:

"It has gone viral and caused a furore on social media, something that should not have happened. It was the funeral of a very stalwart person who sat on the Tameside Hospital Action Board (sic) and did a lot of good work in the community. People are dying all over the world and struggling to put a loaf of bread on the table, yet flying the flag has caused all this fuss.  There are more important issues."

The McCord family later issued a statement saying that it was not their intention to cause offence, upset, or to associate the flag with the Labour Party.

I don't suppose that any of us should be surprised at the foul antics that the Tories and the far right are prepared to stoop to in order to make political capital over their opponents. Even the death of a truly decent man, and the respect his family paid to him, is something that cannot take place without controversy or be exploited for political gain.  Some have even tried to connect this flag incident with the recent poisonings of Yulia and Sergei Skripal.  But what should one expect from a party that snatched milk off the school kids and now threatens to take their free school meals off them, if their family earns more than £7,000 per year.

We understand that the manager of Stalybridge Labour Club received death threats following this incident.  We also understand that someone in the office of the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, contacted one of Mr McCord's son's, demanding that the communist flag be taken down and that when he asked to speak to 'Jeremy', he was told he was out at a meeting.  This seems rather cowardly and gutless action from a party that proclaims itself to be socialist.  Needless to say, the party must have found it a political embarrassment.

Despite being embarrassed by a red flag, the Labour Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, John McDonnell, says in his 'Who's Who' entry, that his hobbies include "fermenting (sic) the downfall of capitalism."  In 2011, he called on unhappy workers to spit in their bosses tea.  Clearly, the pragmatic politician lies behind many of these hard men on the left.

And what would my dear friend Rod McCord, be making of this right now?  I bet he'd be laughing his little red socks off. He certainly went out with a bang! RIP mate.

Derek Pattison,

Joint Editor Northern Voices.

"Here comes Jonny": Reynolds does a somersault and becomes a Corbynite overnight!

Nimble Jonny Reynolds MP

They say that you have to be nimble on your feet in politics, and Jonny Reynolds MP, who represents the constituency of Stalybridge and Hyde for Labour, would certainly give Hermes a run for his money.

Only weeks ago the hapless Blairite MP, was campaigning on behalf of Liz Kendal MP, for the leadership of the Labour Party, who came last in the election and was batting to get his old mate, Peter (Meddlesome) Mandelson, elected as Chancellor of Manchester University. Mandelson also came last losing to Lemn Sissay, a black poet from Wigan. You might say that nimble Jonny has a penchant for backing losers.

Both the Ashton-under-Lyne and Stalybridge and Hyde Constituency Labour Party's, chose to support Jeremy Corbyn in the leadership election. Angela Rayner opted to support the weak and vacillating Andy Burnham, along with her Labour colleague, Andrew Gwynne MP, who represents Denton and Reddish.

In a recent flyer to Labour Party members, nimble Jonny, told the party faithful:

"It is now incumbent on all of us to do what we can to beat the Tories and elect Jeremy as Prime Minister."

Although some Labour MPs on the Blairite 'centre-left' have refused to serve in a Corbyn cabinet, nimble Jonny, intends to keep the roof over his head and with some deft footwork, has now done a volte-face, by accepting the position of Shadow Minister for Transport in Corbyn's cabinet. As nimble Jonny told Labour members, with "four children"..."family life is not easy or quiet!" adding, "after careful thought Claire (his spouse), has decided to not stand for re-election as one of our Councillors in Duki-Stalyward."

In Tameside, the Labour Party have two Labour clubs in Denton and Stalybridge. Unlike many Labour Party groups in other parts of the country, the Labour Party in Tameside, does have close links with freemasonry. Once a year, the Ashton Masonic Lodge holds the Roy Oldham memorial dinner, in tribute to the former masonic Labour leader of Tameside Council, Roy Oldham, who died in 2010, aged 76. Although Stalybridge Labour Club have been experiencing financial difficulties for some considerable time, due to loss of custom, the Tameside Labour Party, have chosen to hold their annual fundraiser not at Denton or Stalybridge Labour Clubs, but at the Ashton Masonic Lodge. No doubt there'll be some secret handshakes going on at the Labour fundraiser amongst the old squares.

Reynolds left with egg on his face, as Stalybridge CLP votes for Corbyn!

JUST GOOD FRIENDS:

REYNOLDS (RIGHT); WITH STUART HALL AND LORD PENDRY

Although he increased his majority at the General Election in May, Jonathan Reynolds MP, who represents the constituency of Stalybridge and Hyde, is becoming rather gaffe prone like his mentor and predecessor, James (work-for-your-dole) Purnell.

Only recently, the hapless Blairite MP, was lobbying to get his mate Peter Mandelson elected as Chancellor of his alma mater, Manchester University. Dubbed the Prince of Darkness, Mandelson came last in the election losing to Lemn Sissay, a black poet from Wigan. 

If this wasn't bad enough, Reynolds has now been left with egg on his face over who should be elected the next Labour leader. While the two other Tameside MPs, Andrew Gwynne and Angela Rayner, are supporting the weak and vacillating Andy Burnham, Reynolds has opted to support the no-hoper, Blairite, pro-business, Liz Kendal. Labour Party members in his constituency, received a letter from Reynolds asking them to vote for Kendal. However, despite receiving the letter, the Stalybridge and Hyde Constituency Labour Party (CLP), voted overwhelmingly for the left-wing candidate, Jeremy Corbyn.

Despite attacks on Corbyn and his supporters, the veteran MP for Islington North, is winning over young people who are flocking to packed meetings around the country. Last week, Corbyn announced on the BBC2 Newsnight programme, that should he be elected leader, he would push for Tony Blair to be prosecuted for war crimes.

Meanwhile, interim Labour leader, Harriet Harman, who called on Labour MPs to support the Government's welfare bill, which will cut benefits and child tax credits for working families, has written to every Labour MP with the names of people in their constituency who have registered as supporters of the Labour Party since the election. Harman wants them to weed out 'entryists' on the Left and Right or known 'troublemakers', who she believes have joined the party to disrupt the leadership contest.

During the recent vote on the welfare bill, all three Tameside MPs, Reynolds, Gwynne and Angela Rayner, a former care worker and UNISON Branch Secretary from Stockport, chose to abstain in order to allow the government to introduce the bill which is aimed at cutting £12bn from social security spending. It was recently reported in the Daily Mirror that the Government was sitting on a surplus of £30bn in the National Insurance fund and yet, still found it necessary, to cut benefits for working families. Jeremy Corbyn, was one of 48 Labour MPs who voted against the welfare bill.

Labour's workfare shame: How Labour abandoned support for the poorest over illegal sanctions!

Jonathan Reynolds MP

In February 2013, the Court of Appeal quashed ‘The Jobseeker’s Allowance (Employment, Skills and Enterprise) Scheme’. The three Judges, Lord Justice Pill, Lady Justice Black and Sir Stanley Burton, ruled that the 2011 Regulations were ultra vires of section 17A of the Jobseeker’s Act 1995 because they failed to prescribe a description of the various schemes launched in August 2011 or the circumstances in which, a person can be required to participate in those schemes or the period during which, participants are required to undertake work on those schemes.

The case centred on whether the Secretary of State was able to create programmes and schemes at a whim rather than issuing Parliament with full details of the myriad of schemes in operation. It was declared that the Secretary of State, Ian Duncan Smith, had not given unemployed people sufficient information about their rights to appeal against being made to work up to 780 hours unpaid and the penalties they would face if they refused. The effect of the ruling meant that almost all of the Government’s work-for-your dole employment schemes were unlawful.

The Court of Appeal ruling meant that thousands of unemployed people (approximately 44,000) who had been unlawfully sanctioned (had their benefits stopped) for not participating in these schemes, were entitled to a refund of their benefits of around £130 million. On 30 October 2013, the decision of the Appeal Court was upheld by the Supreme Court.

The Department of Work & Pensions (DWP) stated that they would resist paying out rebates until all legal avenues had been exhausted. However, following the Court of Appeal ruling, the Government introduced emergency legislation -  ‘The Jobseeker’s Allowance (Schemes for Assisting  Persons to Obtain Employment) Regulations 2013’ and the ‘Jobseeker’s (Back to Work Schemes) Act 2013’  that was fast tracked through Parliament with the support of most of the opposition.

What both measures sought to do was to validate the 2011 Regulations retrospectively and undo the decision of the Court of Appeal. This did have the effect of retrospectively making unlawful benefit sanctions imposed under the 2011 Regulations lawful in order to deny people rebates.

When these measures were introduced in Parliament in the spring of 2013, some 44 Labour MPs voted against these measures. However, the Labour Party official line was to ‘abstain’ so the Government could get the legislation through.

One of the MPs, who abstained, was Jonathan Reynolds MP, who represents the constituency of Stalybridge and Hyde. In May 2013, he wrote to a constituent to explain why he’d abstained on the Government’s Jobseekers Bill. According to Reynolds, the DWP’s back to work schemes (2011 Regulations), were struck down – not because they were unlawful – but on a technicality, because the DWP had not provided sufficient information to jobseekers about the penalties involved in refusing to participate in their schemes. He added, “The legal judgement was not about the legality or ethics of so-called workfare schemes (which were introduced by the last Labour government). These will always be political, not legal, matters.” He stated that he thought it only reasonable that people should have their benefits stopped if they won’t try to find work. However, he points out that Labour had demanded two crucial concessions: first, that people can appeal against mistakes by the DWP; “We can’t have carte blanche retrospective legislation of sanctions.” Second, there should be an independent review of the sanctions regime.

What Reynolds fails to mention and must have known at the time, is that in supporting this nasty little bill, money illegally taken from jobseekers who had been illegally sanctioned, would not be paid back to them. Labour’s support allowed the Government to backdate changes to the law so they could steal money from the poor.

Even right-wing think tanks like Civitas,were appalled by this shocking move. They asked, is the Government above the law? Moreover, what is the point in taking the Government to court, when they can simply move the goal posts and ignore the ruling, by introducing retrospective legislation that validates it?

Though Labour and Jonathan Reynolds MP, supported the Tory Government, the High Court subsequently found that retrospective legislation designed to render lawful benefits sanctions that were issued under the 2011 Regulations, was ‘incompatible’ with the right to a fair trial. The court called the move ‘draconian’, stating it was not explained or justified and “incompatible with the European Convention on human Rights.” After the ruling, the Government announced that it would appeal to the Supreme Court.

A Blairite and Labour friend of Israel, Jonathan Reynolds was elected to Parliament at the 2010 General Election, following the resignation of his mentor and predecessor, James (work-or-lose-your-dole) Purnell, who turned the seat of Stalybridge & Hyde into a marginal. According to Labour NEC member, Tom Watson MP, Reynolds was not initially put on the NEC’s shortlist, having failed to impress. However, Watson told ‘The Times’, that Reynolds was put on the shortlist of candidates for the vacant seat, following intervention from James Purnell and Peter Mandelson, who wanted him elected.

Tory Boy James Purnell, lands plumb job with 'Aunty'!

Last week the BBC announced that James Purnell, the former Labour Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, has been appointed as director of strategy and digital on a salary of £295,000. This is not the first time that Purnell has worked for the BBC. Before entering frontline politics, he worked as head of corporate planning for the corporation between 1995-97.

Although once tipped as a future Labour Prime Minister, Purnell was remarkably gaffe prone. He often lacked political judgement and seemed to like controversy. One two separate occasions he lost both his ministerial red box as well as his wallet. He resigned from the government in June 2009 after criticising Gordon Brown's leadership and after trying to precipitate a revolt, against his leadership, by disgruntled Blairites. In 2010, just before the general election, he announced that he was standing down as the MP for the constituency of Stalybridge and Hyde, a seat that he'd inherited in 2001, from Tom Pendry (Lab) which had a 14,000 majority. He left his successor, Jonathan Reynolds (Lab), defending a marginal with a 2,744 majority.

As the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (2006-07), he was responsible for introducing both modern-day slavery to Britain with his work-for-your-dole schemes and also the discredited Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), with its stricter work capability assessments. He also signed off a proposal to charge benefit claimants 27.8 % APR on a social fund loan which had been interest free. At the time, Purnell said that it would help the poor to budget. The proposal failed to get adopted because of cross-party opposition to it in Parliament.

The Unite sponsored MP, also became embroiled in the parliamentary expenses scandal. It was revealed in the press that while drawing a ministerial salary of over £144,000, Purnell had been claiming the maximum food allowance of £400 p.m. He also claimed from the taxpayer, expenses for flowers, fridge magnets, books, camera equipment, rates, rent, and advice from tax advisers. He also avoided paying capital gains tax by switching homes.

Since leaving Parliament, Purnell has been employed as a senior adviser with the Boston Consulting Group and he's the Chairman of the Trustees for Public Policy Research. In 2011, the unmarried former MP,  applied for, but failed to get, the job  as Chairman of  Save the Children UK.

Some people have criticised the BBC and the incoming director general, Tony Hall, for appointing Purnell in what they see as a politically contrived appointment. Although some would argue that Purnell has been a political failure, there is no doubt, that he continues to retain influential political friends and it is this, which makes Purnell, marketable. No doubt the BBC, are also betting that the next government will be a Labour one.