'Brave New World' Hatching Eggs & Councillors

by Brian Bamford

ON the 6th, June, the website 'SKWAWKBOX' ran a story about a series of squabbles in local Labour Party branches around the country, but in particular it focused on some problems in the Rochdale Party.  Much has already been written about the disgrace brought about by the former Rochdale leader Richard Farnell, and Rochdale's former MP, Simon Danczuk.  But now a local Labour party branch has lodged its rejection of the local selection processes and the conduct of those behind them.

Northern Voices two weeks ago, was present at a meeting in the Rochdale ward of Castleton, when the status of the Local Campaign Forums in the Labour Party were discussed.  We didn't report on this then because resolutions and complaints were then still ongoing.

The 'Local Campaign Forum' it seems is used by the hierarchy within the Rochdale Labour Party as a kind of 'hatchery'*  whereby the local party bosses can manufacture future councillors in their own likeness.

Thus the regime which first laid eggs with Simon Christopher Danczuk and his aide Matthew Baker earlier in this decade, may now go on to hatch other specimens in a similar mold to Richard Farnell and the present Rochdale Labour leader Allen Brett.  Interesting bets are now being placed upon Councillor Sara Rowbotham being dusted-off for future glory in the realm of Rochdale politics:  a former sexual health worker, Ms. Rowbotham, for those who haven't heard of her, was portrayed by Maxine Peake in the docu-drama 'Three Girls'.   

According to the current report on the 'SKWAWKBOX' website:
'Seven Labour branches so far, as well as the whole Heywood and Middleton constituency party, have passed the resolution shown below and have sent it with evidence they consider shows rule breaking.  However, because of distrust of Labour’s regional office, the resolutions have been sent instead to the regional board, the body that oversees councillor discipline.'

These kind of ructions have long been going on in the Rochdale Labour Party, only last December the secretary of Rochdale Constituency Labour Party, Sharon MacLean, resigned in protest at what she describes as the party’s ‘inaction’ over the Knowl View child sex abuse scandal.

Sharon MacLean said Rochdale Council leader Richard Farnell should have been suspended over his handling of claims boys were being abused at the residential school.

In her resignation letter shown to the Manchester Evening News, Ms MacLean wrote:  'I am no longer able to be part of a local leadership that has defended [former Rochdale MP] Simon Danczuk , voted for 34% councillor allowances in a time of austerity and now, most importantly, defend the current Council Leader of Rochdale Council around the issue of CSA.'

Rochdale Labour Party may be in power and in office, but it is not a very united entity.

*   A hatchery is a facility where eggs are hatched under artificial conditions, especially those of fish or poultry. It may be used for ex-situ conservation purposes, i.e. to breed rare or endangered species under controlled conditions; alternatively, it may be for economic reasons (i.e. to enhance food supplies or fishery resources).

******