On 1 November 2014 the Neath Labour Party will choose its candidate to fight the General Election in May 2015. Even allowing for the massive drop in the Labour vote since Peter Hain has been MP, their selection will still surely become the next Neath MP following the General Election.
We know it's an all woman list and it has been whittled down to three according to press reports. It's a shame that none of the candidates already lives here. Maybe there's a case for Parliamentary candidates to have been resident in the constituency area for some time, a year at least, before they should be eligible to represent a local community. At least this would be a step towards stopping the carpetbagging so familiar to Welsh voters in Labour dominated areas. An alternative might be some Party rule that you must at least offer the membership a local person in the final cut. Can it really be the case that there's not one woman in the area of sufficient standing in the Party to at least make the shortlist? It doesn't bode well for all their talk of equal opportunity. Or alternatively for the ability of the women living in Neath! But come what may it looks as though in 2015 Neath will have its first ever female MP - and not before time in my opinion.
So who are the three?
Firstly, Karen Wilkie, Deputy General Secretary of the Co-Operative Party and last year’s Chair of Welsh Labour. 50 plus years old. Married, two kids, living in Cardiff. Started life in a caravan apparently but doubtful it was one of those down on the Enterprise Park. Very much playing the card of the local, working class candidate, one of the boyos, if her campaign website is anything to go by.
"I am a working-class, working mother, with local roots, a national reputation and experience of leadership across the labour movement".
Her past work included being a Research & Policy Officer for the Labour Group at Taff Ely Borough Council, President of the National Union of Students in Wales, NUS Wales Women's Officer, and Equal Opportunities & Race Relations work, as well as working in Education at Derbyshire County Council.
http://www.karenwilkie.org/
OK - working-class, working mother, local roots. So was my Mam, so is Mrs Stan. So are my sisters. So is nearly every other woman I know. See - I told Mrs Stan to join the Party and it could open up a whole new world for us. Who knows - if only she'd listened to me I too might have been living in Cardiff, maybe even working in 39 Windsor Road next year as an MP's secretary. Now that is something to think about! Mrs Wilkie says she has a "national reputation"? For what? Be honest now - had you ever heard of her?
Her CV seems so typical of too many politicians. To me it seems her working life shows nothing in the real world. It's all under the umbrella of a narrow part of the public sector or the unions. She would benefit from a sabbatical and working in Amazon, McDonalds or Tesco for a year just to see how many of her potential constituents have to earn a crust.
Second candidate is Christina Rees, a Bridgend councillor and unfortunately, more well-known as the ex-wife of former Welsh Secretary Ron Davies. Has quite an interesting CV, barrister qualified, and worked as a constituency secretary for over 12 years (presumably for hubby Ron until he went over to the dark side). Also worked for many years in various positions in the game of squash. Has a daughter from her marriage to Ron. Was born and brought up in Kenfig Hill. Her father was a carpenter and her mother was a dinner lady at Cynffig School. Isn't there a song somewhere about a carpenter and a lady? I'm sure there was. Fit bird for her age (or any age) as she is an extremely accomplished squash player and a highly qualified squash coach. Previously worked as a Development Officer and National Coach for the National Governing Body for Squash in Wales. She represented Wales over a hundred times and was the first squash player to be awarded the prestigious Sport Wales National Coach of the Year Award in 2008. A fit bird indeed. And one that has taken a few hard knocks in her time, I'd bet. Isn't it a small world in Wales though? There can't be too many Ladies' squash professionals in the UK let alone Wales. But Christina Rees was one. So was Tegwen Malik, the daughter of Naz Malik of AWEMA fame. Naz too was a huge squash fan. And his son, Iqbal as well. And all were or are prominent members of the Labour Party in Wales. As I say, small world.
Christina Rees blotted her copybook with me for trying to suck up to Ed Miliband at a previous Labour conference but I can forgive her if she can pull more votes than Candidate Number 3 below. At least she's stood on her own two feet for part of her life without being totally reliant on the public purse by the looks of it. Lucky she was a good squash player though - otherwise her life might have been a lot harder.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-19821003
Last, but not least, Mabel McKeown, who lives in London. More precisely she lived (lives?) in Kensington - at least in 2010. Her flat there (Flat 2, 2 Southwell Gardens, Kensington) has an estimated value on Zoopla of £891K or a monthly rental value of £2,561. It last sold for £420K way back in 2006. Wonder who's paying the mortgage or rent on that then? If it is mortgaged of course. Estate agents describe Southwell Gardens as a prestigious South Kensington address moments from the green open spaces of Hyde Park and bustling Gloucester Road with its many eateries and local shops. Whether she's still living there now - sorry, can't help you. A more recent press report in the Daily Telegraph in 2013 suggested she lived in Ealing Broadway.
Ms McKeown is probably more well known for a close family member than by her own reputation, being the daughter of Tracey Ullman of former popstar and TV fame. So maybe Mam is helping out with the payments. The family is absolutely loaded. Tracey now lives in Mayfair apparently and before Mabel's father died late in 2013 they had a home there and in Los Angeles. In 2006, Ullman topped the list for the "Wealthiest British Comedians", with an estimated wealth of £75 million. Mabel has one other sibling, a younger brother called Johnny.
She lists her working experience as follows:
Work to help young people into employment at UK Youth, national youth charity.
Worked for Labour in Westminster in Government and Opposition.
Worked for an International Charity in New York fighting for the world’s poorest people. (Hang on to this word "fighting" because it will appear again later on)
Experience of working within government, charity and corporate sectors.
Council and London-wide Assembly Candidate.
Degree from Leeds University and Masters Degree from University College London.
Member of the GMB union, Co-Operative Party and the Fabians.
Campaigned in every election and every region since joining the party at 17.
Mabel McKeown is currently a fundraising manager for the UK Youth charity. As a fundraiser she will be well used to squeezing the last penny out of Joe Public and on that basis I reckon becoming an MP is an entirely logical career move.
She previously ran unsuccessfully as a candidate for the London Assembly, and also unsuccessfully in the local Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea council elections in 2010. She also ran unsuccessfully in trying to secure the Labour candidacy in Ealing Central and Acton, though this is not mentioned on her website pitching for the Neath candidacy. Possibly as it's a potential blot on her CV.
http://www.ealingactonlabour.org.uk/mabel-mckeown/4580161948
Please check out particularly that link to the Ealing Central and Acton candidacy. What is it about the political classes these days? Are they deliberately trying to be illiterate to endear themselves to the common man? We've got local councillors who can't put together a basic sentence without confusing adjectives and nouns, and not knowing what an apostrophe is. Now we have a prospective Labour MP who seemingly can't spell the word "Parliamentary" FFS. My old English master would be turning in his grave if he knew.
http://mabelmckeown.co.uk/
Also check out Ms McKeown's campaign slogan (go to the link immediately above). She is "Fighting for Neath". As a lightweight presumably. And "fighting" in Welsh too, though I'd guess this is as alien to her as being flat broke. It is the only Welsh text I can see on her website, such a token effort I don't know why her and her advisors bothered. I'd have advised her not to be hostage to fortune and stick to what she understands. Like cycling (see below) and taking money off people.
Ms McKeown was a name in the spotlight when the parliamentary constituency of Stoke on Trent North was choosing its new parliamentary candidate late last year and in 2014. The possible parachuting in of a London based figure caused quite an upheaval in their local Party and newspapers. It isn't clear from what I've read to date if she was actually shortlisted or even put her name forward for this post but if so - she never made it.
But she finally might get lucky in terms of trying to become a Westminster Labour candidate with her being in the last three for Neath. And why not? Isn't that what we do really well down here? Provide a foot in the door for the Champagne Socialists, the London glitterati, the Red Princes, the type of people who haven't got a bloody clue what it's like to spend the whole of your life struggling to make ends meet in such a depressed place, a dying place for many? Use us, patronise us, abuse us while all the while live to the manor born off our backs. An oblique comparison to the old Iron and Coal masters could be made in my opinion. Except we expected it of them. And at least they provided jobs! What on earth are the Labour Party members who pick these type of people thinking of when they cast their votes? Are they starstruck by being in the company of such people? Can they so easily be taken in? I just can't work it out, I really can't.
McKeown is only about half the age of the other two candidates, just 28 years of age. What possible life skills can a 28 years old Kensington dwelling girl, daughter of multi-millionaires, never had to worry about any financial matters, born in the USA, worked in New York until a few years ago, listed on the internet as an actress - yes, what possible skills as an MP can she offer a community like ours? Maybe she's prepared to chip in some of the family fortune to propping up our failing public services - possibly keep an extra library or two or a care home open. Maybe sponsor a drama school here. But again, a fit bird, I'll give her that. Just completed a London-Paris 340 mile bike ride in 3 days. Tebbit would have been proud of her that's for sure. She took on a cycling challenge because she'd broken a foot running a marathon. Most of the 28 year olds I know are so busy just trying to make ends meet that such frivolity would never occur to them.
Call me an inverted snob if you like but this is not the background or behaviour I want to see in my MP. I want to see someone who's had to deal with juggling their finances to make ends meet, someone who's had to fight for a decent (or any) job, to struggle with balancing the demands of work with family time. Someone who is rounded because life has knocked the sharp edges off them. In short - someone who can relate to most of the people I know in the Neath constituency, because most of us have never had it as easy as our political masters have. I don't want another carpetbagging chancer and vainglorious bloodsucker like Hain. I don't want the likes of Boy Kinnock, the Champagne swigging, London Labour's "favourite son", talking bollocks about he has some affinity to the depressed, rundown valley areas of South Wales. And though she is more than likely a really nice young woman - I don't want the ambitious, "still wet behind the ears" daughter of a media savvy, trans-Atlantic couple of pop and TV millionaires either. Especially when her mother appeared in a pop video with Neil Kinnock.
There's been much speculation on the Guido Fawkes website and elsewhere that Ms McKeown is the favoured candidate of Peter Hain who has vehemently denied claims he has “stitched up” the seat for her. Must be something in it then - the stronger Hain denies things the closer it usually is to the truth. But you'll never prove it. However it's been reported she is being guided by none other than Howard Davies, who of course happened to be Hain's backer when he first stood way back in 1991. If that's correct, what possible link could there be between a long retired, ex Lodge official of the NUM who lives in the constituency, and a Kensington dwelling, young daughter of show-biz multi-millionaires, who may well be a millionaire in her own right, courtesy of family inheritance? The only common factor I can discern is Mr Cuprinol himself. But we'll never know for sure.
On her website Ms McKeown says that if she is successful she “will immediately move to Neath where I will make my home”. Anyone living in a Band I Council Tax property who wants to move on but can't find a buyer - hang fire until 2015 - you may have a potential sale coming up. (Band I does exist apparently). I know some good cycling routes if she's interested. On one of them she can pop in to the house of our current MP and say hello and thank you, though I suspect she'll only find tourists and mice staying there once 2015 has passed. On the off chance Hain is checking up on the place however, I'd recommend she asks if the marinated Tuna, Aga done, is on. It may be something that she hasn't experienced in the restaurants of London and New York. She'll have to hurry though because my bet is that once Hain has to pay his own oil bills, the Aga will be on Ebay before you know it and that tuna will never be the same again.
So there we have it. The three candidates. If the vote was on 31 October instead I could have worked in a Shakespearean reference (from Macbeth for the Philistines out there) about the three witches, prophecies and the like. But I've been denied that opportunity. By the end of the 1 November, interestingly enough All Saints Day on the calendar, we shall know who the card carrying members of the local Labour Party have picked. Who's your money on?
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