Philistine that I am, I had no idea who the GUIDE consultancy were until I looked them up.
http://www.theguideconsultancy.com/what-we-do.html
They apparently help clients "navigate the political process, build support for their campaigns and reach measurable objectives". Their clients include the likes of Tesco, Barclays, Canon, Mastercard, Axa and Rockwool. It sounds like a bunch of buzz words for a Public Relations/Lobbying role they can provide, and with big name clients like those, I would guess it doesn't come cheap.
Why am I referring to these? Well, because Peter Hain's Twitter site is retweeting a GUIDE tweet, offering the opportunity to examine the future of the Labour Party, and at the same time talk to the author of Back to the Future of Socialism. An evening in his company on Monday, 22 June 2015 promises to provide "the chance to pick up key intelligence on what happens next for the Labour party". Since no-one from the bottom to the top in that Party seems to have a clue what things will be like in even three months, it seems quite a fatuous claim. But you know, if it puts bums on seats and helps swell Mr Hain's retirement fund, who am I to argue?
The official launch of Back to the Future of Socialism - nice wallpaper!
If like me you're living in the rock-solid Labour heartlands that provided Mr Hain with his living for 24 years, and you would like to benefit from his unique political insight, then tough luck! Because you'll have to travel to London, specifically to an office near the landmark building the Shard, to attend this event. A bit like you'd have had to have travelled to Westminster to see Lord Kinnock (above) at the official launch of Hain's latest book.
When I saw who was sponsoring it I was even more surprised. Not the Guardian Newspaper so often used by Mr Hain to send out his "Thought for the Day", not Trinity House (includes the Mirror group of newspapers), not the GMB, UNITE, UNISON or some other trades union, not even the Labour Party itself or one of its constituency offices. But lo and behold, none other than News UK. Those unfamiliar with whom our politicians and ex-politicians will cosy up to may be shocked by this. I am not. The MPs Register of Financial Interests has declarations by Mr Hain that he has attended football matches at Chelsea FC courtesy of Sky - another Murdoch owned enterprise. Furthermore his memoirs Outside In were serialised by the Sunday Times.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-16673249
Now I obviously have more trouble reconciling Mr Hain's relationship with Murdoch's businesses than he himself does. Why? Well, in his book Outside In he relates the story about the recapitalisation of his wife's search and recruitment business, which was ongoing at the time of his "problem" arising from the undeclared donations for his deputy leadership battle. Things were well advanced in terms of negotiations with a larger headhunting company. Then, just before things were finalised, the Chairman of the company apparently googled Elizabeth and up came a News of the World story entitled "Hain's wife in sleaze probe", a story based upon "a total fabrication" as Hain says in his memoirs. The Chairman got cold feet as a result, the deal fell through, and Elizabeth's company went into voluntary administration. All I can say is he is far more forgiving of anything to do with Murdoch than I would have been. I would have held a grudge until I was cold in my grave. MPs are clearly much more honourable and fairer people than I.
------------------------------------------
Incidentally the website of GUIDE states:
"Join us:
We look for truly excellent people to join our team. Contact us if you would like to join the team".
Now that last invite is an offer that many an ex-MP may be interested in. Watch this space as they say.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE INVITATION ITSELF
GUIDE Book Club on the future of Labour
We are holding a special GUIDE Book Club event, to examine the future of the Labour Party, at 6.30pm on Monday 22nd June.
We will be joined by ex-Cabinet Minister and Labour grandee Peter Hain, whose new book Back to the future of socialism has been called “an essential read for everyone interested in the future of the left”.
Peter has claimed “austerity is not needed – Labour needs to find a rigorous, prudent, balancing-the-books approach” and he will reveal what’s going on inside the Labour machine as the party considers its future and elects a new leader. Whether you agree with Peter or want to take him to task, the evening provides the chance to pick up key intelligence on what happens next for the Labour party.
The event is kindly sponsored by News UK and will be held at their impressive office by the Shard. It is free to attend, with wine, beer and canapés to keep you going – but places are strictly limited, so please RSVP to eve@theguideconsultancy.com as soon as you can, if you would like to come.
-----------------------------------------------------------
I'm OK with beer (actually quite an expert really), can get by with my knowledge of wine (I know it's red, white or in-between, I mean what else is worth knowing other than its alcoholic volume), but what exactly are those "canapes" things? I ended up looking for the definition via the internet and it seems they are little bitey-like things, quite unsuited to someone like me, brought up on a rough Council estate, to eat - unless I could have the whole plateful of course. Apparently they are a sort of hors d'oeuvres - again I'm none the wiser. Just stick a few sausage rolls, crisps, and cheese and onion sarnies out, mun. That's the trouble with these Labour luvvies nowadays. Spoilt rotten. They'll be giving out marinated tuna in the Neath foodbank next! What is the world coming to?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And what do you know? If you don't manage to catch Peter at Murdoch's News UK offices on 22 June, why not go along instead to Marxism 2015 in mid July, where any canapes will be courtesy of the Socialist Workers Party.
http://marxismfestival.org.uk/Book-launches.htm
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE 23.06.15
A photo of the Guide Book Club event has now appeared on Twitter.
Let's be generous and assume Hain is holding forth in the centre of the table. We see 10 other people in the image. Let's be kind and say there were 20 there then. All that advance publicity (from me too let's not forget), and even with the Guide staff as well - that's seemingly all who attended. It's worse than the talk he gave in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, in November 2014, isn't it?
http://www.spanglefish.com/stan/news.asp?intent=viewstory&newsid=66455
Take a look at those people around the table. Do they look like they represent the future of socialism to you? They look the personification of the metropolitan elite that has crashed the Party to me. I wonder how many of them have had to clock in and out in a proper job? Not a bloody clue about how most of us live, have they?
Why are the women there seemingly a couple of decades younger than the men?
And don't get me started on the sausage rolls and sarnies. I can't see any unless the gannets have already scoffed them. No beer in sight either because of course, people like that only "do beer" when they have to mix it with the hoi polloi. Plenty of wine being sensually sipped though.
Thank God I've got a Guinness chilling in the fridge and a pasty from Lidl's to be scoffed later. There's a lot to be said for being comfortable in your own skin.
-------------------------------------------------
