It's fairly well known locally that the Neath MP, Christina Rees, is firmly backing Owen Smith's bid for leadership of the Labour Party. Ms Rees appeared on stage with Oily at his leadership launch in Coleg y Cymoedd on 17 July 2016, and went along to another local Oily promotion, at Ely Valley Miners Welfare Club on 22 August, where she had a front row seat and leapt to her feet to applaud the Mini Maestro when he had finished speaking.

Unfortunately for Ms Rees, despite her support, Owen hasn't used her image on the back of his "battle bus" sent out from Pontypridd on 30 August to tour the length and breadth of Britain. Instead the honour has gone to Carolyn Harris, the MP for Swansea East. I'd count my lucky stars if I was Christina. Because Carolyn Harris will forever now be known as the woman whose face was ACTUALLY the back end of a bus. Personally, I preferred the original paintwork on Edwards Coaches, who supplied the vehicle. Carolyn Harris does the back end of their bus no favours, let's be honest.

And check out that red nail-varnished hand down by Oily's nether regions. How on earth did they miss that one? It looks like it's about to do something to Oily that is unfit to be written about in a quality blog like this (??). So I won't mention it.

There is an unkind rumour going about that the bus will ferry around Oily's own "rent-a-crowd". His rallies to date have been pitifully attended despite free ice cream and sycophantic MPs hanging on his shirt-tail, hoping for a Shadow Cabinet position.

But what of our Assembly Member, Mr Jeremy Miles, who was gifted the Neath Welsh Assembly seat as a consolation prize for missing out to the interloper Stephen Kinnock in his fight for the Aberavon candidacy. Well, Jeremy is also backing Oily.

The position taken by Mr Miles was entirely predictable. He was (and still is, I believe) a member of the Right wing, pro-business faction within Labour called "Progress" and in the past he has written several articles for the organisation. So he's hardly going to back Jeremy Corbyn.

Ms Rees is also considered to be on the Right in the Labour Party and according to this article has been backed by Progress in previous election attempts prior to her securing the Neath candidacy.
https://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-9312-The-knives-are-out-in-Neath-as-Labour-picks-new-candidate#.V8Xrq60xj90

If you want to know a lot more about Progress I highly recommend you read this easy to digest article. I am grateful to its author.

https://seagullnic.wordpress.com/2016/07/27/the-right-wing-incontinence-of-the-progress-plotters/

You'll note that Stephen Kinnock features in it. He is also a member of Progress.

Note as well that its donors have included Owen Smith's former Big Pharma employer, Pfizer.

An individual donor identified in the article is a "John Mendelsohn". This is actually Jonathan Mendelsohn, now Baron Mendelsohn of Finchley. He is, or was, a political lobbyist and a one-time chief fundraiser for the Labour Party. He is a former treasurer of Progress, and is on its Board of Directors.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Mendelsohn

I thought I recognised the name. He donated £5,000 to Peter Hain's abortive deputy leadership bid in 2007. It shouldn't surprise you if I told you that Peter Hain has written regularly for Progress for many years and is almost certainly a member.

So just to recap for our local area. A former Neath MP, now a Lord, almost certainly a Progess member, previously bankrolled by a political lobbyist who is in the Progress hierarchy and a major individual donor. The current Neath MP backed by Progress (is she a member or former member?) in previous election attempts. The current Neath AM definitely a former member of Progress and probably still is. He also wrote numerous articles for the organisation. And just down the road, the Aberavon MP, and a Progress member. And all four vehemently opposed to Corbyn and backing Owen Smith for all they are worth - which in my eyes ain't bleeding much!

Just how far into our local democracy does the influence of Progress and its backers reach? Are our local Labour councillors involved too? How many local Labour voters and non-Labour voters are aware of this organisation and the Blairite/Red Tory policies it promotes?

If Jeremy Corbyn is successful in securing the leadership for a second time it will be interesting to see how Ms Rees in particular reacts. Will she follow the example of Oily who has said he will not serve under Corbyn but will work (presumably that means continue to snipe and undermine his elected leader) from the Back Benches? Boyo Kinnock has similarly said he will not serve in Corbyn's Shadow Cabinet. Or will she do the right thing, stop pissing about, and get on with what the Neath public want her to do - being an effective Opposition to the Tories at a time when the need has probably never been greater. The choice will be hers but make the wrong one and she may well find that the nice pension she was hoping for may be curtailed to just one Parliamentary period.