Politics
Blog comment: Parachutes and pashminas - by @thePlasticHippo
19 Mar 10 01:59 Filed in: Comment | Comment-Walsall
Parachutes and pashminas
The Plastic Hippo 18 Mar 10
“I am not a racist/sexist/ageist/homophobic but” (delete as necessary), you can bet your life and immortal soul that they are. The societal and religious intolerant are always very keen to present a public display of equanimity and will smile benignly, secure in a twisted faith and will consider any interlocutor with an opposing opinion to be a moron because, oh dear, you just don’t understand...
The YamYam 18 Mar 10 Walsall South Labour candidate announced
Express & Star 18 Mar 10 MP’s sister to fight Walsall seat
The Stirrer 18 Mar 10 Vaz bags Walsall South
Walsall Advertiser 8 Mar 10 Comment: Women only shortlist rules out worthy contenders
Stirrer 4 Mar 10 Walsall South - Labour’s runners and riders
The YamYam 2 Mar 10 Mosquito squashed in Walsall South
The Stirrer 2 Mar 10 Harris through in Dudley but Mosquito misses out
Adam Lumley The YamYam 28 Feb 10 Walsall Labour Party about to publish short list
B’ham Mail 28 Feb 10 Harriet Harman's husband laughs off her saucy nomination for Rear of Year
B’ham Post 19 Feb 10 Labour imposes women-only shortlist for Walsall South candidates
Walsall Advertiser 8 Mar 10 MP suffers a health scare on trip to US
YamYam links 27 Feb 10 Labour veteran Bruce George taken to hospital
YamYam links 18 Feb 10 Bruce George MP to stand down
Express & Star 18 Feb 10 Bruce George MP to stand down
B’ham Post 18 Feb 10 Walsall MP Bruce George to stand down after struggling with internet
Walsall Advertiser 18 Feb 10 Walsall MP stands down after 36 years
BBC News 18 Feb 10 Walsall South MP Bruce George to stand down
Stirrer 18 Feb 10 Bruce George to step down Discussion forum
Walsall Advertiser 28 May 09 "I've got nothing to hide over expenses"
Bruce George Home
Walsall South Labour candidate announced

18 Mar 10 02:26 Filed in: News | News-Walsall
Walsall South Labour candidate announced
Adam Lumley The YamYam 18 Mar 10
Labour Party members in the Walsall South constituency have chosen the candidate to stand in the next general election following the decision by sitting MP Bruce George to retire. Considered to be something of an outsider when the short list was announced, solicitor and broadcaster Valerie Vaz has been selected with about 60% of the vote.
The former councillor and deputy leader of the London Borough of Ealing currently works as a solicitor for the Government Legal Service at the Treasury Solicitor’s Department. She has a degree in Biochemistry from Cambridge University and has worked as a presenter and interviewer on the BBC Network East television programme. Married with one daughter, Ms Vaz is the sister of controversial Leicester East MP Keith Vaz. Her other midlands connection is that she once sat as a part time Deputy District Judge in the County Court on the Midland and Oxford Circuit and unsuccessfully stood for selection as a parliamentary candidate for West Bromwich East.
Her nomination for Walsall South is unexpected as former West Midlands MEP Neena Gill was expected to be the favourite following her defeat in the last European elections. Another front runner, Susan Hayman, aide to Worcester MP and government minister, Michael Foster, also failed to impress party members. Wolverhampton councillor Sandra Samuels may have blown her chance of selection by suggesting that cuts in services would lead to rioting. The fifth woman on the short list, Sally Benton, born in Walsall and a former nurse and care worker at the Manor Hospital, was also overlooked.
The all woman short list was imposed on local activists by the ruling National Executive Committee of the Labour Party in an attempt to redress inequalities and under representation in parliament. Harriet Harman, deputy leader of the Labour Party wanted an all Asian woman short list for Walsall, but was happy not to introduce the initiative in Erdington where her husband, Jack Dromey was selected. The Labour Party Ethnic Minority Taskforce, which seeks to improve multi-cultural representation in the commons, was highly critical of the Erdington decision. The EM Taskforce is headed by the Right Honourable Keith Vaz MP.
Valerie Vaz will now defend an 8,000 Labour majority against Richard Hunt for the Conservatives, Dr Murli Sinha for the LibDems and Derek Bennett for UKIP in the general election that is expected to take place on May 6.
Express & Star 18 Mar 10 MP’s sister to fight Walsall seat
The Stirrer 18 Mar 10 Vaz bags Walsall South
Walsall Advertiser 8 Mar 10 Comment: Women only shortlist rules out worthy contenders
Stirrer 4 Mar 10 Walsall South - Labour’s runners and riders
The YamYam 2 Mar 10 Mosquito squashed in Walsall South
The Stirrer 2 Mar 10 Harris through in Dudley but Mosquito misses out
Adam Lumley The YamYam 28 Feb 10 Walsall Labour Party about to publish short list
B’ham Mail 28 Feb 10 Harriet Harman's husband laughs off her saucy nomination for Rear of Year
B’ham Post 19 Feb 10 Labour imposes women-only shortlist for Walsall South candidates
Walsall Advertiser 8 Mar 10 MP suffers a health scare on trip to US
YamYam links 27 Feb 10 Labour veteran Bruce George taken to hospital
YamYam links 18 Feb 10 Bruce George MP to stand down
Express & Star 18 Feb 10 Bruce George MP to stand down
B’ham Post 18 Feb 10 Walsall MP Bruce George to stand down after struggling with internet
Walsall Advertiser 18 Feb 10 Walsall MP stands down after 36 years
BBC News 18 Feb 10 Walsall South MP Bruce George to stand down
Stirrer 18 Feb 10 Bruce George to step down Discussion forum
Walsall Advertiser 28 May 09 "I've got nothing to hide over expenses"
Bruce George Home