Stalybridge and Hyde - interesting developments
UPDATE AT 2239GMT
Latest News:
I am told that Torsten Henricson-Bell has now decided NOT to put his name forward for Stalybridge and Hyde, though I understand that he was thinking about doing so.
I hope it wasn't my story which put him off.
It is an area that brings back fond memories for me. As a schoolboy, I spent many happy hours trainspotting on Stalybridge station (which still has a brilliant buffet-cum-bar), and then one summer as a student I worked as a "chain-boy" (carrying the surveyors' equipment) while they were constructing the M67 through the centre of Hyde.
ENTRY FROM 2106GMT
Word reaches me that a young Whitehall Special Advisor Torsten Henricson-Bell is spending a lot of time in the relatively safe Labour seat that James Purnell is vacating.
Were uber-Blairite Purnell, who resigned from the cabinet in protest at Gordon Brown's leadership, to be replaced by a friend of Ed Balls (former civil-servant Torsten began his journey into Labour politics while working for Mr Balls' wife Yvette Cooper), well let's just say the ironymeter might break.
Since late selections are as much a trial of who has the most strength within the Labour and trade union machine as anything (as the recent selection of John Cryer in Leytonstone and Jack Dromey in Birmingham Edrington show), it would also be a sign of who might triumph in any forthcoming leadership election. Not one that David Miliband will like I suspect.
I'm Michael Crick, and I'm Newsnight's political editor. My guiding rule is that in any story there's usually something the politicians would prefer the world not to know. My job is to find that out. Follow me on
Comment number 1.
At 10th Mar 2010, Luciano wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comment number 2.
At 11th Mar 2010, stevie wrote:Like Michael I was a trainspotter in Liverpool in the fifties, a day out at Crewe with my Ian Allen book and even then we regarded as a bit strange but I met John Lennon at Mossley Hill station and he was doing his spotting, also most of the Pythons were t/spotters so we weren't all whackoes. It is the most harmless of harmless pursuits and if anyone told me that David Cameron of Gordon Brown was a trainspotter I'd be prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt except they would have had nothing to spot....only steam counts...the rest make up the numbers..
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Comment number 3.
At 11th Mar 2010, Death or Tory wrote:Michael, I suspect you are indeed to blame for young Torsten's decision not to stand for S&H - I rather fear you shone a light where it was not wanted...
DoT
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