Tom Watson: leaders should meet real people


by Sunny Hundal    
10:40 am - June 5th 2010

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Tom Watson MP made an excellent call yesterday.

Writing for Guardian CIF, he says:

I’d love to see Ed Miliband contend with his own Walter Wolfgang moment, as Harold Wilson is seen to do. ”
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We don’t see that kind of behaviour today because modern politicians do all that they can to avoid their own Mrs Duffy moment. They’re terrified of unscripted interventions. And the nation is losing out as a result.
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This is why I want to see my next leader tested by real people. Labour HQ is organising official members-only hustings. I’ve no doubt that young activists from Compass and Progress will challenge candidates on their vision for a progressive century, but I would like real workers and families express their concerns too. It’s particularly important in this selection because, after all, most contenders are keen to allude to Gordon Brown’s difficulty in this kind of arena.
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I’ve set up a Meetup group [link fixed] for real people to self-organise Labour leadership hustings. You can sign up and find like-minded people who want to organise a hustings meeting in your area.

Spot on. I hope people get involved and do this. This is the kind of debates the Labour party needs.

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About the author
Sunny Hundal is editor of LC. Also: on Twitter, at Pickled Politics and Guardian CIF.
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Reader comments


1. Louise

Link is broken.

2. Nick Cohen is a Tory

Only with tories like you Louise but then it was never attached

3. Soho Politico

This is, is it not, the Tom Watson who helped to orchestrate the coup that brought Brown to power – a leader who had a pathological terror of meeting ‘real people’, and could not connect with them at all whenever he was forced to do so. Honestly, I respect Tom Watson for his stand on the DEBill, but every time I read about him pontificating on the Labour leadership I want to break something.

4. Sunny Hundal

SP – maybe he has learnt from that? Would you rather ppl follow old ways or change?


Reactions: Twitter, blogs
  1. Malcolm Evison

    RT @libcon Tom Watson MP: Labour candidates need to meet real people http://bit.ly/bKnch2

  2. House Of Twits

    RT @sunny_hundal Tom Watson MP: Labour candidates need to meet real people http://bit.ly/cShQ6H – excellent idea

  3. Douglas Alexander

    Tom Watson:Our politicians should meet real people http://bit.ly/cShQ6H. Read it during a busy supermarket surgery. Is this what he means?

  4. Peter Williams

    RT @sunny_hundal: Tom Watson MP: Labour candidates need to meet real people http://bit.ly/cShQ6H – excellent idea

  5. mika loews

    Tom Watson MP: Labour candidates need to meet real people … http://ht.ly/17CW7J

  6. Jane Heggie

    RT @DAlexanderMP: Tom Watson:Our politicians should meet real people http://bit.ly/cShQ6H. Read it during a busy supermarket surgery. Is …

  7. Liberal Conspiracy

    Tom Watson MP: Labour candidates need to meet real people http://bit.ly/cShQ6H

  8. Tweets that mention Tom Watson MP: Labour candidates need to meet real people | Liberal Conspiracy -- Topsy.com

    [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Liberal Conspiracy, Malcolm Evison. Malcolm Evison said: RT @libcon Tom Watson MP: Labour candidates need to meet real people http://bit.ly/bKnch2 [...]

  9. sunny hundal

    Tom Watson MP: Labour candidates need to meet real people http://bit.ly/cShQ6H – excellent idea





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