Category Archives: Labour Party

The strange case of the Brown-nosing Bristol MPs and the Stalinist sex pest

Posted on October 11, 2007 by The Bristol Blogger

Online Celtic fanzine ETims provides a reminder of the role two Bristol MPs – one current, one former – played in preventing former-Stalinist bully boy John Reid from running for the leadership of the Labour Party as the keeper of … Continue reading →

Posted in Bristol, Labour Party, MPs, Politics | Tagged , , , , | There are no comments yet

CONsultants: we're all in the wrong job

Posted on October 9, 2007 by The Bristol Blogger

Leafing through the paperwork for this recent citizens’ jury on waste, which has finally been published and can be viewed on the city council’s website, I was particularly struck by the costs charged by the chosen consultants OPM. They included … Continue reading →

Posted in Bristol, CONsultants, Global warming, Labour Party, Local government, Recycling | Tagged , , , | There are 4 comments

The life and times of Michael Cocks #4

Posted on October 7, 2007 by The Bristol Blogger

Keren Suchecki comments: In the early 80s Michael Cocks used to be in the Hartcliffe Labour club every Sunday lunchtime (as was I), where people would queue to speak to him about their problems. I don’t know how successful he … Continue reading →

Posted in Bristol, Hartcliffe, Labour Party, MPs, Politics, Southville, The British Left | Tagged , , | There are 7 comments

Bristol Labour bottle watch

Posted on October 6, 2007 by The Bristol Blogger

Have Labour bottled it by not calling an election? See what Labour’s Bristol East MP Kerry McCarthy was saying on her blog in Bournemouth at their conference not even two weeks ago and decide for yourself: Even backbenchers blatantly priming … Continue reading →

Posted in Bristol, Labour Party, MPs, Politics | | There are 3 comments

The life and times of Michael Cocks #3

Posted on October 6, 2007 by The Bristol Blogger

Like all chief whips, Michael Cocks was an inveterate cynic and fixer. In opposition in the early 1980s, Harry Cohen, then an idealistic young MP, had set his heart on speaking in the house even though the whips of all … Continue reading →

Posted in Bristol, Hartcliffe, Labour Party, MPs, Politics, The British Left | Tagged , | There are no comments yet

CONsultants latest

Posted on October 4, 2007 by The Bristol Blogger

Is it really less than a month since the city’s education department was accused of a “catalogue of failure” along with the city’s health authority and social services in a report from the Bristol Safeguarding Children Board? The report was … Continue reading →

Posted in Bristol, Education, Labour Party, Local government | Tagged , , | There are 5 comments

Strange and unusual punishment watch

Posted on October 3, 2007 by The Bristol Blogger

The acceptable face of modern firefighting You’ve got to have at least some sympathy for these former members of the Blue Watch at Avonmouth fire station who have been disciplined, demoted and had their wages docked for disturbing a gay … Continue reading →

Posted in Bristol, Bristol Evening Post, Labour Party, The Downs, Trade Unionism | Tagged , , | There are 4 comments

The life and times of Michael Cocks #2

Posted on October 3, 2007 by The Bristol Blogger

Cocks was known as a very keen but not especially skilled cricketer. He would even extend special whip’s dispensations to Labour MPs absent from votes if they were playing for the Lords and Commons team. He was once sought urgently … Continue reading →

Posted in Bristol, Hartcliffe, Labour Party, MPs, Politics, The British Left | | There are no comments yet

The life and times of Michael Cocks #1

Posted on October 2, 2007 by The Bristol Blogger

Cocks (centre) with a young Blair (right) and Nick Brown (left) Vowlsie mentions former Bristol South MP from 1970 – 1987, Michael Cocks in a comment below and on his blog, which reminded me of this rather excellent story about … Continue reading →

Posted in Bristol, Labour Party, MPs, Politics, The British Left | | There are 8 comments

Dumbwatch from the conference

Posted on September 30, 2007 by The Bristol Blogger

Still battle is joined for the title ‘Dumbest MP in the West’. Bristol South’s Labour MP Dawn Primarolo, now a government health minister, was at last week’s Labour Party Conference in Bournemouth again showing off the impeccable left wing principles … Continue reading →

Posted in Bristol, Labour Party, MPs, Politics, West Country | | There are 9 comments