Do read Prague Tory’s incredible suggestion about the natural political home of John McDonnell. Then I suggest you point out to him the many and varied ways in which he is mistaken - not least in disregarding the central plank of the BNP’s platform, racism.

(I assume that Prague Tory is making some subtle point, in the manner of rightwingers, about how the BNP are not really rightwing. This is usually expressed less subtly as “don’t you know that Nazi stood for national SOCIALIST German workers’ party - they’re clearly a bunch of commies!” You’ll forgive me if I don’t get exercised about the rightness or leftness of the BNP, but merely their wrongness.)

Received this curious email this evening:

Dear Councillor,
There does not seem to be very much difference between our three main parties these days. This is hardly surprising as 75% of our laws are now made by the EU with little or no input from Westminster. As you must realise local government is in a poor state too with a new unelected layer of Regional Assemblies and voter disenchantment. In UKIP we believe that it is essential for the UK to become self-governing again and for voters to want to participate. We are developing as a broadly based real party of opposition, the only one saying what most people think. (See www.UKIP.org for a full range of policies) With the local elections in May we intend to build up on local government representation and would welcome a conversation with anyone that might consider working with us or joining us. It is time to stand up and be counted. We give you an absolute assurance that you can contact us on a completely confidential basis.
Yours sincerely,
N. Farage
Leader of UKIP
This communication is being organized by the assistant to Jeffrey Titford UKIP MEP (email deleted)

As invited, I visited http://www.ukip.org/ to view a full range of their policies. I started with the education policy document:

We will abolish compulsory Sex and Relationship education, compulsory Citizenship and Personal, Social and Health education immediately. (p12)
The UK Independence Party favours the introduction of a “voucher” scheme, whereby educational funds equivalent to the average cost of state schooling follow the child to the school of the family’s choice - including private schools, where if necessary the fees would be topped up by the parents (p.13)
We believe that grammar schools have a vital role to play in the education of academically more able children, and not only are we committed to the survival of existing grammar schools, but we will encourage the creation of new grammar and other specialist schools, aiming to restore a network of publicly-funded grammar schools across the country. (p13)

I didn’t think it was worth my while reading any more policy documents after this one - not quite my cup of tea.

As abortion has always been a matter of individual conscience and not of party policy, those opposed and in support of abortion rights always examine the results of the private members’ ballot carefully. Indeed, the 1967 Abortion Act was introduced as a private members’ bill, admittedly one that received parliamentary time from the government of the day. One worry for the pro-choice movement is that an anti-abortion MP comes near the top of the ballot, or that one of the MPs near the top of the ballot is persuaded to propose an anti-abortion bill rather than one of the others from the avalanche I’m sure is landing on their desks from lobbyists as we speak.

Iain Dale pointed me in the direction of the winners in this year’s ballot, and I thought it might be worth examining which of the twenty might pose a risk. Here they are, in order, with how they voted on the bill to restrict abortion proposed last month by Nadine Dorries MP:

1. Nick Hurd (Con Ruislip-Northwood), for
2. Tim Yeo (Con Suffolk South), for
3. Caroline Spelman (Con Meriden), for
4. Gary Streeter (Con Devon South-West), for
5. Graham Stringer (Lab Manchester, Blackley), against
6. Robert Walter (Con Dorset North), for
7. Sir John Butterfill (Con Bournemouth West), no vote
8. Paul Farrelly (Lab Newcastle-under-Lyme), no vote
9. Martin Caton (Lab Gower), no vote
10. Richard Ottaway (Con Croydon South), against
11. Roger Godsiff (Lab Birmingham Sparkbrook and Small Heath), no vote
12. Shailesh Vara (Con Cambridgeshire North West), no vote
13. Alan Duncan (Con Rutland and Melton), no vote
14. John Hayes (Con South Holland and The Deepings), for
15. Barry Sheerman (Lab Huddersfield), against
16. John McDonnell (Lab Hayes and Harlington), against
17. Sarah McCarthy-Fry (Lab Portsmouth North), against
18. Michael Meacher (Lab Oldham West and Royton), no vote
19. Emily Thornberry (Lab Islington South and Finsbury), against
20. Francis Maude (Con Horsham), no vote

By my count from this excellent paper on the success of private members’ bills, 61 private members’ bills which started in the Commons have succeeded in the last decade, though of course in the main they are uncontroversial, which would not be the case for a bill to restrict abortion rights. Iain says that Nick Hurd has already announced he will be backing a bill to transfer power from central government to local communities, so I reckon it’s worth paying attention to what the five other MPs on this list who voted for the bill last month - Tim Yeo, Caroline Spelman, Gary Streeter, Robert Walter and John Hayes - decide to do… After all, Nadine Dorries will be actively encouraging her colleagues to submit a bill to restrict abortion. In this, I am of course assuming that those who felt strongly about this issue probably voted in the division last month, and thus that those who didn’t vote are less likely to pick this issue for their bill.

A quick Google search shows that “Caroline Spelman MP is less moderately vocal but equally opposed [to abortion rights]“, from the pro-choice forum, and that John Hayes has previously called for a reform of abortion law in the House of Commons, as well as co-sponsoring Nadine Dorries’ bill.

In the circumstances, I’m glad to hear that Abortion Rights’ public meeting at the House of Commons last night went well. I think we may need to organise some more this year to defend the right to choose… I’m no expert in parliamentary procedure, but it strikes me that if a bill is proposed, we need to ensure there’s no question of the government giving any time to it, and when/if it makes it to the floor of the house, the right procedures are deployed to ensure it’s variously defeated, runs out of time or is talked out. The last time we had a genuine threat, Joyce Gould, then Labour party women’s officer, ran a ferocious whipping campaign against it; I hope one of our pro-choice women MPs takes up that mantle, if, sadly, it becomes necessary.

On Friday, apparently. From Guido:

On Friday CCHQ is de-camping en masse to Oxford United Football Club stadium for the day. The coach leaves at 8.15, which will be frightfully early for the boys and girls. Dress for the day is “smart(ish) casual”.
According to an email from Francis Maude “This is for everyone who works in CCHQ or in the field. I am also inviting members of the Party Board and Regional Chairmen, who comprise the voluntary party’s Strategy Team that Don Porter set up earlier in the year. David Cameron is attending part of the day. You should all regard this away day as a 3 line whip.”

Will be the first time that part of the world has seen a Tory in a great many years. Reckon they’ll stay cooped up in the banqueting suite all day, or will they go for a wander around Northfield Brook ward? I reckon it’d do the IWCA good to be reminded of the old enemy…

When slightly the worse for wear from an extended party the night before, it is unwise to click on the website of a Tory and view a disturbing adolescent fantasy that you suddenly remember we actually allowed to happen… Never again.

I wonder what message the caring sharing Lib Dems intended to put across to voters with this jolly e-postcard, available to send to your friends from their website?

Hat tip to Fib Dems.

This story has been on rotation all day - Margaret Beckett is “rocked” by 37 Labour party members from her Derby South constituency defecting to the Lib Dems. The supposed reason is that they are furious with the government over its policy on the Israel-Hizbullah war.

I was glad to find that I wasn’t the only one to smell something fishy in this. After all, as Nicola points out, if when you’re still in the party after the invasion of Iraq, it doesn’t make sense that your last straw is the government not calling for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon.

Fair Deal Phil’s got the inside story, and it’s a similar reason to most defections - not politics, but personalities:

Last Wednesday, Mr Peeno was rejected by local members of Normanton Labour Party in his bid to become a Labour candidate at next May’s local elections in Derby. 24 hours earlier, local members of the Labour Party in Arboretum rejected Abdul Majeed, another of today’s defectors, in his bid to be Labour’s candidate in Arboretum ward.

Both attended recent meetings of Derby South Constituency Labour Party attended by their MP, Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett. Strangely, none of them raised the Lebanon question, the reason the broadcasters tell us is why they have joined the LibDems. [...] All they actually talked about wasn’t Lebanon at all, but issues on how they could secure the nomination to be Labour candidates.

It’s nearly party conference season, and my new (well, new since this time last year) job means that for the first time in years, I’m only attending Labour party conference in Manchester. In case you’re one of the unlucky ones that have to go for all three (only really the case if you work in journalism or government affairs, but then from the blog stats I see a few of my more regular readers do exactly that - hi there!) here are some tips: Labour refugees in yellow and blue hells normally meet up at the NUT’s fish and chips supper, as they tend to be the only trade union attending the other conferences (I wonder if they’ve twigged that it seems not to be Conservatives or Liberals enjoying their catering?), and there’s usually a Labour type staffing a table in the main cafeteria who can provide a sympathetic ear for storm-tossed refugees.

On a related note, who could resist a chuckle at the news that the Tories are returning to Blackpool next year. My note of the fun for all the family at last year’s conference is here.

Eve of poll leaflet pushed through doors for the Hinksey Park ward by-election in south Oxford last week by our local Lib Dems:

Tony Blair stands with President Bush in refusing to condemn Israel’s bombing of Lebanese civilians. Are you happy for him to do this in your name?

Are YOU happy for Tony Blair to speak for YOU?
On Friday morning senior Labour party officials will be assessing the results of this Thursday’s local by-elections.
They will look with particular concern at results in wards like Hinksey Park, in the marginal Oxford East Constituency.
If Labour have done badly it will send them a clear message that voters are not happy with Blair’s refusal to condemn Israel’s tactics.
If Labour do well it will be taken as tacit support for Blair and Bush.
Lib Dem leader Ming Campbell has called for an end to the killing of civilians.
If you agree with Ming, and Blair does not speak for you, vote Liberal Democrat on Thursday.

Printed on recycled paper by OLDPS, published and promoted by M Godden on behalf of N Pyle and Oxford Lib Dems, 27 Park End Street Oxford.

Nice to see they are so confident of their record running the council that they make it the focus of their positive, upbeat by-election campaign to win a city council seat.

… and if one Lib Dem councillor should accidentally fall, there’ll be 17 Lib Dem councillors sitting on the wall.

Welcome back to Cllr Sajj Malik, who’s just left the Lib Dem group on Oxford City Council to join the Labour group. Read what he had to say about it here, and defeated Liberal candidate Jock Coats’ take on the situation here. If the Liberals keep up this rate of defections, one a month, having already lost Paul Sergeant and now Sajj Malik, they’ll nearly be in single figures by the new year…