Dear Sir,
I refer to the totally inaccurate letter in Newton News by Mrs Brown, Kelly & Howe and wish to correct them and then consider the matter closed.
There is no block vote and all voting is done by secret ballot.Secondly, no one family could manage to lobby the 38 people present all Aycliffe West member. The 11 executive members present also had a vote. The family in question could only manage 4 votes as a block which normally happens at all elections – families do vote together.
It is not the people’s choice it is the Labour Party’s choice and is governed by the rules of the party. If you are not a member of the club you don’t have a voice this is the way it works in all the main party’s be it Labour, Lib/Dem, or Conservative – all choose their candidates via a member-only vote.
Elected members have 4 years after an election and it is up to them to make sure they campaign and get support so that they are selected next time round. Elected members should always make sure they don’t fall out with their supporters as that is a sure way of failing. Apart from the few executive members present to break the tie, only members from the Aycliffe West Division voted. My area of concentration is Aycliffe North & Middridge.
To sum up there was no collusion and it was administered in accordance with the rules of the Party and everybody was given a fair hearing. If people want a say in who their candidate is, then they need to join the club not winge on after the vote.
Whether you are Labour, Conservative or Lib/Dem they all select in a similar way and it is the members of that club who decide. Nobody has asked who has been selected in the other areas or complained about their selection, all of which was done the same way. The problem arose because we had too many candidates for too few places and as sometimes happens, an outsider can win the race.
Vince Crosby
