Labour entryist cult built on hypocrisy

Your correspondent Michael Parker, (Chairman Mao, Letters, November 30, 2015), makes an amusing observation on the reality of the infantile plots originating from a section within the Labour Party, some of whom appear to be not too far away geographically, but neglects to put any flesh on the bone.

The Party within a Party which Mr Parker alludes to is, inappropriately, known as Progress.

It is essentially a cult built around a former Party leader whose ideas were endorsed by none other than Lady Thatcher.

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Substantial funding for this entryist grouping was supplied by one Lord Sainsbury of Turville who, apparently, contributed some two thirds of the £3 million funding and sponsorship received between 2001 and 2011.

In 2014 this sect was fined £6,000 by the electoral commission for accepting donations of £390,000 from Lord Sainsbury while he was not on a UK electoral register , between December 2011 and April 2013, (reported by the BBC 13/2/14 from an Electoral Commission ruling on the same date).

Among Progress’s vice-chairs are Dan Jarvis MP over in Barnsley, Liz Kendall MP and Tristram Hunt MP.

Its previous chairs have included Lord Adonis, John Woodcock MP, (a Sheffield lad now in the constituency of Barrow), and Stephen Twigg MP.

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This organisation and the individuals within it, funded by wealthy patrons, gave us the grand ideas of crime commissioners, directly elected mayors, NHS foundation trusts for GPs and a credit system in education.

At present, many of those involved in the plotting Mr Parker writes about are apparently trying to achieve the feat of facing in two opposite directions at the same time through attempts to modify the Party rules or ensure that any planned challenge to the current elected leader does not include the name of the current leader on the ballot paper while at the same time bellyaching like mardy five-year-olds about possible attempts to deselect them by Labour Party members.

I understand the technical term for such a position is hypocrisy.

Although as I recall when I was in the army we used somewhat stronger terminology.

Dave Hansell

Ralph Ellis Drive, Stocksbridge, Sheffield, S36

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