My week ahead, 21 -27 May 2012

Monday 21 May 4pm - Culture Portfolio meeting
6pm - Campaigning in South West Ipswich
8pm - Labour Group meeting

Wednesday 23 May 1230pm - Planning committee training

Thursday 24 May 7.30pm - Suffolk Fabians Meeting -Adele Cook: “Punishment & Reform”

Saturday 26 May 10.30am - Campaigning in East Ipswich

This week we had the annual 'Mayor making' and we also got tot see if there were any changes in the Tory frontbench- there was and we also heard that some of the Tories were unhappy with the committe placings - more on that later.

Had a school reunion this weekend, and a number of those attended wre not surprised that I had ended up as a Labour councillor, they probab;ly remembered that I was campaigning for the party even when I was at school, here I am with Ken Weetch in Carr Street in about 1976. I am on the far left as you look at the picture with my mum, Annie Ross in the middle.

Ipswich Labour select David Ellesmere to fight Gummer

This afternoon I attended the hustings to help select the next Labour parliamentary candidate for Ipswich.

I estimated that the attendance was over 130 and with postal votes added, it led to a total of just under 200 people voting. - There has been criticism from certain Tories that the selection meeting should have been open to all. I don't believe they are right and I am going to repost the piece I wrote about the Gummer selection in 2007 so you can compare the two processes.

The 4 candidates all spoke for 10 minutes and then answered questions for 15 minutes, all received similar questions, and the topics included: Europe, strikes, Ed Milliband, Abortion and creating jobs.

I was very impressed with the passion shown by both David Ellesmere and Neil MacDonald. They had to be at their best as Jeremy Miles possessed many of the attributes that made Ken Weetch a great Ipswich MP, Francis Rehal did not impress me with her 10 minute presentation but her strength was answering the questions.

I am sure the 3 losers will go onto other selections and I am positive that Jeremy Miles will become an outstanding MP in another seat. Thinking of what will be best for Ipswich, I hope that Neil does not look for another seat as he would make an excellent leader of the Ipswich Labour once we get David elected to Westminster.

Now the real fight starts - with the St Margaret's by-election giving us an unexpected opportunity to campaign in what once was a Tory safe seat.

Ipswich - a Labour hotbed?

Last night saw the Ipswich Labour Group Christmas Dinner, and it was an opportunity to listen to some of my older comrades as they talk about earlier political battles in Ipswich as we are about to again start an election year.
Ipswich has a great Labour tradition often going against the national trend and voting in a Labour MP, and Chris Mole is following in a well trodden path to Westminster, with well liked Labour MP's going before him - Dingle Foot (pictured), Ken Weetch and Jamie Cann.
I am currently reading a short history of the Labour Movement in East Anglia - (Labour in the East, published by Labour Heritage)The chapters on Ipswich and Lowestoft are fascinating and it does make me proud to think that I am part of this great Labour tradition in this town.
The chapter by the late Ipswich Councilor, Ian Grimwood is a 'must' read for all Labour activists in the town. We must remember our roots and try to live up to the values of those who went before us. whilst writing this short post, I tried to find a picture of one of the three leading socialists who led the way in Ipswich- Peter Jackson, Dick Stokes and George Hines- but to no avail. George was one of the very early Labour activists in the town whilst Peter Jackson was our first Labour MP in 1923, whilst Dick Stokes was our MP from 1938 to 1957.
But it is not only the achievement of getting a Labour MP that makes good reading it is the fight to get our first Labour councilors, and I thought it was hard winning Rushmere!
In 1891 Labour won St Margaret's ward and in 1911 came the big breakthrough when Peter Jackson won the Westgate ward seat, it was only with his election that the working class have had a voice in this town and it is now up to us to make sure we continue to speak for the people of Ipswich and give them the council they deserve come next May.

Anyone wanting to purchase a copy of the book can do so via Ipswich Labour Party Office. Email us at: ipswichlabour@gmail.com for more information. £5 per copy plus £2 postage and packing (unless you can pick up from Silent Street, Ipswich)

More old Labour pictures.

Two more pictures from the history of the Ipswich Labour Party,

The first is of Ken Weetch our former MP, campaigning in about 74, alongside him is Lord Elwyn Jones, the then Attorney General (I am led to believe). Behind them is the campaign camper van that my mum (Annie Ross) spent many hours driving.

The second picture is of my late father Peter Ross, holding the Ipswich CLP red flag at a May Day event in the 70's.

Yet another old campaign picture!

This week it is back again to the early 70's and my mum (Annie Ross)campaigning with the Ipswich MP - Ken Weetch- looks like it is in Gatacre Road, off Bramford Road- not sure who the others are- maybe the press!

Campaigning- 2007 style -and a look back to how we did it in 1974!

Saturday was spent in my own Rushmere ward in Ipswich, out knocking on doors in Leopold and Westbury Road. A good positive response from most of the residents with a number of issues given to me that I will follow up over the next few days.

Good to have Chris Mole our MP, out with us and even more heartening to have a new young member out for his first taste of campaigning on the doorstep.

It did remind me of my early campaign days and recently whist researching my family tree, I came across this picture of myself (far left-age 12) campaigning in Carr Street Ipswich with my mum (4th from left) and the local Ipswich MP- Ken Weetch.

Have found a number of photographs from campaign in the early 70's and I will publish them over the next few weeks.