Notes
In the Labour Party, the phrase 'man- datory reselection' has all the resonance of Wanderley' in Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca; a dream for some, it is a nightmare for others — Mr Peter Shore, Mr John Silkin and Mr Gerald Kaufman, to name but a few of Labour's front bench. Already the allegation that Ken Livingstone is among the leaders of a campaign Target '87 — to unseat the remaining moderate Labour MPs in London has shaken the prevailing image of Mr Liv- ingstone as an amiable, decent sort of chap; it may soon blow away Mr Kinnock's pro- tective clothing too. There would be a cer- tain symmetry in that, since what Mr Liv- ingstone and Mr Kinnock have in common is that they came to the top by helping to unseat traditional Labour right-wing leaders, for it should not be forgotten that Mr Kinnock rose from the ranks, not by service as a junior minister but by his energetic performance as campaign manager for Michael Foot. Now Mr Kin- nock has given his backing to a constitu- tional amendment which would enable but not require a constituency Labour Party management committee to consult the en- tire membership on the choice of a can- didate. This 'one-man-one-vote' system of selection was first noised abroad in the Labour Party by one Dr David Owen, now departed. Even if passed, its voluntary nature would rob it of all force. No hard Left group which had gained control of the management committee would dream of asking all the members of the local party to choose the candidates unless it was sure of the result. In other words, the amendment is a feeble rhetorical gesture. Mr Kinnock, alas, begins to sound increasingly like Mr Foot — less hair, more freckles, same waffle.
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