onionbagblog

And so it looks like the Vauxhall Stop Kev campaign has, um, stopped. You may remember how a coup d’Vauxhall (cripes) developed, with a squeaky clean (and recently newly elected) Lambeth councillor being behind the campaign to oust the man behind Kate Hoey MP.

@kevindcraig’s role as the Secretary of the Constituency Labour Party (CLP) was crucial here. Stop Kev, put in a right wing puppet, and then open the backdoor for the Nu Labour Poster Boy to take control of the constituency, come 2015.

Or at least that was the plan put in place by the squeaky clean (and recently newly elected) Lambeth councillor. It turns out that the local branches have finally found their balls after all.

The Nu Labour Attacks Dogs of War have failed to add the CLP to accompany the control that the right wing of @LambethLabour now has within Lambeth Town Hall. They don’t like it up ‘em here in the north end of the borough.

Vassall ward branch was out of the starting blocks first, backing not only @kevindcraig to remain as Secretary, but also coming out with some fighting talk in defence of the suspension of Councillor Kingsley Abrams, after the botched email hacking attempt from the right wing of the party.

The Vassal support was to be expected, following the dirty tricks campaign against an incredibly popular local politician from within the ward. What seems to have muzzled the Nu Labour Attacks Dogs of War however is opposition from around the other local branches to putting up the Poster Boy against Hoey.

Larkhall, Stockwell and even Clap’ham Town have all now nominated @kevindcraig to remain as Secretary, a direct kick in the shiny teeth of the squeaky clean (and recently newly elected) Lambeth councillor, now clambering somewhere near the bottom of the South London greasy pole.

The strength of support for the left of centre candidate even came from the most unlikely of sources, with @LambethLabour cabinet member, @cllr_robbins turning his back on the Stop Kev campaign. It was a similar situation over the ward boundary in Clap’ham Town, with Councillors Haselden and O’Malley both coming out in support of the left of centre @kevindcraig.

Stockwell showed some resistance, but still the branch members ignored the political careerists within, trying to prop up the Poster Boy. @richardangell proudly tweeted that he had “been elected Secretary of @LabourStockwell.” Well done that man. He certainly has experience of this role, having had a similar job at the Brixton Hill branch until he was defeated by the fine chap @brixtonalex to become the ward candidate.

With @Morganmc77 also putting some paste on the paintbrushes down in Sunny Stockwell ahead of the campaign for the Poster Boy, it was with some surprise that the Stockwell branch also backed @kevindcraig, and not the right wing puppet Paul Gadsby. Even a strong endorsement from Councillor Bigham failed to swing the Stockwell branch to the right.

So far it is only Ferndale that has been convinced that the Stop Kev campaign has any legs. Even the Nu Labour love in that is Prince’s ward doesn’t have the stomach (or ambition) to take on Hoey, deciding instead not to make any nomination.

The Oval and Bishop’s wards have yet to vote, but the sums simply don’t stack up for the squeaky clean (and recently newly elected) Lambeth councillor who has been trying to line up the Poster Boy for Parliament.

The botched Stop Kev campaign now looks like letting the fragrant Mss Hoey to carry on doing whatever it is that the fragrant Mss Hoey does around these parts for some time to come.

Hoey has a reception at the House of Commons later this week, to thank her supporters within Vauxhall who helped her return to Westminster once again. Invites have been sent out; posters haven’t been put up.