If you think the national Labour Party is split and riven with factions, it ain’t nothing compared to the mutual animosity and distrust that riddles the Rotherham Labour Group.
Like a group cast adrift in a rudderless boat without food or water, they sit around staring at each other wondering which one they will cannibalise, and which one is planning to eat them.
To say there are factions in the Group is to over credit their abilities of organisation. The thing that unites them is fear. Many only uniting in their loathing of Sarah Champion MP for placing them in the open daylight of publicity about continuing failures.
Don’t try to feel the love, there isn’t any. Only recriminations and denial of their failings…even Child Sexual Exploitation failures are still denied privately or blamed on others.
Witness to this nastiness is complaints made by Chris Read, on behalf of the Labour Group, about Sarah. It’s uncertain whether they were made formally or informally to Labour’s Regional Office, but they were bitter and vitriolic.
The cause from the Group’s viewpoint has been her failure to show solidarity on their being the reformed apologetic, humble, transparent and activist anti CSE group they want us to believe. Until recently in comments, tweets and articles she has intimated that large sections of the Rotherham Labour Group are still in denial about their failures to protect children in their care.
For now all arguments are on the back burner in a truce less stable than that in Syria, and post-election they will start again.
Close external observers understand her issues, as there remain some unpleasant characters and weak leadership within the Group. One would not expect her to be fooled by a tick box system of anti CSE activities and victim support that independent thinkers are quietly admitting may still not be fit for purpose.
As evidence, note an Advertiser article a few weeks ago pointing out the Council will be months late in letting contracts for key counselling services for male and female victims of domestic violence and CSE. Leaving the highly skilled staff of existing support groups worried about their futures.
It is no secret that Sarah and Labour’s regional office were desperately touting around to get strong clean skin, preferably women nominees to apply to be Labour Candidates in opposition to the usual queue of misogynistic males. That she has the Regional Party on board is shown in their rejection of two proposed Kashmiri candidates for their attitudes towards women. The placing of two women in East Rotherham candidacies in their stead is proof that efforts are being made to clean out a reluctant Labour Group and some nasty Wards.
Sarah has been organising her own Policy Forums to attract and retain currently disillusioned members That the dinosaur Labour Group members find this threatening is an understatement. After all, if they want to keep the public in ignorance, they have to start with their own members. In their view, ordinary pleb members are there to raise funds and deliver leaflets, not think.
Jake Martinson
The rest of the Election Snippets: https://rotherhampolitics.wordpress.com/the-rotherham-elections-2016/2016-election-snippets/
Rotherham Politics 
Ha ha ha , I’ve got to admit I do like reading your posts , I certainly wouldn’t consider myself as being mysoginist , neither as a dim follower just posting leaflets, but got to say I’ve been turned down regarding becoming a labour councillor , and I’m very politically aware! And I’ve been through a new labour government that didn’t serve society or workers .. and I do believe that this has been a big affect not only with rotherhams track record , but nationally. I’ll stick to my socialist roots and that’s the only reason I’m supporting and once again voting Labour .. To me change within the Labour Party was inevitable, but I’ll agree that rotherhams predicament does also require change . I’ve not been a believer in Sarah Champion myself , but I know she’s a good person and will always do the right thing regarding rotherham people
LikeLike
I’ve always found that all parties are divisional , UKIP and the conservatives nationally are attacking and eating each other through differing opinions . We call it politics , it’s certainly not unusual and by rights is healthy , depending how it’s controlled and whether it serves the members and society. I’d hate to be in country where all agree , I think we call it dictatorship through control and fear !
But I’ve got to say , whilst living in rotherham I’ve certainly come across the strange stagnancy of control and power and have suffered through questioning it .. But let’s not fear the change of rotherham labour , it was certainly needed , I’ve always found rotherham to be politically barren and that’s the problem of stagnancy .. So change was fundamental , now how far the changes have gone or by how much then that will become evident to its members and up to its members to evaluate and change when it’s required … But in my opinion Rotherham needs politics back and not personalities
LikeLike
Andy Glosop, with all due respect I would not hold your breath. Rotherham Labour needs a very deep clean first and who is there to do it? Scrap and start again is the best option?
LikeLike
Andy…appreciate your comments especially post 1. However feel you aren’t responding to the points of the article in your second post.
Firstly we all agree the Labour Party here needs to change and may be changing, and anyone who watches the TV news knows about divisions within political parties.
However the point being made in the article is that really the Labour group isn’t necessarily changing for the better. It is still in denial about its historic performance and the aspects of corruption that added to its incompetence and lack of compassion for girls and boys from primarily poor families.
Jake
LikeLike