Gary McVeigh-Kaye
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Why I want to stand as Labour's candidate in Pudsey

4/20/2017

8 Comments

 
After some consideration and discussion with those closest to me I have decided that I wish to seek the nomination to be the Labour Party candidate for Pudsey in this year’s General Election.

This election campaign will be relatively short and it must be fought on issues that are impacting on many people in our constituency right now. The Tories will lead you to believe that this election is all about Brexit; but they’re wrong. It’s about those millions of people in jobs with zero hours contracts. It’s about the millions of families having to visit food banks each year to feed their themselves and their children. It’s about the crisis in funding facing almost every school in the country. It’s about the chaos within the NHS, brought about by lack of genuine investment. 

This election, more than any other, is a binary choice between deeper and wider cuts, as the Tories trample on society with the boots of their austerity agenda, or a genuine alternative with a progressive Labour Party, ready to fight for a fairer and more equal Britain.

This is a Labour Party that will:

•    Introduce a £10 an hour LIVING WAGE
•    Push for FULL EMPLOYMENT
•    Commit to building 100,000 new COUNCIL HOUSES per year
•    End exploitative ZERO HOURS CONTRACTS
•    Integrate a PROPERLY FUNDED NHS and social care system
•    Create a NATIONAL EDUCATION SERVICE 
•    RENATIONALISE RAILWAYS as franchise agreements come to an end
•    Ensure that the estimated £34 to £102 billions of unpaid tax is collected

Under 7 years of Tory Government the national debt has risen to almost £1 TRILLION, that’s 85.3% of GDP. Before the economic crisis of 2008, caused by the free market that the Tories love so much, the % of national debt to GDP under the Labour Government was 39%. The Tories have the audacity to say that Labour cannot manage the economy. The Tories have miss-managed the economy and miss-managed our country.

The Pudsey constituency is a wide and diverse community. When elected as MP I will work my hardest for everyone in this constituency, not just the chosen few.

Living in Horsforth is wonderful and I’m lucky to have friends and acquaintances in many other parts of the constituency. A Labour Government will enable communities like ours to be even better. 

We have a campaign team in place and we’re already out there on the doorsteps, talking directly to voters and delivering the Labour message. This won’t be an easy seat to win but we have a fantastic line-up of Labour activists ready to fight day and night to return this seat to the Labour Party.  I feel I am the right person to take on sitting MP Stuart Andrew. Whilst his party leader runs away from public debate I would relish the opportunity to stand toe to toe with Stuart Andrew and remind him of the woeful mess his party has led us into.

I hope I can count on the support or my many friends and colleagues, I hope I can achieve the candidacy for Pudsey and I hope that I welcome in 9th June as the MP for Pudsey going to Parliament to serve in a Labour Government.

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December 31st, 1969

4/15/2015

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No Gala Day for NUT

6/10/2014

1 Comment

 
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Now, I like a political spat as much as the next trade unionist. Sometimes though the cut and thrust of tackling a local Tory can descend into a little bit of farce. And so it proved in my recent exchange with Leeds City Councillor Dawn Collins (Conservative, Horsforth).
Initially I enquired about the possibility of the NUT, my union, having a stall at our local Gala in Horsforth.

Dear Dawn,

I would like to enquire about booking a stall at Horsforth Gala on Saturday 28th June. The stall will be run by the Leeds Division of the National Union of Teachers and will promote our campaign called Stand Up for Education. This campaign talks directly to parents about the educational work that the NUT carries out to promote and progress education in schools.

We would like to have a 15 x 15 pitch, I believe the cost is £40.

If you can confirm this book and let me know about payment arrangements that would be wonderful.

Yours sincerely

Gary McVeigh-Kaye

Nothing contentious there you might think. Neither was there anything untoward by Cllr Collins’s initial response.

Hi Gary
Unfortunately the deadline for applications was yesterday. I have to submit everything to Leeds on Monday.
Regards
Dawn

I thought it worth working on her better nature to try and secure a stall.

Dear Dawn,

I didn't realise there was a deadline. Of course if I'd known I would have got the application in time. Given that we're only a day over would it be possible to include us? It's another £40 for the Town Council.

We'd be grateful if you accommodate us.

Thanks

Gary McVeigh-Kaye

Now, had Cllr Collins simply reiterated the point that we had missed the deadline I would have graciously accepted that I should get more organised in future. Instead she decided to drop me this little nugget.

Hi Gary,
It's not really the sort of thing we want to encourage coming to the gala. It's a family Funday really. Even the MP and his volunteers try to keep politics out of things and just have book stall on the day. All the funds they raise then go back to the gala.
So, sorry, the answer is still no.
The event is not run by the Town Council, but by Horsforth volunteers.
Regards

Dawn

Ah, so this was not just a timing issue. The fact that the NUT is a trade union, albeit an unaffiliated trade union appears (in the subtext) to have played a hand in her decision to not allow us a stall. Red rags and bulls became the order of the day as I replied thus.

Dear Dawn,

That's a shame because the tone of your most recent email makes this a political decision. Stuart Andrew is a Tory MP and as such cannot be disassociated from politics. By not allowing the NUT the opportunity to pay to have a Stand Up for Education stall at the gala you are making a value judgement on our union from a political perspective. What the NUT seek to achieve through such stalls is to promote the valuable education work the union carries out, including work on gender equality in the classroom etc. The NUT is always looking at ways of engaging directly with parents and stakeholders in education and if we are denied the opportunity to do so at events such as Horsforth Gala then that can only be regarded as a political decision.

It's a shame that you have chosen to bring politics into this issue.

Yours sincerely

Gary McVeigh-Kaye

One might expect that Cllr Collins might have more pressing issues on her political agenda, but never underestimate a Tory in their effort to try and claim the moral high ground and have the past word.

Dear Gary
I haven't tried to bring politics into this. I have just been open and honest and haven't tried to hide the fact that Stuart Andrew MP will be there.
If anything your last email reinforces my decision to decline your request. This obviously isn't something you want to do for the community of Horsforth.
Regards

Dawn

Of course I absolutely wanted to speak to parents and others who are interested in education in Horsforth. That was the whole point of the stall. So I thought I’d try the equality root. If Cllr Collins et al do not want the Gala to have a political edge then perhaps ALL politics should be banned; not that the NUT stall was going to be political of course.

Dear Dawn,

Can I suggest, as a Horsforth resident, that Stuart Andrew is not allowed to attend Horsforth Gala in his capacity as an MP but can only attend as a member of the public. Similarly, can I request that there will be no reference to any political parties at all during Horsforth Gala. If the Horsforth Gala is truly a non-political event then that must be demonstrated. You cannot have a bit of politics because the constituency MP happens to be a Tory.

The NUT is a trade union and is not affiliated to any political party. We have members in all Horsforth schools and members who work in other schools but live in Horsforth. The union does a tremendous amount of work promoting education and equality and I'm not sure what part of my last email reinforced your decision to refuse our request for a stall.

You have made it clear that it was your decision to refuse our request and I'm not sure when you were put in the position to make such a decision on behalf of the whole community. I do think you have blown this out of proportion and turned it into a political issue. I hope you take heed of my opening paragraph and if politics is not to be part of the Gala then it's not to be part of the Gala at all.

Yours sincerely,

Gary McVeigh-Kaye

I think I made a valid point in a succinct manner. Surely Cllr Collins would take my point and realise she had been a little petty in denying the NUT the opportunity to have a stall and engage with the public. Oh no, the esteemed Councillor wanted one last pop.

I'm sorry but I and my friends run the gala as a private individuals. If you want to run an event like this yourself, for the people of Horsforth, please feel free. You can then invite who ever you want.

You will need to get in touch with Leeds City Council Parks and Countryside to book the park and LCC licensing to get permission to hold the event.

Regards

Dawn

OOOOerrrrr (handbag raised). That’s me told then. I did consider applying to hold a separate Gala on the same day in the same park. I thought that Leeds City Council might well go into melt down should such a request fall on their desk so I out my community first and decided to draw my lovely correspondence with Cllr Collins to a close.

Dear Dawn,

That's fine, you run it as private individuals and you allow the Conservative Party to be represented because you are a Conservative and deny a teaching union the opportunity to speak to parents about the valuable equalities work we perform. I'm sure you can see the irony in that.

If you had stuck to your original point, that we were late applying for a pitch, we wouldn't have got into this political aspect.

I think this correspondence has run its course now, so I will not expect any further reply from you. Have a good Gala.

Best wishes

Gary McVeigh-Kaye

This has felt like a particularly lightweight episode of 70s consumer show That’s Life (We said…then she said…so we said…and she said). Ultimately it is a shame that the NUT were not allowed to have a stall at a local community event. Particularly when teachers are part of the community and as public sector workers we contribute a great deal to our local community. Perhaps next year we should turn up on a flat bed truck and join the procession through the streets. 

1 Comment

Remembering Tony Benn

3/16/2014

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This has been a tremendously sad week for the left wing of the political spectrum. On Tuesday we received the tragic news that Bob Crow from the RMT had passed away suddenly. On Wednesday we commemorated Arthur Scargill’s declaration that the miner’s strike was a national strike. The week has ended with equal sadness as we mark the death of our dear comrade and friend Tony Benn.

Many words have already been spoken in remembrance of Tony and the common thread to many of them is the small, personal contact so many had the opportunity to have with such a prominent and important political figure.

Like so many others I have my personal memories of Tony Benn and I hope I do justice to his memory when recounting them here.

I used to produce and present my own podcast radio show called It’s a Mean Old Scene. It was a mixture of music, politics and culture. Having read an article by Tony Benn, in the Guardian, I noticed there was an email address at the end of the piece. I thought that this email address would be an agent run email but I sent a speculative request for an interview. To my delight two days later my phone rang and when I answered the unmistakeable voice of Tony Benn was on the other end.

            I see in your email you’re a teacher. I believe you’re on half term next week so why not come round to the house on Tuesday afternoon?

Given this was a man who had changed the constitution of the House of Lords, a man who had helped to introduce Concorde, a man who had held senior cabinet positions, a man who had undertaken thousands of interviews with some of the most important journalists of the Twentieth Century I was amazed that he would find the time to speak to me.

My wife, who was also had a tremendous admiration for Tony Benn, agreed to come with me as photographer, and we walked along Holland Park Avenue until we saw the house with the red door and the commemorative plaque to Caroline Benn on the front wall. We approached the front door and saw a small, typed notice; I am working in my basement please come down the steps at the side. We followed the instructions until we got to the basement door. A fresh sign gave the instruction, I’m terribly deaf, don’t knock, just come in! We froze for a moment, considering it disrespectful to enter the house of such a well-known political figure without being formally invited in. After a minute or so we realised that we had to bite the bullet and turn the door handle. It was a strange feeling walking through the small reception corridor into the cluttered basement office that we’d seen so often during countless television appearances. In the back corner of the room we saw the familiar figure of Tony Benn, pottering about in the small basement kitchen.

            Ah, come in, come in. I have the kettle on. Now, how do you take your tea? So nice of you to come and see me this afternoon.

Within seconds our nerves were dispelled as Tony made us feel welcome and safe in his territory.

What passed over the next two hours was one of the most enjoyable afternoons of my life. We spoke about politics, religion, socialism and teaching. The original plan was for me to interview and Rachael to simply take some photographs at the end. Of course Tony was not going to let her sit there and not be involved in the interview. He drew her into the talk with a warmth and a charm that matched his easy intellect. Although I had a list of pre-prepared questions it was easy to stray off the planned path and the discussion developed in a very organic manner. The off-tape chat that took place both before and after the interview belied the fact that this was the first time we’d met. It felt like we’d known each other forever. Having met a few political figures I’d always had the sense that they were always thinking about what they could get out of you or whom they would be talking to next. This was not the case with Tony Benn. He had a genuine interest in our jobs and our lives.

My second meeting with Tony came a couple of years later when I was in the initial stages of making a documentary about the attack on Iraq in 2002. I knew that Tony would be a central figure in the documentary; because of his role in the anti-war movement, because of his understanding of the historical perspective of the oil industry and because of the fact that he’d actually met and interviewed Sadam Hussain. This was a filmed interview and along with camera operators Paul Angel and Mick Sugden I was once again in Tony’s basement. Once again he was incredibly amenable to us moving items around his basement office to create the right mise-en-scene. Although he had not asked for a list of questions in advance he had prepared thoroughly and his incisive understanding of the hundred years that had led up to the contemporary situation in Iraq was fascinating, enlightening and thorough. He was friendly and courteous to every re-shoot, every tape change, and every fluff by me. The consummate interviewee!

As Paul and Mick broke down the equipment at the end of the filming Tony paid me a wonderful compliment by praising the quality and thought had gone into my questions. Building the compliment he said the two occasions I’d interviewed him were amongst some of his favourite interviews he’d been involved in. You can only imagine how proud this made me feel.

Two weeks later Tony was performing his one man show, An Evening with Tony Benn, at the Grand Theatre in Leeds. As Rachael and I approached the steps of the theatre we saw the familiar wisp of pipe smoke. There was no hiding away in a dressing room for Tony, he wanted to be out amongst his audience, meeting them, talking to them and finding out what was happening in the world. He had a gaggle of admirers around him but as we approached he eased himself up from his, self-invented, chair-case, thrust out a hand and said:

            Gary, my old pal, how wonderful to see you!

Well, Tony, my old pal, you told me you wanted the epitaph you left behind to be: Tony Benn – He Encouraged Us. Tony Benn encouraged me. He encouraged me to be a more courageous campaigner. He encouraged me to be certain in my beliefs. He encouraged me fight for a more equal society.

I’ll miss my old pal Tony Benn and I will strive for the rest of my life to take his encouragement and turn it into positive action.


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    Gary McVeigh-Kaye has been involved in politics at many levels over the years. As a committed activist and staunch socialist he has spoken at many demonstrations and been involved in union activity.

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