“There is a pattern of forgetfulness in the published information about Labour Party candidates, including MPs” says National MP Annabel Young. “All the biographical details, e.g. on their web-site, carefully understate the union involvement of the Labour Party candidates.”

The biographies of Rick Barker and Geoff Braybrooke are cited as examples of the planned forgetfulness of the Labour Party when putting its campaigning material together.

“Both these Labour MPs have a history of union involvement and activism but you would never guess it from the Labour Party materials. Rick Barker’s biography makes it look as though he never had a job before he was an MP. Braybrooke’s biography makes it look as though he entered Parliament straight from the Army. In both cases they have a strong union involvement prior to being MPs. What are they trying to hide?”

Annabel Young said that the prior history of all the Labour MPs has become an issue because the Labour Party is trying to keep its union focus out of the limelight.

ends

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>