‘Hazel Blears Must Go’ campaigners hand in an open letter at her constituency office (video)
On Friday campaigners from the ‘Hazel Must Go‘ campaign handed in an open letter at Hazel Blears’ constituency office.
Following the MPs expenses scandal, and due to dissatisfaction in some quarters about her record on local and national issues, the campaign group have asked her to stand down as an MP. The deadline they have set is the end of this month. After which they may look into fielding their own candidate in the general election in 2010.
A film-maker from the BBC was there to record the event and interview them for a Panorama programme which will be shown in December.
Also see my interview with veteran BBC war reporter Martin Bell at the Hazel Must Go meeting earlier this month along with his full speech.
5 Comments
I would be extremely suprised if the BBC or Panarama gave weight to a single view point in this case the view point of GS who having had two run-ins with him definately has his own agenda and Ego!
Have you ever seen Panorama Daniel? The last episode was called “Why Hate RyanAir”, I wonder what this show will be titled? :-D
You’ll find egos and agendas come hand in hand with journalists of all creeds Daniel. The authors only agenda here is to publish a news story, and he’s done that very well. I can’t see much editorial bias in this report. Maybe Hazel Blears herself would consider contacting G7UK?
I doubt the BBC will hardly be intending to report “the hounding of Hazel Blears” either by some local crazy people either. Groups of hard-working local people (most with no political affiliation) campaigning for their local MP simply respond to their concerns is hardly going to make prime time viewing on it’s own.
Reply from g7uk.com: Daniel, I don’t recognise your name or email address so I have no idea which ‘two run-ins’ you are talking about.
I don’t actually state my personal viewpoint in the report or video above and there is no question of Panorama ‘giving weight’ to my viewpoint because I wasn’t interviewed. In fact I made it clear to the BBC film-maker that I was there as an observer to report what happened, the same as he was, and he asked me to state that fact on camera.
I’m not sure how you can possibly describe this as the viewpoint of one person anyway, when about one hundred people were at the meeting earlier in October and nearly all were in favour of the objectives.
I’m not a member of the Hazel Must Go campaign. I’m just making sure that they get some media coverage, as many local issues don’t these days.
But for the record I’m happy to state that personally I do think Hazel Blears should stand down and that New Labour has been the most disasterous and iniquitous government this country has had for many years.
Having said that, if Hazel Blears would like to put her side of the story I’ll be delighted to interview her, or record a discussion between her and the campaigners, and I’ll publish the video here.
I’d like to point out that the press were invited to join the Hazel Must Go campaign as we handed the letter over the her assistant. We did a number of interviews that day – most via email and telephone but as you can see we were joined by the BBC and G7UK on location.
Hazel has reponded, a day before her deadline to stand-down. She is determined to fight and win the next election. If her track record is anything to go by she’ll in with a fair chance, but as Martin Bell said – she’s about to be challeneged like never before in her political career.