Last night Oona King had her first campaign party at her HQ near Canary Wharf. The party had an open invite, advertised on Twitter to King's 4,000 followers, and had free advertising on Guido. But King could only muster around 30 supporters (and that's including her team). Listening to King, she was passionate, full of enthusiasm and had sensible policies. So what could be hampering Oona King's bid?
"The Labour leadership elections just take all the publicity away. It's the wrong time," said one of King's people. On the publicity front, we are in recess and the press are flocking towards any signs of activity. However, given that the mayoral elections are not until 2012, Labour could easily have chosen to have a longer contest which flows into 2011. Instead, the candidate will be announced September 23, 2010 at Labour’s conference.
The greater problem is not the date, but that King is lacking time — she only declared in May. Livingstone's had two years to build a team and cultivate policies. In contrast, Oona has only just found an office. As her aides told Total Politics, until recently, they were working out of her living room. It was not until this week that both an office manager and heavyweight Wes Streeting (ex-NUS president and Labour councillor) were added to the team.
But timing isn't King's only obstacle: trade union members have a 50% share of the vote. Oona has her very own trade union co-ordinator but, out of the 13 unions, King has the support of two and Ken has nine.
Shouldn't it just be Labour voters who decide on their candidate (after all most union members aren't even members of the Labour Party)? "The problem with the trade-union system is that it is rather outdated," replied one person on Oona's team. He continued: "Unions don't really do anything except give money... I shouldn't say that."
A change to the Labour system isn't going to happen in this contest, but it should be welcomed. Until then, it isn't all doom and gloom for King. Alongside the crisps and cheap wine she enthused that, after a texting poll of 10,000 supporters, she was on 42% and Ken was on 35%. One of her phone volunteers informed me that it is actually a lot closer: 53% to King and 47% to Livingstone.
Either way, King is slowly digging in to Livingstone's lead. With only three weeks to go Livingstone is putting £10,000 on victory. Personally, I wouldn’t call it.
Sunny Hundal for Liberal Conspiracy has followed up my blog. You can read it here.
Image Credit: Getty images
Comments
Phil Woodford / August 12 2010 11:35am
The system is heavily weighted against Oona and she therefore fights the campaign as an underdog. Whatever the result, she has laid down an important marker.
It is time Ken was pensioned off. It will be a shame if this message has to come from the London electorate in 2012 rather than the Labour Party in 2010.
Cllr Alan Laing / August 12 2010 12:46pm
I was shocked to read the remarks made by one of Oona King's campaign staff about trade unions, where they said:
"The problem with the trade-union system is that it is rather outdated," replied one person on Oona's team. He continued: "Unions don't really do anything except give money... I shouldn't say that."
Given that our party was founded by the unions and that they offer so much more to us than just money and that this sort of attack only serves to help the Con-Dem funding proposals - will Oona now take the following steps:
1) Apologise publicly for the remarks made by one of her campaign staff at one of her events
2) Remove that person from her campaign
3) Affirm her commitment to the Labour-Union link
4) Affirm her opposition to the coalition attempts to end union funding of the Labour Party
I and many others within the party will await her response eagerly
Paul / August 12 2010 12:52pm
Cllr Alan Laing, as a non-Labour person, I'd be interested if you could elucidate what trades unions offer the Labour party aside from just money.
James / August 12 2010 1:16pm
to Cllr Alan Laing,
as a Labour Party member I presume you are a socialist: I'm therefore surprised to see you advocating the immediate sacking of a staff member without any form of investigation, HR intervention, counselling, understanding of the background context, cultural issues, outreach consultation, series of escalating informal and formal warnings and so on. Or is it that you just don't like someone who dares criticise the almighty unions?
Adrian Weir / August 12 2010 2:09pm
The suggestion is made that Labour voters should choose Labour's candidate which the Oona staffer jumps on to dis the unions. In the UK we do not have the primary system so the suggestion is rather pointless. With regards to the unions not really doing anything, funny that Margaret Hodge publicly thanked Unite and other unions for the support of union activists in seeing off the BNP in Barking.
Mike / August 12 2010 5:03pm
Oona's camppaign is not catching fire because it is vapid. Her only sell appears to be "I am so NEW". She has limited grassroots suppport and a campaign staffed by numpties as your article demonstrates. As for the text message, it was impossible on my phone to register a no thanks vote!
Herbert / August 12 2010 5:17pm
Phil Woodford writes, 'Whatever the result, she has laid down an important marker.'
What, you mean one day she'll find a constituency and become an MP? And then lose her seat for her unswerving loyalty to a war criminal?
Phil Woodford / August 13 2010 11:42pm
Herbert [Visitor] writes: "What,you mean one day she'll find a constituency and become an MP."
You'll find that she already was a highly successful MP for a number of years in East London. It would have been easy for her to condemn the war in Iraq, but she took the tough option of speaking her mind. We need a politician in charge of London who's not afraid to stick to their guns, even when it's unpopular.