Some Political Stuff - A Tribute to Ashok Kumar MP and the General Election

We have finally reached the beginning of May and it has been totally remiss of me to not mention before now the sad and too early death of Ashok Kumar MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland. As you may know I am a Northerner, to be precise an East Clevelander and for some time Ashok was my MP and also my comrade in the Labour Party. I was for many years a committed and active member of the Labour Party in the area at branch and constituency level. I always found Ashok a friendly, caring man who served his constituents well and was truly committed to the people of the area.
I remember him being chosen as the Labour candidate the day Nelson Mandela was released from prison and ultimately it was a very good choice. Quite soon after being selected we were faced with a by-election which Ashok won, wow that was such a brilliant night. Sadly we lost the seat at the General Election, but Ashok didn't run and try to find a safe seat, he stayed Cleveland was his home and he built up his reputation. At the next election he won and there he stayed until his sad death.

I do hope whoever is selected to fight the seat at the forthcoming General Election does so with as much commitment to the people of Middlesbrough and East Cleveland as Ashok did, he deserves a worthy successor to continue the important work he did for the people of that area, people who do not have the easiest of lives to live.

(Note - the seat was retained by the Labour Party, whilst the neighbouring seat of Redcar, another constituency I was closely associated with was lost to the Liberal Democrats, unsurprisingly due to the loss of the British Steel plant in Redcar)

As for the General Election, well I hardly care - they are all tarnished in one way or another - but I will always vote.

And vote I did - not at all happy with the outcome but I guess I will have to live with it like so many others. I am only relieved I didn't vote Liberal Democrat as I would have felt truly sold down the river as I would rather slit my wrists than vote Conservative. I did what I always do these days, ummed and aahed and then voted in the same old way. And now that we have a Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition Government well I am thinking I may rejoin the Labour Party - I wasn't expecting that!!

Ciao

Sue
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Reading challenge 10/16 - currently reading Songbird by Josephine Cox