Clwyd Vs Blair

Ann Clwyd's defeat as PLP Chair by Tony Lloyd just goes to show how a lot of MPs don't fit easily into categories, how Blair has had personal support from a few lefties (another example is Dennis Skinner) and how Iraq has cut across traditional left-right lines.

Clwyd has been characterised as the "Blairite" candidate in the election because of her support for the Iraq War on human rights grounds. But this is almost the only issue on which she has ever agreed with Blair. The chart below shows you this woman's shocking history of disloyalty during the nine and a half years of Tony's Government:



An horrific tale of rebellion, with an unbelievable 50 votes against her own party out of the 1,999 votes she cast since 1997. One of these rebel votes even while acting as teller (we soon put a stop to that!). Two of Ann's rebellions have even occurred since her vote against the government on House of Lords Reform in February 2003. These recent acts of treachery, in November 2004, were on the critical and strategic issue of Members' Allowances.

If it wasn't for the fact that I believe she's a principled politician - despite the fact that I would disagree with on almost every issue other than Iraq - I would be calling for her expulsion from the PLP.