Dave Nellist has sent the following letter to the Guardian in response to an article by Martin Kettle today (Falkirk may seem minor, but for Labour it really matters):
Martin Kettle (“Falkirk may seem minor”, July 4) describes me as one of “the most boring men in British politics”.
Am I offended? No, to be remembered at all a quarter of a century later is not to be sniffed at.
But what does Martin mean by ‘boring’? Certainly not lacking in humour, as your colleague Michael White a few years ago kindly described a speech I gave at the Savoy (I know!) as “witty and highly political, done with style and without compromise” and “one of the best speeches I have ever heard” (Guardian 15/11/2007). I like that much better.
But perhaps what Martin is really complaining of, in describing Militant-supporting MPs as ‘boring’, was our consistent, principled, unwavering promotion of socialism, as Labour was being changed all around us, to its unrecognisable state today.
I understand Len McCluskey’s campaign to try to re-win Labour away from its overlapping agenda on austerity with the other establishment parties.
But if it doesn’t work, and the omens are not favourable, there’s a small but growing campaign which believes we have to start again from scratch to build a new party, and we’re planning to stand 600 candidates in next year’s council elections.
And if we can get traction, I promise, Martin, politics won’t be so boring!