unoriginalname38 – the blog of Dave Cole

Clare Short resigns Labour whip

"Clare Short, the Labour MP for Birmingham Ladywood since 1983, has announced that she has resigned the Labour whip and will sit in the Commons as an independent for the remainder of this Parliament.

"Since resigning as International Development secretary in 2003 – in opposition to the Labour party’s stance on the Iraq War – Ms Short has consistently criticised the Labour leadership and the direction of the party. Last month, announcing her decision not to stand at the next General Election, Ms Short claimed to be “profoundly ashamed” of the Government."

Will she sit on the Government or Opposition benches?

I feel a bit sorry for Clare Short. I'd like PR and she will wonder for the rest of her life whether a resignation from her at the same time as the late Robin Cook would have made a difference, particularly as her intent was to stay in the Cabinet, it would seem, to try and improve the situation where she saw a risk of winning the war (which I don't think she was in favour of) but disastrously losing the peace. Since she found in 2003 that what was to happen after the toppling of Saddam was not even considered, she must have wished she'd done the former. Hindsight is 20/20 and I, for one, wish her well. She may have been wrong but was honestly wrong.

xD.

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