Posted 1:12 PM by Paul
Tom

Heather sent me a link a couple of days ago to the website of an old friend - Tom Watson, Labour MP for West Bromwich. Tom introduced me to the the Blogoshpere and for that I owe him a favour. On his website he had written some very kind words about my writing and in particular the eligy to my mum which I wrote in September 2003. I have not seen Tom for about 18 months. He is kept busy both keeping The Labour Party in power and representing his consitituents. Of all the polticans I have met I am sure that Tip O'Neils maxim " All politics is local" is engraved on his heart.

The last time we met was at the House of Commons and he very graciously took me to lunch in the members dining room which was quite an experience. I dressed up for the occasion and he joked that the Lords was next door and if I just walked in sat down and had a nap nobody would notice. Meeting him again put a smile on my face and gave me some hope. Here we had a politican who was very much still a human being with a self deprecating sense of humour. I have met a few who if you wanted to keep a beer cold you would place it next to their heart.

I have heard Tom speak on the radio and unusually for a politician he sounds quite normal. I don't know how he does it. The pressures to adopt a set of strident vocal manerisms that are designed to please your political masters and keep the media at bay must be huge. He's not 40 yet and may have a big future ahead of him by the simple technique of telling the truth in plain English and acting like a normal human being. It could even catch on.

We met in the mid 80s when I was running the office at Red Wedge, the Labour Party campaign to engage more young people in the political process via the medium of popular culture. Tom was the very young but very savvy librarian at HQ. He warned me of a plot by a group of Trotsysists to hi-jack Red Wedge. As a result, I managed to prevent their coup by the simple tactic of packing the next meeting with my personal friends. They were flabbergasted because I had used their own tactics against them. Had it not been for Tom's intervention we would have had a least a major embarassment on our hands. It was all part of a much larger picture which ended with them being expelled and the Labour Party starting to look vaguely electable. We played a tiny part in that little bit of history.

Little did we know at the time that we were to prevent the party from being hi-jacked by a clique of souless cyncial Trostsykists only to allow it be hi-jacked by a clique of souless cyncial Neo-Conservatives. Such is life.

I have a pretty low opinion of politicans in general. However, when I look at the juvenile debating society that is the House of Commons and get bit depressed I think of Tom. He has supported loyally the Government which I depair of but I know he has his heart in the right place. He is not just doing it for his own self agrandisment.