Sheffield Central Labour Candidate - Abtisam Mohamed vs Eddie Izzard

[fromorbit]

If you are based in Sheffield please lend your support to Abtisam Mohamed a strong local woman candidate, a solicitor of Yemeni descent and longstanding Labour Councillor who has done valuable local work for the community including on nurseries. Sheffield Central is a safe Labour seat so whoever is selected is going to Parliament. Eddie Izzard has also launched a campaign but besides being a celebrity, has more glitz than steel, hasn't lived in Sheffield since being a student, plus as we all know is unclear about who they are.

Mohamed has an inspiring story, worked her way up to get a great career going and is focused on getting practical stuff done. She will make a great MP.

Abtisam Mohamed interview
www.thestar.co.uk/news/politics/sheffield-councillor-launches-her-bid-to-become-a-city-mp-3871921

Abtisam Mohamed Campaign page including a great video lots on her local concerns for the city:
abtisammohamed.com/

In contrast Izzard's campaign, getting loads of press coverage, is thin on detail:
www.eddieizzard.uk/

The local paper talked to people who questioned Izzard's chance of winning a few months back:

"In contrast, Jane Armstrong questioned her claim to run in the city.

She wrote: “I had heard this for a while and if she is fancying Central I know a lot of Labour members in that area who are really hostile to having her as a candidate. Not because she isn't nice person, but because people do not like celebrities being parachuted into wards above local candidates."
www.thestar.co.uk/news/politics/eddie-izzard-sheffield-readers-share-their-thoughts-on-comedians-bid-to-be-city-centrals-next-mp-3821984?itm_source=parsely-api

Apparently several other councillors may be standing as well so it should be an interesting contest.

I am not sure when the cut off point if you join Labour locally you will get to vote on who the candidate is. The actual contest has not yet begun yet but if I were local I would be signing up.

I fear Izzard will win - everyone loves a celebrity, especially a trans one :-(

I would much prefer the other candidate if I was local - unfortunately people are shallow.

I hope I'm wrong btw!

Sheffield Central is a safe Labour seat so whoever is selected is going to Parliament.

So far, I but I think KJK is prepared to destruction-test that particular bit of conventional wisdom should they select the wrong person.

I kind of want Eddie to get this just for that sunlight, but I guess it would risking the residents of Sheffield Central for the greater good, which isn't our call...

(And do we want to risk KJK actually winning? Would she be as effective if in parliament, rather than operating as a guerilla unit?)

Abtisam is an impressive candidate, with much experience of working with the local community. Quite apart from any other issues, parachuting in a celebrity candidate who doesn't even live there just because it's a safe seat and they fancy having a go at being an MP is not a good look, is it.

I fear the student population will swing this firmly in Izzard favour.

Just out of interest, does anyone know Abtisam's position on gender ideology?

I hope Izzard doesn't have further ambitions.

Izzard for PM. Agh...

Yes first 'woman' Labour PM.

That's progress.

Disingenuous of Izzard to be all over Twitter with “I'm running to be MP” when he hasn’t even been selected as prospective parliamentary candidate by the local party yet.

'Just out of interest, does anyone know Abtisam's position on gender ideology?'

My thoughts exactly. She sounds like a very impressive candidate so far, but she needs to acknowledge biology and women's rights to single sex spaces

Labour have a bit of a thing about parachuting candidates in, the electorate really don't appreciate it. However EI is a celeb and the population sounds like heavily made up of students who are perhaps less invested in what a candidate will actually do for an area.

It is all a bit of a joke though, I presume EI has to this point shown very little interest in local and national politics, yet here we are. I really think parts of Labour don't care about being the ruling party or being an effective opposition, it's all a bit school days politics, picking the cool kid to lead the debate team rather than the (un)cool kid who has the knowledge and debating skills.

Is KJK going to try and run for this as well?

Kellie-Jay Keen will stand against Izzard if he is successfully chosen as candidate.
Bring it.

I wouldn't be so sure all the student population will love Eddie. He is a Blairite after all. I dare say a lot of the membership will be to the left of EI ?

Ah I see.

To be honest, if she does this, it shows what she is about. She knows she doesn't stand a chance of winning, she knows that if/when she comes last the TRAs will have a field day and massively take the piss, she knows she is putting herself up for ridicule from certain people. But she is willing to do it anyway, because her goal is to bring awareness to the issue and she will do that in any effective way she can.

He/she is a Blairite.

I look forward to the chaotic news coverage...

It is all a bit of a joke though, I presume EI has to this point shown very little interest in local and national politics, yet here we are.

I don't think that's fair - Eddie has been somewhat active in the Labour party for about decade. I at least remember his name popping up for various internal position ballots, when I was a member.

(Never got my vote cos I'm too far to his left.)

Would be interesting to see how this goes. A future dinner party question: is Eddie Izzard a woman? More sunlight perhaps?

My question would be should transvestite men like Eddie belong within the term trans woman?

Not enough people know about all this, it will at least force MSM conversations.

Happy to see Eddie or any other trans identifying person stand for selection or election in a democracy.

Can't see KJK winning, more likely help the Greens in.

If Eddie Izzard is selected, I hope the resulting campaign will shine a very bright light on Labour's batshit position regarding gender self ID and women's rights, and on their behaviour towards dissenters. I also hope that any counter campaign focuses on these issues rather than on Izzard personally.

EI has been out canvassing in my constituency (a few years ago, pink beret phase) which is an extremely safe Labour seat with a parachuted MP. Canvassing here is the easiest kind, knocking on registered Labour voters in marginal wards to make sure they are deffo voting - there is no persuading the opposition-style canvassing. No need for a celeb to show up on a Saturday morning.

My MP is not standing again and her already selected replacement is the current leader of the council. His replacement as Labour group leader has also been selected, so as long as Labour keep council control, the LG leader will be the council leader too.

Like Sheffield Central the winner of the candidate selection is pretty much guaranteed to get a seat in Parliament so I would hazard a guess that EI has been exploring safe seats with likely-to-retire-soon MPs for a while now.

EI is very single minded (look at the marathons! And learning new languages purely to perform a stand up show) so Sheffield Central is no accident.

That we already had an obvious replacement for our MP in the local ranks will likely be why EI shows no interest here now.

If it shows up the batshittery, it’ll be worth it (because the Greens would be forced to be more cautious about their own batshittery too).

Not sure why Izzard is bothering with a campaign - can't he/she just self-identify as Sheffield's MP?

There's no chance of KJK winning but I doubt that the mainstream media would be able to resist reporting on a a new age woman like EI debating a blonde bombshell like KJK. The sunlight would be flooding in. Bring it on.