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.

More developments the contest is now up to eight.
Jayne Dunne, a noted local councillor, single mum, with her own business with lots of experience has joined the race. She has the support of two unions GMB and Aslef as well some other councilors. Plenty of accomplishments, some focused on women's issues "backed GMBs ‘Smash the Stigma’ of menopause campaign in Sheffield. Introducing policy to the council to support our workers through menopause. I have also implemented the council’s first ever Period Equality Charter."
Website :
jaynedunn.org/

Dr Rizwana Lala, a local dentist and trade unionist is now standing:
rizwanalala.co.uk/
Dr Chris Carson, local AE Doctor
twitter.com/drchriscarson/status/1580274518161252352

Lefty political commentator and journalist Paul Mason a former Sheffield student is in too. I suspect this is a publicity thing more than anything, but it is a similar pitch to Izzard relying on bigger fame than local credientials. People are joking about the similarity:
www.paulmason.org/vote/

Jayne Dunne is certainly a powerful contender. I think it will most likely be Abitsam or her in the end from what locals are saying online and union support, though Mike Buckley and Abdi Suleiman both seem to have local support too so can't be ruled out. Lots of twitter comments from CLP members saying nice things about Izzard, but then saying they are backing someone else. Next stage is the announcement of the the official longlist by the CLP some of the six may not make next round.

The other candidates are:
abdisuleiman.co.uk/
Mike Buckley
twitter.com/mdbuckley/status/1578397675401220101

Also as mentioned earlier one aspect of the race is that the already selected Green Candidate for Sheffield Central is Alison Teal, who easily won the run off to be voted in as candidate, is like many members of the party Gender Critical. This has caused huge ructions inside the Greens.
bright-green.org/2022/10/12/green-party-members-publicly-refuse-to-campaign-for-sheffield-parliamentary-candidate/

Thanks for the update!

Looks to be an interesting spread of candidates. Presume with that many it will drop to a shortlist before final votes?

There will be a chance to get endorsements from local branches etc first. Then there will be an official longlist. [some might not be allowed to stand if they are found to have been breaking party rules or possibly if they are thought to be unsuitable by the committee in some way. ]

Then a short list.

Then more campaigning before voting. Timeline depends on CLP.

I am sure there are plenty of other high profile electorates that need attention by SFW. And there is nothing to stop SFW from raising awareness there, in Sheffield, any time.

If Rosie Duffield steps down in Canterbury and chooses not to run as an independent, KJK could really test whether all of Labour’s voters are A-OK with self-ID.

Rosie has been reselected by her local party and will be standing for Labour in the next election in Canterbury. Should have a very good chance of winning in next election.

KJK if she wants to stand should stand against a prominent TRA supporter MP Labour/Tory/Lib Dem. Or maybe spend the time doing something else. Standing as MP might not be the best tactic for publicity. Holding a series of rallies in different Labour/Tory marginals might be more effective than concentrating on one.

That’s great news about Rosie.

It is great news.

and also not surprising, because angry Twitter TRAs are not able to influence that much at a CLP level except in small pockets of superwoke areas (Brighton, N London, Central Manchester etc).

The period of mass membership of Corbynites is over, so CLPs are largely back to being run by the same sensible cllrs and party secretaries as ever, perhaps with a few younger/newer members who stuck around.

Shame they’ve lost so many active women (some with decades of membership) in the process.

Around parliament, however, I’d imagine a lot of the younger SPADS and civil servants are still far more IDPOL influenced than everywhere else. This group is also going to be over represented at party conference.
Presumably that’s why it’s so hard to get sensible policy proposals up from CLP through to the National Party.

Rosie being reselected shows both her CLP, and her constituency, appreciate her, and I’m sure that’s a multi faceted appreciation, not on any a single issue.

My own MP has always been a very accessible, community minded sort of person, despite being a parachuted candidate. That she turns up to the opening of an envelope and stays to the end to help with the washing up is indicative of her genuine interest in the people she represents. I don’t always agree with her, but I do appreciate her.
She’s being replaced by a local chap next GE.

That Rosie remains Chair of the Labour Women’s PLP is also something to appreciate. I just wish a few more felt able to stand beside her in a more publicly visible way.

Please no fucking celebrity politicians of any stripe.

Just wondering how many other women candidates have pictures like this out there.

That would end the career of any born female politician

To be fair, Nadine Dorries ate kangaroo testicles live on telly and ended up minister for culture. I don't think standards are what they once were.

Tangental thought re: how porn soaked our culture has gotten in the interim years… the cigarette will probably garner more criticism than the undercrackers!

True but I don’t think wearing a swimming cozzie on TV helped Mordaunts career much

Nice summary article in the Guardian doesn't hold out much hope for Izzard. Thinks the real contest is between Abitsam and Jayne as I was thinking :

"Blomfield, who won a 27,273 majority in 2019, is expected to endorse Abtisam Mohamed, a councillor, lawyer and community organiser who moved to Sheffield from Yemen as a toddler in the 1980s when her father got a job in the local steel industry.
Sheffield insiders think that neither Mason nor Izzard have a chance of winning the nomination, noting that the city has a long history of choosing local candidates rather than outsiders. David Blunkett, who ran Sheffield city council before becoming Sheffield Brightside’s MP and ultimately home secretary, has endorsed Mohamed.
Jayne Dunn, another local councillor who has won the endorsements of the GMB and Aslef unions, is seen as Mohamed’s main rival. Dunn says she is “not a typical politician”; she was once a homeless single mother on benefits. She ran to be Labour’s candidate for the South Yorkshire mayoralty but lost to Oliver Coppard.
Labour’s national executive committee will decide on the longlist within the next week. Then, the executive of the constituency Labour party (CLP) will largely be in charge of the shortlist."

www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/oct/18/journalist-paul-mason-joins-labour-race-in-sheffield-central

Rosie is no longer Chair of the Labour Women’s PLP. She was for 2.5 years though. She decided not to stand again. The fact she was elected twice shows how women Labour MPs are way more terfy than they openly admit. Her replacement Karin Smyth, Shadow Minister for Social Care, according to Rosie is sound on women's issues.

Ah, soz. I did Google go check but obviously wasn’t paying enough attention to the date on the results of my search!

Julie Bindell has done a great podcast on her substack

juliebindel.substack.com/p/eddie-izzard-is-a-man#details

I really cannot undrstand anybody who is not supporting Eddie here, and hoping the other candidates succeed.

The whole mess is because people inside the Greens and Lib Dem like Aimee Challonner and their ilk have been allowed to skulk around in the shadows whilst pulling the strings.

Izzard will bring this inot the blazing sunshine.

It is the best thing that could happen and will have the man in the street wake up to the issues.

Latest developments.

Izzard is claiming to be on the longlist before the results have been officially announced, presumably a leak if accurate:
twitter.com/EddieIzzardLab/status/1583786335311376384

Abitsam has now got the endorsement of the Labour Movement for Europe. That is a bit of a kick in the face for Izzard considering his position on the EU.
twitter.com/labour4europe/status/1583171441796599808

Good local summary on the campaign so far with run downs on the candidates. Agrees the likely winners are Abitsam or Jayne:
www.sheffieldtribune.co.uk/p/eddie-izzard-paul-mason-and-the-massive?publication_id=320151&isFreemail=true

Rosie Duffield has doubled down on her refusal to recognise Izzard if Labour makes misgendering a crime in some way. Separate thread for that
here:
www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4661143-daily-mail-23-10-22-mp-rosie-duffield-will-refuse-to-call-eddie-izzard-a-woman-and-says-arrest-me-now-if-misgendering-becomes-a-hate-crime

Absolutely Sheffield Women need a local woman representing them.
Izzard is a disgrace.

Yes I have listened to Julie Bindels podcast too and its really worth a listen as she actually attends a talk with him and interviews a few of the audience in the breaks and afterwards.

Really enjoyed Julie Bindel's podcast. She's spot on about how utterly bloody boring and self absorbed he is, and how he knows jack shit about politics

Longlist coming through seems to be six names:

ABTISAM MOHAMED, Jayne Dunn , Eddie Izzard, Paul Mason, RIZWANA LALA, MIKE BUCKLEY

Details:
labourlist.org/2022/10/six-make-longlist-to-be-next-labour-candidate-for-sheffield-central/

Abdi was not longlisted he had built some local support though. There are complaints that Mason and Izzard made the list and he didn't:
twitter.com/Abdi_SHF/status/1584842316388655107

Jayne Dunn has picked up the endorsement of Unison, a major union.

Izzard has issued a statement saying he wouldn't stand on an all women shortlist:
twitter.com/EddieIzzardLab/status/1584636817856679936

Good statement

It's irrelevant that EI said he wouldn't stand on an AWS, what's important is that Labour would let him if he said he wanted to.

Are we supposed to be grateful that a man who says he is sometimes a woman has said they won't take a place from a woman!

Maybe he was in boy mode when he said he wouldn't stand on a women's shorlist. We might get a different opinion when he's in girl mode.

(is this going to get deleted becasue I called EI he?)