The last post got me thinking about Peter Mandelson (Something I try not to do very often as it makes me shudder). When he left Hartlepool after stepping down as MP he made the usual remarks about Hartlepool having a special place in his heart, how he loved the town and its people, etc.
Apart from the briefest possible visit to sell his house I don't think he has been with 100 miles of the town since he left. I'd love to know if anyone has actually spotted the guacamole eating former MP in Hartlepool (or even the North East) since he left?
Of course the same question could be asked of Tony Blair in relation to Sedgefield. Has "Our Tone" been a regular visitor to Sedgefield since his resignation? I did hear the new MP for Sedgefield on the radio the other day where he appeared to say that Sedgefield has been neglected for years and he was going to put it right. When pressed about the statement he back peddled quickly saying Tony Blair had been a brilliant MP for Sedgefield but of course he was very busy as Prime Minister and had lots of other things to do.
It's not just North East Safe Labour Seats that get taken for granted! Safe Tory seats are often handed out to high fliers in the same way safe Labour seats seem to attract Labour cabinet ministers. The possession of a safe seat allow the politicians to get on with their real priority, their political career, without having to waste too much time bothering about their constituency and getting re-elected since they know they are safe. Any constituency seen as "safe" for one party is a "lost cause" for the others. No party will waste resources on safe seats they don't need to keep sweet in order to win and no party will waste resources on lost causes that they have no change of taking. Let's hear it for the Marginals!!
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