Labour and inherited privilege

The Labour Party's nepotism reaches new extremes - according to the ASI and LabourHome, they are seriously considering selecting Tamsin Dunwoody, the former Labour Welsh Assembly Member for Preseli & Pembrokeshire, as Crewe & Nantwich by-election candidate.

Tamsin got where she is today because her mum Gwyneth Dunwoody was a long-serving MP; who in turn was the daughter of a former General Secretary of the Labour Party...

Update - they've actually gone and selected her!

Gwyneth Dunwoody 1930 - 2008

A lot of tributes are being paid over at LabourHome. Apparently, "She was born into the Party as daughter of the longtime General Secretary, Morgan Phillips ..."

For a political party that is supposed to be in favour of meritocracy and against hereditary privilege and/or nepotism, it is quite amazing how many Labour politicians rest on their ancestors' laurels - Peter Mandelson (Herbert Morrison), Hilary Benn (Tony Benn), Emily Benn (Hilary Benn), the Miliband bros - or are indeed married to each other - Ed Balls & Yvette Cooper, Harriet Harman & Jack Dromey.

Those are the examples that immediately spring to mind, I am sure that there are others.