More stories of Labour's racism and bigotry

10.48.33am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 23rd Aug 2004

This Sunday Nick Cohen of the Observer wrote about the election tactics Labour used during the Birmingham Hodge Hill and Leicester South by-elections. In his article The ghost of Enoch - Racist election tactics and other dirty tricks are back ... and we're not talking about the Tories he highlighted the racist leaflets in Hodge Hill and homophobic leaflets in Leicester South.

Whilst I did not see the leaflets in Leicester South, I certainly did see the Labour literature in Hodge Hill and can can honestly say it was some of the worst literature that I have seen in over twelve years of political campaigning. I have previously mentioned that the Birmingham Trades Council has also deemed the literature racist and called on Liam Byrne to attend a a future meeting and explain himself and the campaign.

We have since seen Labour's dirty tricks in the Hartlepool by-election, where they are attacking the Liberal Democrat Candidate Jody Dunn because as a Barrister she has represented various clients. Barristers work on a 'cab rank' principle are have little or no choice on the cases that are allocated, these attacks leave the Prime Minister's wife open to accusation that she supports all of the clients she has represented. It was at least pleasing to see Tom Watson MP axed as Labour's Campaign Manager in Hartlepool as a result of this, Tom was also Labour's Campaign Manager in Birmingham Hodge Hill.