Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

Some interesting modern (ish) history on this weekend's STRAIGHTtalk over on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ News.

Former Health Secretary Frank Dobson has broken his silence about his decision, 10 long years ago, to run for Mayor of London - a process that saw him just succeed in beating Ken Livingstone for the Labour nomination, only to see his rival bolt the party, go independent, and win.

Here's an extract of the interview with Andrew Neil:

Andrew Neil: Whose idea was it that you should run for London Mayor?
Frank Dobson: Not sure where it originated. Certainly the Prime Minister was keen for me to do it but I would be lying if I didn't say the idea, it did appeal to me a bit.
AN: It did.
FD: Yes.
AN: But it wasn't you originally - I mean, having given the choice, you would have rather stayed in Health? After all, you'd had to live with very tight spending plans, within three months of you going, Mr Blair opens the sprockets, we head to European levels of health spending and you're stuck in a three way fight for the London Mayor?
FD: Yes, I'm not saying it's...
AN: You seem like you were cheated...
FD: I'm not saying it was my wildest dream but there would have been merits as far as I was concerned in being the elected Mayor of London and trying to do something. And in particular to do something to try to start countering poverty and doing something about getting homes built, affordable homes built. Those were the two things that I was most interested in. And which I've always been very interested in.
AN: But you left the Cabinet to fight London Mayor. You came third and it kind of meant the end of your career in frontline politics?
FD: Yes, I think that's true. Although I've never said this before but I had been promised, if things went wrong, he would see me all right; he didn't.
AN: Why?
FD: I don't know.
AN: You could have gone back in, you would have expected to go back in to the Cabinet; you had done them a favour fighting Ken Livingstone.
FD: But I was never really flavour of the month with the Blairistas, was I?
AN: No, and so having got you out in some way, he didn't want you back in?
FD: Well, and I think the other thing was that the, in particular, in relation to health, the Prime Minister was in favour of a sort of mixed economy in healthcare and he, well knew that I wasn't...
AN: ...going to do that.
FD: Yes.

Ouch.

And you can see STRAIGHTtalk on the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ News Channel on:
Saturday 13 March at 0130, 0430 and 2230; Sunday 14th Mar at 0130 and 2230 and Tuesday 16 March at 0330

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