Visited by the Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister for my Birthday.

Friday and Saturday was Labour Link Forum, so I spent my 26th Birthday in Gateshead (which is not the same place as Newcastle I have been reminded).

The National Labour Link Committee met the day before to deal with forum business. We also had a detailed discussion on the implementation of motion 63 from National Delegate Conference and the resulting review of the effectiveness of our political funds. At the conference this was developed further with workshops for delegates on the matter.

There were a number of motions, nearly all lacked contention. One was defeated on limiting the group of UNISON MPs based on our policy and setting regional criteria for trigger ballot votes (which decide whether we just reselect an MP or have a full selection procedure again).

This years forum had very prominent speakers. David Miliband as well as being Foreign Secretary is a local MP in South Shields. David spoke well on the important but difficult role the UK is playing in supporting the democratic movements in Zimbabwe, but mostly focussed the rebuilding the party and the support Labour enjoyed in 97.

Gordon Brown paid the forum a visit to launch UNISON’s Nye Bevan awards for excellence in the health service. He spoke at length about a number of issues before the gathered press, but then had agreed to answer questions (though I don’t think that’s what he advisers wanted). I missed much of this (sadly including his answer on public sector pay and the local government dispute) because I was being ‘interviewed’ in the loosest sense of the word by a very odd journalist who was out of the closed session with the PM. I was impressed by how Gordon was received by delegates, who while disagreeing with him on much felt that he ‘came across much better than he does on the telly’ and that he really wanted to listen and engage with members. This was shown by his desire to stay with us, having to be practically dragged out of there by Anne Keene MP, a Health Minister.