The Oona King Diaries: House Music

Finally, while on holiday I got round to read her autobiography “The Oona King Diaries: House Music” (£9.09 from Amazon) by the former MP for Bethnal Green & Bow.

I’m still trying to plough my way through Alistair Campbell’s “The Blair Years”. Oona’s book is a much better read and far more entertaining. It’s a pity about that the libel laws and Galloway’s deep pockets preclude more of her views on what she really thinks about him. So, as she suggests, we will probably have to wait for him to pop his clogs before the real story can come out.

This is not really a book about political ideas nor about the notorious “Mother of all Battles ...the Battle for Bethnal Green” rather about the nitty gritty of modern day politics, how tough it is to become an MP and then even tougher to deal with a inner city case load. There is also a lot on her family and early life. At the risk of appearing to be an insensitive sexist prig there was perhaps a little too much detail about IVF and marital problems?

It is useful to have something to counter the inaccurate and damaging comments that I have come across in the past such as that she was “imposed” on the seat by the Labour Party (she was short listed by the NEC and won a selection meeting by giving an outstanding husting speech).

Ironically it is clear that while she was a so-called “Blair Babe”, she was never promoted due to her independent thinking (and occasional “foot in mouth” media comments).

It is interesting for me to read a book where you know (mostly not that well) many of the people mentioned. She also mentions a lot her beloved home in Bow, which use to be a traditional East End pub. I use to work in the local housing office about 200 yards away. Many years ago we had a Christmas drink after work and we ended up in this pub. I was somewhat “worse for wear” and when I came across a “spread” of food in the pub I thought that it was a freebie, so I was happily tucking into this spread, when I came aware that I had suddenly become public enemy number one. The food was for a private party. I had to be grabbed and bundled out of the pub very quickly by the local head caretaker Montrose M (who ironically later became a member of respect! now thankfully lapsed) from some very irate customers. For obvious reasons I never returned.

If anything Oona played down the difficulties she encountered in the 2005 election. She didn’t mention when Jewish Second World War veterans and herself were stoned by Respect supporters at a war memorial ceremony. Nor the gangs of youths that were deliberately organised by local drug dealers, who hated for professional reasons, “New” Labour” anti-social behavior laws, to follow, scream abuse and physically intimidate Labour canvassers and try to drive them off the estates.

In short this is an excellent book and I hope that Tower Hamlets residents who didn’t vote for Oona read it (and weep).

The picture above is of Oona after she had been a guest speaker at our branch “Labour Link” meeting in April 2005. “Despite” our support she lost the following month. Some superstitious members claim that she suffered from the “Curse of the Tower Hamlets UNISON Labour Link” since we had a habit of inviting political leaders who we would support to the rafters and who would then suffer defeat. The following year we had Michael Keith, the council leader to speak to us, a month before he lost his seat in the 2006 elections. What nonsense..... (Fingers crossed of course)

Actually one reason why Oona did not win could have been that while she was really good “on the knocker” you had to almost physically drag her away from people while canvassing. Even with the mostly absolute vile middle class tossers, who lived in their luxury gated communities and paraded their armchair support of the “Gorgeous one”. Despite the fact they had made it perfectly clear that they were not going to vote for her, she would still politely chat and talk to them for ages about national and local issues. When if we could have got her in front of enough genuine floating voters then she would have made a really positive impression on them.

Still, I don’t think we have heard the political last of Ms King. Can't wait!