Farewell Regional Board, parting is such sweet sorrow

My membership of the East of England Labour Party Regional Board came to end this weekend. I have been a member since 2008 and have enjoyed those seven years.

I won an election to get onto the Board, and have fought off a number of challengers over the years. My end came not through the ballot box though, but rather through a failure of paperwork.

Whilst I am undone by a failure of my CLP, I am not desperately disappointed; perhaps it is time to give someone else a chance to serve.

I confess to being a little irked, especially now that Southend’s voice in the Labour movement has shrunk a little. I have no idea who has replaced me.

At least it removes one distraction in a year that sees me trying to retain a presence in Southend’s council chamber. My contest in Milton will be an intriguing one. It is a marginal, and my scalp is certainly high on the local Tory hit list.

Mind you, I have yet to see my Tory opponent do anything in the ward, but perhaps hers is an under-the-radar campaign.