New Labour (or whatever the former people's party is called these days) has come a long way from the Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club.
One of the party's most-promising Westminster MPs is being hauled over the right-wing newspaper coals for his clubbing habits. That's clubbing as in going to the dancing and not as in beating to death furry marine mammals with a baseball bat.
Chuka Ummuna, MP for the working class area of Streatham, has been found dissing London and its people on a social network site. He said: "Most of the West End haunts seem to be full of trash and C-list wannabes, while other places that should know better opt for the cheesy vibe." We do not expect tribunes of the people to describe others as "trash", apart from maybe George Osborne.
To be honest I can sympathise with Ummuna's views on the state of clubs. Quite often I will ask the bouncers at Off Yer Face in Maryhill if the place is full of trash and C-list wannabes. "I especially want to avoid cheesy vibe, " I say. The bouncer replies: "Don't worry. No OAPs allowed in tonight." I wander off to get a fish supper and go home to watch Match of the Day.
In mitigation it should be said Mr Ummuna made the comments in 2006 when he was a callow twenty-something. He was also a practising DJ so might have been talking about the music and not the social caste of the clubbers.
Slightly damaging, Streatham street cred-wise, is that the "trash" reference was made on ASmallWorld, an invitation-only site for influential and far-travelled people to meet and share lifestyle advice. The meetings included "Winter Weekend in Gstaad, where members partake in wine-tastings, fondue feasts, and a gala dinner." There is a suggestion that the exclusive club attracts "jetrosexuals", although it is the fondue slur which may be most damaging.
Young Mr Ummuna is Westminster Shadow Business Secretary and a rising star described as Labour's Barack Obama. So a perfect opportunity for up periscope and fire a few torpedoes. And a diversion from other targets such as the Coalition Cabinet's further impoverishment of the poor, those HBOS bankers who should be in jail, and George Osborne parking his Range Rover in a disabled space.
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