‘My own way’

CAMDEN Council’s former education chief Nick Smith has made his debut in the House of Commons. His maiden speech included this grand description of a historic baton change:

It is often said that we stand on the shoulders of giants. If you are the MP for Blaenau Gwent, that is definitely the case. It was one of my predecessors, Nye Bevan, the former Labour MP for Ebbw Vale, who set up our national health service. Michael Foot also represented the constituency.

Just before he died, I told Michael that I would do my very best to win the constituency back for Labour at the general election. I am proud to have fulfilled that promise. I will do my best to continue the Welsh Labour tradition of Nye and Michael, to serve in my own way with communities for whom they did so much.

Out of all of those Labour councillors in Camden who served between 2002-2006, who’d have bet on Nick to be the one to make it to the Commons first?  Quite a few maybe, but he certainly had colleagues in Judd Street who harboured the same ambition still looking for a seat. Let’s keep a close eye and see what he means by: ‘In my own way’.