"COME along and hear the socialist and trade union alternative to what will be on offer in the general election," says the blurb.

From that, you would expect that to hear it from people belonging to the alternative - in short, not from any of the big parties determining what is on offer at the poll.

But, lo, one of the speakers at this forthcoming "celebration of socialism" in Accrington next week is none other than East Lancashire Labour Euro MP Michael Hindley.

Note our italics. He belongs to Tony Blair's party and no doubt owes his place in the European Parliament for having successfully fought under that banner. But here is maverick Mike going publicly out on a limb - way to the left, far beyond the boundaries set by the centrist "New" Labour Party.

Considering that in just a few weeks' time his colleagues in East Lancashire will be fighting a general election on a platform that Mr Hindley is busily rubbishing, it is plain that he is doing them no favours.

For that, he can expect a carpeting - and maybe even the boot.

Yet who in politics or a free society would deny anyone the right to express their convictions? Not us.

But we are sure that, like us, many would think it more noble of Mr Hindley to have the courage of his convictions as well - in that if he wants to support the "other lot," he should join them and stop stabbing his own lot in the back.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.