Howard 
Dean (former would-be Democrat candidate for US president) has rather surprised me this week – for the news came out that he will be helping the Labour party here in the UK.
But for most people he’s know for two things: (a) being against the Iraq war, and (b) crashing to dramatic defeat. (a) isn’t exactly the Labour party, and (b) isn’t exactly what the Labour party wants I’m sure!
So – what’s going on? Dean seemed to me to make great play of sticking to his principles on Iraq and speaking up against the war – yet now he wants to help Tony Blair’s party, the great international cheerleader for George W Bush?
All very rum…
Lynne Featherstone 
But flexibility of principle is the hallmark of New Labour….
Howard Dean is regarded by many as the architect of the Democrats’ mid-term success, which explains why the Labour party want him. His presidential campaign was also notably innovative and successful, up to the point where he screamed. He’s really the Ds’ Neil Kinnock, with Emanuel Rahm as his Peter Mandelson (although his language is more like that of Alisdair Campbell). No idea what Dean is thinking about Iraq.
From the Labour side its clear what is going on – they are trying to escape from the prison Blair build for UK policy by staying so close to Bush. With a Democratic Party controlled congress Labour can play for some decency. That’s why Bill Clinton was at the labour conference of course.But they may not yet understand the dynamics of the next two years. One fight will be Hilary Clintons attempt to get the Democratic nomination for President. She is the Millbank style central candidate. Many of her supporters regard Howard Dean as the internal enemy (because he espouses grassroots power and local political organisation and action) and the figurehead for any anti-Hillary movement at the Democratic grass roots.There is even a whispering campaign belittling Dean’s record as Democratic National Committee chair, saying the Democrats won despite not because of Chairman Dean.. Labour inviting Dean may not be a good way of getting Brownie points with the Democratic Power Brokers that New Labour are likely to be cultivating.As for Dean himself I suspect he will tell Labour to revitalise its local branches.
Dean isn’t as leftwing as often perceived. He was anti-Iraq war but actually was quite fiscally conservative. So he might actually be more congenial on the level of more general principle with the Blairites and Brownites esp as Blair goes and Iraq therefore recedes Dean will fit in more and more with the Labour party.
I would love to be a fly on the wall when ‘people-powered’ Howard explains to Blair & co that what they need to do is get back to campaigning on the basis of principles and revitalise the party by empowering ordinary party members and encouraging grass roots activism;-)
I suspect Dean is doing the usual thing the the ‘left’ do, that is support others who are on the ‘left’, they must defeat the evils of ‘the right’ whatever that may be this time round… So even is you disagree on some things, the Labour Party is still a party of the left in many ways, so its better than the Tories who are evil right-wingers who want to eat your babies (which you’ve been forced to have) or something…The illogical nature of politics is one of the most frustrating things for me. The politics of the increasingly meaningless left/right divide is totally illogical to me.And to translate from the american, fiscally conservative means liberal in the rest of the world… (its only recently that conservatives have even attempted to support free trade, well, apart from the Peelites, but they helped form the Liberal Party…)