Political dynasties

Is it just me, or are Labour starting to make a habit of forming political dynasties?

GWYNETH Dunwoody's daughter, Tamsin, has been chosen by the Labour Party as its candidate to be Crewe and Nantwich's next MP.

She will now fight the May 22 by-election to try and take the seat her mother held for the last 34 years.

An intensive two-day selection process ended with Tamsin Dunwoody being chosen by the local Labour group at Pebble Brook School tonight.

About 60 applications were made for the candidacy and they were then narrowed down to a manageable shortlist of five with Tamsin Dunwoody emerging as a comfortable winner.

More detail comes from Adam Boulton's blog:

Both Gwyneth's grandmothers were suffragettes. Her father, Morgan Phillips, was Labour Party general secretary (in the days before people turned the job down, Gordon). And her mother was a Government minister in the House of Lords.

So the Dunwoody dynasty looks as though it's as old as the Labour movement itself, and is set to continue for at least another generation. 

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I'd be inclined to believe that this was all a coincidence if it wasn't for the equal longevity of the Benn dynasty - Wedgie's granddaughter could be set to follow his son Hilary into parliament, having been chosen to stand at PPC in Worthing at the tender age of seventeen. If successful, she would be the fifth generation of her family to sit at Westminster.

I'm sure Tamsin Dunwoody and Emily Benn are outstanding individuals who would shine in any assembly that would have them, but are we really to believe that the five generations of Benns and four of Dunwoodys all got (or will get) to Parliament on merit? Statistically speaking, I would have thought that the possibility of this happening by chance was fleetingly small.

Update:

Iain Dale notices that the citizens of Crewe are not amused.