M ARK Fisher was a hard-working local MP who will be missed by the constituents who turned out in droves to vote for him. He was hugely popular, with a strong personal following. But was the 27 years he spent as the Honourable Member for Stoke Central a great time for our city? Or was it rather, a great opportunity wasted? Unfortunately history will inevitably decide the latter. For the Eton-educated Labour MP was a paradox. He was bright and principled and, above all, committed to the individuals who put him in office. He was open, honest and forthright in his views. Mr Fisher was prepared to expose and challenge what he saw as the hypocrisy and spin of New Labour, particularly over issues such as Trident and Iraq. However it was precisely these 'principled stands' which ensured that – despite his undoubted ability – he never became a Government Minister. And that is where Stoke-on-Trent lost out. Big time.

F OR in deciding to take on rather than work with New Labour, Fisher turned his back on a potential seat for our city at the top table of national government. He helped condemn us to the role of a post-industrial backwater where locals have cruelly been taken for granted by a decade of Labour Ministers. Even as he announced (at the eleventh hour) that he would not be seeking re-election, he could not resist a foolish (perhaps selfish?) side-swipe at our city. His plea to be replaced as Labour candidate by a local member is as ridiculous as it is misplaced. Every right-thinking individual in Stoke-on-Trent recognises that there are zero (repeat, zero) potential MPs of substance in the local Labour Party. There is no logical successor to Mark Fisher among them. It is inevitable that the Labour Party must look further afield for his replacement. If it fails to do so, then we may be condemned to another quarter of a century in the political wilderness. This, sadly, would be Mark Fisher's true legacy.