My blog has been a little neglected of late because my head has been caught up in the political upheaval that has been caused by the Brexit vote and the evil machinations of those intent on destroying the Labour party I once loved. I am agog that 174 Labour MPs have, without the backing or the approval of their constituents, decided to oust the most popular leader the Labour, or indeed any UK political party, has had in decades.
But do you know what, I no longer care that the Labour party will split, in fact the sooner the right wing hawks cross the floor and join the party closest to their own beliefs, the sooner Jeremy Corbyn's plans to assist those in most desperate need can be put into practice.
I was kicked out of the Labour Party in 2003 when I organised an anti war meeting in my town. Or at least my envelope dropping and polling station services were no longer required. I have tried desperately hard to support them since that time, but the faith was gone. If it hadn't been the war, it would have been the case of missing Madeleine McCann, I no longer suspected the newspapers lied to us, I knew it. I have no doubt the fall of Labour's Right wing will see the truth emerge. Methinks, the Chilcott Report merely skimmed the surface of what was going on behind Whitehall doors during the Blair and Brown's time in office.
I watched Jeremy Corbyn's interview on the Marr Show this morning, and was in awe at how cool, calm and confident he was in everything he said - replying to every biased, accusatory question with the kind of dignity that can only be distant memory for those colleagues who abandoned their own constituents and the country in order to pursue their own goals.
Then I watched Angela Eagle being interviewed by Robert Peston. He gave her an easy ride, but even so, she still presented as the unwitting volunteer who was too slow to take a step back. I can't say I have ever listened to Angela Eagle before, but the whiney voice grated, rather than soothed. Ditto her references to her Little Dorrit childhood, people are losing their jobs and their homes now, families are queuing at food banks, spare us. After hearing Jeremy Corbyn's awesome speech at the Durham Miners Gala, it's as if she has suddenly remembered the suffering of society's most vulnerable - unfortunately, she is about 10 months too late.
The Labour Party will split, I can't see any other way out of this impasse. Whilst Jeremy Corbyn is willing to talk to his colleagues, they won't enter into any talks that involve Jeremy remaining as leader. They went into the chicken coup as a fait accompli, deciding they, not the members, should choose the Labour leader. What they have done is not only undemocratic, I'm not even sure it is legal.
Angela Eagle may suddenly have remembered she needed to empathise with the poor this morning, she conveniently forgot that she and all her duplicitous colleagues abstained from the vote on ESA. I just don't understand her motivation and I cannot comprehend the desperate need of herself and her co-conspirators to remove Jeremy Corbyn from the leadership. No-one has yet offered a coherent explanation. As for her sympathy for Tony Blair, seriously? The real leader was comforting the bereaved families, she would have done better if she had done the same.
I got the impression from her interview, that they may have found a 'legal' way to 'fix' the ballot paper, that is, insist he has to have 50 PLP nominations. Even though it is underhand, unscrupulous and spits in the face of the labour electorate, I wouldn't at this stage, put anything past them. What they fail to take into consideration is, that wherever Jeremy Corbyn goes, all those hundreds of thousands of new party members will go with him. Even if they win, which they won't, their power will be fleeting. The whole world will know that they have stolen the party from its' members, and their future credibility will be zero. That they will get custody of the rich party donors sadly, should be taken as a given.
I feel we are witnessing the revolution the Establishment have feared. Social media has given the people real power. They are no longer reliant on the one sided reporting of a biased MSM, they can look further than the front pages of the tabloids, and they can see quite clearly that Jeremy Corbyn is not the monster the media portray. He is a calm rational man who cares deeply about fairness and humanity.
Sadly, there is no doubt this revolution will turn ugly, very few people like Jeremy Corbyn turn up in our lifetimes and when they do they become targets. They are a threat to those in power, because they have that 'X' factor they lack, and nothing they do can beat them. It's why they now have to fix the election. I don't want to turn Jeremy into a Messiah, though it's spooky his initials are JC, but he is deserving of my highest accolade, he is a thoroughly good egg.
This revolution will be fought on social media, it is now an integral part of rolling news. They will pretend the newspapers are relevant, but tabloid headlines can no longer dictate the results of General Elections. Newspapers now have genuine competition, in fact dear old Maggie T would say it is a free market. We don't have to trust in Aunty Beeb anymore, other networks are available. The MSM can keep telling us how unpopular Jeremy Corbyn is, but our news updates tell a completely different story. We are seeing ordinary people coming out in their hundreds of thousands to support Jeremy Corbyn and anti austerity. Just as the Scottish labour voters turned away from 'New' Labour, so too have the UK voters. New Labour have lost two General Elections running, both to Cameron and Osborne! How useless do you have to be to lose twice to a small pack of Bullingdon Boys who have wreaked havoc across the UK and left many of your own constituents hungry and homeless?
Those 174 MPs have serious decisions to make. If they think Jeremy Corbyn is too far to the Left, why don't they stay on and challenge him in debate? Surely the only way to curb any excess is with a moderate option and a vote? If they take him off the ballot, they are acknowledging that they cannot beat him, but it might be a snidey way in which to seize the Labour Party and all its' assets from under him. In 'electing' their own leader, they will get the Labour Party headquarters, etc, along with the 'Labour Party' name. Whether their 'leader' will ever be accepted by the membership won't really matter. At the moment, possession is 9/10 of the Law. They need him out by fair play or foul.
Anyone who mentions the Mccanns in the same blog as the terrible thing that is going on in UK politics at the moment is a complete idiot.
ReplyDeleteTake note as well Sharples as you have been "featured" on this blog in the past.
Ros says: "I can't say I have ever listened to Angela Eagle before..." - so you didn't listen to PMQs when she stood in for Corbyn and you didn't listen to her in the EU referendum debates when she advocated remain?
Never been a fan I'm afraid, I only really take an interest in politicians who inspire me, and there have been very few in the Labour Party since 2003. Blair did once, which is why I feel so betrayed.
DeleteTruth be told I am absolutely horrified that in the 21st century, we have now have more homeless on our streets and people dying from neglect and starvation than the 1960's. Decades of right wing governments have reversed the clock, the gap between the rich and poor is a yawning chasm and hundreds of thousands of British kids are living below the poverty line.
All the while, the Labour Party that is supposed to represent them is moving further and further to the right. They no longer side with the workers and the Unions and society's most vulnerable, they side with the Employers and businesses who fund them. They are not so much New Labour as Tory Lite.
Instead of fighting for the workers' jobs, they are fighting for the bosses. Their post bags must be bursting with pleas from desperate constituents as public resources are cut to the bone. But what do these Labour politicians do? They vote for more of the same.
The public are fully aware of how far the PLP have moved away from the aims and the core objectives of the Labour Party, that they no longer represent them. The Labour Elite are now calling non millionaire members of the party, rabble and trash!
I have stuck my head in the sand where New Labour are concerned 17:26, my interest in the Labour Party was only re-awakened recently, with the arrival of Jeremy Corbyn on the scene. How have they kept him hidden all these years?
Jeremy Corbyn inspires, not just the Labour Membership but universally. He is not fighting to convert old tory or labour diehards, he's looking to awaken that huge demographic who have given up on politics, or who have never yet had a true taste of it. He is appealing to the masses, remember them? They are the ones who will be putting the ticks in the boxes and they are getting a little peed off with being told austerity is the ONLY way.
Should add, I find it hilarious, that what started off as a spiteful joke among the 'in crowd' - the throwing of Jeremy's hat into the leadership ring has come back to devastate the lot of them. Now that's what I call Karma.
"Take note as well Sharples as you have been "featured" on this blog in the past."
DeleteNobody, my friend, ever takes note of people who are too cowardly to identify themselves.
"..hundreds of thousands of British kids are living below the poverty line."
DeleteNow would that be because their parents prefer to spend their income on drink, drugs and fags?
No, it's because they aren't paid a decent living wage. For some it's probably true but let's be fair, many working class families want the best for their kids but are simply unable to provide it even though they work! I remember a time when one working parent's wage was enough to keep a brood afloat but now even two wages aren't enough. They really do want to destroy the family unit don't they?
DeleteYour attitude astounds me 22:17, life isn't that simple and it doesn't have to be that unkind. We all hit hard times, financially, emotionally, etc, and we cope as best we can - whatever gets you through the night.
DeleteI am not entirely sure what you expect the undeserving poor to do. They live in a perpetual cycle of stress and poverty that they cannot blot out with a night at the opera, or an extended vacation. They could of course all flock into the local church and praise the Lord, but that's just more of the same death and damnation.
Whether anyone likes it or not, alcohol and illegal substances ARE used by the majority of us to alleviate stress and have done since the first caveman (or woman, lol), stumbled on the first pile of rotting grapes and smouldering cannabis plant.
Whilst depriving the undeserving poor of anything other than bread, water and the occasional thrashing, might cheer on the quaffing classes in the Dog and Duck, it does nothing to address the problems of poverty.
So true 09:19. - high unemployment gives the bosses the upper hand, they can keep their wages to a minimum and their contracts at zero hours. Britain in 2016 has very few employment rights, and now that we are no longer part of the EU, that is likely to get worse.
DeleteAll the huge advances of the last century have been chipped away by Tory and, unbelievably, Labour governments. This ideology that unions are bad took a grip in the 80's and it has been almost impossible to shake off ever since.
Unfortunately Tony Blair's Labour government no longer represent the ordinary men and women who face a daily battle to keep their jobs, homes and lives ticking over. Those who struggle to balance their income and their outgoings. Those for whom £25.00 to join Labour will mean going without something else. Mean trick NEC. Digressing slightly, the amazing Len McCluskey has come to the rescue with £2 memberships of Unite, and other unions are doing likewise
@ john blacksmith12 July 2016 at 13:45
DeleteOh the irony - someone who posts under a nom de plume (john blacksmith) describes someone who uses "anonymous" as a nom de plume - cowardly!
No, there is no irony at all. A nom de plume, such as JB, which I have used since 2001, has a long history and many reasons for its use. "You", on the other hand, are, I repeat, too cowardly to reveal your identity. How curious to be ruled by fear to such an extent.
DeleteSo 'Anonymous' at 20.28:
DeleteJust give yourself a suitable 'nom de plume' such as ' Johnny Jones' and we'll all be happy. It makes such a difference ?????
@ Anonymous15 July 2016 at 14:38
Deleteshit - how did you know my real name is Johnny Jones - I hereby consent to you passing it on the the false named person john blacksmith.
The Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn does NOT represent the average working man. It champions the underdog , the bone idle on benefits and the underclass. The Socialists treat the working man like he's just a thicky micky with no aspirations to better the lot of himself and his family . How could Corbyn keep a straight face when he stated that immigration was good ? How could the Unions support levels of immigration currently in operation? There is absolutely no doubt that oversupply in the labour market has led to lower wages . The ordinary decent working man wants to buy his own house , maybe have a bit in the bank , even own a few shares and get his kids into grammar school. Nothing wrong with that and the party to represent that point of view has to be UKIP. The Tories are too far up their own affluent backsides and Labour only cares about the dispossessed. Where is the average working man's champion then ? Corbyn? NOT!
ReplyDeleteThe idea that Jeremy Corbyn only wants to assist the idle is absurd. He has the backing of all the main Unions - the representatives of millions of hard working men and women.
DeleteUnfortunately, human nature dictates that we need protection in the workplace, not only from unsafe machinery and conditions, but also from unscrupulous bosses who want as much work as possible for the least amount of pay. That is life - has been ever since the Peasants Revolt.
What you have, if I may be so bold 19:30, is a strong will to succeed, and in having that you are blessed. It will be there no matter what your political affiliations. It may come from your family background, determination and tenacity tend to be generic. And it probably comes from your own personal ambition. Those are all good things 19:30, you are on the right path for happiness and you should be proud of your hopes and your values.
Someone, much wiser than I, once said, having a goal is the key to happiness. And it's true. But for many people, they lose that 'goal'. Sometimes temporarily, sometimes for ever. And for young children growing up in homes without that determination and tenacity, their futures are bleak.
Helping others brings that same happiness 19:30, imagine for one moment, you could take that 'gift' you have, and pass it on. Those 'idle' people you scorn, don't have a fraction of the joy that you get from life. They have no goals because they have no opportunities. Money that is poured into deprived areas, is rewarded ten thousand fold, because it shows that children who's futures are so bleak, that life doesn't have to be that way.
But I have digressed, I will reply to your points in part deux, lol
1. The Labour Party is the closes to the working man as you can get. Without the Unions and the Labour Party 'the working man' would have no employment rights.
Delete2. 'thicky micky'. Lol. Kinda agree with you on that one, I personally dislike the 'nanny state' attitude of some of the Left. I would rather see people encouraged to be the best they can be, rather than this tacit acceptance that they should give up and accept their lot. It breeds negativity. But that is the way the benefit system is designed unfortunately, it is just putting sticking plaster over gaping wounds.
3. Immigration is good! Immigrants bring a lot more money into the country than they take out of it. Look around you. Look at all the new business that have opened in your area? I'm guessing the majority have been opened by enthusiastic immigrants. Sadly, it is the indigenous people who are without hope, inspiration and creativity. Immigrants are probably the kiss of life many communities need.
And here's another thing about immigration. People don't just move the once and stay put forever more. Society has moved on from the days where entire extended families lived within 2 streets of each other. We are all mobile now, trying to hang onto that nice white family who lived next door 40 years ago, ain't never gonna happen, lol. Do you really want to spend forever more worrying about who your neighbours might be? Therein, does not lie happiness.
It is not the immigrants who have driven the wages down 19:30, the employers pay less because they can. That's why workers need Unions and the Labour Party.
It has been the Labour Party that has enabled the ordinary working man to achieve all those dreams 19:30. Unfortunately, the answer to every single question is money. Employers will not voluntarily increase pay or improve the lives and conditions of their workers. Everything we have now has been fought for. Sadly, it is all now being taken away, because the ordinary working man no longer has representation in parliament. That is what is Jeremy Corby in fighting for, and it is what we should all be fighting for.
Well, it is now 3.30, and my eyelids are dropping, I do hope I have made a little dent in your politics 19:30 :).
My son is a teacher in an inner city school. The indigenous population are certainly without hope as you yourself state when in my son's class alone two thirds of the pupils barely speak English.
DeleteThe employers pay less because they can when labour supply outstrips demand . Get real . Where were the Unions when the labour market was being flooded? Do you honestly believe that unfettered immigration isn't good for the big business guys? You cannot be that naïve! I have Polish neighbours and very nice well educated people they are too. They came over able and willing to contribute to the National public services pot but so many now just want to take, take, take. Before you start protesting that it isn't true I would say save your breath........you cannot deny the patently obvious so don't bother. We don't even ( currently ) have the right to pick and choose anymore . We're open to all comers and their families plus anybody who can make it across the channel and claim asylum on the flimsiest pretext.
If Jeremy Corbyn had stood up for the working man and said that Brexit was the way forward I would have had faith in him. He believed in it once. What happened? He just meekly followed the Party Line. Hardly the stuff of a great leader.
The power of the unions was much depleted in the 1980s 15:11, and if the unions' representatives in parliament won't fight for them, there is little they can do. This probably accounts for their huge backing of Jeremy Corbyn now.
DeleteI have huge respect for immigrants. It takes some guts and determination to pack up your lives and take a chance on a different continent. The kind of people who do that, don't do it because they want to doss around on the sofa watching Jeremy Kyle.
Humanity has survived because of those people who take chances 15:11, and they don't do it because they want mayhem, they do it because they want better lives, ie. peace and prosperity.
They are not 'taking' other people's jobs. The indigenous population have the same access to those jobs, they can apply as well. The job market is the same as it has ever been, the employer will select the most suitable candidate, and sadly, in many cases, the cheapest. But, see above, the blame for that lies in the laissez faire way in which New Labour have treated Employment Law.
I fear the jobs go to the immigrants because they are keener and willing to work for less. When my own parents arrived in the UK (from Scotland and Ireland) they worked as domestics in a psychiatric hospital.
Immigrants don't see low wages and poor working conditions, they see opportunity. If we could take that enthusiasm and transpose it into our classrooms, we would be all the richer for it.
People don't cross oceans to find a land they can destroy 15:11, they want the same things you do, perhaps even more so, because they have given up everything to achieve it.
Jeremy Corbyn is a democrat 15:11, and I actually think the fact that he believed in it once is a good thing. I also think he is the only leader who prepared for Brexit, and we would know about his plans if he wasn't having to constantly defend himself against his own party!
I've no idea how you can use 'meekly' in the same sentence as Jeremy Corbyn. After what has been chucked at him these past few weeks, I don't think I ever seen anyone stronger
Well if you see standing outside the supermarkets shouting, ''Big Issue, Big Issue '' as a very important job that's your prerogative. You are not alone. Apparently it's now considered 'self employment' and as such housing benefit is payable. Oh spare me!
DeleteYou seem quite happy with the fact that immigrants are willing to work for less ...........or to put it another way...........willing to undercut the wages of the indigenous workers , again your prerogative, but don't expect loud applause for your and the big Unions' magnanimity from all of us. UNFETTERED, UNMONITORED, UNSCREENED immigration can never be good for any country let alone one with its own unemployment and working conditions problems. Did you read about the five Gambians killed in a Birmingham recycling plant? They were apparently working for less than the living wage for a company with a deplorable H & S record. Do you think that if this Company had not been able to turn to cheap EU labour it would have abided legally to H & S regulations and paid its workers the standard living wage? You say immigrants are willing to do these jobs . Do you really believe that benefits them ? Do you honestly believe that it benefits indigenous workers? I just CANNOT get my head around your logic or your determination to believe that thinking in any way different from yourself is some sort of latent racism. Heaven help us all.
You are seeing much that isn't there 17:07. I'm not in the slightest bit happy about people being paid low wages, I'm just stating facts. Unfortunately the unions no longer have the power they have, and working people have little employment protection anymore.
DeleteWhy you think that is something I would agree with, I can't imagine. I would like to much tougher legislation, unfortunately, both the tory and the labour party are now on the side of the bosses.
Just a few words from my Swedish horizon about the U K and honest politicians in general.
ReplyDeleteThe closer to the “grassroots’” voters’ and people's everyday problems, the better an elected party leader or a Prime Minister contribute to a favourable development of its country. However, there seems to be a growing gap between politicians and ordinary citizens in many Europeans countries, which favours extreme expressions of opinion within both left-wing and right wing movements.
Without knowing so much about what Jeremy Corbyn 's views are and what his promises mean to the vulnerable unemployed or low-paid English workers and to other poor people in the U K, I suppose he will probably not, if he should become Prime Minister in the next election, take Britain into a new " Iraq War”, as Tony Blair in his time did. As for the latter, had he just listened more to what Hans Blix (a Swedish lawyer, politician ( Liberal Party ) and government official),who at that time was the head of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission, than to George W. Bush, Britain had not been participating in a war against Saddam Hussein, or even better; there would not have been a war at all. Hans Blix and his commission searched thoroughly for months for weapons of mass destruction. He and his staff were allowed by the Iraq government to search wherever they so wished, but yet, finding nothing.
Hans Blix, kept repeating, at least in media, that he had not got any evidence to confirm the United States’government’s suspicion about secret places in which weapons of mass destruction were produced or kept, which he also stated in his final report. Still there was of course a small chance that there could have been weapons of the kind they were looking for, in places not yet found, but not really likely. Blix certainly also believed, that there were no such weapons being produced in Iraq, but he never really expressed his personal view in this matter, but just presented facts about what he had not found. Had he just had the courage to say what he intuitively believed, it might have saved the lives of millions. I watched every time he appeared on the news in my country and hoped that he had just spoken from his honest heart. Unfortunately, he never did. Who could have blamed him if he had been wrong? So I cannot really blame Blair for believing in Bush, who did not listen too carefully to Blix, who in his turn did not listen to his heart. So if there is an honest politician or government official (I have experienced so few), who sees the real problems, who proposes solutions based on common sense and speaks from his heart, he/she should be given a chance to take his country out of its crises, be it Corbyn in the U K or any other.
That makes very sad reading Bjorn, I wonder why he didn't say, and I can't help but think of Dr. Kelly. I have more to say, but sleep calls! Part II tomorrow.
DeleteLatest opinion poll by ICM yesterday, 2000 people surveyed:
ReplyDeleteCONS - 38%
LAB - 30%
UKIP - 15%
LIBS - 8%
So: CONS + UKIP = 53%
versus LABOUR on 30%.
PREDICTION:
1 - NEC to confirm Corbyn can stand and will be on the ballot paper
2 - Corbyh has narrow victory over the screechy, whiney one
3 - Continuing stalemate
Ros says:
ReplyDelete"Cristobell Author @RosalindaHu 36m36 minutes ago
Surely any leader who wins an 'election' by not allowing opponent to stand, will be universally despised? #KeepCorbyn"
-------------------
Don't you think you should be more careful with your political tweets?
Corbyn is the leader, Eagle is the challenger!
"PREDICTION:
ReplyDelete1 - NEC to confirm Corbyn can stand and will be on the ballot paper
2 - Corbyh has narrow victory over the screechy, whiney one
3 - Continuing stalemate"
Well, I got No. 1 right. You'll have to wait a few more weeks to see if I'm right about No. 2
‘Labour remains committed to a minimum, credible, independent nuclear capability, delivered through a Continuous At-Sea Deterrent. We will actively work to increase momentum on global multilateral disarmament efforts and negotiations, and look at further reductions in global stockpiles and the numbers of weapons.’
ReplyDeleteBut not supported by the Labour Party leader!
So who is this, speaking on behalf of the Labour party? Yet another Indian who imagine's they're chief?
DeleteYeh Mr. Bottomley, blah, blah, blah, the Labour party have been 'actively working' on disarmament talks since the days of Greenham Common.
DeleteThe UK has rather more pressing problems, eg. the hundreds of thousands of UK citizens living below the poverty line. Many of us have never bought into this 'my bomb's bigger than your bomb' nonsense and we too have a right to be heard.
@ Anonymous19 July 2016 at 09:48
DeleteIt is an extract from the Labour Party 2015 General Election manifesto.
Looks like Jeremy skipped that chapter then.
Delete