He confidently tells each interviewer that the vast crowds who turn out to see Jeremy are not reflective of the public at large. The more electable Owen apparently, is backed by the 'silent' majority, no doubt those too afraid of the nuts, dogs and rabble who support Jeremy, to speak out. However, in this age of social media, the majority are proving to be the opposite of silent, so I'm not sure how that works. Owen sends his thoughts to victims of 9/11 and gets 129 retweets and 230 likes, Jeremy's get 4.7 thousand retweets with over 6.6k likes. Their public appearances reflect the same massive chasm between them, with thousands turning up to see Jeremy, and barely a handful turning out for Owen.
Those trying to convince us Owen Smith is more popular are quite literally flogging a dead horse, we can see for ourselves that he isn't.
But let's look at Owen's appeal. He ticks all the age, gender, class, appearance, etc, boxes and he's normal (phew). He has the requisite wife, family, semi working class background no wild rock and roll antics in his youth or arrests on picket lines to mar his CV. And like Bill Clinton, he probably didn't inhale. That, new Labour believes should be enough to win over that large chunk that is middle England. New Labour's target audience.
New Labour believe that the upwardly mobile, like themselves, have turned their backs on their working class roots and the Council houses they grew up in, and now hold the same Tory values that they do. They too have bought into the Sun headlines that label all benefit claimants as shirkers and scroungers because they believe it reflects popular public opinion.
For several years now, the Tories and the Blairites (Blair brought in ATOS) have run an active campaign to demonise and blame the poorest in society for the debts incurred by the richest. And to a large extent it worked. We have returned to the Victorian values that discriminate between deserving and undeserving poor. They shamefully fed on the malevolent attitude of those unhappy workers who begrudged part of their pay being used to support those who couldn't or wouldn't work. The 0.5% of benefit fraud has been the focus of both Labour and Tory government policy, because the politics of bashing the poor and clawing back welfare have dominated this century.
Jeremy Corbyn is not a leader they tell us. Apparently increasing Labour party membership to over 600,000, speaking to packed houses and inspiring a whole new generation are not leadership qualities. Step up Mr. Owen Smith. Selling Owen would be a major task for any spin doctor. The gaff prone Owen hasn't displayed any leadership or 'unity' candidate qualities whatsoever. Turning on the audience at last Thursday's Question Time, he confirmed that any unity under his leadership would not include the Left.
Unfortunately, after the chicken coup, the ballot row and the ongoing suspension of thousands of Jeremy Corbyn voters, I fear little Owen may have a surprise win and the Labour Party conference won't be a meeting of comrades so much as a Battle of Culloden. While Jeremy, John and the members fight it out in the Court rooms, Little Owen and Witchfinder Generals Watson and McNichol will be seizing Labour Party assets and purging the entire Left wing of the party, ensuring no representative of the people ever gets into power again. I read today there is a shadow shadow cabinet of MPs who resigned but continue 'working' away as if the Jeremy problem never happened no doubt eager to get their jobs back when he is forced to go away.
I'm usually a glass half full with room for a splash of vodka kinda gal, but I don't trust the present NEC and the sinsister Labour Compliance Group one bit. The anger they felt at Jeremy's win last year has quadrupled and many it would seem have lost all touch with reality - they left their honesty and credibility behind by turning on Labour's elected leader when the tories were on their knees. They have given up any semblence of pretence that the Conservatives are the enemy, they are fighting to rid Labour of the Old Left, those who uphold the values and traditions of the original Labour Party, but more importantly, they want rid of the image of Labour as the party that supports shirkers and benefit claimants. New Labour stands for working families, with the emphasis on working. As Owen Smith told one of his disabled constituents, Labour don't want to be seen as soft on welfare.
In his efforts to win over the Henley Regatta crowd and the Flog 'Em and Hang 'Em brigade, Blair came up with a scheme that was even more degrading, dehumanising and suicide inducing than the old Means Tests, in the form of Work Capability. Every sick person would be put on trial. Whilst it satisfied the needs of those who believed all benefit claimants were driving round in Porsches and quaffing champagne, the miniscule amount lost in benefit fraud is but a drop in the ocean compared to corporate fraud. Convincing us it is the fault of our neighbours, especially the immigrants and the disabled, is a tool every government throughout history has used to steer blame away from themselves. Divided we fall.
But I digress, I sincerely hope that contingency plans are being made by Jeremy Corbyn, John McDonnell and those around them in the event the election is rigged. There I've said it. But to be fair, somebody had to, especially as all the signs seem to be pointing that way. It's as if those losing their grip of the Labour Party reins have gone criminally insane. There is no logic or reason behind the mass suspensions other than a desperate need for their man to win at any cost. Evidently, he doesn't have the leadership qualities to build a movement, and the chances are, the real result would humiliate the lot of them.
Owen Smith, the public face of the plotters, has openly said that he will not work for Jeremy, and that is the only way we can interpret his statement. He has no faith in Jeremy Corbyn, and as a backbencher, if a General Election were called, that is what he and the 171 will be telling their constituents on the doorstep. In politics, not with = against, the unity candidate will not unite unless he is leader. Those who are said to have offered to work with Jeremy if certain conditions are met, are also being disingenous. They clearly intend to continue plotting against him until he is out. Re-appointing the shadow shadow cabinet, would be like Ceaser getting a glimpse of the future and still trusting Brutus with a knife.
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