Thursday 15 September 2016

#BATTLEFORLABOUR

I didn't have especially high hopes for Sky's Battle for Labour documentary, given that it was Sky and it is very unlikely Jeremy will be out riding with the Chipping Norton set anytime soon.  Jeremy is going to plough £500billion into the economy and the UK's infrastructure - he is going rebuild and breath life into those communities in this country who have been left behind and he knows exactly where he is going to get the money. 

For avaricious old billionaires, a far Left Labour Prime Minister is the stuff of their worst nightmares.  New Labour understood their avaricious desire to hang onto their billions, they became the type of people we should all aspire to be. Anyone of us could win the lottery/Xfactor/Britain's Got Talent, and how would we feel if we had to pay exorbitant tax on our future imaginary winnings/earnings?  Thus we protect the super rich because we all have secret dream that one day we will be just like them. Dreams are easy to sell, nightmares, not so much.   

The first part of Sky's BFL, came across as a parliamentary political broadcast on behalf of the plotters.  Look at what a rotten time we have had, as one overly sensitive male politician gave a heart rendering account of the day Jeremy looked down at the floor nodding his head instead of answering said MP's question.  My guess is, Jeremy was probably muttering something under his breath along the lines of, 'Jeez, is this what I have got to work with'. The same MP complained that his own constituency had risen to 2,500 and he didn't know most of them.  Err, that could be because the NEC suspended meetings and he clearly hasn't made any effort to meet them let alone welcome them and not really something for an MP to be proud of. 

This fear of new members that seems to have spread like a virus amongst those in the 'lets not ever take chances' group.  It's as if they have been forcefed Invasion of the Body Snatchers interspersed with subliminal images of gulags. The old reds under the bed barely fooled a 50's audience, it is laughable in this age of social media.  Who reads Trotsky these days? 

All the usual victims were brought on to retell their 'harrowing' stories, each blaming the number of people who don't like them on Jeremy Corbyn, unaware that they alone are responsible for their words and actions.  I wish just one of those calling on Jeremy to do more with regard to sexism and anti-Semitism, would give at least one example of what it is they want him to do?  Start a purge, encourage MPs and labour party members to rat on each other, maybe consider accusations from friends and family too?  What kind of punishments do they have in mind?

Some people go through life demanding the right to be offended.  They actively go out of their way to find things that will outrage them, Mary Whitehouse was one, Owen Smith is another.  During the entire debate he sounded like one of those whiny kids who keeps running to the teacher to tell tales on his mates (if he had any).  It is as if he has scanned Jeremy's entire career so he could say 'and another thing'.  Picking on Jeremy's activist past wasn't a popular move.  Those same Unions Owen was trying to appeal to last night, carried the meme, 'He had our backs, now we've got his'.  Jeremy's past is one of his greatest assets - everyone knows he is the real deal. 

It was clear Owen was having a struggle appealing to the working classes and those in the Shires (lol) - and this time he appears to have dropped his radical stance altogether.  He was pitching to the tried and trusted Blair demographic.  The aspiring middle classes who won't vote for a party that is soft on benefit claimants and who will protect their property prices and pensions.  He has reclaimed his Centre position, adding Left in the hope of picking up some Jeremy voters.  He should have stuck with what he said at the launch of his campaign.  He isn't Left, Right or Centre, he's a shapeshifter.     

It was clear Owen believed the entire audience were hypnotised or part of a cult.  The whole 'cult' thing seems to be a new form of attack on those who support Jeremy.  They have conjured up the idea that we see Jeremy as some sort of Jehova, that we worship the man himself as a God.  I think Jeremy will always be worshipped as a hero - the first Labour Politician to reject austerity and talk of reviving the economy rather than allowing it to self destruct.  But it is ridiculous and a little insulting to accuse new party members of being an army of zombies. 

Jeremy offers CHANGE, and in that, he is in complete harmony with the public, he has captured the  zeitgeist just as Tony Blair did in 1997.  Why? because the country had endured 18 years of tories and entire working class communities had been destroyed.  Blair was the change the country needed and New Labour were prepared to do whatever it took to get into power. 

Again, we have had a long term of right wing tory politics.  It may only have been 6 years, but this lot have been twice as destructive.  The tories won last time because Labour didn't have anything different to offer, they have been scavenging for another Blair so business can go on as usual.  I don't believe they have a 'big gun' in waiting, because they simply don't have anyone with the same charisma and leadership qualities as Jeremy. 

Watching Owen speak this evening, I had an uncontrollable urge to spank him, and not in a saucy way, more 'stop being such a brat'.  The audience were booing because he kept accusing Jeremy of not wanting Labour to win a General Election.  Having faced not one, but two gruelling campaigns to hang onto his leadership and rebuild the party, Owen's accusations were insulting and blatantly untrue.  Like the poor me Labour politicians that appeared in the preceding program, he whined that he was being bullied, not the sort of thing you want to hear from a potential leader/statesman. 

Jeremy Corbyn outclassed Owen Smith on, well, everything.  It was obvious from he way in which Owen's temper was rising.  He was throwing everything he could at Jeremy in order to taunt him into a headline retaliation, or at the very least, make a dent in Jeremy's calm, confident, demeanour.  There are a zillion things Jeremy could throw back at Owen, but he is too much of a gentleman and a decent human being.  Unfortunately for Owen, his constant snide remarks backfire every time, he comes across as untrustworthy, and deeply unpleasant.

There can be no doubt that Owen Smith is cracking under the pressure, trying to convince the audience and indeed yourself, that you are popular when you're clearly not, can't be good for anyone's nerves.  On top of which, he, like the rest of the plotters, face the prospect of reselection by popular vote.  Jeremy may be all forgiving, but I doubt the voters will be.  The public have spoken loud and clear, they want change and Owen is symbolic of everything they have rejected. New Labour abandoned those areas and those people who needed them the most.  Those areas hardest hit by austerity voted to leave Europe, yet Owen wants to cast their votes aside and go with what he and the middle Englanders want. 

Jeremy is reaching out to all those areas New Labour left behind.  Those in the deprived areas, the undeserving poor and those who drone on about a living wage and those who don't bother to turn up to vote anyway.  Thus they wrote off a huge target demographic, leaving them prey to the proactive, door knocking UKIP.  In their eagerness to embrace big business, New Labour lost the grass roots of the party.  Jeremy is taking the party back to its original aims and traditions, winning back members who left and inspiring a new generation.

Most of us are decent, compassionate people, and the spirit of these times, is our disgust at the way in which we have allowed our once civilised society to be dragged back into the poverty of Victorian times.  The mood of the public has changed, the people of the UK have always been a just and fair society, and we just can't stand by while there are homeless people sleeping on the streets and children going without food.  Zero hour contracts are an abomination, so too is the use of human beings as work units to be loaned to rich donors as punishment for the 'units' and free labour for the employers.     

The anger in the room was tangible said Faisal afterwards, but understandable given the attempted character assassination that preceded the debate.  Neil Kinnock didn't tell us what a great candidate they had in Owen Smith and how he could unite the party, he demanded the right to hold onto his party and his ermine as only a Lord can.  However, having lost two elections himself, he was less than convincing. 

 There was no doubt whatsoever who won last night's hustings, despite what the mainstream media might tell us.  Owen revealed much that was deeply unpleasant about his own character, he was going for cheap shots, recycling the same old jibes over and over again.  Clutching onto a slip of the tongue made by Jeremy, as if it were the key to No.10.  'How many seats do Labour have to win', Owen repeated over and over, just so he could say 'aha, gotcha' if Jeremy wasn't spot on.  Someone ought to tell him, that kind of thing stops being impressive, after Year 4.   

15 comments:

  1. "Jeremy is going to plough £500billion into the economy and the UK's infrastructure - he is going rebuild and..." - no, he isn't going to be doing anything, as Labour will never come to power under his leadership.

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    1. I am so happy not to be as cynical as yourself 11:22,it must be very depressing accepting completely and beyond doubt that nothing will ever change. You have my sympathy.

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    2. Well said 11:22 and the sooner Ros understands that the better. He'd be about as useful to the labour party as Michael Foot was! you can canvas on here all you want It won't make any difference He's not going to win, in fact It's all getting rather boring now, yawn.

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  2. I'm not in the least bit depressed, and YOU have MY sympathy if your happiness is based on detachment from reality.

    I'm afraid that in accusing me of cynicism you're adopting the same approach as the McCann defenders who accuse you of being spiteful. I agree 100% with your reply to them that you are simply pointing out the harsh reality. Similarly, my comments on Corbyn are based on a rational assessment of the UK electorate. No cynicism involved.

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    1. Confucius says: 'the man who thinks he can and the man who thinks he can't are both right'. Happily, Jeremy is of the former mindset, and I agree with him. Have you ever seen a political movement spring up as rapidly as the movement that supports Jeremy? I haven't.

      What we are seeing here is the dialectic. Years of harsh right wing government and austerity has 'turned' even moderate voters to the Left. One point Owen made last night that did resonate was the fact that those in the leafy shires have to use the same run down health service and send their kids to the same run down schools as the rest of us. It is in EVERYONE's benefit to invest in the NHS and public services.

      The rich/poor divide has become too great for any politician to hover in the centre ground. The electorate have twice rejected the progeny of Blair and no-one wants to give them a third go at it. The tories are New Labour are virtually indistinguishable - at the last election, the working classes, quite literally, had no-one to vote for!

      Owen Smith and Progress aren't even attempting to woo back all the millions of grass roots members they abandoned in their efforts to win over the well heeled. And going by the aggressive language used by the '13' named MPs, it appears they now despise them.

      New Labour are finished, rejected by the voters (twice) and rejected by the party members. Their, and Owen Smith's target tory audience have entirely different values and ideals - instead of worrying about the 2 million fragrant votes, how about 64 million votes of those who keep this country running and want to be assured that they, and those they love, will receive assistance and quality care should they be in need.

      There is a difference between being detached from reality and having vision 15:22, most of the wonderful things around us began with 'I have a dream'.

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  3. I saw the audience clap and cheer loudly when Corbyn said, in effect, Brexit means Brexit, the people have spoken, we must work with their decision, make the best of it, etc. - or words to that effect. By contrast when Owen started moaning and whining about the Brexit vote and how he wanted to reverse it, all one heard from the audience was loads of groans. Have to agree with you, Ros, Owen Smith is deeply unappealing and will lose the leadership election. However, it will take a miracle for Labour to win under Corbyn. This isn't 1906. It's 2016

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    1. It would indeed take a miracle for Labour to win under Corbyn, because no party has ever won a UK general election where it has been behind BOTH with regard to the ratings of its leader and its economic competence, and on both counts the position is far worse for Labour now than it was at the last general election.

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    2. It feels like 1906! My neighbourhood is a ghost town - a run down shadow of what it was 2 decades ago. Miracles can and do happen, people like Jeremy Corbyn come along once in a lifetime. There is nothing wishy washy about his message, he wants change and so do the public.

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    3. 11:35, At the end of WWII, the UK and indeed the rest of the world thought it impossible that Winston Churchill would lose to Labour. He was the man who won the war and a legend in his own lifetime but the country was not going to return to the pre Beverage report days.

      Against all odds, the Labour party of Clement Attlee won, because there was a sweeping need for change. War was a great leveller.

      The country has had enough of austerity and tory cuts and Labour's broken promises. Jeremy has captured the zeitgeist, and is symbolic of growing unrest throughout the Western world.

      The poor did not bring about the crash that the send the world's economy spiralling, but they are being punished for it. But several thousand kids going without new shoes and healthy food is never going to cover the billionaires losses.

      I'm not paying too much attention to the polls atm, they are all now so distorted by bias and shenanigans, they have become meaningless.

      Perhaps you should go along to one of Jeremy's rallies, I don't want to compare him to the Messiah, heaven forbid, but he is right up there with the top inspirational speakers.

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  4. The trouble with Corbyn and his followers is that they really truly believe that we are all...EQUAL. We are NOT!They rail against Grammar Schools because they pander to the more academically gifted children and hey, it's a crime to be anything but ordinary in the Socialist scheme of things. It's okay if you can deny every other clever child's chances like Abbott would want to but send your own kids to some special school that doesn't cater to the 'hoi polloi.' Oh these politicians! How they all stink.
    We are NOT all equal and never will be despite the Socialists' best ( or worst ) endeavours. The fact that the middle classes are where they are in society is not because they have stepped over some dying pauper but because they actually are................well cleverer, more motivated and work longer hours.

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    1. "All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others".

      Animal Farm - George Orwell

      :)

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  5. LOL, we all like to think we are special, and that our kids are far superior to other people's kids. Or, we've made a special effort (worked harder) so our kids deserve a privileged education above all others.

    I used to teach age 16+, mostly older kids and adults returning to do their A-levels at a time when they were most enthusiastic. All kids mature at different levels, and for many of us we wonder if that lightbulb is ever going to come on, lol. My older son failed his 11+, but at 16 he was offered a place in our local Grammar School. Grammar schools are very selective in those they put forward for exams. That is, those expected to fail are passed over to the local college, and those expected to pass are offered Grammar school places. Older son is now applying to do a PhD, so that judgement at 11 was a little harsh.

    From my own experience teaching, it was obvious that young teens and adults find that passion to learn at all sorts of different ages. The best student I had was 20 years old - he tried life in the 'real' world, and realised how much he needed he an education!

    Selection at the age of 11, discards so many talented children 18:51. We are all multi-faceted, naturally skilled in some areas, not so much in others. As part of my odd history, I had to under in depth psychological tests. In English and comprehension I scored genius level. However, before I could get too big headed, I turned a few pages to the result of the test where they left me in a room full of toddlers bricks and puzzles and I scored retard. And yes, they really did use that word!

    You may find this strange, but I actually do agree with your final paragraph (not the pauper part), but the rest, yes. The middle classes are more motivated and cleverer (is that word? I don't know either, lol)and indeed, prepared to work longer hours. Probably because they have been raised in families who have ambition and a strong work ethic. They have goals and they live their lives in a way that they will achieve them. All honourable traits, and something I wish they could bottle and sell in Tescos.

    Blair was right. Education, education, education. Those kids who grow up in homes where there are books on the shelves and lively discussion, will raise children with the same values.

    Sadly, too many kids slip through the net. Kids who have the same, if not more, talents than their peers who are off to grammar, because their talents haven't been nurtured.

    The word equal I suppose is open to interpretation. Not sure if you mean equal socially or God forbid, genetically. I prefer to think of it as equal opportunity, one of the more rewarding aspects of teaching is enabling a student to discover the talent within themselves. The sad fact is, too many kids are neglected in the home because the parents are pressured to work inhuman hours, and computer screens are more convenient than babysitters. It is a tragedy that is only causing the gap between the rich and poor to become wider.

    I'm with you on the message being 'you can do more for yourselves', not in a threatening 'we'll sanction if you don't' kind of way, but more in the sense that they deserve a better quality of life than pretending to limp when attending work assessments. I mean, we have all seen the benefits programs, these people are hardly living the dream.

    Those middle classes have the right idea, wouldn't it be great if those same ideas could be passed on through education and support? I should add I am totally opposed to the nanny state, I would rather see people empowered to help themselves.

    continues.......

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    1. I have long been an advocate of parenting classes, as part of the National Curriculum for kids aged 14/15, catch the little blighters before they get together and multiply! An eye open when teaching at the college, was the number of young people who had kids and were totally clueless. Young parents don't have all their families around them in the same way as previous generations. They don't understand that it is not child cruelty to say no to a screaming toddler, and it is up to them, as adults, to set the time for bed! But, it wasn't my intention to go on a grumpy rant.

      There is still, I think, still a great deal of kudos to be had by saying you went to grammar school, and all of us, tory, labour, socialist workers etc, lol, would kill to give our own children an advantage. However, the sad fact is, most children fail the 11+, therefore their expectations somehow become lower than their friend who passed. Great for the tiny percentage who get in, but potentially devastating for the majority who didn't.

      Much as we would all love our children to become world leaders, the chances are, they probably won't. Not that it will matter, because the are each unique, and given equal opportunity, they will discover the areas in which they shine.

      It is a quaint, almost Dickensian idea that you can cream off some sort of elite at the age of 11. And besides which the job market has changed dramatically since the days where numerical skills and impeccable English were the tried and trusted route to success. All sorts of new industries have sprung up, and the chances are the IT department of the local Comp, will have as many, if not more, internet savvy whizz kids than the local Grammar. Street smart is right up with book smart in the current job market. But interesting points made, thank you.

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  6. The Met have just been given another £100.000 to continue "The Search "
    Gonzalo Amaral has stated the PJ have four Blonde hairs , that have not yet been tested found in the Renault scenic . what the hell is going on ?
    Anyone more gifted than me fancy drafting a FOI request

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  7. bennett creating a false ID to libel someone

    Look at the timing of the posts and replies here

    http://jillhavern.forumotion.net/t13148-are-there-any-things-that-point-to-gerry-being-a-mason#349619

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