Since 1981, uniquely, elected to all four of Labour's National Committees.Capitalism is based on the exploitation of the working class.TUs are the key defence.
"During his six-year tenure Jeremy Hunt presided over a catastrophic decline in NHS standards, the paìn of year-on-year austerity budgets, failed pledges to increase the size of the NHS workforce." Dr.Rachel Clarke (Observer).
Keir Starmer in Guardian - "Growing up in a working-class household." Starmer's father OWNED the toolmaking business. Starmer, therefore, is NOT working class. Starmer (and Reeves) are both classic members of the PETTY BOURGEOISIE.
The Left must totally focus on assisting the highly principled, former MP (South Africa), Andrew Feinstein, in his campaign (gathering steam) to defeat Starmer-this would give traditional Labour a huge boost, since Starmer is barely Labour.
Observer - "Starmer is being urged by some of Labour's frontbench to expel Corbyn." What appalling, anti-Forde, factionalists they are! There are no grounds in the Rule Book for expelling Jeremy. Presumably they would manufacture false rules!
"The Forde Report came out, with it's details of "underlying racism and sexism" in WhatsApp exchanges between the Party's "most senior staff"...What happened? Broadly nothing. Diane Abbott received not even an apology." Nesrine Malik, Guardian.
*"Starmer has betrayed the Labour Party and doesn't want JC around as a reminder." [Letter in Independent].
*4 Islington North councillors have been urged by LP officials to stand against JC. All refused.
Forde speaks out - "The criticisms of Diane Abbott....are expressions of visceral disgust, drawing (consciously or otherwise) on racist tropes; they bear little resemblance to the criticisms of white male MPs elsewhere in the HQ messages."
Forde puts the record straight - " In our view the intention and effect of both validation exercises by HQ (2015 and 2016) was to remove ballots from individuals who would otherwise have voted for Jeremy Corbyn."
Tribune Speaks Out.
"Sir Keir and his team have decided that Labour's path to power lies in appealing to the press, business and the political establishment.... So socialists have to be marginalised." Marcus Barnett, Associate Editor, Tribune.
Historical Note.
NEVER in the whole history of the Labour Party has this many CLP Chairs and Secretaries complained about the General Secretary (yet to be confirmed in office by Annual Conference).
There ìs a lesson here.
Two recent Council by-elections, same nìght, adjoining Boroughs: *JC's Islington-trade unionist, Mick Gilgunn, easily held a Labour seat, stridently supporting JC.
*Sir Keir's Camden - Labour seat lost heavily to Lib/Dems.
Forde spells it out - "Factionalism within the Labour Party is extreme.... In recent years this has manifested itself in large elements on the Right of the Party regarding Jeremy Corbyn supporters as entirely illegitimate."
Inequality between rich and poor is out of control.
"The UK's six richest people are collectively wealthier, it is calculated, than the UK's poorest 13.2 million people". Guardian Editorial 27 July.
"The Forde Report accused Labour of operating a "hierarchy of racism", with antisemitism taken more seriously than Islamophobia and antì-black racism." A recent email to the Party from Martin Forde went unanswered (Private Eye).
Ex-Labour MP, J Woodcock, who was put in Lords by Johnson, is now heading up an "investigation" into extremism in UK politics,' with special reference to Black Lives Matter and Extinction Rebellion'!
Ingenu-Ignoramus Starmer has declared war!! But his NEC Motion appears to be out of order, since not submitted 7 days before the NEC meeting. And it is NOT an Emergency.
In our Party, Annual Conference is sovereign. Not NEC, Not Shadow Cabinet, Not PLP
So until Annual Conference, we say 'bollocks' to the hostile press and media
Forde - "We are disappointed that there has been a refusal to engage at all with Jewish Voice for Labour's proposals for antisemitism education and that CLPs are, we are told, not even allowed to enlist their help."
"Only 9% of Bakers Union members thought affiliation to Labour now served their interests. Keir Starmer had previously said he would support the Bakers' £15 per hour campaign, but has now reneged on that." [Labour Briefing(Co-op)].
The Nasty Party.
Tory cllrs. in Bournemouth want to heavily fine the homeless for sleeping in doorways/ loitering/begging. Thus criminalising the most vulnerable, rather than addressing the underlying societal problems.
"Lie after lie was told about Jeremy Corbyn, day after day, month after month. Very few journalists bothered to fact-check the claims and report fairly on Corbyn." Peter Oborne and David Hearst, Middle East Eye.
Sir Keir-Observer 23/2/20 (continued).
"I don't think there's any victory without unity....it is essential that the Party Leader models unity in everything they do....I'm not interested in purging anybody out of the Labour Party."
Where are the Pavlov dogs?
When I tweeted a comment about the traitor Austin, the dogs responded with furious barking. Now we have 860 pages of detailed treachery. The dogs are not to be seen and not to be heard.
Defending JC.
"Keir Starmer's hasty and quite shocking decìsion to suspend Jeremy Corbyn is entirely unnecessary (the report did not call for it), unjustified..and will ultimately prove counterproductive". Steve Bell, Guardian cartoonist.
Martin Forde KC - "My legal colleagues have expressed disappointment that Keir Starmer is yet to make a statement defending Jacqueline McKenzie. They express bewilderment that there hasn't even been a strong statement from Labour."
(Guardian).
Jeremy Corbyn, speaking in 2003 at the anti Iraq-invasion rally in Hyde Park - "It will set off a spiral of conflict, of hate, of misery that will fuel the wars of the future."
"The Guardian understands that even if Corbyn did apologise "unequivocally, unambiguously and without reservation", the leadership would be reluctant to let him return,...an insider said Starmer was using the whip as "his personal plaything"." [Guardian].
"At privatisation (1989), the nine English water companies were debt-free. 2021-debt was £56.2billion.... The companies 'mortgaged' their assets and distributed cash in dividends/ share buybacks...72% of the firms' assets now overseas owned." (Guardian).
"The army just wouldn't stand for the election of Corbyn as prime minister....I think people would use whatever means possible, fair or foul to prevent that." Senior serving general, Sunday Times, Sept.2015.
Enlightened Employer speaks out(1).
"Zero-hours contract workers are no different to dockers on the quayside waiting for bosses to offer them a day's work. That was 100 years ago - and little has changed." (Sunday Times).
Tories have BBC in their claws.
*New Director-General, Tim Davie, was, reportedly, an active hard right Tory in Hammersmith.
*New BBC Chair, Richard Sharp, was adviser to Johnson and donated over £400,000 to the Tories.
We know who to blame.
The fingerprints of the hard right Labour First are all over these relentless and vicious attacks on JC. And at the very time a General Election is pending. We must rename them-Labour Last.
JC was a dedicated trade union operator, before becoming an MP. He has unremittingly fought for the working class and their rights. How could the GMB and USDAW have betrayed JC!! Let's hope their members robustly protest.
Spot-on description of Boris Johnson.
"The Prime Minìster has an absolute genius for putting flamboyant labels on empty luggage". [In fact it was Nye Bevan speaking about Harold Macmillan].
Behind the smile “As Employment Minister, Jo Swinson, reversed workers’ rights by introducing charges of up to £1,200 for the privilege of attending an Employment Tribunal (later ruled unlawful by Supreme Court) and Swinson, even considered cutting the minimum wage” Gdn24July
In recent days we've seen yet more expulsions from the Labour Party of Jewish comrades who support the rights of the Palestinians. This is an historic regressive action by the Party Machine/Leadership.
Re. Forde Report - "Party HQ decided it neither wanted a quarter of a million members, nor Jeremy Corbyn, nor electoral success while JC Leader....(This) should see them banished in perpetuity." Glyn Ford (former MEP), Chartist Magazine.
'The Labour Party is disappearing down a neoliberal rabbit hole. Unwilling to challenge the inequalities of market economics, Labour is left hoping for a level of growth that seems increasingly unlikely.' Prof Mary Mellor, Guardian.
Tory benefits shame.
The maìn adult unemployment payment is only worth 15% of average earnings - less than at any tìme since the creation of the welfare state in 1948. [An assessment by the New Economics Foundation].
"I'm a Jewish member of the Labour Party...the image of Labour I saw in much of the media wasn't one I recognised...I'm sickened.... antisemitism has been used as a factional weapon."Dr Ian Saville, Guardian.
Insight into Thatcherism.
"Rising unemployment was a very desirable way of reducìng the strength of the workìng class...and has allowed capitalìsts to make high profits" Alan Budd, adviser to Margaret Thatcher.
March 2008 - The Labour Gov't introduced the Tier 1 "golden" visas under which 905 Russìan mìllionaires (plus dependants) have entered the UK. (Private Eye).
"The Labour Party has changed." Yes. Thousands have walked out. Party democracy is much reduced. Control/interference by the Party Machine is at unprecedented levels. Seemingly they are developing their own version of an 'internal police state.'
"PS" to "Message to Sir Keir".
If JC was Leader and supported the Tory deal, the Guardian lot would have gone berserk and viciously attacked him. As it ìs, the Guardian's ragbag are meek and mild.
"Starmer's entry in his register of interests shows his family's week on the Gower peninsula, at end of August, was paid for by van-leasing company, LCV Group and valued at £4,500." (Private Eye).
Just Imagine!
JC is Leader; the Tories are law breaking over Brexit and JC doesn't pursue this at PMQs. Guardian hacks would have gone totally berserk with rage.
NEC has zoomer.
Today the NEC is 'meeting' to rubber stamp the Terms of the Inquiry, that will look into the 'Pentagon Papers' - the 860 page exposé of shameful behaviour and utter disloyalty. This will run and run for months, if not years.
The Tories sought to wipe the slate clean.
"In 2013,the Tories deleted the entire public archive of their speeches/press releases from 2000 to 2010, and blocked access to web searches, impeding those trying to hold them to account" G Monbiot Guard.17 June
Reflections on Elections.
*2017 General Election saw Labour's biggest increase in vote share since 1945. [Observer].
*2019 General Election-Labour recorded almost 1.7 million more votes than in 2010. [Guardian].
A study by Oxford University has found that for-profit children's homes receive worse Ofsted ratings on average than local authority-run provision, with for-profit homes violating more care requirements.
Cat out of Tory bag.
"The pandemic could go a long way in cementing the position of private sector companies in the public sector supply chain." R Soames (boss Serco Ltd., brother of Tory MP) Guardian.
"Keir Starmer's prescription for the NHS is both vacuous and dangerous. The major "reform" needed is significant long-term investment to reverse the managed decline initiated by Tory austerity measures." Dr John Puntis, Guardian Letter.
"Keir Starmer has no right, no mandate and no grassroots support to turn a party, built upon socialist ethics, into Britain's second-eleven Establishment grouping." (Letter in Guardian).
"Austerity meant the NHS's quality of care began to decline between mid-2013 and mid-2014 and has got progressively worse." New research by The Nuffield Trust and Health Foundation [Guardian].
'Apart from Jewish Chronicle/Jewish News, the media campaign against JC for "anti-Semitism" was led by the Guardian. Researchers from Media Reform Coalition concluded that Guardian's coverage amounted to a "disinformation paradigm."' (Asa Winstanley's book).
For the attention of Paul 'Wet-Behind-Ears' Mason:
@ComRes
Poll July 26-28
LAB - 30% (+3)
CON - 29% (+1)
LDEM - 16% (-3)
BREX - 15% (-1)
GRN - 5% (+1)
Paul, unlike you, JC has been at this game a long time. JC knows what he's doing.
I am more than 'po-faced'!!
13 NEC members objected to the inappropriate use of "po-faced" by the Party's Press Office. I am beyond po-faced regarding the 5 years that Party malcontents relentlessly undermined JC and our election chances.
A fuller picture.
Comments by senior staff (see the 860 pages): "(Diane) Abbott is truly repulsive". "The Party is about to be taken over by complete nut-jobs". "I should be (on the Labour First mailing list)".
Re.Sir Keir's "no magic money tree economics."
"This is an inherently conservative narrative. It propagates a false understanding of how the economy works....It seeks to delegitimise arguments for public spending." Frances Ryan, Guardian.
Answers on a postcard please.
Why do so many Labour MPs seem to think they are entitled to their, highly privileged, job- without question- until they reach their dotage? Any threat and the issue of defection often arises.
"Welsh Labour has eschewed academy schools and the NHS internal market (all from the New Labour playbook), ended council house sales and prescription charges, AND been continuously in power since 1999." Nick Davies, Swansea West CLP.
The Observer quotes two Labour Party members suggesting a forced-out Jeremy would lose to Labour's candidate. Factionalists asserted the same re. Livingstone v Dobson. Jeremy is MORE popular in Islington North than Ken was in London!!
The truth is now obvious.
You cannot be a genuine Labour MP, elected on the 2017 Manifesto, one minute. Then, the next minute, vote for hard - right Tories. Austin, Woodcock and co. have been closet Tories for a long time.
The Establishment's relentless vendetta against JC continues.
To put a block on Karie Murphy going to the Lords is vindictive and sectarian. A reading of the 'Pentagon Papers' 860 pages makes this crystal clear.
Sick pay - a disgrace.
The average mandatory paid sick pay in OECD countries is around 70% of an employee's wage; in Britain it's around 25%. And 2 million, who earn under £120 a week, are not eligible!!
Per Forde, recruitment of Party staff has long been "open to factional manipulation." This led to the "disastrous" situation where "almost all" HQ staff disagreed with the politics of the Leader, who "enjoyed widespread support amongst membership."
"Starmer ran for leader promising to carry on Corbyn's ideas. To proclaim that there's no place for Corbyn in today's Labour Party.... not only looks vindictive, it poses serious questions about the consistency of Starmer." Guardian Editorial.
Somewhat unreasonable!! My legal adviser submitted my detailed defence to ICB on 13 July. I demanded a hearing. HEARD NOTHING. Now at Library. Have EMail - EXPELLED. Will speak to human rights lawyer - Sir Keir.
Grenfell-Government Document. "Since the fire, these companies have made pre-tax profits of some £6.7bn; paid dividends of £3.1bn; awarded directors packages worth £335m...We find no evidence of any financial contribution to remediate safety defects."
The disciplìnary procedure currently being denounced is actually the very new "fast track system". It is not legally robust and maintains the infamous catch all - "bringing the Party into disrepute" - beloved by the apparatchiks.
Inequality is out of control.
Britain's highest paid chief exec. picked up £58.7 million last year. He gets, IN ONE DAY, what an average worker would take some 8 years to earn.(Guard.5 Aug)
Private Eye's number crunching:
*£419million - operating loss of Royal Mail last year.
*£477million - dividends paid to Royal Mail shareholders since 2021.
Comments on General Election (Part 7).
For the Record. Labour's vote in 2005 General Election was 9,566,618 votes. Labour's vote in 2019 General Election was 10,292,354 votes.
Fanciful re-invention of Sir Keir - *The Guardian outlined "suggestions that Starmer privately fought against JC's handling of antisemitism whilst in JC's Shadow Cabinet."
*"It is nonsense to suggest he (Starmer) was fighting privately." Diane Abbott, Guardian.
"Journalist,Matt Kennard, concluded that JC had been the target of 34 major national media stories, openly sourced by former or current officials in the UK's intelligence and military establishment." [From Asa Winstanley's book].
Geoffrey Bindman KC - " there's been political manipulation and the allegations were almost entirely bogus. There's anti-Semitism everywhere, but it was wrong to single out the Labour Party, to single out Jeremy Corbyn." (Asa Winstanley's book).
Starmer is NOT working class. His dad owned the toolmaking place. Assuming his dad was the only one working there, then his dad was a self- employed artisan ie petit bourgeois. So, Starmer's background is PETIT BOURGEOIS.
Health - a two-tier system is emerging.
"Where the NHS provides a limited rump of core/emergency services, while the rest is rationed to oblivion unless you can pay." Rachel Clarke, NHS palliative care doctor. (Sunday Times).
"In total the cost to the Labour Party of misguidedly pursuing Karie Murphy, Seumas Milne, Georgie Robertson, Laura Murray and Harry Hayball - driven by Starmer and Gen.Sec'y Evans - now stands at £503,260." (Private Eye).
As always,voters are negative regarding Sir Keir:
*Sir Keir's rating remains very poor - net favourability is MINUS 11.
*Nearer to the General Election, "doubts about Sir Keir Starmer wiil become more salient" Prof. Robert Ford, Observer.
Sir Keir should end the vindictiveness of denying JC the Whip.Forde supports JC, eg that anti-sem.was Conference a Rule Change,if carried,will allow JC to stand for Labour.(see CLPD Website).
Facts that expose the Right's rubbish.
"Labour would only require a 2.5% uniform swing to emerge as the largest party, governing as part of a coalition....or a 4% uniform swing to be the majority government". Matthew Goodwin, Prof of Politics Univ of Kent, Public Finance 8 July.
Grenfell cladding shame.
3 bosses of one cladding firm anticipated the Public Inquiry would be damning, so sold the firm's shares they owned, for £1.6m, £1.8m and £3.1m. Another firm's bosses refused to attend the Inquiry. (Guardian).
At Liverpool Wes Streeting stressed that "partnership" with the private sector will be central to Labour's NHS "mission." The lobby group, Association of British Pharmaceutical Industries, declared that Streeting's "vision" was "refreshing" and "exciting"
(Private Eye).
"Labour Party Conference discipline was tight,with almost no ardent lefties being called to speak, whereas a stream of presentable poshly spoken youngsters from the south of England mysteriously kept catching the Chair's attention."
(Private Eye).
"During the 2019 general election campaign right-wing columnist, Simon Heffer, claimed on live radio that "Corbyn wants to reopen Auschwitz." (Asa Winstanley's book).
Councils are being milked.
The largest private providers of children's homes are charging local authorities £3,830 (ave.) per week per child (average operating profit margin-23%!). 60% of these large providers are owned by private equity.[Guardian].
Question. Did Sir Keir's dad actually own the small factory in Kent where he worked? If so, Sir Keir is not working class (see Das Kapital for clarification).
There are some (but not many.Ed.) honourable journalists. Note Michael Crick - "Every political journalist should watch " The Labour Files." I agree with Peter Oborne, the (non prejudiced journalists should look) into this far more."
Britain gave asylum to Karl Marx, French Communards, Jews fleeing pogroms in Eastern Europe, Jewish children escaping Nazism, Chileans fleeing from Pinochet. Instead, Sunak and Braverman want a Trump tribute act. What exactly does Sir Keir want?!
Hidden away near end of the article-
"Among Labour Supporters the proportion, who think JC would be a good Prime Minister, has gone up from 52% in March to 60% now" Evening Standard 3rd July
Facing2Ways:
Last month Watson and Co were expressing outrage at JC etc. "interfering" in the disciplinary process. Now they are demanding that JC interfere in the disciplinary process!! You couldn't make it up!!
Starmer-Karma Chameleon. Sir Keir binned his Leadership-Election promises - "What we've done with the last Manifesto is put it to one side. We're starting from scratch. The slate is wiped clean." Sir Keir, quoted in Guardian.
Their green and pleasant land.
"A third of Britain is owned by the aristocracy; 24 non-royal dukes own almost 4m acres (in 2016,17 of these together, received farm subsidies worth £8.4m)." Observer 9 Aug.