Op-ed: PMQs in the House of Commons Wednesday was more theatrics and less politics. Cameron works to an agenda with carefully stage managed questions offering support from his own back benches and tries at every opportunity to undermine Mr Corbyn. Sometimes he succeeds but more often than not Cameron ends up looking and playing the fool. That was the state of play Wednesday. A jibe from a Labour backbencher about David Cameron's Mum signing a petition against Tory cuts rattled Cameron who rounded on Mr Corbyn in what must surely have been the most childish attack ever seen in the Commons. As Sky News reports Thursday "He spat: "Ask my mother? I think I know what my mother would say. I think she would look across the despatch box and she would say 'Put on a proper suit, do up your tie and sing the national anthem'." Social media responded and a serious series of tweets and comments quickly descended to Tory bully boy hilarity. There were some great memes and more but those of us incensed need not have worried on Mr Corbyn's behalf. "Joking with cameramen ahead of an interview on Thursday morning, the Labour leader smartened up his collar and claimed that David Cameron was just jealous of his Holloway Road chic." "Preparing for his television shot he said: "I've got to do me tie up because the Prime Minister ... "He is actually jealous of the jacket. You know what he is really jealous of? That I can go shopping in the greatest shopping centre in the world Holloway Road, N7, and he has to stick with Bond Street." Little wonder more and more people are falling for Corbyn's charm and wit and yes his individual style. Below is a slideshow of some of the responses to Wednesday's PMQs-enjoy.
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Op-Ed: Supporters of Jeremy Corbyn, Labour party leader, are passionate in their support for the man and it is not difficult to see why. In spite of taking hits from some in his own party including members, politicians and councillors the man just keeps on calmly doing his job. The right wind media have obviously tried to undermine Corbyn at every opportunity and, in spite of their claims that it is because Corbyn presents some sort of vague danger to the country, his support continues to grow. A long time party member and MP Mr Corbyn is new to the front benches of the Labour party and his role of leader of the party and the official opposition to the Tory government. With a lack of media and party support in the mix you might expect him to flounder but instead he is settling into his new role. Senior Labour grandees such as Tony Blair continue to openly and possibly covertly stab Mr Corbyn in the back. Take a piece in publications including the Guardian and the Telegraph this week where "The former Prime Minister says he does not see why Jeremy Corbyn and Bernie Sanders are so successful given the question of 'electability'." Blair "attributed their success to the rise of social media and a desire to elect mavericks who are going to "rattle the cage"." Yes loyal to the end Mr Blair and a nice choice of words. Blair was a mixed bag for Labour. His remaining fans will tell you that he secured two general election wins for Labour but hell so did Maggie Thatcher for the Tories. The point is he sold out many Labour principles to get elected and ultimately that backfired. Along the way like so many others he pocketed a fortune and continues to do so. And so before you ask I am not jealous of his wealth. But he who pays the piper calls the tune and Tony fell into that trap. His legacy is forever tarnished by the Iraq war and the tens of thousands that died. After leaving office he took on the role of Middle East Peace envoy but if you consider the state of that region of the world right now he failed miserably. To many people these days Mr Blair is a joke albeit a very rich one. So with that in mind it is hardly surprising that he cannot understand why some people are drawn to Jeremy Corbyn in the UK and Bernie Sanders in the USA. We are a crossroads once again. People want real change not pretence of change that maintains if not nurtures the status quo. Some people are hurting Mr Blair but yes you probably don't understand that. You have to be able to relate to that on many levels to see why change is coming. Op-ed: British PM David Cameron was on his feet for a couple of hours today as he made a full announcement and brief debate on the UK EU in or out referendum. This writer opted to just catch the last few minutes when there was just a handful of MPS left in the House of Commons and those bottoms occupying the Tory benches appeared to belong to Cameron faithful busily trying to suck up to their party leader. John Bercow the Speaker of the House of Commons was there and his presence evident but earlier he was either asleep, not doing his job or AWOL. It is sickening to read in the Independent that Tory backbenches opted to try once again to drown out the words of the leader of the Labour Party, the official political opposition in the Commons but this time they overstepped the public school bully boy mark. Chanting 'who are ya' as Mr Corbyn began to speak shows the Tories in all their despicable glory. A bunch of hoodlums who do not respect democracy or our parliament. Neither do they respect the electorate many of whom will have tuned in. Once again however it illustrates how afraid the Tories are of Mr Corbyn and how rotten the Commons and the role of Speaker are these days. If they had nothing to fear from Corbyn they would let him speak and make a pig's ear of it. They however know that he is an intelligent and thoughtful speaker and they are scared to let him be heard. They prefer mob rule tactics to put Corbyn off and distract him. But in doing so they bring their party into disrepute and do nothing to further the Tory cause. Those who continue to attempt to undermine Mr Corbyn from within Labour are no better and let their voters down time and time again. The Tories are divided and in disarray over the EU ref and will clutch at any straws to hide that fact. So tonight on Twitter we respond and ask #WhoAreYaCameron and we hope you will join us. [Check out the Independent report here which begins "Last week - like him - I was in Brussels, meeting with heads of government and leaders of European socialist parties, one of whom said to me - The footballers' heckle 'Who are ya?' rang out from the Conservative backbenches, and was met with laughter. But the braying didn't die down. Instead it escalated until several Tory MPs were chanting #Who are you?' over and over and over while others rocked in their seats with laughter.] Op-ed: BBC1s Sunday Politics was UK EU referendum centric but if you hoped the politicians appearing might help you decide how you will vote on June 23 think again. One thing was evident however and that is the Labour party have their act in order on this one and will be campaigning for the UK to stay in the EU. There may be the odd Labour fringe movement running at a tangent but the party line is it is better for the UK to stay a European member and Hilary Benn made a good case Sunday. Footage of Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn also explaining why for him and the party in 2016 #Bremain is the only sensible option was also compelling. So what about the Conservative Party and its leader David Cameron? The Tory party has the lion's share of referendum spending limits based on their share of the election vote in 2015. As the Tory party is split on stay or leave which campaign gets the bulk of their share of the allowance is still up for grabs. The SNP which is the majority party in Scotland will be left picking up scraps from the campaign spending limit table. Perhaps this is why the BBCSP host seemed keen to ask Hilary Benn, Labour, how much they would spend on Labour's Bremain campaign and would Labour join Cameron's better in campaign and support him. He carefully avoided answering the spending question but stated that Labour will not be campaigning alongside Cameron. Since Corbyn was elected in September as party leader too many Labour members and politicians have undermined Mr Corbyn and along the way helped the Tories and it is good to know that will not happen this time. The Conservative party has deep divisions on the European Union and it is safe to say Cameron is finished if the country opts for#Brexit. But if that is enough to persuade you to vote leave remember he is finished anyway. Ahead of the 2015 general election he said he would leave his job sometime before the 2020 election. Just how and when he leaves office is debatable. Chris Grayling for the Tory Brexit camp said Sunday the party would be behind Cameron all the way in spite of the split on the EU but will they be armed to stab him in the back? One thing is clear and it is this. The Tory party is split on the EU issue but is getting an easy ride by mainstream media at least so far. When Corbyn allowed his MPs a free vote on bombing in Syria he faced a barrage of media abuse and cross party attacks. David Cameron promised an EU referendum to win back voters who had jumped ship to join Ukip and to appease some in his own party. He has made his bed so let him lie on it and do so alone. David Cameron may try telling the electorate that he secured a good deal for us to base our vote on but he has been unable to persuade his party of that, just some of them; and some of them will have made their minds up ahead of the renegotiation talks. DWP boss Iain Duncan Smith thinks the UK is vulnerable as an EU member citing the Paris attacks to support his case but as this man is often called 'vile' due to his damaging work his words will be a kiss-of-death to some. David Cameron appearing on the Andrew Marr show Sunday thinks the opposite and we are safer staying in Europe. Boris Johnson is doing what he does best dithering and will announce which side of the Brexit Bremain fence he will jump later. Those pushing to stay in the EU argue that the UK can work to change the union for the better as a member but considering the time and effort which appears to have been spent securing Cameron's mediocre reforms that's a hard one to believe; appears could be the key word here. Op-Ed: So those in the UK who wanted a referendum on whether the UK should stay in the EU or scarper will be able to vote on just that on June 23, 2016. The date was only announced Saturday but has been in the media for weeks. The Daily Telegraph is now using referendum news to launch yet another attack on Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn saying he is campaigning to stay in the EU now although previously he did not. Perhaps JC guarantees them good viewing numbers or is still about more than that? Well let's tell the Telegraph a piece of news - times change. There will be many older citizens of the UK who have changed position on the EU since this country was finally accepted into the old EEC begrudgingly after many years of French President De Gaulle preventing that happening. The economic community began for trade with security of the continent a side issue although some these days seem to want to insist it was always about creating a peaceful Europe after the actions of Germany led to two world wars. These days German Chancellor Mrs Merkel is winning another EU dominance battle but this time economically. Down the years the concept of the EU changed many times; the gravy train that means bureaucrats in Brussels can make a fortune for just being there has added carriages and another line or bureaucracy between ordinary voters and politicians who in many cases have become out of touch with reality. This writer is feeling rather could not careless about the upcoming EU referendum but then she is an old crock and has previously had a vote on the EU issue. Younger voters must and surely will engage with the EU referendum as it is their future that lies in the balance. The cross political party's attempts to get your vote to Brexit or Bremain will now begin in earnest. Batten down the hatches as it will be every man and woman for themselves. There will be a media bombardment too so it says a great deal about the Telegraph that they have chosen the Corbyn slant. Five days ago the Daily Telegraph reported "Why Jeremy Corbyn may privately support Brexit." How did I vote first time around? I voted not to go into the EU. How will I vote this time around? I really do not know and am bordering on the spoiled vote protest; because the problem as I see it is we are screwed either way. If we leave the Tories will impose plans that currently are scuppered under some EU laws but if we stay the bureaucrats in Brussels may screw you anyway. Some will say stay in Europe and try to change it for the better. That is one way but it may not be possible. British voters will now vote on a renegotiated UK EU membership that is supported by some and dissed by others. David Cameron and EU ministers have spent hour after hour and euro or is that pound after pound getting any sort of reform on the table. Is it enough to persuade you to stick around the European Union or are you looking for the nearest exit. Op-Ed: The right-wing media are loving Labour party tussles that have surfaced since Jeremy Corbyn was elected party leader on September 12, 2015. But all too often it seems there are some within the party, and not just the rank and file, that are lapping it up if not actively encouraging it. This has led to open letters in Tory supporting publications, as well as others that lean to the left, attacking Mr Corbyn and aiming to undermine him at every opportunity. An internal struggle to get control of the NEC, Labour's National Executive Committee, a body that decides the direction and policies of the party is underway. And the state of Israel could be playing a part, one way or another. Not much of the above sits well with this long time Labour voter. She like so many ordinary working class voters feels uncomfortable simply when she hears career politicians speaking about reconnecting with the working class as if this section of society is alien to them. There was a time when working class people occupied the senior roles of the Labour party and indeed that party's seats in the House of Commons. The Tory party front benches became a millionaire's row some years ago and at one time it was a similar picture at the other side of the house. But before you think this piece is all about the politics of envy hold that thought. Most working class people admire those who manage to run a successful political career and along the way help the rest of us. The politics of greed is a Tory concept or at least it used to be. But what about those seeking power in the Labour party that have their own agendas? This week the Manchester and Leeds Jewish Telegraph reports "GOVERNMENT Minister Jo Johnson has demanded an investigation into antisemitism at Oxford. His call came after the university's Labour Club was accused of having "some kind of problem with Jews"." "Joseph Edmund Johnson is a Conservative Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for Orpington since the general election in May 2010" and he is the brother of one-time London mayor and the man tipped as a possible future PM of the UK Boris Johnson. The Telegraph continues by saying Oxford’s "co-chairman Alex Chalmers made national headlines this week after he quit the group, accusing it of antisemitism. The 20-year-old history student, who is not Jewish, said he decided to resign after the club endorsed Israel Apartheid Week. Universities Minister Johnson said he was concerned over "reports of intimidation of Jewish students on campuses, which risked curtailing free speech"." While Israel Apartheid Week would need carefully managing as there will be students of the Jewish faith attending the university it seems a fairly good subject for a student protest and as if in some vague way to protect the free speech of some it is being curbed for others. Sadly some have taken anti-Semitism to a whole new level recently but that includes Zionist supporters. Having written and followed reports during the last Israeli occupation of Gaza which resulted in major infrastructure damage to the country and a huge loss of life it is difficult to empathise with the Israeli problem as it stands today. When you build a huge wall, include the side that faces the sea and prevent fisherman making a living, land grab and extend your borders, tell people of your faith across the world "come on come all" and simply expect other residents to vamoose you are on a hiding to nothing. Friends of Israel have many groups across the world and especially in the UK. They receive cross party support already. But it is galling how some are trying to use the Israel Palestine two-state issue to undermine Mr Corbyn. The timing of the Oxford investigation announcement which ties in with a proposed British government ban on any UK based Israeli trade boycott stinks. The government has even tried to say that a ban would protect UK national security. It will of course protect the incomes of those who have a vested interest in such trade and help keep the state of Israel ticking over nicely thank-you while the people of Palestine and Gaza starve. The ban will be for public procurement but once in place it could of course be extended. The IBT Times reports "On 17 February the government published new guidelines that aimed to "stop inappropriate procurement boycotts by public authorities". The guidelines have been published under an "open consultation", which means that British citizens are able to respond to the proposal by emailing their suggestions to the Department for Communities and Local Government." Thousands have reportedly written in to complain about the ban; will all critics be branded anti-semetic? One man who is angling to be re-elected to the NEC and is gathering support is Luke Akehurst. A piece about him in the Jewish Telegraph begins with this "BEING appointed director of BICOM's We Believe in Israel department was a dream job for Luke Akehurst. Luke, who has just stood down after 12 years as a Labour councillor in Hackney, spent 11 years as a lobbyist for a PR company and worked with Weber Shandwick, largely for the defence industry, as well as for property companies and local authorities. "As a PR consultant, you don't get a lot of choice about your clients," he said. "It was almost my dream job to run a pro-Israel campaigning organisation." And therein lies the rub. A man who wants to be part of the body that determines Labour party policy with links to the defence industry and whose dream job was working at the Believe in Israel department. Support for Israel has declined in the UK but that is not down to any type of religious hate but rather people despairing of what they often see these days as a rogue state. Young students have always protested-take David Cameron when he was at Oxford and voicing support for hanging Nelson Mandela. The British electorate needs a Labour party working as one and for issues at home but one that does not support apartheid in the world in my opinion. From the Jewish Telegraph Why non-Jewish Luke's family has always given support to Israel Minister seeks Oxford probe on antisemitism From the Independent Palestinians attack Tony Blair for helping Israel strike 'secret peace deal' with Hamas Op-ed: Ahead of the 2015 General Election David Cameron tried to spin Foodbanks into something positive rather than the stain they are on 21st Century Britain. It is a sorry state of affairs when we have money to burn around the world, often on weapons and taking part in unwinnable wars, but some of the poorest people in the UK need to use these types of facilities-21st Century soup kitchens in many ways. This week foodbanks in the UK have been headline news as supermarket giant ASDA removes donation drop of points from its stores. Shoppers had been able to donate food items for foodbank use at these drop of points but the food did not have to be bought in store. Perhaps that is what ruffled ASDA bosses feathers. If that is the case though they could have simply changed the rules. Asda quietly removed the donation points but it was quickly noted. The Guardian reports: Asda has removed permanent collection points for food banks from stores across the UK, in a move that has caused alarm among charities and the supermarket chain’s customers. So it is bad news for charities and foodbanks.
Asda have failed to comment fully but an Asda spokesperson "confirmed the national change in policy, and told the Guardian that charities were still welcome in their stores, but “we just ask that volunteers are on hand to talk to customers and explain where their donations are going. We know this personal interaction helps to increase the amount of donations received”." The company also insisted they would be upping charitable donations. This week figures released show that "Supermarket Asda has seen sales fall 5.8% during the three months that include Christmas - its biggest quarterly sales fall on record." And across the Pond Walmart stores are in the same pickle. According to the Rugby Advertiser Friday "Asda has sought to reassure the public after a policy change, which removes unmanned food bank collection points in UK stores, alarmed some charities." To be fair the logistics and workability of the donation points probably did need addressing. In late October DWP boss Iain Duncan Smith had yet another bright idea and it related to foodbanks. A man who is full of bright ideas about reducing welfare budgets, re-classifying paid for entitlements as hand outs and slating the jobless of the country as lazy and worthless does lack credibility however. His 'bright' idea, at that time, was deploying job advisers in foodbanks, a move which may appeal to core Tory supporters if no other person. A trial scheme in Manchester could be rolled out across the country said IDS who was giving evidence to the Work and Pensions Select Committee. Op-ed: Does anyone have a clue what UK PM David Cameron is trying to achieve with his endless European meetings allegedly relating to a new EU membership deal for the UK and an upcoming EU referendum - and I include Cameron in that question. This week Cameron has gone all out to secure a deal that he can bring back and put before the electorate but why the rush? Thursday could have been simply a signing off of the new deal but instead interested parties in Brussels continued debating into the night. A baggy-eyed looking David Cameron has told the waiting mainstream British media that there has been no agreement yet but on what we wonder. Side issues that are probably more important than Dave's dealings, such as the refugee crisis in Greece and other parts of Europe, are also being debated. What the main stumbling block is for Cameron is not clear. Could it be the protection he wants for the City of London that is a big game changer? Sky News political editor Adam Boulton made a slip up saying can't instead of can referring to the negotiations Friday and it was probably more accurate. Does Cameron really want a deal and a UK in the EU? As his Tory party is still fairly split on the issue anything is possible. As Dave has said he will retire from his role as party leader and PM sometime before the 2020 election maybe he is waiting to get Europe under his belt before he skid addles. Either way these EU negotiations appear to be being squandered to further Tory ideals and that is a shame. |
British political scene
The next General Election in the UK may not be scheduled any time soon but the British political landscape is changing. With that in mind this blog will concentrate on the political scene but with a left wing perspective. Opinion pieces and news will bring you the stories that the MSM prefer to ignore. Archives
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