Op-ed: The upcoming EU in / out referendum is making strange political allies or is it? We have already had images showing David Cameron with former Lib Dem leader Paddy Ashdown and former Labour leader Neil Kinnock; that was grim but we then had new London Mayor Sadiq Khan sharing an EU better in platform with Cameron; finally Cameron managed to get new Lib Dem leader Tim Farron, Labour's Angela Eagle and others to join him extoling the virtues of the UK staying a part of the EU. But today a new twist. Former Tory PM John Major joined forces with Labour's former party leader and PM Tony Blair. It was a carefully stage-managed joint appearance in Ireland pushing the case for the UK to stay in the EU. If it is really so vital and desperate the UK stay in the EU why are we having a referendum? Referendums are costly and divisive in some cases putting young against old, rich against poor, north against south as they jump either in or out. But back to Messrs Blair and Major. There is little doubt that today's effort was aimed at people over a certain age. It was all style and little substance. From the carefully stage-managed shot of the two men suited and booted in expensive clothes the target audience was not working-class poor. Major may have tried for the 'I was born into a poor working-class family' stunt but that is all it was, a stunt. The two talked about how children these days are able to take a year out after university to travel the European Union without border restrictions that could be in place if we leave the EU. Tell that to the many people who right now cannot even afford a home we thought. The talk was tempered and it has to be said patronising. Perhaps it was simply aimed at winning Irish voters over? But the times they are a changing. Jeremy Corbyn does not do stage managed appearances dressed in all his finery for anybody. He has a lot to say and will be appearing on TV to make his case June 20 for staying part of the EU. He might be tarted up be style gurus and spin doctors but that is unlikely. He will however speak from the heart and his supporters will believe what he says. That is because they know he is a truthful man but can that be said of Blair and Major? Both men are Thatcher's children. When John Major took over from Maggie Thatcher she said something John may be in the front seat but I will be there occupying the back seat. For Tony Blair over to the Conservative Home Website where it says "Late in 2002 Lady Thatcher came to Hampshire to speak at a dinner for me. Taking her round at the reception one of the guests asked her what was her greatest achievement. She replied, "Tony Blair and New Labour. We forced our opponents to change their minds." But in a very real sense that only happened between 1992 and 1997. The 1992 Labour proposition to the country was very different from the 1997 offering. And that was due to the defeat of 1992. The Conservative government of 1992-1997 by simply sitting there and existing forced Labour to change." That Tory post has a nice image of buddies Blair and Major!
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Op-Ed: The political and ruling class of the UK are pushing for the country to remain a part of the European Union. You may or may not agree with that position but you must have realised that is the result they want. At its annual conference in September 2015 the Labour Party decided its official EU referendum position was to support the remain in Europe camp. Jeremy Corbyn was a newly elected party leader in September 2015 and has been out and about around the country making his case for the UK to stay a part of the European Union and then work to reform that institution. He has faced a barrage or criticism almost for waking up and breathing each day from the moment he became the new Labour Party leader. This week he even faced Twitter abuse from Simply Red front man Mick Hucknall, a confirmed Blairite, who called him a coward for allegedly staying out of the EU debate. Mr Hucknall has now set his tweets to protected as presumably he experienced the might of Twitter in angry response. Within the party backstabbers lurk planning some future coup when they hope to take back the Labour Party and water down any left wing politics. PMQs each Wednesday lunchtime Mr Corbyn has faced a torrent of abuse from a smug-faced David Cameron but we tuned in today and were somewhat surprised. It was an almost civil or is that civilised political PMQs but then we remembered Cameron currently needs Corbyn. No surprise perhaps then that Jeremy Corbyn will now face a Q and A. Sky news is reporting "EU Vote: Corbyn To Face Live Sky News Audience." That event will take place June 20. So close to the actual voting the cynic in me wonders if it is another trap to lay the blame. Tuesday Farage and Cameron took part in a so-called debate that was anything but. It was at best a Q and A of two halves with neither man sharing the same stage at any point. Catching that session briefly I noted Cameron's dumbed down accent. A few weeks ago he was verbally attacking Corbyn in the House of Commons and his plummy Etonian voice rose to the fore. Not on Tuesday night however when he ran true to talking to the plebs form and used words like 'wanna' instead of 'want to'. Chancellor George Osborne often does this. He tempers his vocabulary and accent to suit the crowd. That is such a patronising modus operandi. When it come to the EU referendum some are looking to blame Mr Corbyn if we leave the EU and pull up the drawbridge. Yes they like to blame him if the sun does not shine too. But in the end it is the likes of Nigel Farage and David Cameron who will be to blame. They both pushed for an EU referendum for their own reasons. Cameron is also one reason Corbyn will not share a platform with the IN campaign. Cameron used Labour leader Ed Miliband shamelessly in the Scottish independence referendum and then hung him out to dry. Wednesday with reports of a 48-hour registration deadline extension, a series of non-eligible foreign residents incorrectly receiving ballot cards to vote and reports that MPs may ignore a BRexit vote the UK is in danger of becoming a laughing stock. Allegations of tory election expenses overspending in 2015 still hang over British politics casting doubts over our very democracy. But for this writer suspicions that other political parties are pretty quiet on that perhaps indicates they have all broken those rules and more than once. Can Mr Corbyn save the EU day? Then again, why should he? If we leave or stay it should be down to the will of the people or why have we spent so much money on a referendum. If post EU referendum the proverbial hits the fan it must surely plaster David Cameron and the Tories first? [A friend in London, a German lady, received a voting card along with a government IN campaign leaflet] Check out: Will MPs let the United Kingdom exit the European Union Jeremy Corbyn damned if he does and damned if he does not Is extending voter registration deadline even legal? At midnight June 7, 2016, time runs out to register to vote in the upcoming EU referendum. On June 23 the people will decide if Great Britain remains in the European Union or not, but will they? A great deal is riding on the EU referendum but will politicians respect the will of the people if a majority vote to quit the European Union? "Pro-Remain MPs are considering using their Commons majority to keep Britain inside the EU single market if there is a vote for Brexit, the BBC has learned" reported the Beeb Monday. It is a shame the BBC has not been so quick to report on allegations of Tory election expenses overspending which is a criminal offence. So how does it make voters feel to learn they could be overruled by servants of the people? That BBC report continues: The MPs fear a post-Brexit government might negotiate a limited free trade deal with the EU, which they say would damage the UK's economy. Ahead of the vote a blame game has begun. Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn is yet again spot ball. Claims that he has not done enough to make the Labour case for staying in the EU started some time ago. Corbyn has however been out and about campaigning but it has been underreported. Alan Johnson is leading the Labour In campaign but have you seen him on mainstream UK news much lately? The BBC in particular is focussing on David Cameron's in campaign and Boris Johnson's out campaign making it a Tory event. Post June 23 if the majority of the electorate have opted to leave the EU the blame must be laid at Cameron's door. He and Tory election campaigners along with his MPs decided to win voters back in GE2015 by making an EU referendum pledge in their election manifesto. The EU referendum was promised for selfish reasons. It did not have to be held this year. Cameron had said there would be an EU referendum before 2020. The rush to hold the referendum in June 2016 is more Tory me, me ,me. David Cameron has vowed to step down before the 2020 General Election but insists he will serve a full term. Now it is doubtful Cameron can survive the EU referendum and there may be others that are sunk with him. The Tory Party are split and facing allegations of election expense overspending, a criminal offence. Currently the mainstream media in the UK are offering an EU referendum news service but avoiding many real issues. Don't blame Corbyn if the proverbial hits the fan. Footage of Sadiq Khan sharing a platform with David Cameron and this week Tim Farron, Lib Dem, Natalie Bennet, Green, and Angel Eagle, Labour, following suit may not persuade many. All such footage does is convince many people our politicians are all the same. Jeremy Corbyn is making his Labour case for staying in the UK; the knowledge that some ministers are even considering ignoring the will of the people says it all about the rest of them. Many Remain MPs expect that the likely economic shock following a Brexit vote would increase pressure on any post-referendum Conservative government to seek access to the single market outside the EU. Labour MP Stephen Kinnock told the BBC "If the British people voted to leave the EU that's one thing. In case you are unsure Stephen Kinnock is the son of a former Labour Party leader and MEP, Neil Kinnock. In 1996, Kinnock married Helle Thorning-Schmidt, who later became Prime Minister of Denmark. They met when both attended the College of Europe. It seems fair then to assume Stephen Kinnock is a Europhile. http://www.newtekjournalismukworld.com/eileen-kersey/neil-kinnock-eu-referendum-opinion-tainted http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/eu-referendum-mps-may-push-to-keep-uk-in-european-single-market-despite-brexit-vote-a7067056.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-36457120 Op-ed: If you are British or have a vote in the UK EU In / or referendum there is a fair chance you are sick to the back teeth with scaremongers, threats and downright lies. Both the in and the out camps have been playing fast and loose with the truth. The fact is no person has the benefit of a fully working crystal ball and what happens should we stay or leave is open to debate. Maintaining the status quo could be the best option if you are one of those "better the devil we know" types of vote. If you have been turned off the European Union over successive years and bad news stories you may believe it cannot get much worse if we skid addle. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is between a rock and a hard place on many matters and that includes the EU and the referendum. Some party members and his own MPs simply want him gone and fast and they are prepared to sacrifice our futures and future elections for that end. Saturday the Daily Mirror posted a piece titled” Jeremy Corbyn angers Labour MPs AGAIN by 'hijacking' appeal for unity over EU referendum" which begins "The Labour leader has been under fire over his 'lukewarm' campaigning on the EU issue and his latest meddling has further alienated his own MPs." Note the word meddling! That is a report from the Daily Mirror a left wing supporting publication at this time. It is not truly a Corbyn supporting publication though. That Mirror piece says: Jeremy Corbyn has angered his own MPs again over the EU referendumJeremy Corbyn was at odds with his own MPs tonight - after hijacking an appeal for party unity over the EU referendum. Part of the problem appears to be that Labour officials and MPs are not used to a man with principles leading the party; a man who is a stickler for his beliefs. Then there is the fact that many in the PLP, parliamentary Labour Party neither wanted nor support Mr Corbyn. The mainstream media has been quick to post damning reports on Corbyn in part as they get plenty of eyeballs and make money but in some cases as they prefer a watered down Tory Party in opposition rather than a true Labour Party. Labour MPs should consider blaming the Tory Party for the current EU referendum mess. UK PM David Cameron opted to allow his party to split over Europe; it was the only way to keep them in government. But both sides have said a great deal in anger that will be hard to ignore post the referendum June 23. The Tory Party is not just fractured it is collapsing. The MSM is pushing the two Tory campaigns, leave and stay and by and large ignoring the Labour Party, Lib Dems, Greens and others. So let the Tories get on with it. It is there referendum; Cameron promised it to win the GE2015 and it worked although there are allegations of Tory election overspending which is a criminal offence. Whichever way Mr Corbyn jumps as he tries to remain true to those who elected him party leader and himself he will be castigated. You can never please them all and in many ways Jeremy Corbyn cannot please many of them! STATEMENT FROM RHEA Labour internal struggles real, perceived, created and works of fiction continue.
Labour Party members have a chance to vote for candidates who will make up the party's policy making NEC. Make no mistake they want a return to Blair politics. Accusations of anti-Semitism have some links to the NEC elections. One candidate Luke Akehurst regularly posts pieces calling Jeremy Corbyn's credibility as party leader into question. Akehurst has links to the weapons industry, BICOM, Friends of Israel and is just back from a 'holiday' in Israel. He is at odds with Corbyn. The conclusion then has to be he yearns for a place on the NEC for dubious reasons. Some old 'new Labour' supporters are stuck in the Blair years. This week they have been showing their heads above the parapet again. Could that be as parliament is in recess and some senior politicians are away on holiday? According to the Huffungton Post "Eastwood CLP declined to nominate Wolfson after party members felt that Momentum was too ‘factional’ and expressed concerns about “its role within the party”, local members told HuffPost.Under party rules, anyone who fails to win their own local party’s nomination cannot stand for the NEC." Yes the old guard cling on. Further reading pertinent to allegations of anti-Semitism follow: Labour Friends of Israel in the House Open Democracy NEC candidate Luke Akehurst calls on Corbyn to resign Open letter BDS and NEC hopefuls |
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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