Op-Ed: Wednesday the Cameron's vacated Number 10 Downing Street for rich pastures new although Cameron the old Etonian Bullingdon Club boy will remain in the House of Commons for now as a Tory backbencher. Unelected Theresa May and her husband moved in as the Camerons left. Such is life in politics at times. One leaves by one door as one moves in by another. May made a speech aimed at appealing to a wide variety of British people but remember her time in government during the Tory's time in office since 2010 speak more than hollow words crafted by a spin doctor. David Cameron won the 2015 General election by a narrow margin on the promise of an EU referendum. Now the referendum has played out and Cameron has resigned does Ms May really have a mandate to govern the country? Such a pity that some self indulgent Labour MPs choose now to attempt a party leadership coup. Ms May began forming her new Cabinet of Ministers after saying it would not simply be a reshuffle but a brand spanking new cabinet. She was true to her word on that, up to a point. But for those who oppose the Tories there has been some satisfaction learning that Chancellor George Osborne was sacked Wednesday evening and Thursday morning Education Minister Nicky Morgan was given her marching orders. Wednesday Osborne tried to say he resigned but it did not take long for 'sources' to report the truth, he was sacked? It appears that for all his words that he would leave the UK economy in good condition May did not agree. There have been new appointments that look like payback such as Boris Johnson who bowed out of the leadership race and has been rewarded with a top job. Michael Gove who took May on instead of Johnson has also got the boot. At time of writing the state of play is:
David Davis local MP for Haltemprice and Howden, has tried for Conservative Party leadership previously and failed and is a long standing BRexit supporter. The rest have a great deal of baggage. In 2010 and 2011 Dr Liam Fox was in hot water. BBC News in 2011 reported: Defence Secretary Liam Fox has apologised over his working relationship with his former flatmate and best man Adam Werritty. Like so many others though Fox scuttled off to the backbenches and is now back in pole position. Boris Johnson appears to have mass appeal but he is more than a bumbling buffoon. During 2016 he first virtually stabbed David Cameron in the back by running with the BRexit campaign and then did the same to Michael Gove. Boris knew exactly what he was aiming for. Ms May presumably is following the old advice to keep her enemies close. But Boris as Foreign Secretary takes the biscuit. Here are just a few Boris' stories:
In June 2016 we reported "Against recommendations Theresa May pushes for more surveillance." On social media last night Junior Doctors who have been fighting against the implementation of new working contracts were tweeting hopes that Jeremy Hunt Minister for health would be toast. Will he? Check back later for more cabinet updates: So @JustineGreening is first Tory Education Sec to be educated at a comprehensive #reshuffle
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A snapshot of Marxism 2016 a newbie’s perspective
On Friday July 1, 2016, arrived at UCL, Bedford Way with sleeping bag and a mixture of excitement and apprehension. Themes at Marxism this year included discussion on challenging austerity and the Tories, the Middle East, struggles for freedom from oppression, and battling racism. It became immediately apparent that lively discussion could be had absolutely anywhere and the welcome and fellowship I received was both heart-warming and overwhelming. Though I wasn’t able to attend as many meetings as I would have liked, here’s a snapshot of my experience. I felt compelled to stand up and air my grievances at my very first meeting, “Should we be in favour of free speech” by Esme Choonara, as her words resonated deeply with me. My grievance was that, at my former Constituency Labour Party (CLP) meeting, I was shouted down and not allowed to discuss, never mind vote on a motion to support Jeremy Corbyn as leader and condemning the actions of the 172 Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) members. A bureaucratic measure was introduced as a road block by the Chair and he decided we could not discuss this matter until September and that the current turmoil with respect to Labour leadership was not a cause to raise an extraordinary meeting! It was ironic that they would not listen to me as, during the previous debate on post Brexit, the most vociferous objectors to the motion, had spoken of our need, in the Labour Party, to listen to the views of the people that had voted to leave the European Union and engage in rational discussion rather than foist our opinions on them. Esme reminded me that the right-wing pay lip service to free speech but this is a fallacy when we consider the multi-millionaires who own the “free press”. Indeed, as I’ve previously mentioned the “good old” BBC does not appear to represent the facts but presents news stories biased in favour of the Tory government. The internet gives us access to information and allows us to communicate but is not available to all; also, some nations censor the information offered. We discussed how we need to engage with those whose opinions are abhorrent to us on matters that we do agree with and challenge their more unpleasant views once some form of commonality is achieved, The next meeting that I attended was by Jane Hardy,” Corbynomics, Keynesiansism and Marxism”. This gave me a valuable insight into the state of the global economy though I cannot pretend that I understand it fully. I will be reading her article in issue 149 of International Socialism to gain a better grounding. One thing that I did take from the meeting is that, much as I’m inspired by John McDonnell’s economic proposals, it appears as though they may be over ambitious and do not actually go far enough in the redistribution of wealth. This has made me question whether I’m being schmoozed by Corbynomics and that it isn’t quite what it seems. It has disquieted me and was instrumental in my decision to join the Socialist Workers Party. The “Trade Unions in the era of Corbynism” meeting was excellent despite Matt Wrack’s absence to attend the BBC’s Any Answers. Dave Ward from Communications Workers Union (CWU) opened the discussion stating that the Trade union movement is playing a leading role in addressing the growth in racism and hate. He acknowledged that the people are entitled to get angry due to inequalities and conditions in the world of work, standard of livingand the housing crisis. These very real problems are not being tackled by the government and this gave rise to the Brexit protest vote. The CWU is soundly supporting Corbyn because he is the key to realignment of politics, a new deal for our workers, an end to the housing crisis and a better economy. I loved his phrase that “There’s a virus in the Labour Party and Jeremy Corbyn is the antidote”! Ian Hodgson from the Baker’s Union made such an inspiring and impassioned speech that I was too wrapped up in it to take notes but my summing up is that Jeremy Corbyn has shown us all that we don’t NEED austerity and he is the key to oppose it. Julie Sherry was equally inspiring encouraging us to get out on to the streets and take advantage of the incredibly weak Tory government. The Teacher’s strike (05/07/16) took our focus back to how the Tories have devastated our education system and we all need to support our teachers and fight back. I found this meeting so inspirational and reflecting back on my involvement in the RemaIN campaign, I recognise that I was duped and used by the LP machinery to promote their agenda rather than truly represent the views of the ordinary person. Youseff El-Gingihy gave an outstanding talk to promote his book “How to dismantle the NHS in 10 Easy Steps”. He reminded me that the NHS was created in an era when we had even bigger debts than we currently have and that this soundly squashes the myth that the NHS is not sustainable or affordable. He explained the Private Funded initiative (PFI) in terms of a grossly expensive mortgage illustrating that “The bill for hospitals alone is projected to rise £79 billion. This exceeds the original capital cost (i.e. actual capital value) of £11.4 billion seven-fold”. As an NHS employee suffering from lack of resources, both in terms of equipment, consumables and staff, I was shocked to discover this and that the money gets siphoned off to private consortia rather than being re-invested into the NHS; In his book he states that PFI ensure facilities maintenance is subcontracted out resulting in over-inflated costs. I added my opinion that a PFI hospital in which I’d previously worked was not designed effectively and whispers abound that the fire proofing of the building does not meet current safety standards. He also demonstrated that privatisation of the NHS is being carried out by stealth and, most importantly we can and must fight back against this. My next meeting was given by Charlie Kimber “After the Leave vote: what is the way forward for the British Left?”. Though I was actively supporting the Labour RemaIN campaign prior to the referendum, having attended this I regret my decisions and I also wish that Corbyn had led a Lexit vote from his position as leader of the opposition. Charlie detailed the Left’s rationale for Lexit:- • Opposition to the dreadful Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) • European Union – a non-democratic force across a continent e.g. The EU imposed an enormous loan on Greece thereby diminishing their prospects of emerging from their Great Depression anytime soon. • “Fortress Europe” – preventing refugees from enteringhttps://www.hrw.org/report/2015/11/16/europes-refugee-crisis/agenda-action Charlie suggested that the Brexit vote demonstrated a revolt from forgotten, ordinary people who feel shut out from the political system and let down by it. We have not yet recovered from the damage that Thatcher wrought on the very fabric of society. He conceded that the racist vote consists of a small minority however, it is very unlikely that 17 million voters are all racist. This observation chimes in with my own, very unscientific findings. I work in a part of the country where 75% of the population voted to leave and not one of those I’ve spoken to thus far is xenophobic. To combat the racist dogma we need to unite our nation post Brexit. To this end The People’s Assembly and Stand Up to Racism have organised a joint, emergency demo for Saturday July 16. Charlie also reminded us to join in solidarity with all the class struggles whether or not we belong to that profession. Every single strike strengthens Corbyn’s position. Our trade unions have failed to provide focus – one only has to look across the channel to see the superbly coordinated actions of our French comrades. We need to support all strikes, coordinate them and have more and our trade unions need to support us in this. Our action list: 1. Teachers’ strike 05/07/2016 2. Peoples’ Assembly & Stand Up to Racism demo 16/07/2016 3. Birmingham Unwelcome Tory Conference demo 02/10/2016 4. Stand up to Racism 08/10/2016 He reminded me that the fight is outside parliament and that Corbyn has already been under pressure to compromise his position – the RemaIN vote being an example; also MPs are voting on Trident on 18/07/16. The British ruling classes are in disarray and we don’t actually have a government at present so the time to present a united front against austerity and against racism is now! Naima Omar, Maz Saleem and Nahella Ashraf spoke passionately on “Not traditionally submissive: fighting Islamophobia and sexism”. Maz’s father was brutally murdered by a racist as he walked home from a Mosque in 2013. I cannot begin to imagine the pain she and her family must be enduring and I applaud her for her tireless campaigning against Islamophobia and racism. Cameron has reaffirmed sexism and islamophobia by stating that Muslim women are “traditionally submissive” and “fail to integrate” etc and Farage talked about “liberating Muslim women”! Prevent legislation http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2015/9780111133309/pdfs/ukdsiod_9780111133309_en.pdf was discussed and it is apparent that it encourages us to treat all Muslim students with suspicion. This is unacceptable. The point was also made that the mainstream media are not challenged for their negative descriptions of Muslim women’s attire. We also recognised that many women are oppressed in the wider community and that the government, such that it is at present, is attempting to divide us. This has hardened my resolve to attend the Peoples’ Assembly/ Stand up to Racism demo on the 16th July despite the need for me to reorganise work/family commitments and travel arrangements. John Molineux’s talk on “Reform or Revolution” was an inspiration to me. The message that I took from it is that reformism doesn’t work. For example, Syriza in Greece were unable to implement their anti-austerity program; the British establishment were horrified by Corbyn’s leadership election victory and have relentlessly attempted to derail him. Rosa Luxemburg and Lenin “necessary not only to conquer political power but also involves smashing the capitalist state” have been proved right! We need to shift the balance of class forces and we have whole institutions to contend with such as M15 and the Army to name but a few. Revolutionaries have to prove themselves in practice. We can achieve this by relating to the people, mobilising them to stand firm against oppression. This sounds grandiose but seemingly minor gripes of ordinary people can be addressed initially; then, as their confidence in their ability to change the balance of power increases, more complex and controversial demands can be campaigned for. This is another reason for encouraging all to attend the large demos held across our nation. The last, and by no means least, meeting I attended was “Palestine: Boycott, divestment and sanctions” (BDS) presented by Salma Karmi-Ayyoub, Jonathan Rosenhead and Tom Hickey. BDS was created in 2005, represents all sections of Palestinian society, and imposes broad boycotts on Israel. It stands for equality for Palestinians and ending the occupation. The Palestinian leadership have been ineffective in their negotiations and BDS arose due to this inertia. BDS is a national movement to combat all aspects of Israeli control. We are encouraged to support BDS because it levels the playing field, offers an alternative to the Palestinian government, who remain beholden to Israel and Western governments, and it imposes costs and consequences on Israeli society. It's thought that Israel opposes this movement because, ultimately, it questions the legitimacy of Israel as a Jewish state. The antisemitism row was discussed and it appears to have been manufactured by friends of Israel and enemies of Corbyn. There is definitely a conflation between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism and all evidence of antisemitism appears to have been falsified. Many high profile names have bravely and quite rightly, refused to attend events hosted in or by Israel, including Stephen Hawking. We are all encouraged to get our trade unions involved and to get active ourselves so that the Palestinian voice is finally heard above the propaganda of the Zionist. My first Marxism festival was an amazing experience in which I learned so much and revised my opinion of post Brexit Britain. I have also decided to join the Socialist Workers Party and become active in an organisation that I believe can truly change our nation for the better. This has been a source of contention with some former Labour Party Comrades who have pronounced me a “deserter”, “idiot”, “mentally unstable” and don’t recognise that I’m still supporting Corbyn and fighting against austerity and racism. We need a united front to do this especially as, in my opinion, the Labour Party is soon to split. Other reasons for me leaving my beloved party are the fact that I’ve been subject to sexism and bullying from men in positions of relative power in local Labour Party groups and I have found the increasing hate from all sides of the Labour Party damaging to my own mental wellbeing. Joining the SWP has been a form of release for me where I can be true to myself and still help others. https://marxismfestival.org.uk Thanks to Georgie Harrison http://www.newtekjournalismukworld.com/georgie-harrison Op-ed: Following the majority vote for the UK to leave the European Union British politics is in free-fall. The two major political parties the Conservatives and the Labour Party are both experiencing a type of meltdown but the Tories to date have had an easier ride in the mainstream media. That could be changing. Andrea Leadsom is getting some bad press following a Times report that suggests she claimed that being a mother gave her an advantage over Theresa May in the fight to become prime minister. Saturday Leadsom called that report "disgusting." Theresa May and her husband are childless. It would not say much of our politicians if they could only relate to sections of "their" society. It would be difficult finding a black, Muslim of Asian decent with a white British mother from the north of England and a working class background and a father from a wealthy family in the south of England. It is pure nonsense. The Times report has to be aimed at undermining Leadsom's leadership challenge. The two women have real differences in that May is an experienced cabinet member and campaigned for the UK to stay in the EU and Leadsom is neither. Labour supporters who are used to Murdoch owned publications telling half truths, posting anonymous leaks and playing mind games will say welcome to the club! Snatching words out of context may sell publications but they paint a false picture. Murdoch wanted the UK to vote BRexit and we did. He apparently wanted Boris Johnson out of the Tory leadership race and Boris obligingly bowed out. Murdoch is having less success with manipulating who is leader of the Labour Party but it is work in progress. Jeremy Corbyn continues to be verbally attacked, berated, undermined, humiliated sometimes by his own MPs and more but he has shown "True Grit." Thatcher may have not been for turning and Corbyn is not going anywhere, yet. Sadly Jeremy Corbyn still has a huge battle ahead. Right wing sections of the Labour Party are fighting hard to lay claim to what they say is their party. Funnily enough Jeremy Corbyn is one of the few current MPs who has seen all this before first hand. He has represented his constituency for 30 years and watched old Labour spin into New Labour, lose its identity become unelectable and reach a crossroads. Either old new Labour win or true Labour win. Many of the Labour MPs acting like overgrown children right now are hardly old enough to remember a pre Tony Blair Labour era. A party split at that time was a failure for both sides. Long standing Labour voters will be looking on in horror as the party postures, procrastinates, launched a coup with only Plan A in place and has spent weeks infighting rather than acting like the country's official political opposition in the House of Commons. With rolling 24/7 news and online coverage it has been a very public school yard spat. If you add in some Labour MPs kindly feeding the mainstream media a series of negative spin and leaks the conclusion is the enemies are within. Does it make voters, party members and supporters feel good to see an exercise in this self indulgence? Neil Kinnock called by some the Welsh Windbag gave the Parliamentary Labour Party a talking to this week. That was "secretly" recorded presumably by a member of the PLP and splashed across the mainstream media. But if you listen to it expect to hear what resembles a drunken rant in a rowdy room of chavs. Labour games mean the Tories will get a free ride; the PLP have kindly taken the heat from the Tory Party. The Labour Party have been trying to force Jeremy Corbyn to resign since June 24 but the plot was hatched last year ahead of his election as party leader. There are enough msm reports online to confirm that. They had no plan B so opted for public resignations from the shadow cabinet, a non binding vote of no confidence and more. Across the country Constituency Labour Parties have by and large shown their support for Corbyn; that has led to the PLP dissing those party members and discounting their views. Negotiations between a Union boss and the PLP this week have failed. Friday night Michael Crick of Channel 4 news and others reported Angela Eagle would finally launch her long awaited leadership challenge Sunday or early Monday but deputy party leader Tom Watson refuted that to Crick on Twitter. That was because the talks were not complete. But that is the outcome Saturday. Was it always going to be a foregone conclusion? Saturday the Metro reports "Jeremy Corbyn set for Labour leadership challenge as peace talks go down the pan." We could soon have women leading the Tory Party, the country, the USA and the Labour Party. None of the current candidates in any of those elections would get my vote if I had one. There could be a general election in the UK but that is another story. The Labour Party has always aired its dirty washing in public but the last fortnight the majority of the PLP have reached new lows. They have a website dedicated to garnering supporters to remove Corbyn and questionable funding from questionable sources. Blair's old spin doctor Alastair Campbell reared his ugly Twitter head a fortnight ago as the coup kicked off. Has the party used members donations and subscriptions to fund the campaign to oust Corbyn? They have resorted to legal advice on leaving Labour and taking the name with them and even seeing if it is possible to keep Corbyn's name off a leadership challenge battle. But they have some fat friends funding them; are they buying our democracy? As I told my CLP this week I did not vote for Corbyn; I voted for Andy Burnham. But I always said I would respect the vote and I have. I am ashamed of the PLP and have reached a crossroads too. When my 85-year-old Labour Party member and voter neighbour says the same the PLP will have to accept the party has huge problems. Labour Party supporters tend to be well informed and we have been watching and waiting. The majority of the PLP are not happy with Corbyn and the majority of us are not happy with the PLP. Hull West and Hessle Constituency Labour Party met Wednesday evening in an emergency meeting to vote on a motion proposed by a member.
We met to vote on a "statement of support for Jeremy Corbyn, the democratically elected leader of the Labour Party." The motion was "The CLP of Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle believe that the leader of the Labour Party should be democratically voted for by the membership of the Labour Party and the Parliamentary Labour Party should not undemocratically decide to disregard their vote." It went on "we therefore support Jeremy Corbyn as leader until another election is called and the membership democratically decide on their preferred leader." It was an orderly meeting with those wanting to speak allowed up to five minutes to talk through the chair. The motion proposer spoke first. There was a brief debate about the motion needing to be seconded which happened quickly. One and a half hours later those attending voted in favour of the motion. The votes were by hand and counted as:
Our CLP did not support any candidate in last year's leadership race as there was no consensus but a majority Wednesday sent a clear message of support for Jeremy Corbyn. Our MP Alan Johnson did not attend. It was however an emergency meeting and the CLP will hold its usual meeting later this month. The number of people attending was possibly unique and considering the meeting clashed with the Wales Euro 2016 football match probably exceptional. Hull Daily Mail report Thursday "Blow for Hull MP Alan Johnson as local party back Jeremy Corbyn." Tempers have frayed and passions run high Wednesday as the costly and lengthy Chilcot Inquiry Iraq War report is finally published.
One Labour MP reportedly shouted for Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to sit down and shut up as a debate in the House of Commons got underway. The Iraq War cost millions and resulted in British military deaths and the deaths of tens of thousands of Iraqis. Jeremy Corbyn was an active anti Iraq War campaigner and today is vindicated. The same cannot be said for many in the House of Commons now or then, in 2003. If you witnessed @IanAustinMP heckle Jeremy and are upset with his manner please report him to rosie.winterton.mp@parliament.uk Arrogant Austin tweeted the above also. Below is our brief email sent today: Dear Rosie, My husband and myself are both retired, live in Hull, voted for Andy Burnham last year but support Jeremy Corbyn as party leader. We are not members of Progress, Momentum or any other group and we have pushed the case for voting Labour for many years to friends, colleagues and family. We have been increasingly angry and appalled at the treatment of Mr Corbyn before he was elected as party leader once his name was on the ballot to the recent bullying and harassment toward him. We have watched angrily as members of the PLP worked to umdermine Corbyn and humiliate him from day one. Today MP Ian Austin highlighted all that is rotten in British politics and the Labour Party. Mr Corbyn may have been a backbench dissenter previously but he was never as childish, disrespectful, antagonistic, out of touch and self serving as Austin and some others. I hope I will get a reply to this email. I wrote to Alan Johnson almost a fortnight ago asking that he support Corbyn and at time of writing still await a reply I expect that Mr Austin will face some form of reprimand. I have to say 43 years plus of voting Labour may be coming to an end unless the PLP supports party democracy, the leader Jeremy Corbyn and get their acts in order. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/jeremy-corbyn-told-to-sit-down-and-shut-up-in-commons-as-he-criticises-iraq-war-after-publication-of-a7122871.html The British Conservative Party are recruiting a new party leader. They hope the person selected will be the next Prime Minister of the UK. If they have their way that will be achieved by a fait accompli. Elected to government in May 2015, with a majority of just 12 seats, the Tories hope to stay in office until the next scheduled General Election in 2020. Politics is a funny old game though and in spite of legislation that almost guarantees a UK government five years in office look out for the unexpected. The Tory leadership election process is already underway with the new leader expected to be announced in September. Tuesday one of the candidates was eliminated; Dr Liam Fox polled the lowest number of votes and is now out of the race. That leaves four candiates. Theresa May, Stephen Crabb, Michael Gove and Andrea Leadsom. As the David Cameron, the man who staged the UK EU in or out referendum resigned saying that he would pass the role over to an OUT campaigner, the leadership challenge is odd. Gove and Leadsom campaigned for the UK to leave the EU while the other two opted for the remain camp. But in these crazy UK political days anything can and will happen. Ukip leader Nigel Farage resigned as party leader Monday. Cameron will hang about until September. The main Tory OUT campaigner Boris Johnson was virtually stabbed in the back by Michael Gove making him a non-starter in the leadership race he had been tipped to win. Theresa May seems favourite for now but the way the Tory voting system works it could still be any candidates race. Jeremy Corbyn is still taking a battering from his own MPs as Labour Party voters and members look on in dismay. Wednesday the long awaited Chilcot inquiry report will be published. Will it be a very expensive whitewash? As for the Tory leadership race - one down four to go! BUT HOLD THE PRESS! A short time later Stephen Crabb announced he was quitting the race tweeting "Following tonight's vote I will not be putting my name forward for the next round of #toryleadership - and will be backing @TheresaMay2016." Liam Fox also confirmed he is backing May as Tory MPs jockey for top roles in a new party leader's government. [Watch veteran Tory Ken Clarke below as he is caught off camera speaking a few home truths!} http://www.newtekjournalismukworld.com/eileen-kersey/against-recommendations-theresa-may-pushes-for-more-surveillance http://www.newtekjournalismukworld.com/eileen-kersey/ipcc-lets-down-miners-again http://www.politico.eu/article/theresa-may-out-in-front-in-tory-leadership-race-as-liam-fox-eliminated-brexit-uk-prime-minister/ |
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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