The Labour Party Compliance Unit has suspended some members for a range of perceived, real, fantasy and or trumped up allegations. Justice is a long time coming for some still suspended from the party. Today though it is a Liberal Democrat suspension, subsequent resignation and response and it is one of their peers, Jenny Tonge. On Facebook Ms Tonge writes: Today I have resigned from the Liberal Democrat Party at more or less the same time as they decided to suspend me! The timing of the Lib Dem spat may be important. Sky News reports "Earlier on Thursday afternoon, Jenny Tonge, Richmond Park MP from 1997 to 2005 and now a cross-bench peer, was suspended by the party only hours after protests from MPs over comments made at an event she chaired in Parliament. One speaker apparently compared Israel to Islamic State, and suggested the Jews were blamed for the Holocaust. Within an hour of her suspension, Baroness Tonge announced she was quitting the party." "I was chairing, I did not make any speeches, I introduced the speakers and in the course of that meeting there was a great rant", she said. Ms Tonge was not one of the speakers but chair person. Sky News continues "A few hours before her suspension, Tory MP David Davies complained about the event to the Leader of the Commons, David Lidington, during Business Questions in the Commons. "May we have a debate on the use to which these premises may be put following reports that outrageously a member of the House of Lords presided over an event at which Israel was compared to Islamic State, and the Jews were even blamed for their own genocide?", said Mr Davies. "Could we discuss this and also whether we should be issuing an apology for these outrageous comments to the Israeli government and the Jewish people." Dare we ask if all this aggrieved anger is more to do with political advantage and the Richmond Park seat up for grabs? Other than that dare we comment in McCarthy-style political Britain 2016? Sky News Guardian JewishChronicle
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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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