For his first nine years as Prime Minister, Tony Blair appointed NO women to any of the “Great offices of state” over which Corbyn is under such concerted media fire. And he had many less women in his shadow cabinet and cabinet. Yet there was virtually no media comment at all, and none of this line of right wing “feminists” lambasting him.
Explain.
I’ll rise to this one!
The reason is simple: identity politics has risen to the absolute top of the prosperous London left-wing agenda. To them, nothing is more important.
This is their absolute number one issue, above climate change, poverty, inequality, the current wars of assassination, the ridiculous amount of money that the tumour of the financial industry sucks out of the rest of the economy, and every other real and substantial issue you can think of….
I was hoping Corbyn was going to appoint Diane Abbott as shadow Defence Secretary but she’s got Overseas Development instead, a traditional post for gobby, lefty women.
The media are probably just biding their time until the shadow Defence post is announced and then the floodgates will open.
Playing the diversity card is a way of getting at Corbyn from a touchy-feely ‘progressive’ standpoint, as opposed to the blowhard denunciations he’s had from Cameron and Fallon, so it’s hardly surprising that the Beeb has been at the forefront of this line of attack.
Of course such criticisms implictly ignore Blair’s actual record in his first term, and take no account of Corbyn’s clever choice of Heidi Alexander (one of the leaders of the succesful campaign to save Lewisham Hospital) as the new Shadow Health sec.
The media are probably just biding their time until the shadow Defence post is announced and then the floodgates will open.
The floodgates will almost certainly open around Remembrance Day- from recollection Corbyn historically has preferred to wear the pacifist white poppy, or none at all, as against the red one of the RBL. If he does wear white, not red, to the Cenotaph in November the knives will really come out.
The media are going to find anything and everything they can. I laughed at the DM website headlines this morning – there were so many twisted anti-Corbyn pieces.
But Corbyn’s set himself up for this one by saying half the cabinet would be women. Real equality means being gender-blind, not a gender bucket count.
Remember how Michael Foot was attacked for his apparel at the Cenotaph? The war criminals wearing their smooth tailor made suits and coats bow with great solemnity as they lay their wreaths. Hypocrites.
This, article, on the witchunt of Liz Davies explains a lot, The Return of the Left.
Jeremy Corbyn as Labour Leader, who espouses policies which are a realistic alternative to the neoliberal dogma is seen as a threat to the Establishment.
We can expect every dirty trick to be put in play to undermine, to demonise him and his message.
The media is controlled and they pull the levers of communication to the sleeple, who must be kept on message.
We can also expect that his Foreign policy of nuclear disarmament will have the attention of the malign forces that control NATO.
“But Corbyn’s set himself up for this one by saying half the cabinet would be women”
Absolutely. He should have kept his mouth shut. He’s only now getting a proper measure of the talent available. Several key positions remain unfilled.
The city pundits on the news channels seem rather miffed that the stock exchange has not crashed on the news of the election result.
‘London market rises 0.6% in morning trading’
They are all scathing at the choice of John McDonnell for Chancellor.
~~~
All posts are now filled according to Sky. There are more women than men apparently.
~~~
Good news from Oz. Abbott has had the push. Malcolm Turnbull replaces. Who he? As right wing as Abbott?
http://news.sky.com/story/1552342/tony-abbott-ousted-as-australian-pm
Volatility is in the air, worldwide.
Maria Eagle – shadow defence secretary
Posted at 12:57
Jeremy Corbyn has unveiled his complete shadow cabinet team – and we learn that Maria Eagle is to become the shadow defence secretary. Michael Dugher gets the shadow communities and local government brief, while work and pensions goes to Owen Smith. In a statement, the Labour leader said the line up was “unifying, dynamic and inclusive” – and for the first time “has a majority of women”. In addition to the usual roles, he has established a position for mental health. Full list to follow.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-politics-34235118
The BBC is reporting:
Downing Street says the government has extended an invitation to Jeremy Corbyn to join the Privy Council, a formal group of advisers to the Queen.
The appointment of leaders of the opposition as Privy counsellors allows the government to share confidential information with them, including matters of national security.
Asked whether David Cameron would invite the new Labour leader to National Security Council briefings the prime minister’s official spokeswoman said he’d “invited the leader of the opposition before and I’m sure he’ll be open to that in the future”.
She refused to say whether the government would insist on Mr Corbyn joining the Privy Council first.
It is usual that the shadow cabinet members are Privy Council members – indeed it would appear that the oath/terms of the Privy Council binds the establishment stooges together…
Read this essay for more info on how the nefarious Privy Council works….
Mary
14/09/2015 12:59pm
Malcolm Turnbull successfully defended Peter Wright against the Thatcher administration’s attempt to ban Spycatcher in Australia. He was the cross-examiner when Sir Robert Armstrong uttered the famous phrase: “As one person said, it is perhaps being economical with the truth”. He later wrote one of the best anti-establishment books I have ever read, The Spycatcher Trial.
He describes himself as a believer in freedom of the market, freedom of speech and freedom of expression. He successfully defended Kerry Packer, Australian media magnate, against charges of drug trafficking and murder.
An interesting maverick.
Kind regards,
John
Preamble;
I am on record as being a subscriber and practitioner of feminist theory!
To expect appointment of anyone based on their gender is an absolute distortion of any and all feminist theories. As this patronising policy/conduct wreaks of tokenism, offering very little to eradicate oppression of women. With this method of choice of allocation of jobs, regardless of the abilities of individuals to discharge their duties they are appointed to carry out. This shall further reinforce the stereo types of women are incapable of doing much, and they need to be humoured!
Additionally this policy further hampers the progress to stop and replacement of the oppressive policies that have been imposed on half of the society in the name of conventions and traditions! all the while extending the pay gap that is in favour of the employers and their bankster overseers.
The attacks on Corbyn are not for any other reason than continuation of the window dressing of the oppressive policies that are subjugating the women and minorities in UK and elsewhere.
Off Topic but Craig said:
“What he means is that Goldman Sachs, Deloitte, Lord Sainsbury and the private healthcare firms will continue to push their interest through bought and paid for New Labour MPs”
Malcolm Turnbull ex head of Goldman Sachs in Australia has just replaced neanderthal Tony Abbott as Prime Minister of Australia.
Many women are happy because Abbott didn’t put women in cabinet. Turbull is richest man in Parliament and as spporter says
“When you look at the reforms of Bob Hawke and Paul Keating [Labor leaders who did the ThatcherRegan neoliberal job on Australia 1983-1996]and John Howard, they were very significant. They set up this country for the prosperity that it has today. We’ve had 25 years of uninterrupted economic growth because of those reforms. If we are going to continue to have those reforms, if we are going to continue to have rising living standards, we need to have effectively a new round of reforms,” he said”
ie more tax cuts for the rich/business and destruction of workers rights. Turnbull is slick and appears reasonable to the general population and will keep out the lesser evil Australian Labor Party ie. lft wing of neoliberal party. In Australia lesser evilism matters as the welfare state hasn’t been destroyed as much as it has been in the UK.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/liberal-leadership-spill-what-would-malcolm-turnbulls-frontbench-look-like-20150914-gjmepr.html#ixzz3liQBZGCS
Follow us: @smh on Twitter | sydneymorningherald on Facebook
wi]]]
http://www.labour.org.uk/people/filter/c/shadow-cabinet
Full list. 31 named.
Too much, too late palaver about Labour’s hopeless state.
Should have started way before the Independence vote, especially assuming that the SNP would be an adequate substitute.
The world will be a total mess before Labour is able to do anything positive.
I find it degrading to have so many changes of ‘topic’ on a whim when ones such as above could easily just be made in a previous thread (below the line) as a comment.
The Idiot is Dead – Long Live the Idiot
Malcom Turnbull is Australia’s new PM. People can now expect a more cuddly form of incompetent government.
Ishmael
Less than 1% of readers ever comment – well less than 1%. I suspect less than 5% read the comments, but can’t prove it.
I enjoy the comments including from our community of regulars. But they are not the “point” of the blog. If you find that degrading, you can very simply – as I have had cause to advise you before – get your own blog and feel more important.
I was going to PS to apologise for including hypertext to smh article etc. Sorry Ishmael I can understand that you may find it distracting to have an off topic intrusion but DEGRADING?. Obviously you are not interested in welcoming outside input from the colonies.
However commentary in Australia re WOMEN [as mentined in my conribution] around the difference beteween the number of [neoliberal] women in each party was part of the twitter verse today in Aust.
Had Pilgers article There is a war on ordinary people and feminists are needed at the front
in mind when thinking about all this.
Anyhow I’ll get out of your space now.
Pilger http://johnpilger.com/articles/there-is-a-war-on-ordinary-people-and-feminists-are-needed-at-the-front
Thanks Craig I was typing while you intervene.
And there is no compromise in your attitude…
Over such a small thing, it’s hard not to be offended. I’d spend the time to unpack your strange disturbing post at me but I really wonder if it’s worth it. Sure someone else can do it for me.
Keeping inline with the BBC headquarters in London the BBC branch office in Scotland, also had a go at Corbyn redgarding female employees.
This time though it wasn’t about gender balance, no this time it was about the ranking of the positions Corbyn has given his female employees.
Apparently the positions aren’t high enough within Labour.
It’s contemptuous behavior Craig. This is really a mask ie “what it’s about” to put yourself above all others, And they are just your opinions, your not god.
And a lot of the time they are not really ‘ topic’s’ are they, minor comments. Did you consult a committee or do you have a structure that decides for you? So what is this blog about. About what you decide and when…And we are the shit on your shoe, STILL…
Don’t give me this like bloody comments nonsense. Really you take the biscuit sometimes. It was not a bit thing to at least give some regard to.
It was not a big* thing to at least give some regard to.
This problem-the shortage of women- is symptomatic of a larger problem which is that for more than two decades now the Blairites have been using every trick in the Democratic Centralist playbook to exclude socialists and ‘unreliable’ independently minded persons from positions of influence within the party and in particular from elected office.
Their object was to drive critics of New Labour out of the party and to replace dying or retiring MPs with neo-liberal clones.
And they came very close to success- the real margin of Corbyn’s victory was the very close call at the nomination stage. It is ironic that the new Labour MPs who nominated Corbyn did so because- so out of touch are they with the real world- they figured that his inevitable defeat would be another blow against the declining rump of old Labour supporters.
They wanted a debate because they really believed that they would wipe the floor with his “out dated ideas” and “unelectable” persona.
The position of women in the PLP is particularly dire because one of the weapons that Mandelson and his fellow scoundrels used to fill the caucus with Tories was to insist on Female only shortlists in which centrally pre selected panels of ‘Blair’s Babes’ could vie with one another to represent places like Normanton, Castleford and Gateshead which have become rotten boroughs since the Miners Strike.
In a properly constituted Labour party there would be rough equality between the sexes in the PLP but that can’t happen until the real party-across the country- comes back to life, the Supporters clubs and pep rallies are closed down and the ward, constituency and regional parties become schools in democratic policy formation in which important decisions are taken and ideas developed and discussed.
The current PLP caucus is desperately in need of a purge-not from the top down but from the grassroots, MPs should be recalled to their constituencies and given the chance to explain to local members and affiliates why they won’t work with Corbyn, why they didn’t vote against Tory austerity and why they prefer war to peace in Syria. Libya and Iraq.
“I suspect less than 5% read the comments, but can’t prove it”
For some reason I’ve always thought that more people came to read the comments!
There is however a rough method at your disposal for quantifying this. When there are so many comments that a thread rolls over to two or more pages, it is reasonable to assume that almost everyone who visits the later pages is doing so in order to read the comments. This will be reflected in your visitor stats for each page.
“Full list. 31 named.”
_________
Mary thanks for the link, I never knew Angela Eagle and Maria Eagle were twin sisters.