This picture has been all over twitter, promoted by every high level Blairite you can think of, from JK Rowling down. Yet all may not be what it seems.
On the face of it, the old gentleman has a message on a T shirt which, while we might understand it is calling for the deselection of Blairite MPs, uses intemperate language which can be interpreted as an incitement to violence.
But look again at that photo. The body language of everybody involved is somewhat strange.
That is because the lady on the right is Anna Phillips, full time employee of the Blairite pressure group Progress.
While the gentleman on the left is Lewis Parker, a professional “creative strategist and social media Guru”. Now if you wanted someone to think up a stunt like this and then get millions of people on social media to see it via J K Rowling etc, ask yourself this question. Of all the thousands of professions in this world, which profession is the precise profession whose major task is to invent and set up stunts like this one? Why, a “social media professional”. Is it not an amazing coincidence that one just happened to be going past, as Ms Anna Phillips has explained it, on the way to the pub?
And this only the day after every mainstream media outlet ran as headline news that Jeremy Corbyn was heckled at the Pride rally by a man who happened to see him, who amazingly happened to be another professional PR man, Tom Mauchline, who happens to work for the Blair/Alastair Campbell PR firm Portland Communications.
I really do find myself astonished by the sheer amount of happenstance in life. Of course it cannot possibly be more than happenstance. Otherwise it might be characterised as conspiracy theory.
The T shirt worn by the elderly gentleman appears to be brand new, given the clarity of the lettering and depth of the colours. The gentleman may just have had it made himself, indeed, or have bought or been given it at the rally. The question arises of who produced it/them. Although, as a general rule, the production of advertising T shirts is probably a process more familiar to creative media consultants than to the rest of us.
I concede it is a possibility it is his own T shirt, worn of his own volition. I would admonish him for his excessively intemperate language.
But what is Lewis Parker doing with his arm round the old gentleman’s neck like that? If this is truly a fake befriending, that is abuse of the elderly. If it really is his own T-shirt, then that embrace and the knowing smirks and pointing are really very unpleasant indeed. In contrast to Parker, who appears to have borrowed that haircut from an international footballer, and the smirking Anna Phillips, the elderly gentleman’s physical appearance raises to my eyes a few causes for concern about his condition, which I certainly hope are misguided.
And remember, a fake befriending, including physical contact, of an elderly and apparently vulnerable person, while making fun of him for social media, is Parker and Phillips’ own explanation of what is happening here. That is the best case. There are obvious worst explanations of the kind of set-up this is.
And who was the cameraman? Serious question.
Polly Toynbee in the Guardian today seeks to embolden the Blairites to strike against Corbyn with the phrase “the party can’t go on denying their heartlands’ demand for migration curbs.” To berate Corbyn for being not sufficiently pro-EU, and at the same time not tough enough on immigration, is to demand a logical impossibility.
But Polly is certainly right that a tranche of anti-immigrant Labour supporters are against Corbyn. I could go out now and find one of the 170,000 Labour members who voted against Corbyn last time, who is a racist. Probably an elderly person. Out of 170,000 there will undoubtedly be some. I could pretend to be their friend, and then expose them as anti-immigrant and humiliate them on social media. I could take smirking photos of myself as I did it.
But what would it actually prove? Not all those Labour people against Corbyn are racists, just as few Corbyn supporters would use the language on that T shirt, though I assume the gentleman meant political rather than physical elimination.
We can all find an extreme example and play these stupid games. The difference is that Progress, other Blairites and their paid PR hacks have the mainstream media to amplify their faked efforts.
[ Mod: Caught in spam-filter, timestamp updated ]
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https://a.thumbs.redditmedia.com/z-xK7MICeU79YBZ4XRjOBXuVwDBhDggPy5_YtWhl3H8.jpg
This (thumbnail, but the wording is the same, company gone, some distance from rally) appears on Google Images, linked (follow View Page) to a Labour forum which doesn’t (now) carry the picture, and whose comments are dated at least 22 hours ago – IOW before the rally.
https://www.reddit.com/r/LabourUK/comments/4q30ph/jeremy_corbyn_to_be_supported_by_thousands_at/
Hmmm.
Are you saying it has been photoshopped?
Well done to Craig and yourself for ferreting this kind of stuff out.
It is strange that the older person in the middle does look rather vulnerable, and the two outer goons look amusedly malevolent.
Hope someone can reveal its origins as a phoney. Then it might be possible to nail some of these unscrupulous shits.
I have an open mind. Someone else thinks the compression algorithm for .jpg’s has been selectively applied, indicating a photoshop – I don’t really buy that as stated, although the lettering may not quite conform with the body shape underneath it, to my eye.
Anna Phillips is the secretary of London Young Labour, and was involved in Liz Kendal’s leadership campaign. You don’t get much blairier than that. I think she’s the prime mover. My guess is that design student Lewis Parker sourced the teeshirt – they’re easy enough to make from a plain garment, using a computer printer, transfer medium and an iron – put it on an obliging granny*, so that the two of them could photograph granny in the approximate proximity of the Corbyn supporters. Note, as yet we don’t have a picture of her physically in the crowd – a long lens may have been used to bring the protesters closer in. But it’s guesswork. Has Phillips any previous, I wonder?
Just found this after writing the above:
https://twitter.com/wjlionheart/status/747734094289735681
Anna Phillips @annaphillips_ 7h
Anna Phillips Retweeted WJ Lionheart
Yes, we made the tshirt & tricked the guy into wearing it. He actually loves right wing Blairite vermin! #conspiracy
Sounds more plausible than she appears to think.
*(Or granddad, according to la Phillips)
Mods – If this still hits the spam filter, I will make a test posting under the nick ‘Lambchop’ which may be deleted when seen.
“Progress, other Blairites and their paid PR hacks have the mainstream media to amplify their faked efforts”
Fortunately the influence of the MSM appears to be waning, if the 10,000 who turned up at Parliament Sq last night in support of Corbyn are anything to go by.
It doesn’t seem to be looking good for Corbyn:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/jeremy-corbyn-labour-leadership-brexit-can-he-stand-for-re-election-vote-of-no-confidence-legal-a7107291.html
If he does get the push will he chose to remain in the Labour Party? or will he go independent?
Corbyn and his supporters knew this leadership challenge was coming, and perhaps they’ve got something up their sleeve that will keep Corbyn as leader?
Questions, questions, questions…
That is a bit of nasty scaremongering actually in my view.
If you read the rule in question, it says the following:
Where there is no vacancy, nominations may be sought by potential challengers each year prior to the annual session of party conference. In this case any nomination must be supported by 20 per cent of the Commons members of the PLP. Nominations not attaining this threshold shall be null and void.
In this case there is no vacancy, because Corbyn has not resigned. The nomination threshold therefore refers only to potential challengers, those wanting to challenge for the leadership. Not to the incumbent.
But, of course, I would not put anything past these bastards.
John, you’re quite correct. My point was mainly that you never quite know how it’s going to pan out with these political shenanigans.
As expected Corbyn’s lost the vote of confidence, by 172 votes to 40 (and crucially he needs 38 nominations to remain on the leadership ballot). It looks like Corbyn has won the day.
Angela Eagle’s Constituancy Labour Party AGM voted on Friday, 40 to 4, to instruct her to support Corbyn. She has now resigned from the Shadow Cabinet. Her local party are very unhappy about this…
https://fr-fr.facebook.com/defendcorbynsocialism/posts/1565033963792385
How Angela Eagle voted on Foreign Policy and Defence…
Generally voted for use of UK military forces in combat operations overseas
Consistently voted for the Iraq war
Consistently voted against an investigation into the Iraq war
Generally voted for replacing Trident with a new nuclear weapons system
Generally voted for more EU integration
Voted a mixture of for and against a referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU
Almost always voted for strengthening the Military Covenant
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/10182/angela_eagle/wallasey/votes
I’ll get on to Tom Watson in a bit.
John,
You explained that very well, and it seems perfectly clear, that Corbyn does not require any nominations, because he has not resigned and is not a challenger.
What really now should happen, is that all MP’s who have voted against him, should themselves resign as MP’s and put themselves up for re-election by their own constituencies (if they still want to remain a labour parliamentary candidate). I do not know what the rules are for this situation, but I would assume the local constituencies, would have a very significant role, on who they select to be their candidate.
Surely, that is what democracy and integrity should be all about.
I think Corbyn stands an excellent chance of remaining leader, providing he keeps his nerve, and remains, cool calm and collected.
Tony
In a nutshell, that’s what New Labour is, spin, even down to Blair’s ‘well’ s and artificial pauses for thought that are so much copied by his followers.
Had you thought maybe this was just a students’ troll event , in which one of the group happened to put on a troll mask for fun?
If it can be proved to have been photoshopped, is it possible to re-photoshop it?
To say, for instance, “ELDERLY, VULNERABLE AND NOW PHOTOSHOPPED BY BLAIRITE VERMIN”?
Clark, what think you? I’d gladly re-tweet that if it could be proved.
At their 1988 Convention the Democratic Party printed up a load of T-shirts saying “WHERE WAS GEORGE?”, referring to Senator Edward Kennedy’s biting attacks on George Bush I: “The Iran-Contra scandal…Where was George?…The national deficit…Where was George?”
Within a couple of days Republicans were wearing T-shirts bearing the slogan: “DRY, SOBER AND HOME WITH HIS WIFE”.
– recalled from P. J. O’Rourke, Parliament of Whores (1991)
John, sorry, I’m not experienced in the analysis of digital photos.
However, there is a 2 hour 15 minute broadcast quality video of the rally in Parliament Square to support Corbyn published by Russia Today and available on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbYeQ21d_z0
Don’t be put off by the first few minutes, they seemed to be having trouble with the camera; the quality of most of the video is very good. I haven’t yet had time to watch much of it, but if that person and/or that T-shirt are present, they may well have been caught on video; I was.
Within one working day Mrs Merkel has offered the UK back everything which is good about the EU, free trade and free movement of people, without the nasty side, the Federal Europe which as I have pointed out before has been commissioned by the US to destroy Syria and not to end the terror until the Syrian people are obedient to the US’s will.
http://www.voltairenet.org/article190102.html
Jeremy Corbyn belongs to that slightly older generation which remembers people who fought the Germans in 2 world wars. My first father in law who spent 2 years in a German Prison as a POW told me it was pointless for him to try to convey me how obsessessively controlling Nazis could be, but we only have to look to Al Qaida and Islamic State to see the same obsession played out in our own lifetime.
Experiments with chemical control over personality, started in pre-Nazi Germany and perfected there were taken by the US and developed into what became War on Terror torture. A mixture of torture and mind-controlling drugs produces a state of rage that can be directed at whatever the controllers choose for their subjects.
This rage, nicely portrayed by the spin media as Islamic rage, is the principle tool of the Zionists against Islam and of thye Neo-colonials like Blair against the resources of the Muslims.
The Germans have been on probation for 60 years and Jeremy Corbyn is right to remember fact before he commits whole heartedly to backing a Federal Europe.
Remember it was Tories who gave you a choice to Leave, and the British people took it.
Jeremy Corbyn represents the absolute majority. The Tories obviously make money out of free movement of people and goods, but anybody and everybody can trade if they want to.
The Blairites on the other hand seem to be motivated by something far more sinister, which chillingly has gone unpunished because of the delay in the Chilcot Enquiry, a lust for Zionist neo-colonial power.
At all costs the Blairites should be prevented from ousting Jeremy Corbyn. Their spin is what lost Labour the election, Or is that a generational thing too. My generation can’t stand continuously bombarded by lying advertisements and the younger generations are immune to being lied to and it doesn’t affect them?
Dmitry Orlov’s Blog today is very good on the demographic thing. He agrees with you.
It is a very curious thing that our culture is one of the very first not to regard “elders’ as important for their experience and, potential, wisdom.
It is one of the characteristics of the new industrial society, if I recollect properly, that Disraeli described in Sybil.
The T shirt looks a bit photoshopped to me. Notice the placard on the extreme right says “J..4… PA” Now I wonder what that could be about???
A useful way for Blairites to smear a very un-Blair cause by association.
I think it’s PM not PA and that it reads: JC 4 PM
JC4PM, surely?
Here rob – what’s really happening
http://www.thecanary.co/2016/06/28/truth-behind-labour-coup-really-began-manufactured-exclusive/
God, another frustrating hit, bounce off from this web site.
A couple of young PR types, at a quick guess protégés of Lambeth progress, were sent down to find such an image. That’s it. Crystal clear example of how PR works. Nice post.
But then, online forensic web sites? Posting dates? Man? Woman? Is it photoshopped? Was it this? Was it that? FUCKING HELL. Why?? Why lose the clarity of the obvious answer in guff. Why not move on and spend your time organizing to fight these fuckers rather than day after day speculating the same old shit, over and over. Has anyone mentioned Israel on this thread yet? It’s about time surely.
Yes Phil. not photoshopped, just, hello mate, can you read? would you like a nice new labour T shirt?
actually it does look photoshopped
Phil,
Some of us are organising to fight these fuckers, I’m 6,000 miles away, rejoined Labour this morning and connecting with local CLP to see if we can recall our traitor MP and have him deselected, particularly given in Torfaen the Out vote was approx. 60%, our MP being a Blaire swine and Remainer.
It’s presently the PLP, minus 40, against the Trades Unions and CLP’s/ ordinary members, so lucky got my fees paid this morning, less they blacklist me once the fix is made, which it now is with that fucker Watson as caretaker – its a bloody disgrace, not only do they want to overturn Brexit, but they want a fucking neoliberal warmonger running the bloody labour, who in 10 days time will forget Chilcot Report – this has all the hallmarks of a big bloody coup and i don’t like – I think the way things are going we may have civil strife and soon, these fuckers in London have really over stepped the mark and out in the Counties outside of the M25 we don’t like it one bit.
I agree Chris and Phil, what Corbyn now needs is to think forward. They will not be able to unseat him, imho.
Should a Blairite be elected the membership of the party would drop like a stone and people would join the Greens.
If, on the other hand, these cowards are defeated in a re run of the last election, Corbyn will have a mandate to select a new cabinet, as well as going into a progressive alliance with the Greens.
I’m sure that Corbyn could be persuaded to agree a choice referendum on a fair voting system for all, something which would ring a bell with many not just the middle classes.
I’m seriously considering joining as well Chris, thanks for your zest here.
Agree, actually. But part of that would involve exposing the other side’s dirty tricks. Let’s agree on your story, point out that one of the parties has unchallengable form as a Blair/Kendallite ( the other’s a nonentity, might have met her there) and I think we can agree that (politically) eliminating Blairite vermin* who do this sort of thing, is in fact indicated.
* there may indeed be Blairite non-vermin, but where are they?
If the EU will allow Scotland and Gibraltar to stay in the EU while they’re still in the UK, will they allow the same to London?
In early 1861, as the states of the Deep South were in the process of seceding, Mayor Fernando Wood of New York City wanted his city also to secede, so that it could maintain trade relations with the South.
Copperheads-that’s what these Blairites are- strikebreakers for slavers.
You know the answer to that question yourself, Lysias. It is “no”.
The photo as presented on Rowling’s Twitter page has conveniently left out the two peripheral people. Was Rowling herself aware they were there?
Magnify by 290%, rotate 83 degrees, zoom to vector 7.44 squared and put through the forensic filters of wastemyfuckingmind.org. Close your eyes for 75 seconds, squeezing really hard, applying light pressure to the eyelids with fingers.. Now, can you also see the word “mossaf”?
What do we think? Is it an attempt to cite unrest amongst Corbyn supporters, in the hope it leads to violence? Then the media can the portray the left as a bunch of unelectsble thugs?
Meanwhile fast tracked Works and Pensions Secretary Stephen Crabb, is the first Tory to officially put his name forward in the race to become PM.
I might add, a vote of no confidence has prevailed against Corbyn, hopefull he holds fast, his huge mandate should see him through these difficult times.
I’m confident the public will back him again.
http://www.thecanary.co/2016/06/28/truth-behind-labour-coup-really-began-manufactured-exclusive/
They haven’t changed since that “dodgy dossier”.
Surely no one has an index finger that long? Its simply out of proportion and gimped.
Nigel Farage booed today in EU meeting, shouts of Nazi propaganda were aimed at Farage, emotions ran high with accusations and counter accusations , thrown about like confetti.
George Osborne rules himself out of the PM race, as the PLP votes against Corbyn by 172 to 40 votes. One thing I’m not sure about that could stifle Corbyn’s re-election, is the need for 20% of Labour members to back his campaign, I’m not sure if that applies to a sitting leader?
Corbyn received 60% of the vote, has said the PLP vote has no constitutional legitimacy. Are the bloody Blairites trying to suspend democracy, to get their man or woman elected. Surely the public will see through those spineless careerists.
In the 1931 election when Ramsay Mac-of eternal shame-and Phil Snowden who believed in austerity split the Labour Party and, after a few months, called a snap election Labour was reduced to just 46 seats. They poroved to be a solid base to re-build the party in preparation for its finest hours, in the few years following its landslide victory in 1945.
Sadly Bev it took most of the world to kill each other first. I can’t rule that out again. Also remember corporate interests have a long history of paying fascists to bully beat and smear – this could be a lot more than a simple realignment – I’m quite fearful
The latest legal advice from Barrister Mark Henderson is that as the incumbent Corbyn does not require any nominations whatsoever to appear on the next ballot – that’s the legal advice the Party has been issued under the existing Rules and Constitution of the Labour Party – SO CORBYN WILL BY LABOUR STATUTE BE ON THE BALLOT – good news for us I hope.
Chris.
I hope that’s the case, meanwhile Lord Foulkes, Ian Murray and John McTernan on ITV news network stating Corbyn’s name mustn’t be allowed on the leadership ballot paper. I particularly loathe McTernan, though on the upside he’s was the kiss of death to Jim Murphy’s campaign.
“Nigel Farage booed today in EU meeting, shouts of Nazi propaganda were aimed at Farage, emotions ran high with accusations and counter accusations , thrown about like confetti.”
I watched the full coverage on ITV News. What you missed was Farage telling them “I told you so!” and slow handclapping Dear Leader. What you also missed was the Scots representative grovelling and begging forgiveness. Hell, somebody sure taught the Scots to tug the forelock well. I thought he was going to burst into tears.
“What you also missed was the Scots representative grovelling and begging forgiveness. Hell, somebody sure taught the Scots to tug the forelock well. I thought he was going to burst into tears.”
___________
Actually Alan, I saw, a empassioned plea, full of sincerity and determination, I was rather proud of Alyn Smyth.
Get real RoS! His job is to bargain for Scotland inside the European Parliament, but he just told the rest of the EU “We don’t mind taking it up the jacksie, but we’ll do anything if you let us stay”. You think in the world of politics, the cut and thrust world of politics, he did Scotland any favours?
“Hey, you can crap all over us, like you have Greece, but please say we can stay”.
Alan.
That is of course your opinion, I however saw a man passionate about his belief that Scotland should remain in Europe. His stock has gone up in my opinion.
Are you joking ?
Seems obvious that is a set up, they should be ashamed of themselves, sadly we know that they won’t be
Mr Murray, you’re a hero. I don’t know how you do it but please keep doing it.
E-mail me if you need any help with research/proofreading/whatever.
Harry Ryder
this old geezer looks like he just stepped out of the french revolution, the hair, the gaunt look, surely It is no accident, as the old embittered lefties used to intone…
You don’t seem to understand what happened with the French revolution; and so I won’t even bother trying to tell you about what’s going on in France at the moment (the mainstream media sure as hell won’t tell you).
Bugger the msm, RobG – we have you on the spot to keep us posted!
Fintan O’Toole has been very critical of the Brexit vote a reflection I think of his ignorance of the politics in Britain. But O’Toole always had interesting things to say, he is on the right side even when he’s on the wrong side.
This suggestion of the EU’s response to the vote is worth reading. It makes a lot of sense and most Brexiters would sympathise with it.
http://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/fintan-o-toole-how-europe-s-leaders-can-fix-the-union-1.2701889
This is Corbyn’s Chavez moment and he best hang in there and tough it out, the simple fact that Blunkett the tosser has come out suggesting those who support Corbyn should go and set up their own political party and elect Corbyn as their leader is clearly indicative of the weakness of the bLiar lots’ position. As this suggestion will most certainly make the neo labour unelectable, seeing as the grass roots of the party would defect to the new party.
Also of interest has been the slow response to none response of the local labour parties to the registration of any new members. Out of curiosity has anybody else has a similar experience in their locality?
The shame of the secret ballot of the “no confidence” is that we will never know who are the traitors to the working man and woman, by trying to oust the only man who could make a difference to our broken politics.
absolutel,y fed up.
Corbyn is the Labour Party.#
Whilst he who made this suggestion is blind for not seeing or hearing, he is no different to the others who hang on to blood red cloth of Blair, they should go and form their own party.
just don’t call it Labour, according to the rules you can’t sound like another Party, so what name could they choose. Left aside?, red herrings?, bloody awful? or dontgiveafuckaboutvoters party?
Nevermind I agree with your name for these swine; dontgiveafuckaboutvoters party!
There is most certainly an air of we are better than you unwashed, and know how to govern attitude so manifest!!!! Fact that these useless tossers will be on zero hour contract pushing the broom if they were not members of the commons somehow is not the issue and has not crossed their minds.
The lot of them make me sick!
As someone who has voted Labour for over 40 years it saddens me to say that Corbyn is a disaster as leader. He might be great preaching to the converted but useless at engaging with the people that matter, “ordinary” voters. He is ill at ease with the media, and at best appeared half-hearted campaigning for Remain. For me, the last straw was a tv interview when he was asked “George Osborne has just said that Brexit would hit the poorest hardest. Do you agree?” His pathetic response was “I haven’t heard that … I’ll have to think about it”. An open goal and he hit the corner flag. He’s a stubborn man with a cult-like following of acolytes who look upon him with admiration while waiting to be suicided.
Obviously you have been voting for the wrong party for the last forty years!!!
The party of John smith that was hijacked and turned into the Tory Lite, I doubt you are a labour voter.
The Oligarch owned media have been gunning for him from day one, and let’s see if the labour splits into two parties and how many members will move into the new “far left” party! There is a denial of the fact that people are no longer buying the “equal opportunity” and they have seen the ultimate expression of the trickle down economy for zero hour contracts that is the only way to work these days.
Yes I endorse that. People like Pykrete have been responsible for the demise of the opposition. Not seen Pykrete on here before but doubt he or she would be prepared to put his or her name behind the comment.
People like Pykrete have been responsible for the demise of the opposition.
Thanks for the laugh, John. Nothing to do with JC’s performance as leader, then.
PS. I’ve been around a while and post occasionally.
Yes, Mr Goss, Pykrete has posted before.
You’ll have to improve your insinuation technique…..
Hmm … so Wilson, Callaghan, Foot etc were secretly Tories?
You’ll notice that I didn’t mention or criticise any of Corbyn’s principles (many of which I support) but simply his lack of leadership ability. But what’s the use of having these principles if you have no hope of getting elected?
He has every hope of getting elected and that is what is upsetting the media and its Blairite elite. Joining in with those who supported the abominable war in Iraq to try and do a hatchet job on a democratically-elected leader makes you as bad as them.
If you’re a labour voter in a monkey’s uncle – you’re an establishment stooge – and you people will be the downfall of this country
Wilson and Foot were Legit…
Callaghan was CIA
“In order to counter neutralist tendencies within the UK Labor Party, the CIA financed an influence operation via the Congress of Cultural Freedom to provide the political leverage for such Labor Party leaders as Hugh Gaitskell, Anthony Crosland, and Denis Healey to move the Labor Party into a more pro-NATO position [3]. Conversely, when Labor Prime Minister Harold Wilson and Labor Party leader Michael Foot took the party down a leftward path, the CIA arranged for the two leaders to be ousted by CIA implants within the party. For Wilson, the traitor du jour for the CIA was James Callaghan, a right-winger, and for Foot, it was Neil Kinnock, a committed globalist and European federalist, who played the role of Brutus. When Wilson was forced from power as prime minister in 1976, the CIA went on «red alert» to prevent longtime Labor leftist leader Tony Benn from succeeding him. The CIA’s efforts paid off when their man Callaghan took over from Wilson.”
http://www.voltairenet.org/article190319.html
Thanks, Tony. Always suspected this but never found a reference till now.
I know nothing about CIA and leading Labour Party people; but I do know that Harold Wilson, PM, resigned when he recognised the onset of dementia. As does every other newspaper-reading person of the time.
what’s the use of having these principles if you have no hope of getting elected
You should pay for a season ticket and go watch football, where winning is, all that matters!!!!!!!!!
The simple fact that in opposition Corbyn stood up and broke the mantra “austerity is good for you”, is leadership enough. In any democracy opposition plays a very important role by holding the ruling government to account. This does not mean standing in the house of commons and playing the Eaton games of debating hour and who can deliver the best sound bite but the fact that what policies are being debated with their subsequent fall out for we the people.
Regardless of who is in government or not, the fact that for the last decade we have had three parties selling the same snake oil only in different packaging somehow has come to be holy grail of the neo democracy!
We had Tonykind and his PFI contracts currently selling in the city at “18 percent” yields, that is whilst interest rates are around .5 percent. The schools that PFI built are shut down and the pupils are sent to their homes because the classrooms are failing apart, but the money still goes out to meet the schools obligations by paying the PFI merchants !!!
You are so bent on “winning” that you have forgotten winning without any principled man at the helm is a pyrrhic victory. Clegg won and then turned around and said; “I lied” and went along with the same policies as the Tories.
To win in our neo democracy evidently there is only one mantra that the winner has to subscribe; “fuck the poor” that is the majority of we the people, included the one and half of one million families in need of food banks to support them and stop them from starving.
You are evidently far too happy to let Messrs Murdoch et all do the thinking for you, that you then believe it is all your own thoughts. Just out of curiosity how many super cars do you own and when is your yacht being delivered? To form the basis for you to have such a toxic mindset?
Clearly I’m one of the 1%, having just retired from the NHS and driving a KIA 🙂
Then why on Earth are you siding with the bastards?
You are a man/woman of the world, and should agree that principles are important even when the rest of the pack don’t value them. Without principles there is no victory, the only difference between us and the rest of the creatures on the planet is; we are sentient and can think, and know right from wrong!
It matters naught who wins if the cookie cutter politicos are to be elected on a revolving door basis. Electable is the word that is much abused, and it means someone whom subscribes to the imperatives of the super rich oligarchs. Don’t you find it strange that a totally corrupt practice of future prime ministers and the treasury minister ought to first be vetted by the oligarchs?
What? You’d rather have someone electable despite lack of principles?
Better to have a principled opposition than a House devoid of principles entirely. When Labour and Tory voted together for the illegal devastation of Iraq, where was the opposition when it was needed?
He really hasn’t had much of a chance has he? The 179 votes against him have been there since he took the job, he has been constantly assailed, stabbed in the front as well as the back and serially undermined by the Balirites. As to his media relations: the media have been almost unanimously focused on pulling him down.
If you want a leader who the media treat respectfully and the Blairites in Parliament support you are going to have to be ready to do everything the US and EU tell you to do, to sacrifice the living standards of the poor, bomb half the countries in the Middle East, support Israel’s fascist government (and it is fascist) and watch while important matters are avoided and side issues, identity politics and other nonsense are used as distractions. ,
You will also have to watch the economy collapse, as it must if a proper industrial policy is not soon implemented, and the UK put into receivership the way that Greece has been.
Exactly Bevin. But we on the left know what it is all about. These traitors are career politicians who do not care two hoots about ordinary people. That cannot be said of Jeremy Corbyn.
” hit the poorest hardest” are fine words coming from Osborne.
He of “You can’t be nasty to city corporations because they’ll leave, but you can be nasty to the poor because they can’t leave”
O’m not the first one to say this but, minor quibbles about wording aside, that really is a fine T-shirt the old gentleman is wearing.
I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he had done more work in his teenage years than those two harpies grinning at him have done in their entire lives. Or are ever likely to.
This reminds me of the disgraced coup media in Egypt: They do as paid, do as blackmailed or do as told. Thank God for a head that tests what it hears and reads.
That’s because the same people are behind it
WE cannot see the following:
TTIP
BREXIT
Labour party coup
as separate occurrences.
There is a political coup happening as we speak, aided and abetted by the swathes of the mainstream media.
Well said!!!!!!
It would be taking two and a half years to renegotiate the “trade deals” ie the biggest heist of the national wealth from the people to the ownership of the already over fed and over pampered and over protected oligarchs. During this time a lot of things could happen and derail the whole project, already there is talk of “public money” by the fed!!!!
The current PLP of the neo labour engaged in their circle jerk to oust the only spokesperson left for the poor!
This coup has been a year in the making, and the fact that “kaleidoscope” was kicked the bells out of in Brexit only brought it forward, although it should be said that despite the huge attempts of the media to zoom in on the neo labour coup, and leave the ruling party and the prime minster out of the spot light is telling of the degrees of anxiety about any move towards democracy and possible benefits for the many at the expense of the extremely rich super rich oligarchs.
He’s right. The Blairites have to go. If it is genuine (which I doubt) and they should not be eliminated but sent across the house to the side where they truly belong. We have a chance to take back the Labour Party and every one of these traitors need to be marked up as what they are.
This appalling stunt has many facets: exploiting the gullibility of a possibly vulnerable person, shameless PR masquerading as sincerity, possible photo manipulation, but most of all the utter lack of checking facts by the media, not just for the sake of driving an agenda, but also a plain lack of fundamental journalistic enquiry.
Many enlightened and skeptical politicians, authors and commentators with any integrity have issued roughly the following statement about the media, about “research” and its motivation, and the provenance of public statements so often regurgitated by the media with virtually no checks on the facts:
“When you read an announcement or piece of news, you must apply critical awareness of the following:
Who issued the statement, and what is the vested interest that caused the statement to be made? Who funded the research that led to that statement? Who is benefiting from the outcome of the statement and what is the status or vested interest of those who reported the statement? Is that statement a plain report of events or is it a result of a chain of undeclared interests? Have those who published that statement bothered to research its provenance”
From Socrates to Voltaire, and from Orwell to Tony Benn to Paul Foot and others, this has been the repeated theme of many who spent a lifetime trying to encourage ordinary people to question and challenge what they are told, or nowadays what they are shown through photos and other media.
The failure of the media to question or properly report on this steaming turd of corruption and manipulation has reached a point of absurdity. But the reason it is allowed to continue is because the readership of newspapers has lost the skill and ability to properly apply critical faculties to anything they are fed. It doesn’t seem to matter on which spectrum of political opinion those readers reside.
It has to start early in education. Citizenship studies, including the training of the young to be critically aware of what they are being spoon-fed by the media, local council PR, “research” funded by corporate interests, and a host of other information they are bombarded with, is to my mind even more important than basic numeracy and literacy. But governments do not want a critically aware electorate. As the great George Carlin said, they want obedient workers.
“It has to start early in education…”
The education in question has to be political education. It cannot be left to the state to educate people critically, it will always end up doing what the wealthy-ruling class- wants.
And the same is true of the media: Labour’s decline is due in large part to its acceptance of the dominant media as its primary way of getting its messages across. Since those messages are invariably not what the media owners and controllers want to hear Labour has had to change its policies to win the approval of the Murdochs et al.
In other words it has had to give up promoting the interests of Labour in order to win elections without its own media, its own schools, its own culture.
Historically this is anomalous, in the past Labour was always aware that it had to set up its own state within a state, its own clubs, banks, shops, colleges, newspapers, magazines, speakers’ bureaux etc, if it wanted to pursue policies distinct from those approved by the capitalists.
That education it was that insulated the movement from the intellectual hegemony of liberalism, utilitarianism and economics of the current sort. It also fostered generations of original thinkers including such well known names as Hobsbawn, EP Thompson, Gwyn Williams and Raph Samuels (in history alone) whose authority allowed Labour to challenge capitalist ideologists, often driving them from the field and establishing the dominance of radical popular ideas.
It all begins with local branches debating political questions because they matter and refusing to lower themselves to spin and electoral trickery.
Agreed.
Easy way to settle this is to find the person in the t-shirt and ask them what the circumstances were.
https://mobile.twitter.com/annaphillips_/status/747727131040415746
Craig was right all along.
Craig has been doing exceedingly well recently. I think its probably down to sheer hard work – but he seems a bit blessed too – despite nothing much going his own way – like – he is very pro EU – and not only are we out – well almost – The EU Mafiosa – now want to throw us arsey British out as quickly as possible.
We have always been an embarrassment to them.
They don’t do law like we do.
Even The French heads are Spinning – but I think most of The French people are on our side too..though I haven’t checked My Facebook
Everyone, even me are wondering – what the hell is going to happen next?
Maybe we are going to get our Democracy back.
I didn’t think we stood a cat in hell’s chance.
Oh and I still want my 500 Euros back – you thieving bastards – and I know how you did it.
Tony
It’s The Blairites turn to smell Their Own Fear. What else can these people do? Who would employ them?
“Majority of new Labour members support deselecting MPs who undermine Jeremy Corbyn”
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/jeremy-corbyn-labour-deselection-deselect-mp-rules-party-a7107556.html
Who would employ them? The people who already do: the media barons, the security services, the US embassy, Mark Regev etc etc.
Someone’s put this through a few filters, to see where it’s been edited:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CmCrhfkWMAAZ6Bx.jpg
From: https://twitter.com/MattparryNz/media
The validity of that would depend entirely on which filters it’s been through. And whether those were selectively applied.
Meanwhile Scottish FM Nicola Strugeon has received over whelming backing from Scottish MSP’s (except Tory ones) to try and find a way to secure Scotland position within the EU.
Angela Merkel say no informal talks will take place between Britain and the EU over Brexit terms until Britain triggers article 50.
Boris Johnson said Britain wouldn’t want to invoke article 50 in haste, but EU leaders want article 50 invoked as soon as possible to stop the possibility of a Frexit (French) or a Nexit (Netherlands) for now a stalemate looks on the cards.
https://www.rt.com/uk/348585-article-50-brexit-cameron/?utm_source=browser&utm_medium=aplication_chrome&utm_campaign=chrome