Super-posh Tristram Hunt was famously imposed on his Stoke on Trent constituency – with which his only connection is inheriting a lot of fine porcelain – by the Labour National Executive Committee as a “Mandelson ask”. A number of good local candidates were blocked from standing. A scion of Progress, he was the epitome of the decline of the UK political system into a choice between two groups of Tory, with the New Labour Tories being more right wing than the Conservative Tories.
Hunt always did have a sentimental attachment to supporters of political change, and he wrote about them. He liked them as long as they were Victorian and safely dead, plus with some additional attribute. They had to be literary like Thomas Carlyle, or arty crafty like William Morris, or very rich like Friedrich Engels. Hunt sent himself up as a kind of sanitised E P Thompson, writing romantically laced histories of pioneers of Victorian social progress, only leaving out the oiks of whom he found Thompson unaccountably fond.
Now he has resigned from parliament and will be paid £160,000 a year to potter round the Victoria and Albert looking at arty crafty things. I very much doubt we will see him much at the V&A’s new ghetto in Dundee.
Parliament is well-rid of him. A third rate posh historian and a fourth rate right wing politican.
The hunt is off!
Craig, what happend with the honey-pot thread? Or am I blind?
Folk were getting over-excited
Thought he was hopeless as shadow education minister. He did not raise any objections to the Tory grand plan to privatise our state education system – in fact, he seemed quite bored by the job… he just went along with whatever the Tory/LibDems wanted. I think we’ll be ok without him.
My opinion of Tristram Hunt? Don’t have one, as not only have I never read him, I’ve never heard of him.
In the same way as someone who spent four years at Oxford (allegedly) never heard of the Bullingdon Club (allegedly).
Habbakuk, is there any significance in the fact that the symbol which appears beside your name is in the form of a stylised swastika, or are these symbols simply attached randomly by the website software? (No insult towards you or innuendo is intended by my question.)
I guess it is the software since a symbol now appears beside my name!
So , farewell then
Tristram Hunt.
You claimed to be
A historian.
But you’re
History now.
That made me laugh.
Very nice.
Wish it were so, though, I have a feeling that he will be blotting our landscapes for decades to come.
“.. he will be blotting our landscapes for decades to come.”
_______________________
That would certainly not be the case in the sort of society you’d like us to live in, Bevs, eh.
And what sort of society would that be? You are a very silly person with extremely predictable opinions and complete obedience to those that you respect/fear.
This is not the case with most of us and we cannot be slotted into the simple categories so beloved of people like you who, vide Chile or Ukraine, no sooner seize power than they despatch the death squads to deal with their critics.
And that is the sort of society which you regularly defend: the terrorist state in Palestine, for example, where children are tortured, opponents disappeared and summary executions occur daily.
Well Said bevin
We need a Standing Rock type Awakening.
Bevs
“.. we [ie, you and people of your ilk ] cannot be slotted into the simple categories so beloved of people like you who, vide Chile or Ukraine, no sooner seize power than they despatch the death squads to deal with their critics.”
__________________
Supreme chutzpah, as you accuse me of wishing what you appeared to wish for Tristram Hunt.
As evidenced by your post in reply to Ba’al (“Hunt is…history now”) where you said, in a clear tone of regret:
“I have a feeling he will be blotting our landscapes for decades to come.”
You are just so transparent. 🙂
Any comment on Bevin’s (why do you convert people’s names into diminutives btw?) reference on what’s happening in Palestine?
No – what has “Palestine” got to do with this thread?
Re diminutives : why “Treeza”? Why “trrrism”?
they never come back?
One of the few things that is probably true today in The Daily Telegraph.
My kind of girl.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/one-day-backpacking-around-world-72/
Tony
There’s thousands of these buggers clogging up hostels and snaffling all the cheap deals around the World these days; give me the Sixties any time.
Where ever you go they’re there, in nothfsce jackets blocking the view.
He was also a scab lest we forget.
don’t forget that nice enhanced pension … all good dosh and these folk are never wealthy enough to turn down another income stream no matter how little money is in the coffers.
““If Obama grants Manning clemency Assange will agree to US extradition despite clear unconstitutionality of DoJ case”
Wikileaks Tweet”
___________________________
When one reads the above, one understands and indeed sympathises with the various references to “Saint” Julian.
And then one wakes up.
This “offer” is best-quality, triple-distilled piss because it is an attempt to extract something ( = a pardon for the traitor Manning, which the offerer knows is highly unlikely to happen) for nothing (= “willingness” to undergo an extradition which the offerer knows is highly unlikely to be requested and/or granted).
No doubt the more credulous ones – as well as the usual useful idiots – will whoop with joy – Julian’s put it to the Yankees!! – but any thinking person will not be impressed.
As will not His Holiness.
Habbabkuk,
I still have an open mind, about Julian Assange and Ed Snowden. There is something about both of them doesn’t quite ring true (unless the CIA et al – really are as completely incompetent – as has recently been made obvious)
But what makes you think Manning a traitor.
I am almost certain, that Manning has completely conformed to the promises he made when he signed up as a soldier in the US Military.
He courageously told the truth to defend the constitution of his country – the United States of America,
“”I, (state name of enlistee), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same;”
What exactly did he do wrong? Its not his fault that the US Government has been infiltrated by evil foreign forces.
He is defending Americans against the evil forces that have infiltrated his Country with The Truth.
He is a hero.
Tony
“I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic”
An important reminder of the oath. It appears that although the media may be very anti-Trump, the same cannot be said for the military. Interesting that so many of them have been shipped off to Europe for war games just before the inauguration.
Habbabkuk,
This video was made by a history teacher from York. He’s probably about my age. You may find it educational and non-offensive from your point of view – because he doesn’t take any “tribal” or “religious” position. He just tries to portray the history of the last 100 years or so objectively – as an historian should. He may have got some things wrong, but he seems an honest man to me, and has a nice soft Yorkshire voice – and his technical production is very good – considering he did it himself – unfunded by any government or private organisation. It’s a remarkable piece of work – and slightly longer than Dr. Zhivago.
“JFK to 911 Everything Is A Rich Man’s Trick”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1Qt6a-vaNM
Tony
I Only Recently heard of that video Tony.
How can it be …Condensed
Brianfujisan,
“How can it be …Condensed”..
Well I don’t know if he is up to it, but suspect he is.
The BBC or Even Channel 4 could interview him – and ask him Questions about his Film – and even Broadcast it..
BBC London won’t do it – but the people from BBC Leeds (ents people – media) are actually very friendly.
They even came up to me in Malton Market Square – interviewed me (nice girl) and said can you come to our Studio in Leeds…We will pay you £200 – Tuesday next week.
It was brilliant to be asked (my wife was jealous)…and I would have accepted – except at the time – we were living in Thornton-le-Dale – and Leeds seemed rather a long way and we were on holiday with her Mum.
We did get to the Beaches – including Staithes
“The Beach Boys – I Get Around”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnPL5OXSBNE
Tony
Cutting out all the unsubstantiated fantasy and other conspiracy rubbish would reduce running time to something approaching 00’00”; or you could just ignore it.
Isn’t he the one that went on a fact hunt?
Sounds like the typical academic fight.
It’s more like Cory Booker or Chuck Schumer announcing that they were leaving politics.
A cheap shot, Craig, the usual stereotyped Corbyn supporter ragbag of cliches. I am surprised at you, you can usually make your own mind up without resorting to the tired old received opinion.
So siding with Polly and Tony (and the Establishment) would be bucking convention, would it?
A much more rare and clear opinion than you might think. Few members of the Labour Party even recognise that their leaders are helicoptered-in Tories, let alone how feeble they really are. Give some credit – this is also refreshingly honest.
Oh no Ian you are most definitely wrong. Hunt is perfectly dreadful.
good riddance, only 170 to go ….
Wouldn’t be Corby Coup 2 would it? Serial Blairite resignations in hard to win seats to discredit the Labour Left and the establishment finding him a cushy job as a reward.
Without a doubt I would say. All part of the latest Blair Master Plan. Interestingly another new appointment to the board of the V&A is Ben Elliot of Yougov and Quintessentially, the company that helps obscenely rich people to find new ways to spend money.
Steph. You are correct.
Why does the V&A need 18 trustees? All have the right connections of course. Many sound pretentious and/or precious.
https://www.vam.ac.uk/info/trustees
I fell about at the ‘Quintessentially, the global luxury lifestyle company’ link. But hey! as long as you have a foundation or a charidee, you’re in.
Then there’s the Senior Management Team. https://www.vam.ac.uk/info/senior-management
Details of their remuneration is on p 27
https://vanda-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/2016/10/03/10/43/32/6e5327ff-0741-44b8-b65e-53e1b4b1da0b/VAM%20Stat%20Accounts%202015-16%20FINAL(3).PDF
Hunt’s predecessor was paid £225-230k including a bonus and pension. His basic salary was lower than that stated for Hunt. Roth was paid between £145-150k pa.
Hard to ascertain the actual running cost of the museum. Government funding is stated at £37.2m. There is considerable other income, eg investments, legacies, membership fees, exhibition entry charges, etc.
The cost overruns on the Dundee V&A which Craig mentioned, are massive.
Doubled to £80m.
https://www.dezeen.com/2016/03/01/kengo-kuma-va-museum-dundee-receives-extra-20-million-from-scottish-government/
If this is a coup attempt it works for me! By the way there should be nothing difficult about winning Stoke, or any other Blairite held seat with a socialist candidate, chosen by the local people. The wonder is that people like Hunt ever got elected it’s the old ‘tie a red ribbon round its neck’ syndrome- they tied a red ribbon ’round Tristram’s neck and the lifetime Labour voters turned out. Whether they would have continued to do so seems very dubious.
Laurence Sterne was right about Tristram…
Eye think UKIP will storm it
You thought ukip would storm Planet Thanet. You need to wash those stary eyes.
If the labour Party wish to do the country a good turn, they could get rid of Angela the Eagle
Cousin Daisy has gone back to South Carolina, and I’ve taken the stuff to the dry cleaners, so here’s George Galloway, from yesterday, talking about Donald Trump…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnWZqYkfDzg
Both I and Old Mark spoke to you on the last post, RobG. I was expecting an answer.
Sorry, but I usually only dip into this board in the evenings, and Craig has been posting so much of late that it’s a bit difficult for the likes of me to keep up (not to mention two complete posts and large comment threads that Craig has deleted).
If you doubt the veracity of anything I say on this board you’ll have to post direct links to whatever comments, and I will respond.
Ok, I’ve found the comment thread you’re talking about:
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2017/01/wikileaks-keeps-100-accuracy-record/#comment-649085
In reply to yourself, Itsy, and Old Mark, firstly to cut off the internet connection from anyone inside and accredited to an embassy is an act of war. Secondly, if you look at the background to it all the only surprising thing is that Assange wasn’t taken out before last October (I’m sure that I don’t have to link to numerous death threats that have been made against Assange from high level US politicians).
The Wikileaks hacked e-mails released in the run-up to the US presidential election were totally authentic.
It’s one reason why a totally corrupt scumbag like Hillary Clinton didn’t have a hope of winning the election, despite the presstitutes rooting for her; but the best bit of it was the ‘Pizzagate’ scandal, which will eventually bring the whole rotten edifice crashing to the ground.
That includes every single one of these total vermin who are involved in the cover-up.
“In reply to yourself, Itsy, and Old Mark, firstly to cut off the internet connection from anyone inside and accredited to an embassy is an act of war.”
I’m not sure what you mean by “accredited to an embassy” (he has refuge there, that’s all) and as Old Mark said, it may well be that the Equadoreans cut him off, concerned that what he was doing was not in their best interests.
You seem convinced that Assange is dead. At the very least, you seem to be calling Craig a liar. Hasn’t he claimed to have seen Julian well after October? (I’ve run back through the blog but can’t find Craig’s latest mention of seeing him.)
I’m not interested in Pizzagate, thanks. Seems to me that 4chan has a lot to answer for.
“…you seem to be calling Craig a liar. Hasn’t he claimed to have seen Julian well after October?”
_______________
Surely the answer is simple and is that RobG is correct but Craig is not a liar?
Essentially, the person Craig met at the Embassy was either an actor or a hologram. 🙂
Case closed (as with Nice, Munich and others ad nauseam)!
You don’t seem to be very interested in anything, other than the total bullshit spoon-fed to you by the Establishment and its army of trolls.
Oh dear I note Galloway appears to be falling for yet another hard right/fascist leader. It appears that Mary is also somewhat smitten by Donald’s charms.
BTW Someone should tell Gorgeous George that it is bad manners (and luck) for a bloke to wear a hat indoors – especially at his age. One can only presume that his vanity stops him from displaying a balding pate.
“His new fans, he says, are the same people who in the US are supporting Donald Trump, who he believes will make a good president and “has his heart in the right place”. Though, he says, he is also impressed by the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn.”
Guess who else has joined the alliance
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jan/15/david-irving-youtube-inspiring-holocaust-deniers?CMP=share_btn_tw
Well spotted, Res Diss !
Galloway started wearing a hat to cover a bad head wound after he was viciously assaulted a few years back…
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2738230/Attacker-breaks-George-Galloway-s-jaw-street.html
I would guess that you’re well aware of this, but for some reason you leave it out of the conversation.
Is there snow in Cheltenham at the moment..?
How are your totally corrupt fascist American buddies doing?
http://truepublica.org.uk/united-kingdom/gchq-virtually-branch-office-nsa-parliament-unable-hold-account/
I take it that you know what the term ‘high treason’ means?
Are you taking me up on the bet on which you offered odds?
Most of these clowns were imposed on their local constituency. I vaguely recall some idiot writing in The Guardian (probably Toynbee) praising the Blair-ite tactic of parachuting in these ideologically sound nobodies. Showed leadership, see. Promoted party discipline. Was pragmatic. Actually, the consequence was that the Labour Party now has around 100 MP’s who a) have no link to their constituency, b) are useless. a) I can accept, as long as they make efforts to understand the local issues, work hard, and are decent local MP’s. b) is unforgivable.
Doubtless some hard-eyed Blair babe will succeed, and start waffling about gender quotas and same sex marriage. Sigh.
Really surprised that they passed over Chuka. 😉
He’s slated for the Stock Exchange.
Keep up the GREAT Work .. Let Me Know if you want to Come to Scotland.. All best
To attack someone for his love of craft and for his political interests seems to me the height of boorish sour grapes. The ability to work with your hands, manual work, is the foundation of socialist egalitarian politics and of humanity.
It contrasts with the ability to lie with the tongue, the art of politics, diplomacy and deception. The art of destruction, war, megalomania and power. A very big welcome to Tristram Hunt on entry into a fabulous museum. The dark arts of politics of the 21st century are no place for a gentleman, and I say that knowing nothing about the man.
Really Craig you are a bit of an arsehole sometimes.
A very seedy comment from a sleazy profession.
Tristram is a manual worker? Really? Of course there are manual workers and manual workers… I’ve often thought that Blair, for example, was busy with his hands off camera.
Failed care homes could be taken into public ownership under a future Labour government, Jeremy Corbyn is to say.
That is the sort of anti-tory-dog-ma dogma this country doesn’t need.
When will Corbyn come up with something better than to nationalise?
Tristram Hunt is an idiot and a shill. It’s not up for discussion it’s a fact.
A fact because you say so? Are you a kind of secular Pope?
This reminds me of accounts I have read from the past where rich families pushed the idiot of the family into the church. This time it was being a Tory sleeper followed by a museum curate.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1374576/MPs-expenses-Tristram-Hunt-claimed-4p-176-yard-car-journey.html
Although the by-election will be determined by Brexit and Labour’s response to the Referendum, Hunt the directly imposed candidate on Stoke on Trent will not have helped Labour’s chances by antics like these above.
I don’t know if anyone else has noticed (you need to be objective about this – and forget about your tribal, religious and political allegiances for a moment)
But I think Donald Trump and Jeremy Corbyn (despite their completely different political views, positions,nationalities etc) are in a way in very similar positions.
They are both trying to get rid of the evil foreign neocons (parasites) that have infiltrated – The American Republican Party and The British Labour Party.
Its like snorkelling or diving in the clear Indian ocean and observing the parasites on the different kinds of sharks.
The sharks aren’t the problem – they are actually really shy – and I have underwater videos whilst swimming with them to prove it.
They just can’t stand the parasites – and they are trying to get them off their backs – even if the sharks do politically disagree about almost everything.
I don’t do politics so I don’t have this problem.
(Or in a more human way – Donald Trump/Jeremy Corbyn: Look they’ve elected me – they’ve given me the job. I am trying to do my job – can you imbeciles stop nagging in my ear and just fck off. I can’t think cos of the noise. You are even louder than my wife).
Well try and think about it from their point of view.
I think they are both very brave men – regardless of their political views…which I am not suggesting are that great – but who else actually volunteered for their jobs and got elected?
Did You?
Tony
Yes, they have both walked blindly into martyrdom and now feel the venom and relentless lies of the globalists based around the private US Federal Reserve whose imperial rule they unwittingly threaten with talk of serving the people. And the fact that so different people are attacked by the same people makes the point!
Tony
Trump was elected formally tho’, Corbyn simply won a leadership contest to lead his own Party and unfortunately that Party has so many different groups within it, it’s a mini war zone in its own right. .
Corbyn isn’t about to lead the UK any time soon and the signs are that his popularity among the electorate is not healthy. That isn’t helped by the media, granted, who have gone after him something awful or by his “colleagues” many of whom are so rabidly committed to bringing him down.
Another Tory rat jumping what is perceived to be a sinking ship. Clearly he doesn’t take very seriously the responsibilities of office of being elected to MP either. I doubt Labour would be in the mess they are in now, if the party hadn’t been cooped by all these useless apologists for the Tories.
Mad Hatter
Labour created the mess by its Faustian pact with Zionist neo-cons. Had you noticed that US neo-connery spans both political divides. John McCain and Hillary are both war-mongering neo-cons.
How does nationalising bits of privatised economy or privatising bits of nationalised economy deal with the issue of the revival of mass-murder and clandestine state terrorism and the consequent flood of immigration?
Oh I forgot, there was that other piece of crud on the toilet walls, Nick Clegg of the Liberals.
You wrote “sinking ship”, didn’t you? And then realised you ought to put “perceived” in front of it. You had it right the first time.
Pricks like Hunt live in their paradox world of “sense and sensibility, with a complete lack of common sense.
Nothing from Blair. He seems quiet. Perhaps he is busy in his counting house.
Blair related news –
David Cameron, former PM, visits Bahrain: Is he following Tony Blair’s lead?http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/former-pm-david-cameron-visits-bahrain-amid-concern-he-may-follow-blair-s-footsteps-1110109896
Tony Blair’s government ‘ordered the BBC to deal with John Humphrys’
The letter came from No.10 threatening to ‘withdraw co-operation’ from Today after Humphrys had a row with Harriet Harman
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/tony-blairs-government-ordered-bbc-9606947
What? No 10 control of the BBC? Never. 🙂
Poor Tristram wasn’t likely to have had the opportunity of standing for his Stoke on Trent Central constituency ever again because it is probably going to be scrapped by the Boundary Commission before the next General Election. This would mean him having to seek a new constituency before 2020 if he wanted to continue his Parliamentary career and how uncertain would that be without some pals to “parachute” him in to a new one? Who then can blame the chap for just wanting a bit of well paid job security and taking a good opportunity when it arises? Regardless of who wins the seat I am sure that the residents of Stoke Central will manage with a “temporary” MP for the next three years before they are farmed out to another constituency. I am sure that Tristam always had their best interests in mind.
Look out for a few more of Tristram’s colleagues jumping ship on matters of principle when it dawns on them that they too are going to be “de-selected” – Not by the nasty “Trots” howver but by the Boundary Commissioner of all people.
I am sure that Tristam always had their best interests in mind.
Quite!
Perversely enough the fact that the seat is disappearing at the next general election increases the likelihood that the by-election with be fought by a long established local worthy (probably a senior councillor) and not an ambitious younger blow in (ie T Hunt Mk2)- and that means Labour may hold onto the seat without too much difficulty, despite the anti Corbyn MSM talking up the chances of UKIP taking the seat.
But of course if UKIP also field a strong candidate with local credentials the result could be very tight.
BTW Mr Paice were your parents fans of ‘Get Carter’ ?
Dry humour and a Scottish actor- what more could Craig’s readers want ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKs6dTNlcq0
I see that you have still got a sense of humor.
I understand that both wings of the Labour Party (Blairite and Corbynite )are up in arms about the impending consitutency boundary changes.
Possibly because those changes are likely to deprive the Labour Party of a couple of dozen seats at the next General Election.
Now I do realise that some will say that those changes are part of a cunning neo-con plot set into motion by the secret services (they have the goods on the members of the Boundary Commission, etc..), but another view is that grossly unequally- sized constituencies are as big a fraud against the electorate (seen both by individual constituency and in general) as fraudulent postal voting, ballot stuffing, treating and so on.
We’ll have al lot of this happening in South wales, given the number of Welsh MPs being cut – shame Stephen Kinnock will remain in place, unless Plaid Cymru pull a fast one and actually field an actual “old Labour’ type as a candidate come 2020, or he and his wife get prosecuted for tax evasion in her own country.
Another one for the chop should be Hilary ‘Bomber’ Benn.
He was speaking live on a Sky News O/B from Salford just now praising Tristram and was full of admiration for him in getting the job.
Why Salford btw? He is a Leeds MP. Perhaps he had been holding forth in the BBC’s Media Centre at Salford Quay.
Nothing on his Twitter except more of his Remain/SoftBrexit c^^p but he found time to retweet this from his pal Rachel Reeves.
____
Hilary Benn Retweeted
Rachel Reeves @RachelReevesMP · 22 hours ago
Congratulations to @TristramHuntMP – brilliant job at the V&A but a huge loss to Parliament and Labour politics.
____
Ha!
Flotsam babies
Sorry Shaep ears We Seek Truth.. It hurts
Yes, Benn is a disgrace to his father’s memory. Did he get the greed gene from his mother? Or did it skip a generation from his grandparents in the days when they were life-peers and double-hyphened Wedgwood-Benns.
Yes, I recall just days before he switched sides in order to back air-strikes in Syria he’d taken an entirely different approach.
He said it would be mad for us to get involved in air-strikes. That what was needed was negotiations to set up “safe zones” to protect innocent civilians from all that was going on and to keep working, via dialogue, to find a solution..
His “big speech” in the Commons contained none of that. Instead it was just a rant full of “our British values”…….yeh, let’s show those values, let’s join in with the carnage! Let’s forget about the civilians on the receiving end! Horrible, horrible dishonest man. He switched sides in order to strengthen those who were involved in the coup against Corbyn and therefore the vulnerable groups in Syria who needed protection were just thrown aside. Shocking.
I think, Goss, that you will find that Hilary Benn’s grandfather was not a life peer but a hereditary peer.
That is why Antony Wedgwood fought the long fight to renounce his peerage in order to be able to sit in the House of Commons.
Had the grandfather been a life peer there would have been no problem because as you know, life peerages are, funnily enough, for life and not hereditary.
Moreover, life peerages were not around at the time Hilary Benn’s grandfather was created Lord Stansgate.
A straight gamma.
And what do you think to might be doing to your father’s memory presuming he was a decent man who could tolerate his son having different views and opinions to his own, and wanted to take pride in having brought up children who were capable of thinking for themselves.
How do we know that Tony Benn didn’t see his son as a disgrace: well he said so
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/i-asked-tony-benn-what-he-thought-of-his-sons-vote-on-iraq-and-learned-never-to-go-there-again-a6761006.html
I think we can rely on Tony Benn’s view on what would be a disgrace to his own memory, rather than someone whose first response to those with whom he disagrees is often the Stalinist one of attempted character assassination.
Thanks for that link although this bit confused me:
“Mustn’t it be agony for the elder President Bush, I said, to have such a warmongering klutz for a son?”
I wasn’t aware that Bush senior was such a man of peace.
As for the Benn issue:
“He himself profoundly disagreed about Iraq with his own son, who had voted for war the previous year. But paternal love is an infinitely more powerful force than any geopolitical discord. He was massively proud of Hilary and his rise through the Labour ranks.”
I think the main point is summed up in the comment of one “Me”:
“The image of Tony Benn standing by his son and trying to save him reminds me of when Mrs Thatcher scoured the desert for her Mark. Truth is parents do this from their unconditional love despite their shame and anger at their offspring’s stupidity. I guess Thatcher never tired of bashing Mark round the head in private after he was found. Tony must be so angry and ashamed and wish he could do similar.”
I realise there’s a vast difference between a political opinion and getting lost in the desert. And in the case of the former, whether you call it a “disgrace” (or say that the parent “must be so angry and ashamed”) or not depends on your own political opinion. But parental love does indeed tend to be unconditional.
“or say that the parent “must be so angry and ashamed”
I wouldn’t say that either – please read what Benn actually said (in the same link):
“Do not dare suggest to me that, because we have political differences, I am ashamed of the son I adore.”
or
When they next met, he icily fixed his gaze. “Never,” he said, “dishreshpect my family again.”
I think I will take Tony Benn’s words on these matters above those of John Goss, “me” or yourself – and in fact to do otherwise is the real insult to his memory. Agreeing to disagree with your offspring’s different political views is not in the least shaming or an insult to your memory when you are gone. It is in fact something to be proud, the aim of being a parent is to bring up children who can think for themselves in line with their own convictions, it is not to bring up automatons who are your replicas.- if you think about it you will realise this is how societies progress.
In this instance I was actually agreeing with you as I thought I made clear. The question as to whether Hilary Benn was right to disagree with his father is, of course, independant of the entire issue of family loyalties.
Hilary Benn switched sides because he thought a bit of rabble-rousing demagoguery would help him to become leader.
Where is the evidence that Hilary Benn changed his views on Syria?
Eh he made a statement just days before the “big” speech in the commons saying the opposite of what he said during the “big” speech.
He wanted the UK to focus on finding a solution via dialogue, via the UN and also wanted to get “safe zones” set up to protect innocent civilians. He wasn’t for us being involved in air strikes. Within a couple of days, he’d dumped the lot (when the plan to face down and defy Corbyn by the “moderates” emerged and big trough Hils left the front bench to defy his leader from the back bench and to support Cameron.
I think you better look at what Hilary Benn said before and after and also have a look at UN Security Council resolution 2249 which was passed in the intervening period.
The “old boy” establishment long ago realised that to preserve the illusion of “British democracy” they can’t just close the Labour Party down, or have them arrested. That wouldn’t do, at all old chap. It’s not cricket. The rabble wouldn’t like it & they might revolt. So, working on the principle that if you can’t beat them, join them, they’ve infiltrated it instead.
They dress Tories in red ties & parachute them into safe Labour seats to prevent traditional working class people & real agents of social change from getting in. Once they’ve got enough of “our sort of people” into key positions, anyone who steps out of line, or can’t be bought off, can be pushed out into the Back Bench wilderness.
UKIP is now taking voters from the failing Labour Party,
in the same way The Scottish Donald has taken ordinary workers votes in America.
A new world is on the horizon.
This new world does not include the Liberal Democrates, it may include the rump of the Old Labour Party with J.C. singing The Red Flag
I’m glad you all think Tristram Hunt was so useless, since that means that his Labour replacement should win the byelection easily, especially given all the support that Momentum Party members from nearby Birmingham will provide for the cause. Of course on the other hand should the Party lose Stoke on Trent for the first time since 1950, while a deeply unpopular and ineffective Tory Party are in power, it will not reflect too well on the Party leadership: will it?
I’ve come to realise it’s the ideological purity that matters, not actually winning anything.
They will use every tool in the box to prevent a Momentum candidate winning. Because a defeat there can be weider against Jeremy Corbyn. We’ll see a continuation of the concerted media demonisation campaign we’ve seen waged against Jeremy Corbyn. They’ve already shown that they would rather scuttle the party than lose the control they’ve acquired over it.
After all, if they can destroy Labour, they can persuade the more gullible & reactionary elements to vote for the Tory extremists of UKIP, the choice becomes one of “Tories” or “extreme Tories”.
You’ve got it all arse about foot. It is the Corbynistas and the Momentum that are destroying the Labour Party. Just look at the polls. They are scuttling the Labour Party that won three consecutive general elections and replacing it with the most unelectable opposition in history. It’s a disaster, man. Can’t you see it?
You appear to have forgotten that the leader of that (New) Labour Party has, since, fallen from grace and from a very great height after being exposed for the phoney Tony he was.
As I recall Corbyn wasn’t doing too badly in the polls initially. The real drop has come as the internal war has continued and worsened and as it became increasingly clear that the PLP, as a body, was not willing to present a united opposition to May’s government even after Corbyn was elected leader for the second time in two years. Perhaps that’s another reason why the polls are suffering.
It is far too easy to blame one man for this state of affairs. The very public war the PLP engaged in against their own leader said it all. Take a look at the Deputy Leader too. In the past when there were problems (once the wars of the Blairites’ and the Brownites’ began you may recall the then Deputy, Prescott, steered a middle path between the two sections and often worked to bring unity. I think Harman did the same when she held the same position later when the remains of the Blairites were still going after Brown and when we had the Davibands and the Edibands fighting with each other.
Now look at Watson. He has been instrumental in the campaign against the leader of the Party to say the least. He has done nothing to stop the melt down but has actively been involved in the planning of it.
We’ve also seen a significant number of women involved in this vicious campaign against Corbyn who then ran squealing that they were being “bullied” and it wasn’t fair because they were women…….but it was all right for some of them to invent stories about broken office windows (windows which weren’t located in their constituency offices), and “break-ins” to offices they’d vacated when they’d resigned from the shadow cabinet some weeks earlier! (Malhotra claimed Corbyn’s team has “broken in” to her old office when in fact they had the right to access it, as established once the Speaker investigated the matter and Malhotra’s claims were shown to be false. It hadn’t stopped Malhotra from going on the BBC and to various newspapers tho’ with the original tissue of lies.) Facts didn’t stop Stella Creasy declaring, live, that she had to leave the commons as there were people rioting outside her office and frightening her staff. There were people demonstrating there asking her to show common sense instead of joining the coup against Corbyn. We also saw the “bullied” Jesse Phillips declaring, “I won’t stab you in the back. I’ll stab you in the front!” with a wide grin! These poor frightened lassies who were being “bullied” did worse than bully. They lied, manipulated and worked together like the proverbial coven! They are a disgrace to all female politicians.
I agree the Party is now a disaster but many, many people are to blame for that including those in the PLP who have behaved appallingly in the last eighteen months and damaged their Party possibly beyond repair. I am not a “Corbynista” incidentally so please don’t insult me by suggesting I am.
Yep – everyone is to blame accept the leader, McDonnell and Momentum – well now they are in charge for the byelections in Copeland and Stoke and Trent with all their detractors in the Party standing aside, so you if they don’t win then you will have to find someone else to blame.
“They will use every tool in the box to prevent a Momentum candidate winning.”
___________________
Of course “they” (whoever “they” are) will! It’s blindingly obvious. The entire resources of the state will be devoted to ensuring that a “Momentum candidate” (does such an animal exist?) will not win, thus frustrating the clear and unambigous will of the electors as revealed in advance in a vision to our good commenter.
In a few months time, Socialist FRANCE will be the dust of History.
France will either have Extreme far right or far right.
But will they still follow the Socialist route of stripping Northern Africa bare.
Not at all, Norton. France will have a centre-right President and govt, not the extreme far right or the far right.
I’ll bet you 100.000 anciens francs if you wish (I know you don’t like euros).
The V&A?
This is the best place for him.
He tried to make a Labour Aristocracy museum out of the Labour Party.
Now we see the level of his commitment.
You mean with the dinosaurs?
“This is the best place for him.”
Not at all. It’s very unfair on one of our greatest museums to have someone totally inappropriate inflicted on them. He has neither experience of museums, nor of art. So no vision useful for the future. Nor did I see from his Wiki that he has experience of organisation, apart from his short time at Mini Ed.
sorry, that was laguerre.