A significant proportion of Labour MPs are actively seeking to cause their own party to do badly in forthcoming local elections, with the aim of damaging the leader of that party. To that end they have attacked Jeremy Corbyn relentlessly in a six week crescendo, in parliament and in the entirely neo-liberal owned corporate media, over the Skripal case, over Syria, and over crazy allegations of anti-semitism, again and again and again.
I recall reporting on an Uzbek Presidential election where the “opposition” candidate advised voters to vote for President Karimov. When you have senior Labour MPs including John Woodcock, Jess Phillips, John Mann, Luciana Berger, Mike Gapes, Wes Streeting and Ruth Smeeth carrying on a barrage of attacks on their own leader during a campaign, and openly supporting Government positions, British democracy has become completely dysfunctional. No amount of posing with leaflets in their constituencies will disguise what they are doing, and every Labour activist and trade unionist knows it.
British democracy cannot become functional again until Labour voters have a chance to vote for candidates of their party who are not supporters of the neo-liberal establishment. This can only happen by the removal as Labour candidates of a very large number of Labour MPs.
That it is “undemocratic” for party members to select their candidates freely at each election, and it is “democratic” for MP’s to have the guaranteed candidacy for forty years irrespective of their behaviour, is a nonsensical argument, but one to which the neo-liberal media fiercely clings as axiomatic. Meanwhile in the SNP, all MPs have to put themselves forward to party members equally with other candidates for selection at every election. This seems perfectly normal. Indeed every serious democratic system elects people for a fixed term. Labour members do not elect their constituency chairman for life, so why should they elect their parliamentary candidate for life? Why do we keep having general elections rather than voters elect the MP for life?
Election of parliamentary candidates for life is in fact a perfectly ludicrous proposition, but as it is currently vital to attempts to retain undisputed neo-liberal hegemony, anybody who dissents from the idea that candidacy is for life is reviled in the corporate and state media as anti-democratic, whereas the truth is of course the precise opposite.
The election of Jeremy Corbyn to the Labour leadership was a fundamental change in the UK. Previously the choice offered to electors in England and Wales was between two parties with barely distinguishable neo-liberal domestic policies, and barely distinguishable neo-conservative foreign policies. Jeremy Corbyn then erupted onto centre stage from the deepest backbenches, and suddenly democracy appeared to offer people an actual choice. Except that at the centre of power Jeremy did not in fact command his own party, as its MPs were largely from the carefully vetted Progress camp and deeply wedded to neo-conservative foreign policy, including a deep-seated devotion to the interests of the state of Israel as defined by the Israeli settlers and nationalist wing, and almost as strongly wedded to the economic shibboleths of neo-liberalism.
These Labour MPs were, in general, prepared grudgingly to go along with a slightly more social democratic economic policy, but drew the line absolutely at abandoning the neo-conservative foreign policy of their hero Tony Blair. So pro-USA policy, support for bombings and missiles as “liberal intervention” in a Middle Eastern policy firmly aligned to the interests of Israel and against the Palestinians, and support for nuclear weapons and the promotion of arms industry interests through a new cold war against Russia, are the grounds on which they stand the most firmly against their own party leadership – and members. Over these issues, these Labour MPs will support, including with voting in parliament, the Tories any day.
I have never voted Labour. I come from a philosophical viewpoint of the liberal individualist rather than of working class solidarity. Labour support for nuclear weapons and other WMD, in the blinkered interest of the members of the General Municipal and Boilermakers’ Union, is one reason that I could not vote Labour. The other is of course that in many cases, if you vote Labour you are very likely to be sending to parliament an individual who will vote with the Tories to escalate the arms race and conduct dangerous and destructive proxy wars in the Middle East.
There is an excellent article on Another Angry Voice which lists the only 18 MPs who were brave enough to vote against Theresa May’s 2014 Immigration Act, which enshrined dogwhistle racism and the hostile environment policy.
Diane Abbott (Labour)
Jeremy Corbyn (Labour)
Jonathan Edwards (Plaid Cymru)
Mark Lazarowicz (Labour)
John Leech (Liberal Democrat)
Elfyn Llwyd (Plaid Cymru)
Caroline Lucas (Green)
Angus MacNeil (SNP)
Fiona Mactaggart (Labour)
John McDonnell (Labour)
Angus Robertson (SNP)
Dennis Skinner (Labour)
Sarah Teather (Liberal Democrat)
David Ward (Liberal Democrat)
Mike Weir (SNP)
Eilidh Whiteford (SNP)
Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru)
Pete Wishart (SNP)
5 of the 6 SNP MPs stood against this racism (the sixth was absent) and the current leadership of the Labour Party stood alone against the Blairites and Tories in doing so. The Windrush shame should inspire Labour members to deselect every single one of the Red Tories who failed to vote against that Immigration Act. It is also a measure of the appalling shame of the Liberal Democrats, of whom only three of their sixty odd MPs opposed it, and who consigned themselves to the dustbin of history through Nick Clegg’s gross careerism and right wing principles.
There is more to say though. This vote is testament to the great deal in common which the SNP have with the current Labour leadership (who also personally consistently opposed Trident), as opposed to with the bulk of Labour MPs. Put another way, Corbyn, Abbot and McDonnell have more in common with the SNP than the Blairites. It is also a roll-call of those MPs who have most consistently stood against the appalling slow genocide of the Palestinians. It is astonishing how often that issue is a reliable touchstone of where people stand in modern British politics.
Corbyn’s supporters have slowly gained control of major institutions within the Labour Party. The essential next move is for compulsory re-selection of parliamentary candidates at every election and an organised purge of the Blairites. If the Labour Party does not take that step, I could not in conscience urge anyone to vote for it, even in England, but rather to look very carefully at the actual individual candidates standing and decide who deserves your support.
If you think you know what is going on in The USA, this might add to your education. I’m nearly half way through it. Save the rest for a rainy day. The UK is now quite obviously part of The Beast, and almost certainly has been for considerably longer. It’s just that more recently, it has got considerably worse, and the whole can of worms is on open display.
“Part 1: Kevin Shipp, CIA Officer Exposes the Shadow Government”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQouKi7xDpM
In light of the terrible suffering and injustice that some of those people from the Windrush generation have suffered.
Senior Home Office official finally admits that Theresa May personally intervened to ensure
the controversial go home or face arrest immigration vans were toughened up.
http://uk.businessinsider.com/theresa-may-nick-timothy-home-office-go-home-vans-windrush-2018-4
RoS
Mrs May is an evil racist. What is the punishment for a minister of the Crown who forces through an unjust policy in contravention of the law and common justice? Resignation in disgrace. She must be forced to resign before her racist version of Brexit is implemented. Polish people are deeply distrustful and insulted by her racism. She is a walking disgrace.
Unfortunately people of Theresa May’s ilk never resign they need to be pushed.
The slave owner has the right to dispose of their property in any manner they may see fit.
The Tory ministers feel no sense of shame or guilt, if they did so Amber Rudd for example would’ve resigned by now, as would’ve the PM and the FS, and Esther McVey, for attempting to spin the Rape clause policy as a good thing.
Nobody resigns nowadays RoS. There is no honour among the Tory and some of Labour thieves. Look at Hunt’s deceit on his property purchases and how he tried to conceal his directorship of Mare Pond Properties Ltd where his Chinese wife is now the sole director. Hunt himself is said to be worth £14m. The ones that leave like Milburn and Lansley are multi millionaires. Blair’s net worth? Who knows?
It make you wonder about the kind of people who voted for them in the first place. On second thoughts I think we know.
Blair in fish-nets? He has a price for anything. Sorry to trample on your feminist principles, Sharp Ears. I am disappointed that the dryness of my irony about May’s callous treatment of English citizens from the Caribbean got no response from anyone. Too dry, too close to the knuckle., too cruel for anyone to be drawn.
A friend I once had from the Caribbean told me that when they didn’t need a an older man, they would put him in a barrel with 6 inch nails sticking inwards and roll it down the hill. By the bottom he was mincemeat. I’ve no idea if that was true, but this is the kind of cruelty that Mrs May has just apologised for doing when she was Home Secretary.
Sending the police round to evict people who had been invited here by the crown, lived and worked for a lifetime and kicked out and denied a pension. She likes it or doesn’t like it she has to resign.
Resign? She’s England’s choice as Prime Minister. And the Tories won 3 council by-elections in England yesterday.
Scotland must get free soon or else we’ll get political, economic and cultural mistreatment on a scale far greater than the Highland Clearances or Thatcher’s Caledonia bashing.
reel guid.
Yes we need to vacate this union, the next GE isn’t until 2022. The Tories and the HO have years of discrimination to dish out yet.
Sorry. Misread a tweet. Tories didn’t win 3. Lib Dems won 2. Not very good showing for Labour.
The Labour Party won’t take those steps, every action over decades shows that is the case. Corbyn, McDonnell have nothing in common with the SNP. They are old men from the 70s.
They are stuck in an anti war groove thats well past its sell by date. They should consult investment banker Blackford and Hillary fan Sturgeon on whats expected of a politician in 21st c Britain.
Corbyn the closet rooter for Rajoy.
Surely rubbish reel guid. Could you substantiate thatm please?
I don’t mean Corbyn identifies with Rajoy ideologically. But his avoidance of speaking out against the Francoist crackdown is very noticeable. At least to those who choose to notice.
This doesn’t sound like him not speaking out against the Rajoy regime.
Last October
‘Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has urged Theresa May to appeal to the Spanish prime minister to end the police violence in Catalonia following the disputed independence referendum.
Mr Corbyn has called on the Prime Minister to intervene after a day of intense violence which has seen members of the Civil Guard firing rubber bullets on the crowds who turned out to vote in the poll which has been deemed illegal by the Constitutional Court in Madrid.
The police, who have been drafted in from other parts of Spain, have been caught on camera beating voters and throwing them downstairs as they attempt to shut down polling stations across the region.
He tweeted to condemn the violence against the Catalans as “shocking” and said the “Spanish government must act to end it now”.’
‘://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/catalonia-independence-referendum-jeremy-corbyn-theresa-may-violence-intervention-mariano-rajoy-a7976976.html
Yeah. He tweeted on the day of the independence poll last year to abhor the “police violence”. Note what he called it. He didn’t say state violence, which is what it was.
Since then Corbyn has failed to register any protest at the Madrid government’s spurning of the Catalan offer to negotiate. He ignored the undemocratic deposition of the Catalan government by Rajoy. Said nothing when Catalan ministers were kept for months without charge in unheated cells. Nothing when activists were arrested on trumped up charges. Didn’t care when the deposed Catalan Chief of Police was charged for not encouraging his officers to join the Guardia Civil in beating up elderly voters. Hasn’t spoken out against the European Arrest Warrants.
iain – and what groove are the neo con politicians stuck in??
Try this for a Friday afternoon in the sun http://www.theblogmire.com/the-skripal-case-20-new-questions-that-journalists-might-like-to-start-asking/
Sorry if it’s already been mentioned but the head of the OPCW mission in Syria…
https://www.un.org/press/en/2017/sga1728.doc.htm
… has a background in child trafficking…
https://www.plazapublica.com.gt/content/incredible-story-edmond-mulet-and-children-he-exported
a bloke who previously illegally sold babies in charge of the Douma enquiry? So is this guy a fine upstanding citizen of Guatemala (a country that has been in Uncle Sam’s back pocket for over 60 years) or a CIA asset? Hmmmm…I wonder…
“The sums that adoptive parents were willing to pay for a Guatemalan child also began to increase. The fact that 50% of the Guatemalan population lived below the poverty line and that the armed conflict had left thousands of orphans and vulnerable infants created the ideal conditions for the adoption business to flourish…”
There’s a beautiful sort of efficiency here in US relations with Guatemala, of course;
1) 1954, install a military dictatorship so as to make sure the country’s wealth and resources are in the right hands, basically ensuring most of the population will live in abject poverty.
2) commit acts of genocide and mass murder towards any group that gets in the way.
3) sell the babies of the murdered and impoverished.
Of course, it would be remiss to ignore the full diversity of Guatemala’s export oriented economy. Aside from the babies, coffee, sugar, petroleum, apparel, bananas, fruits and vegetables, it is also a key supplier in the burgeoning ‘body part business’.
God bless America.
A question is being asked, and a answer is awaited, as to why Salisbury hospital was re-opened after two days whereas other sites are to be closed ‘for decontamination’ for eight or more weeks.
Mr Hamish de B-G was on hand to tell the BBC that there was nothing to worry about as the ‘experts from PortonDown, just up the road’ had had the special knowledge to deal with it. Komic Kuts.
Yes. That’s what makes all this Operetta-on-a-low-budget.
Jeez, the more I read of the suffering of the Windrush immigrants dished out by the HO, the more I think it’s akin to fascism.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/apr/20/i-thought-i-would-die-windrush-man-left-homeless-after-brain-surgery
So the state broadcaster is getting ready to launch another full blown propaganda channel in Scotland, aimed at convincing certain none unionist Scots that the BBC is really a very likeable and non biased media out let.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-scotland-43837258?__twitter_impression=true
That’s what we really need another state broadcaster channel pumping out the unionist agenda.
But whatever you do don’t put up FOI’s asking awkward questions to the state broadcaster you are very unlikely to get a reply, even though you pay them to lie to you.
https://wingsoverscotland.com/transparency-and-accountability/
It’ll be the usual BBC propaganda. Mind you it’ll be difficult for them to avoid having a regular Scottish politics Question Time show.
In my opinion this is more HO fascism at work, what if she’d been white?
Kicked out for minor tax discrepancy, from 2010. Her job here was creating anti-cancer drugs.
Yet we let dodgy Russian oligarchs stay.
https://mobile.twitter.com/bbcasiannetwork/status/986997505824092161
Jeez, if it’s not the HO, kicking people out or the DWP indirectly killing people by removing or sanctioning benefits.
Now we have this.
“Freedom of Information requests (FOIs) have revealed that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has been forcing charities to sign contracts ‘promising’ not to criticise Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey.”
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/2018/04/20/the-dwp-has-been-caught-forcing-charities-to-promise-they-wont-criticise-esther-mcvey/
McVile (McVey’s nickname) recently tried to explain the benefits of the Rape clause, to raped women, there are none,you couldn’t make this shit up if you tried.
What a nasty nasty government.
Still not as nasty as Maggie yet. Kicking or screaming, she must forced to resign
more reading / more weeping http://www.moonofalabama.org/2018/04/syria-who-holds-up-the-opcw-investigation-in-douma.html#more
This topic is still dragging on, I see.
I was hoping you’d all have realised by now what I and many in Scotland realised so many years ago: it’s not British democracy that’s the problem, not really, it’s the twisted and stupid voters of England (not Britain) who are the real problem. You could probably narrow it down further to people above 60, especially those who are (or think they are) middle class.
In short, if people in England didn’t vote for people like Thatcher, May, Blair, Brexit, privatisation, cuts, lower taxes, and wars (yes, the data suggests support for governments in England goes up when there’s a war on), then the UK would probably be doing just fine.
In Scotland more or less all of those people and policies were vote losers, with the exception of Blair in his earlier years (although they soon realised he was a scumbag too, of course).
Most people reading this probably wouldn’t ever have heard of the SNP and Scottish independence movement if it wasn’t for all that.
And that, my friends, is the truth of the situation.
Spare a thought for Kurdistan. Soon they have a choice between the two main parties both kleptomaniac stooges of the West, Goran Party whose leader died even though it was making progress until barzani dissolved parliament 3 years ago, a wise-boy who borrowed money to build Blair’s dream of Disney-land in Iraq, Chavy land, and never paid it back to the investors except in credits for rides on swings. plus a the delightful al Qaida lite Islamic parties. Same problem there as with Corbyn, not as you suggest the electorate but the very real danger of getting bumped off if a politician challenged the status quo. you or I or anyone on this blog would have had the Saddam knock on the door, cut brake pipes etc years ago , just for posting.
My heart bleeds for them. But half of the horror stories in the world would disappear overnight if people in the west stop voting for scumbags. England defines itself as a country that interferes abroad — they think it’s a God given right. It’s the same with the Americans, our self appointed globocops. I think there’s something in the Anglo water and it’s not very pleasant.
And, yet, here we are, another year, another righteous war. I haven’t looked but I’d be willing to bet that May’s approval ratings go up because of the Syria attack. The angry English love waving their big stick around, showing Johnny Foreigner who’s boss.
Half the population in the US stopped voting for scumbags long ago. It’s why voter participation here is only 50%.
No real change between the Tories and SNP from 2017 in the Highland ward by-election for Perth & Kinross Council. The Tories got 46% 1st preferences to the SNP’s 36% and the Tory was elected at stage 6. Labour a poor 5% or so.
Hilariously Willie Rennie tells his spring conference that the Scottish Lib Dems are setting the agenda in Scotland. On the same day of the result in P & K. His party got 78 votes. Way to go Willie!
Yes reel guid, attention seeking Rennie pontificating to the one hundred or so already converted.
Meanwhile this Tory clown is an embarrassment, as per usual.
https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2018/04/19/a-conservative-mp-is-now-regretting-the-disgraceful-jolly-he-had-in-iraq/
I live in reasonable democratic Sweden. I am a Socialdemocrat, have been the last 15 years, thats when I came here from Denmark, I would never have woted Socialdemocratic in Denmark as the party iis consumed by neocon Blairism, we jokingly call it Venstre Light, as it is almost in agreement with Venstre , which is Thatcherism undiluted.
But in Sweden it is actually ok to vote Socialdemocratic, the party has still got a conscience and room for people of other ethnic origin. It has been a tremendous experience for me engaging in politics with Afghans , Syrians, Somalis in Swedish on topics of mutual interest, all in fluent Swedish of course.
I think Britains problem lies in its voting system, it is not fair. Cant remember the correct name for the British system, winner takes all ? A representative system would give people more democracy, especially if a candidate can be put up in several areas.
And small parties would be represented, Greens anybody ?
The members of the Scottish Parliament and all Scotland’s councillors are elected by PR.
It’s the antiquated FPTP voting system for the English House of Commons you’re referring too.
The Scottish system is dire. I’m almost glad there’s no real power at stake with it.
“The Scottish system is dire”.
Are you surprised? TPTB would never have allowed a system that worked well and fairly to be used.
Why is it dire?
The d’hondt system discriminates too much against success in the constituency seats. We’ve all heard the boring arguments for PR, but the d’hondt system with the divisor goes way too far. There are times and circumstances where a particular party deserves to sweep the board and it’s unfiar to handicap them for no reason other than some academic screwball thinks it is clever.
With the SOF (Salisbury Occupation Force) now settled in for a happy summer of “hotspot” hunting the City residents are beginning to realise that tourists and property sales will be as scarce as hens’ teeth for the duration.
Doubtless the MoD has indented for container-loads of baby wipes and washing powder. Should any hotspots be found in the Cathedral or its precinct we expect the necessary demolition to proceed unflinchingly.
#FreeYuliaSkripal.
If they haven’t already destroyed Sailbury’s economy, they soon will. News reports claim that hazmat suited and booted personnel are wandering around Sailsbury supposedly cleaning up nerve agent hotspots.
What a load of old bollocks.
Salisbury*
“What a load of old bollocks.”
Totally agree — pure pish.
Funny though, Salisbury council officials have now put out a request that Banksy comes and brightens up the barriers that have been put in place to hide the space-suits “working” behind them: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/apr/20/salisbury-is-safe-despite-likely-novichok-hotspots-officials-say
Lots of room for mischief there if Banksy was being really creative — that has the potential to be a pure hoot! (Unhappy and hapless councillors and all!)
As we spend millions on replacing the bombs dropped needlessly on Syria, whilst we spend billions building warmongering staging posts aircraft carriers, in which we still need to spend billions on planes for them.
School children in Leeds are rummaging through bins in schools scavenging any disgarded foods they can find.
They eat very well, those unelected lords in the House of Lords taxpayer subsidised restaurants.
https://www.tes.com/news/exclusive-mum-didnt-have-any-food-rise-pupil-hunger
Lets not forget that billions of pounds have still to spent on renewing Trident, and its nuclear subs.
After Syria strikes Pentagon warned that Russian bot activity was up 2000%
The situation appears to be deteriorating, Theresa May warns now that Russian Bot activity up 4000%
https://twitter.com/SkyNews/status/987141321558249472
Meanwhile according to this Amber Rudd, privately boasted to the PM that her department would hunt down immigrants, by using money meant for crime fighting and giving it to immigrant hunting instead.
Knife crime in London is out of control.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/apr/20/amber-rudd-boasted-harsher-immigration-strategy-leak-reveals
Russian Ambassador’s press conference at lunchtime today, announcing an emergency session for the UNSC. Whatever your views, contrast his explanation of the Salisbury and Syria incidents with that of our own politicians and media.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwOhJV_Jibg
Remember how the City boys grew fat from Gideon’s Royal Mail privatisation? The gravy train is still running.
Royal Mail confirms Moya Greene’s departure as chief executive
April 20 2018
Moya Greene will step down in September and be replaced by Rico Back – Photo
Royal Mail has confirmed that Moya Greene will step down as chief executive and will be replaced by the head of its international parcel delivery operations.
Rico Back, 63, who runs the highly profitable GLS business and has been a senior executive at the company for 18 years, will take up the role on June 1. Ms Greene, 63, will retire in September to provide an orderly handover. She will receive a cash payment of a year’s salary plus bonus, amounting to just short of ++ £1 million++.
Her departure after eight years will reduce the number of FTSE 100 female chief executives to six. Ms Greene oversaw the successful privatisation of Royal Mail after three previous attempts by the government. The former state-owned company is responsible for delivering the country’s letters under the universal service obligation, which means that it has to deliver to all addresses under a one-price-goes-anywhere regime. It is the UK’s largest deliverer of parcels in a sector that is growing rapidly because of online shopping and which includes the likes of Amazon and the UK divisions of Deutsche Post and La Poste of France. It employs 160,000.
The promotion of Mr Back has been widely expected. The Times reported in 2016 that Peter Long, chairman of Royal Mail, had wanted Mr Back to be the successor and Sky News reported earlier this month that the company was close to appointing him to the role. Mr Back and his family have lived near Zurich, Switzerland, for more than ten years and his youngest child is in full-time education. He will continue to be legally domiciled in Switzerland but on his appointment he will work out of the group’s London headquarters.
He led the development of what is now GLS from its inception as German Parcel in 1989, creating a major network in 41 European countries. It accounts for about 35 per cent of Royal Mail’s adjusted operating profit. Mr Long said: “The board believes that Rico’s track record, his strong commercial acumen and his deep understanding of the delivery industry mean he is ideally placed to lead Royal Mail.”
Mr Back will receive a ++base salary of £640,000 and a cash pension allowance of 17.5 per cent of base salary,++ equivalent to that of Ms Greene.’
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/business/royal-mail-confirms-moya-greenes-departure-as-chief-executive-g0n8p5tzn
Boy in Douma “chemical attack ” video says he was forced to run up stairs in hospital, he then claims doctors filmed him having water poured over him.
The White Helmets claimed it was a gas attack.
https://www.rt.com/news/424694-douma-boy-video-attack/
Speaking of the Skripals, have they been offed yet by MI5?
The Sunday Times told us they would be given new identities in America.
In other words, we’ll never see or hear from them again. Anyway, it’s nothing for the state broadcaster to bother with, not when the future head of fucking Commonwealth is being decided.
I see the Harry S Truman carrier group has just entered the Med. It’ll soon be time for another gas attack to help the Maybot win the local election and the Orange Balloon prove himself to the neocons. My money’s on Daraa. It’s close to Jordan and the Golan Heights so the US/IDF cavalry don’t have far to gallop when Regime Change Proxies Inc. shoot their next film.
«The Sunday Times told us they would be given new identities in America.»
And paid a very nice “compensation” for and NDA. Will they ever testify in any hypothetical court case? That would be quite interesting, because court proceedings are still open record (I show here how naive I am :->).
Nicola Sturgeon tops a Sky News poll to find the most popular woman in the UK.
But wait. What’s this? Ruth Davidson is among the100 most influential people in the world!
Because Niall Ferguson says so.
LOL.
the Sky News poll asked who is the most influential woman in Britain. Nicola Sturgeon came out top and either the Queen or Mhairi Black second and third.
No idea why Ruth Davidson, a third rate politician in a third rate party, is being promoted by Nial Ferguson. Probably jealous.
Sturgeon is definitely influential. She has single-handedly smothered the independence movement. In doing so she even defied the Gods who sent the Scottish independence movement great gifts, smith commission, 56 out of 59 MPs, Brexit, Grenfell, austerity, Catalonia, and Syria, to name but a few, but Sturgeon stood firm and ensured the gifts would not be converted to any advantage.
our democratic Government Scientists say that “toxic hotspots” remain around Salisbury, according to the apparently CIA inspired BuzzFeed.
Well Cheltenham is 2 hours north, about 72-miles on the A346;
Hanslope Park is 108-miles north-east, 2 1/2hrs up the old A34;
the same time it’ll take the rentakill GasActors to get to Chequers, up the M3.
PD itself? Hot-or-not?
Where in the huge manhunt being conducted in and around Salisbury are the “hot spots” where police believe the Skripal would-be murderers are hiding?
Hardly surprising that British democracy sucks when Jeremy Heywood, the Cabinet Secretary and head of the Civil Service, can issue pronouncements as if Britain is still an administrative state.
Interesting article here about how social media trolls are apparently causing mayhem on twitter.
https://www.unian.info/m/world/10088162-russian-infowar-twitter-battles-rage-over-salisbury-case.html
(From the totally un-biased Кйев “Ukrainian Independent Information Agency” but I like to read widely and do like to hear both sides of an argument, eh?, OFCOM)
They do the usual not-very artificial not-very intelligent machine learning and decide that Russian trolls are faking as UK citizens. I agree!, I bet they are. I’d also expect NATO/UA trolls to be pretending to be Russian trolls, playing in Albion. AI ML shows that smoke and mirrors are being deployed a lot, so only believe half of what you actually see & don’t believe anything that you read, including this comment. Simples.
A NeoCon disinformation site, manufacturing stories about Russian interference in western internal affairs, is what prompted Spain/Ecuador’s silencing of Julian Assange. (Now said to be in dangerously Iil health and likely to be expelled from the Ecuadorian embassy altogether).
https://theintercept.com/2018/04/20/how-fake-news-and-western-propaganda-about-russian-interference-in-catalonia-coerced-ecuador-to-silence-julian-assange/
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.
Congratulations Israel on the 70th anniversary of your Independence. Your struggle against adversity and your spirit of self-sacrifice has gained our respect in Catalonia #yomhaatzmaut
https://twitter.com/KRLS/status/987044066310443008
From a Masonic connection Washington time may be more significant. Note also that the very first Sherlock Holmes story ‘A Study in Scarlet’ opens with a poisoning on an unspecified 4th March, the same day and month on which the Skripals were poisoned. The bombing and poisoning are separated by 40 days. Conan Doyle was a Freemason and there’s a statue of Holmes and Watson outside the British Embassy in Moscow. It might be worth someone watching the celebrated Soviet film of this story for relevant details, I’m sure it’s good viewing even if nothing emerges. Even for those for whom this may be a conspiracy too far the Conan Doyle’s original text contains the lines which are highly pertinent “It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.”
The current narrative of PLP is that ‘Corbynistas’ have ‘infiltrated’ the party via Momentum. Yet nothing could be further from the truth. I may sound like a broken record on this point but back in the 80s the ‘Gang of Four’ took the right wing of Labour off to form the SDP (Social Democratic Party for younger viewers) This party enjoyed a little initial success but ultimately had to join with The Liberal Party to form what is now known as the LibDems (Liberal Democrat Party)
Within a year or two of this humiliation THEY started to infiltrate the Labour Party again. Labour, as a party, has become fat, lazy and incompetent. Local branches are poorly attended and friends elect each other behind closed doors. Thus ensuring that the vast majority of members have little knowledge of the views of those who they then go on to elect. Because who else is there to vote for? In England there has been NO other competition for anyone remotely left of centre. And in Scotland, the advent of Devolution has allowed others to flourish, but mostly SNP. The fact that SNP actually had policies in the Scottish Parliament that benefitted those who voted has cemented their place in the minds of voters as a party of the people. All that without being particularly radical, just, perhaps slightly less lazy.
Now, with a resurgence of the left-wing (I’d argue with that though, Corbyn is a moderate – PLP are on the extreme right of Labour, THEY are the extremists) The PLP is the tail trying to wag the dog. Against the wishes of those who voted Corbyn in, ie Labour members and against the wishes of voters who increased their number of seats at the snap election 12 months ago DESPITE what PLP, the press and the Tories thought would happen.
PLP are NOT for the people, not for Labour and not for democracy. They want on the gravy train and have no care for those who vote for them.
I voted Labour at every local authority election, Regional Council Election, Scottish Parliamentary Election, Westminster Election and Euro Election for 25 years and now I will never vote for them again, in ANY election. Even IF Corbyn turns the party around I think he lacks the strength to hold them together and certainly they will not allow Scotland it’s independence.
That said, I wish him well and hope he proves me wrong. We need an opposition who will hold the Tories to account, because that has been sadly lacking. Labour have been complaint and voted through benefit cuts against their own constituents “This way for the Cuts” shouted the Tory Whip, and was followed by Labour MPs doing Tory dirty work at the behest of Brown and Darling…
This is a good example how low the Blairites are prepared to go, remember John Manns speech in Parliament and the story of the dead bird being sent to his wife, well…
https://www.prole-star.co.uk/single-post/2018/04/20/Mann-Threatened-With-Libel-Action-After-Twitter-Rant