UPDATE
So now it is eight. If you want to understand that the UK truly is not a functioning democracy, consider this. Joan Ryan is all over the MSM this morning as being the eighth defector to the Independent Group. Yet astonishingly, while she is universally reported as citing anti-semitism as the reason she is leaving, it appears not one MSM journalist has asked her about her receipt of US$1 million from the Israeli Embassy for spreading Israeli influence. Not one. Nor has any mainstream media outlet cited the fact in its reporting today. Most, of course, never even mentioned it at the time.
ORIGINAL
I have heard it argued again and again on television this last 48 hours that it is deeply undemocratic for the electorate to be offered a choice that is any more complicated than between Red Tories and Blue Tories. It is apparently unthinkable and deeply wrong that Corbyn’s standard German style social democracy – which is routinely labeled “hard left” and “communist” – should be proffered to voters for them to support, or not.
The overwhelmingly Blairite MPs have put this case again and again to Labour Party members in repeated leadership elections, and have been roundly and repeatedly defeated. But now, according to no less a person than Tom Watson, Deputy Leader of the party, the losers’ policies must be embraced by the Party and adopted by its leadership, as to do otherwise is an affront to democracy. I confess I find this argument impossible to follow.
Corbyn has compromised already to a huge extent, even accepting that a Labour government will retain massive WMDs, in deference both to the imperialist pretensions of the Blairites and the personal greed of the demented Strangeloves who comprise the membership of the GMB Union. Labour’s pro-Trident stance will persist, until such time as enough Blairites join this forced march, or rather chauffeur driven drive, across their personal caviar and champagne strewn desert to their promised land of media contracts, massively remunerated charity executive jobs, and non-executive directorships.
Democracy is a strange thing. This episode has revealed that it is apparently a democratic necessity that we have another referendum on Brexit, while being a democratic necessity not to have another referendum on Scottish Independence, while the notion that the MPs, who now have abandoned the party and manifesto on which they stood, might face their electorates again, is so disregarded that none of the fawning MSM journalists are asking about it. In rejecting this option, the Corrupt Seven are managing the incredible feat of being less honorable than Tory MPs defecting to UKIP, who did have the basic decency to resign and fight again on their new prospectus.
Dick Taverne is a more directly relevant precedent, particularly as he was deselected as sitting Labour MP precisely because of his support for the EU. Taverne resigned, and fought and won his seat in a by-election in 1973, before losing it in the second 1974 election. There are also precedents for crossing the floor and not resigning and fighting under your new banner, but then there are also precedents for mugging old ladies. It is deeply dishonorable.
Luciana Berger is a one trick pony and it is worth noting that her complaints about anti-Semitism in the Labour Party date back to at least 2005, while Tony Blair was still Prime Minister. Berger had already by April 2005 spotted anti-Semitism in the National Union of Students, in the Labour Party and in her student union newspaper, those being merely the examples cited in this single Daily Telegraph article. I am extremely sorry and somewhat shocked to hear of the swamp of anti-semitism in which we were all already mired in 2005, but I do find it rather difficult to understand why the fault is therefore that of Jeremy Corbyn. And given that Tony Blair was at that time Prime Minister for eight years, I cannot understand why it is all Corbyn’s fault and responsibility now, but it was not Blair’s fault then.
On the contrary, the Telegraph puff piece states that Berger had met Blair several times and was Euan Blair’s girlfriend. This was of course before the privately educated Londoner was foisted on the unfortunate people of Liverpool Wavetree, doubtless completely unfacilitated by her relationship with Euan Blair.
The kind of abuse Berger has evidently been attracting since at least 2005 is of course a crime. Two people have quite rightly been convicted of it. Joshua Bonehill-Paine and John Nimmo sent a series of truly disgusting tweets and both were jailed. Both are committed long term neo-nazis. Yet I have repeatedly heard media references to the convictions squarely in the context of Labour Party anti-semitism. I have never heard on broadcast media it explained that neither had anything to do with the Labour Party. Like the left wing anti-semitism Berger has been reporting since at least 2005, this Nazi abuse too is all somehow Jeremy Corbyn’s fault.
It is further worth noting that in that 2005 article Berger claims a 47% increase in attacks on Jews, which is highly reminiscent of recent claims from community groups, such as the 44% increase claimed 2015 to 2017 or the 78% increase in violent crimes against Jews in the UK in 2017 alone claimed by the government of Israel.
One antisemitic attack is too many and all anti-semitism is to be deplored and rooted out. But if all these claims repeated again and again over decades of 30, 40, 50, 60 or 70% increases in attacks per year were true, then we would be now talking of at least 12,000 violent attacks on Jews per year, if we take Ms Berger’s 2005 claim as the baseline.
Yet we are not seeing that. The average number of convictions per year for violent, racially motivated attacks on Jewish people in the UK is less than one.
If we add in non-violent crimes, the number of people convicted per year for anti-semitic hate crime still remains under 20. And I am not aware of a single such conviction related in any way to the Labour Party.
Let me be perfectly plain. I want everybody convicted and imprisoned who is involved in anti-semitic hate crime. But the facts given above would cause any honest journalist to treat with more scepticism than they do, the repeated old chestnut claims of huge year on year increases in anti-semitic incidents.
There really are in logic only two choices; either anti-semitism is, contrary to all the hype, thankfully rare, or the entire British police, prosecutorial and judicial system must be systematically protecting the anti-semites. And I hardly see how they could blame Jeremy Corbyn for that.
None of this will stop the relentless promotion of the “Corbyn anti-semitism” theme, as the idea of a leader not completely behind the slow extirpation of the Palestinian people is unthinkable to the mainstream media class. The Corbyn anti-semitism meme is possibly the most remarkable example of evidence free journalism I have ever encountered.
Still more fascinating is the way the broadcasters are going to devote an astonishing amount of time to these political puppets. Of one thing I can assure you – these seven MPs will get more airtime than the 35 MPs of the SNP, with at least twice as many Question Time and Today programme appearances.
At some stage they will have to form a new party, in order to get airtime in elections. At what stage Blair declares for them is an interesting question. It is also a crucial test of just how horribly degraded the Lib Dems have now become. My old friend Charlie Kennedy will be spinning in his grave at an alliance with the Blairite warmonger faction, but the modern party appears bereft of any of the old Liberal values, cleared away by Clegg and his fellow orange Tories. If the party members do not revolt at association with Mike Gapes and Angela Smith, it really is time to wind the party up.
That the Corrupt Seven are some of the most unpleasant people in British politics is not entirely relevant, nor is the question of which interest groups are funding them. They are just an emission of pus, a symptom of the rottenness of the British body politic. They have nothing interesting to say and are feeble tools of the wealthy, thrown out as protection for a crumbling political system. The end of the UK is not pretty, and this is one of its uglier moments. It really is beyond time to crack on with Scottish Independence and the reunification of Ireland.
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Watson’s position beggars belief.
When Wavertree CLP (rightly) wanted explanations from Berger concerning her constant smearing of the Party and its leader and about her involvement in the rumoured setting up of a new Party, Watson attacked the CLP, formally complained to the Labour hierarchy and demanded its immediate suspension!
Now that Berger has lived up to her CLP’s suspicions, Watson is warning all other Labour MPs not to criticise Berger or the others or refer to them as traitors. So even though they’ve left the Party HE is DL of and torn it to shreds in their press conference, he’s STILL defending them. What does it take to see what some of us saw in 2015, when Corbyn won the leadership contest….that Watson, as DL, was there to serve the interests of the group foolishly known as the Labour moderates? There are many utter bastards in the PLP but, by God, Watson is the worst of the lot.
He certainly wouldn’t win the DL position now.
It’s not just him though, is it. Hardly any of them are ‘on board’ with anything approaching centre-left, nevermind left-wing. They are like fish out of water without their hero Blair around. After failing to oust Corbyn, they ‘tolerated’ him because they thought the next election(2017) would see him heavily defeated, then obviously resigning. The party needs a wholesale clearout, but the unions stood in the way of open selection adoption . Which for those not aware would allow CLPs to democratically pick a candidate – a zero aggro approach and one no sitting MP could quibble with. Instead, they lowered the trigger ballot threshold to 33% iirc. Not perfect, but better.
Tom Watson should have faced another DL election after the second Corbyn win. The contortions of the wreckers is an ugly sight. They apply a different standard to themselves and appear to be concerned more of fighting Corbyn than the Tories. Shame on them.
CLP selection is not that democratic, it is selection by an extremely small caucus. The 1980s saw plenty of sensible honorable MPs challenged by yobbish Trots who took over CLPs and behaved extremely unpleasantly to anyone who stood up to them.
Whatever system you use is open to abuse by power-crazy bullies….
I hope those in Wavertree CLP make a complaint to the Police as it looks like fraud has been committed.
Surely it’s about time that the conflating of antizionism and antisemitism is called out.
The forces of reaction have weaponised this conflation in order to delegitimise anybody who questions or pokes holes in the orthodox narrative.
A year ago somebody whispered in my ear “This Corbyn – antisemitism thing is rubbish.” Have things got so Orwellian that such observations are only whispered?
Someone posted : Judaism is a religion not a race – there is no such thing as a Jewish genotype.
Now that’s factually correct. But the response it drew from a certain Labour MP(who isn’t himself Jewish) on Twitter, can only be described as pure rage and fury.
This is an example what some of these Labour MPs think should result in instant, permanent expulsion from the labour party. I doubt the general public would feel the same way if they knew.
The purpose of zionism in British and US politics is to frighten people into conformity. The fear of an antisemitism smear shuts people up because it’s rare for people with their snouts in thee trough to put down their foot on a point of principle. Organised zionists do the same as the Praetorian Guard and the SA, which is really the only difference between the liberal state and any other fascist entity. Overt fascists don’t pretend that they are fair or protecting weak and feeble victims, they gloat as they stamp on them. Liberals act querulous in public and fascist in private; Craig found that out and told the truth, hence him being Limogé (Stellenbosched).
It’s happening in the US too:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/02/13/how-us-politicians-use-charges-anti-semitism-political-weapon/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.e68298257196
In the US the Senators and members of the House Of Representatives have to sign a pledge to be subservient to Israel to get elected and remain in office. This was exposed by the truly superb Cynthia McKinney https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_VNOk7Wv5A
Furthermore, regular civil servants have to make an oath to Israel too. For example, a teacher was recently fired from her job for refusing to sign the pledge. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lW-1MmN7gwE
Victims of hurricane disasters in Texas were also required to sign an oath to Israel in order to receive state aid from the hurricane!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFg5qJo5on0
Houston, we have a problem…….
Jeez 123 Bakery – it couldn’t be made up could it? If this isn’t a police state at work and the suppression of free thinking and the right to free speech then I don’t know what is. Made even worse by the USA invading and imposing sanctions on other countries to serve their own interests by calling them socialists, undemocratic, corrupt and other negative words. The USA are sociopathic in their denial of their own corruption. Bring on Bernie Saunders and Ocasio-Cortez!!
@Goose: “Judaism is a religion not a race.” Indeed, but at Sinai their god commands that they become a race: they must practice strict endogamy, hence the hprrible Phineas story.
Aaahh, the smoke and mirrors of fake democracy!
Great work, Craig, in spite of the smoke.
Whilst all the comments and talk are about the machinations, tactics, pro Blair, anti Corbyn, timings of resignations etc. there is something that has occurred to me that everyone seems to have missed.
These eight MP’s are under no obligation to give up their seats (as others have not done in the past) and will resist all calls for an election, and have declared themselves as independant. There are currently 15 independant MP’s sitting and most of those will be local people to the area who have campaigned on a specificic single issue that resonated with the local populace, but some will be people like Frank Field.
This new group has not put foward any policies and most importantly they are not a party but a private company and as such can hide their funding sources, backers and all sorts of rules that a party has to adhere to and they are not truly independant because they all belong to the same company.
As it stands at the moment, we now have a parliament where a private company has more voting power than The Green Party and Plaid Cymru. If two more MP’s resign and join this group they will have the same voting power as the DUP, three and they equal the Lib Dems. If they can attract four MP’s they would be the largest voting block after Con/Lab/SNP, and we won’t be able to remove them utill the next scheduled election
Ist it only me that sees a problem with openly allowing a private company so much power to operate within the halls of parliament supposedly on the people’s behalf. I will be more than happy to proved a nincompoop by somebody who knows more than me about arcane parliamentary proceedures proving that this could never happen. could it?
One particular piece I read today was gleefully declaring that if they could get 36 deserters they would REPLACE the SNP as the third largest “party”. My response was to point out they’re not a Party.
Umunna claims they’ll be a Party by the end of the year. If and when that new Party is official, surely they can’t just all be MPs without standing and actually being elected?
Given that their website domain was first registered nearly two years ago and only “renewed” last month (which rather gives the lie to all this “soul-searching…hard decision…it’s only day two” etc etc) and if, as I suspect, there’s probably another half a dozen Labour MPs waiting in the wings (Hoey, Mann, Austin, Stringer et al) whose resignations will be carefully stage-managed over the next few days to artificially create the impression of… er, momentum, what’s the betting that the party name and website has already been registered and that there is already seed funding in place to enable the building of the necessary party infrastructure…?
This all feels very staged and professionally planned, but it’s posing as organic and spontaneous.
I tend to agree O’sN. Just announced now on the Beeb’s lunchtime news that three conservative MPs have just joined the group – Sarah Woolaston, Anna Soubry and can’t remember the third – citing their reasons as the Govt’s stance on Brexit and that the CP has moved too far to the right. The reporter made the (‘Freudian’?) error of calling the independent group a ‘party’.
I’m minded to think that the funding for this comes from the Israeli state. That Government does believe that Corbyn is an existential threat – they project that to mean that he is a threat to the UK! The corruption of our politics, as revealed by Al Jazeera, demonstrates that they will go to any lengths to prevent a Corbyn led government. I have never, in my lifetime, been as despairing of the media in this country. They are failing the public by their lack of investigative journalism. I do fear for Mr Corbyn.
Royd, I too despair of journalism in the MSM – just a propaganda machine for this inherently corrupt, incompetent, contemptuous Tory Government – the only investigative journalism is being done on the internet which the Govt of course is also trying to censor. However, I do not fear for Corbyn. He is holding up remarkably well. I haven’t heard one single word of these stupid 11 now in any pub, group or discussion with friends. The only thing I have heard from 5 electricians that I work with are that they are a bunch of ‘ignorant tossers who just want to bring down Corbyn’. Unlikely as it seems, on Twitter, it would appear the 8 defectors intentions have back fired as Corbyn seems to be increasing in popularity just by sheer objection to these continuous, unevidenced, vicious and malicious smear campaigns against him. Let alone the knowledge that this Government’s Foreign Office (under Bojo) paid Integrity Initiative over £1m to run a smear campaign against Corbyn – which is a true true scandal as he is a Privy Councillor and the Leader of Her Majesty’s Opposition. He has proven to be brilliant on Brexit, at PMQs (where he regularly takes down Treason May) an on the campaign trail. He must have real integrity and inner strength to manage all this, I admire him greatly.
I actually wonder how Corbyn remains calm. He has journos outside his home every morning from 7 am. He’s surrounded as soon as he leaves. Manages to be civil and then has to deal with the torrents of abuse he gets from the media, the smears and the blatant disloyalty of those sitting behind him or, in Watson’s case, right next to him. I think I would lose the plot completely with the lot of them.
Maybe this allotment lark really is as good as yoga for keeping one serene and calm in all situations!
I suppose it was inevitable that supporters of privatisation would eventually attempt to privatise their own government faction; there are no other targets left.
Whispers on the grapevine hint at funding from Israel
Scotty
That would not surprise me in the least, because we know that both Conservative Friends of Israel and Labour Friends of Israel are funded and backed by the same group within the Israeli embassy.
Now, if only we had some responsible journalism, perhaps these things could be published.
Jo1 – I wonder if Novara Media could – they are making waves
…and Saudi Arabia and the US Deep State.
Scotty I wonder now whether the Government will level the same accusations about interfering in elections and Government and disinformation campaigns that they do against Russia to Israel? Mmmmm
I am afraid them saying they are a private company so finance can be hidden is no reason to accept their explanation. Letting them get away with shenanigans like that is a betrayal to everyone who lives up to the spirit of the rules.
Luciana Berger must be asked if she thinks rules do not apply to her because she was shagging Tony Blair’s son or whether all Jews follow her shameful example. You are inviting her to distance herself from mainstream Jewry…….
Chukka Umunna must be asked whether all black people behave like him or whether he is just an unprincipled wastrel whose skin happens to be dark. You are inviting him to distance himself from mainstream black people…
Same for the white women…..
Huw, whole heartedly agree – in fact, I believe their being a Private Company is grounds for a challenge in the Supreme Court because they are not MPs as such they are directors of a private company so their right to remain in the House should be seriously challenged. Any brilliant Barristers out there?
Dorset Eye gives the list of all the Israelli donors that scumbag Watson has and there are more than 30 silver coins involved.
You can hear Watson’s weedy voice on LBC this week. He is running the phone in O’Brien’s absence for half term.
Big question – why do MPs who are elected by the public to serve their interests in Parliament have any donors/sponsors at all? It’s corruption isn’t it?
I would say so too.
I am absolutely opposed to the idea that Shemima Begum should be deprived of the only nationality she has, just to suit momentary political conveniences. She is British by birth, and should have the advantages and inconveniences that follow. If she has done evil, although departing at the age of fifteen, hardly an age of majority, then she should be put on trial. Not, as Javid proposes, deprived of her citizenship.
Frankly it’s dubious legally. And should not be reinforced.
I agree, it looks like Javid is in a ‘tough guy’ competition with warmonger Gavin Williamson. It’s unedifying and dangerous when ministers start showing off to the Daily Mail and Sun. If there is evidence, charge her, they may learn stuff from her? And there is an innocent child’s wellbeing to consider, startling lack of compassion for that child, that just makes Javid look like a heartless individual .
I’m not sure about that case at all and the media hysteria around it has been irritating. I’m also wondering if it’s a set up and she’s just acting it all out for IS propaganda purposes to stir things up.
Was it not the case that young men going out to fight were previously threatened with being stripped of citizenship and weren’t a few jailed when they returned?
Personally I’d bring her back, take her into custody and take it from there.
A rabble-rousing minister, especially as Home Secretary, is the last thing we need.
I do wonder, if being a Muslim himself, Javid feels he can’t be seen as being too soft on her? Remember he dropped the UK’s moral and legal objection to the death penalty for those other two captured fighters .
You can actually see the little cogs whirling around in the Tories heads. This a very strong pointer to there being a General Election in the very near future. Anyone of a liberal (with a small L) persuasion who rightly disagrees with this decision will be branded a Terrorist Sympathiser, and you can see the Trap being set for a field day of the Tabloid Scum newspapers to try to sway public opinion against opponents of the Tories.
The truth is the current party of government’s policies have probably killed more UK citizens than have been killed in all official terrorist activities. Following Javid’s reasoning, as part of a Death Cult organisation and having parents of a foreign heritage, he should be deprived of his UK Citizenship and rendered stateless.
One man’s Terrorist is another man’s Cabinet Minister.
Is Begum currently held in Rojava or in an American held enclave or in a French held enclave or a Turkish held enclave or within the Syrian government held area?
Has she joined Islamic State and does she claim citizenship of Islamic State?
Well – I’d have thought Tommy and his mates would have been hovering around this case like a fly round a turd.
Here we have a girl of fifteen being groomed by Muslims (ISIS) into becoming a baby maker for ISIS.
Oh………..hang on though she’s the wrong ‘ tinge’
My mistake – I must have misread the situation.
Javid’s populist position is tempered by his bid for leadership.
Baroness Warsi must warn him that he too is the wrong ‘ tinge ‘ to lead the Tory Party.
Basically he’s got no chance.
Syriana Analysis (youtube channel) is quite adamant ISIS members should be tried in Syrian courts for the killing of innocent syrian civilians, like any foreign national that commits a terrorist act in the UK should be tried in a UK court. Due to the insular nature of Britian and its media means that’s not even a consideration. And presumably as this means acknowledging Syria is actually a sovereign state with a functioning legal system.
But the whole thing is a big sham. This is politicisation Law. It really should be dealt with in the normal legal channels but is now a big propaganda distraction exercise.
Steve M
Yes, I totally agree with that concept. I say let the Syrians or Kurds deal with her and any others that they find.
spot on Steve M. She was an ISIS member in Syria, that is where she should face justice.
I also agree with Laguerre on this one.
Immigration lawyers have said that the inevitable appeals and counter-appeals could take months or even years. Perhaps the intention is that she – or, more likely, her new baby (also a British citizen) – will die in the meantime and so “solve” the problem.
She should be allowed to return and the authorities are free to charge her and put her on trial if there is suspicion that she has been involved personally in illegal activity. Mere marriage to someone who may have been does not seem to me to be sufficient grounds for prosecution; that is the sort of thing the Soviets and the Nazis went in for.
If there is a suspicion that she has been involved personally in illegal activity then that activity took place in Syria, not the UK. She and all her pals should be handed over to the Syrian authorities to be investigated, and if appropriate prosecuted and tried.
I always find it rather irritating to be told that teenagers are ‘young adults’ who must be listened to, pandered to, and deferred to (cf last week’s ‘climate change’ protests). Then they go out and stab somebody or spend four years supporting an Islamofascist tyranny, and all of a sudden I’m told that they’re ‘just kids’ who can’t possibly be held responsible for their decisions and actions…
Usually by the same people.
Well said!
But Stonky, you haven’t been told that. You just made it look that way with a very selective quote, because the next line of Lageurre’s comment is “then she should be put on trial”, ie. very much held responsible for her actions.
So it looks to me that you’re just taking a swipe at protest against global warming.
You may ‘like’ this?
“Date: 23 Jan 2019
The Manufacturing of Greta Thunberg – for Consent: The Political Economy of the Non-Profit Industrial Complex [PART I]”
http://www.theartofannihilation.com/category/the-manufacturing-of-greta-thunberg-for-consent-the-political-economy-of-the-npic/
Thanks James. I was aware of a little of the background to this, but not the whole story. It’s really people like Clark who need to read it.
I’ve scanned the story and agree with J below; it’s a mess, and the sort of thing to be expected. Capitalism’s eventual panic response to the environmental crisis was predictable, as were its decades of first dismissal and then denial. All were inevitable because capitalism’s exclusive, myopic objective is to maximise internal profit by externalising every possible negative consequence.
None of this has the slightest bearing upon the reality of environmental crisis, which we experience directly, and is extensively documented and investigated scientifically. Get out there and protest with the kids.
What’s more fascinating is that you idiots think Public Relations Strategy is the stuff of conspiracy theory. This is how every item you read in every newspaper in the world is created. And while you’re at it, why not conflate the climate message with the corporate message. Which amounts to “tax the victims to solve the problem” from the people who write their own tax bill and don’t want us to look too closely at tax arrangements.
That article is a mess.
“Many people love to spread rumors saying that I have people ”behind me” or that I’m being ”paid” or ”used” to do what I’m doing. But there is no one ”behind” me except for myself. My parents were as far from climate activists as possible before I made them aware of the situation.
I am not part of any organization. I sometimes support and cooperate with several NGOs that work with the climate and environment. But I am absolutely independent and I only represent myself. And I do what I do completely for free, I have not received any money or any promise of future payments in any form at all. And nor has anyone linked to me or my family done so.
And of course it will stay this way. I have not met one single climate activist who is fighting for the climate for money. That idea is completely absurd.
Furthermore I only travel with permission from my school and my parents pay for tickets and accommodations. . . .
Ps I was briefly a youth advisor for the board of the non profit foundation “We don’t have time”. It turns out they used my name as part of another branch of their organisation that is a start up business. They have admitted clearly that they did so without the knowledge of me or my family. I no longer have any connection to “We don’t have time”. Nor does anyone in my family. They have deeply apologised for what has happened and I have accepted their apology.”
https://www.facebook.com/gretathunbergsweden/photos/a.733630957004727/773673599667129/?type=3&theater
@Craig – “the personal greed of the demented Strangeloves who comprise the membership of the GMB Union“.
Is “membership” a mistyping for “leadership”? The GMB has 620,000 members, including e.g. many ambulance drivers and hospital cleaners.
‘Government needs to get on with vote on Trident submarine fleet to give much needed stability and security to workers and industry says GMB.’
I’d guess this is what he’s referring to? And don’t forget the Scottish dimension.
He could have put it better tho. True
I think the position regarding the Independent Group and British state money is as follows:
* it WILL be eligible to receive money from the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, the way the European Research Group does
* it will NOT be eligible for “Short money” which is only paid to opposition parties that have won two seats or that have won one seat and 150,000 votes, whereas the IG hasn’t even stood in an election let alone won any seats; and as I understand it even if they stand down and win by-elections (very unlikely to happen) that won’t be sufficient because the seats (or seat and votes) have to have been won in the previous general election.
Say No to US war on Venezuela.
ALERT: U.S. Military confrontation on Venezuelan-Colombian border a danger this week – All Out!
The People of the World Say: No War on Venezuela! No War for Oil! Actions set in 70+ cities on #23Feb
*Please share widely across lists, networks, and on social media*
https://solidaritycenter.ourpowerbase.net/civicrm/mailing/view?
Say No to Branson’s cynical propaganda concert –
‘Pink Floyd ex-frontman Roger Waters is slamming Virgin tycoon Richard Branson’s aid concert for Venezuela as a sham, warning fans and performers not to be “led down a garden path that ends in regime change.”
Branson’s “Venezuela Aid Live” concert “has nothing to do with the needs of the Venezuelan people, it has nothing to do with democracy, it has nothing to do with freedom, and it has nothing to do with aid,” Waters declared in a video released on Tuesday.’
https://www.rt.com/news/451877-roger-waters-branson-aid-concert-venezuela/
A not so subtle attempt by the BBC to justify Branson’s plan. Asking a disingenuous question in the heading. Shame on the BBC. They manage to include the slime about Maduro.
Venezuela Aid Live: Why is Branson being told to ‘back off’?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-47271182
Who is Ashitha Nagesh who is attributed as the author?
‘Answer
@ashnagesh
Ashitha Nagesh
Verified account
@ashnagesh
Award-winning (mum made me add this) journalist @BBC @bbcworld. Brown, vegan, also likes Russian stuff (not a tankie). Views mine. [email protected]
Hackney, London ‘
Is she in Caracas? Has she visited Venezuela? It’s a long way from Hackney!
There was a weird line in the laughable Guardian about the 7 losing the whip. ‘Sources’ maintained that, if Corbyn made threats, more MP’s would defect.
I know, just don’t read The Guardian. But, it was bizarre. The 7 should a) lose the whip, b) be forced to stand again, as independents c) be shot into space. This is clear and obvious, and if those chancers think they have sympathy in their electorates, they are sorely mistaken.Berger is an airhead, Chukka is a snake.Tom Watson, well, as well as being a snake, one wonders what his other issues are. I do not know. I suspect.
Still, far as I care they can all fuck off. Happy to see them go, and I hope Tom Watson joins them. Clearly he won’t, because he has a power-base to misuse, but he’ll scarper immediately when he is defeated in the next DL spill. Which will be much sooner than he thinks, the treacherous eel.
And as to The Guardian. I just shake my head. Perhaps it’s my age, but mid 30’s airheads and simps talking baloney day after day – this does not influence me, no more than I accept the passionate views of liars or children. Still, The Guardian will soon be out of business, and all of them will get the sack, so that’s good.
There’s nothing in your post I could disagree with, however the Guardian hangs on to its reputation as being sympathetic to the left, despite what must be obvious to all and I’m sure that ways will be found to keep it afloat financially, even if it means re-routing taxpayer’s money to do so.
Little more than MI6’s house journal today, I’ve long given up on purchasing it and now neither read it online nor open links to articles published on its site. It’s about as serving to democracy and free speech as The Daily Mail.
May I say that this is a very eloquently presented blog by Craig. The myth of Corbyn’s Labour Party is anti Semitic is now taken as given whenever anyone in the BBC and the Guardian wants to attack Corbyn.
Jonathan Cook has also written eloquently on this subject and his blog on this and other matters is great too.
Here is JC most recent thoughts on the subject.
https://www.jonathan-cook.net/2018-12-27/corbyn-antisemitism-jews-fears/
In a recent any question on BBC radio 4, the Welsh leader of Plaid Cymru was also talking about the rising nationalism in Wales. Unlike Nationalism in Europe , the nationalist movements in smaller nations of Britain are to a lesser or greater extent left leaning. If Craig’s prediction are right and Wales also joins the exodus, I fear that the rump England, still a sizeable nation, will be Tory dominated forever. This is a frightening prospect. Will Scotland be kind enough to offer some of us dual citizenship in that case?
The very same Chuka Umunna
https://freespeechonisrael.org.uk/labour-jews-chuka-umunna-stop-using-antisemitism-smears-corbyn/#sthash.4StCmps3.dpbs
If a total jewish vote of 140k out of an approx 13.5m required to win a GE, is compared with the disproportionate plethora of jewish MPs within labour, it would appear quiete to the CONTRARY, the party is actually institutionally PRO-SEMITIC !! Or are the numbers deceptive??
If I understand the numbers correctly, should Muslims be as well represented in parliament as those of the Jewish faith they would have over 200 M.P.s.
I wonder how the Tommy Robinson’s of this country would react to that?
Real Jews (those who follow the religion) or nominal ones (who don’t) like zionists?
A tweet
‘Chuka Umunna’s Flip Flops
@WarmongerHodges
Joan Ryan, chair of pro-apartheid lobby group Labour Friends of Israel, has quit the Labour Party, citing a culture of “antisemitism and hatred of Israel”. Here she is discussing a £1,000,000 bribe with Shai Masod, an employee of the Israeli embassy.’
https://twitter.com/WarmongerHodges/status/1097993065153941504
There’s a typo there. It’s Masot.
I bet he is a bit of a sod.
Here’s an interesting addition to the tale I think
The Co-operative Party have only 11,000 members in the Labour Party but 10% of MPs.
Many ( not all ) ally with the FoI.
In the main these MPs vary from centre left to right ( in Labour terms of course).
It sems a strange alliance to me.
Any thoughts as to why this is?
Would you believe it! Today in the HoC, following Oral Questions on Scotland and then PMQs.
‘General debate
Anti-Semitism in Modern Society’
All of the members of CFoI and LFoI will be leaping up to catch Mr Bercow’s eye. Mr Speaker visited Israel in 2017 accompanied by Regev when he was Tory MP for Buckingham. He became the Speaker in 2009..
‘2-7 January 2001, to Israel, visiting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem for discussions with politicians and others, under the auspices of Conservative Friends of Israel and the Government of Israel. (Registered 23 January 2001) ‘
https://www.theyworkforyou.com/regmem/?p=10040
Does he combine the duties of Speaker with those of the MP to his constituents. He was shoed in with 65% of the vote.
https://democracy.buckscc.gov.uk/mgElectionAreaResults.aspx?XXR=0&ID=313&RPID=0
“Does he combine the duties of Speaker with those of the MP to his constituents. ”
The answer is simple, Sharpie ; he doesn’t.
The electors of the consitutency from which the Speaker was elected have to do without representation in parliament for the duration.
Indeed, as a constituent of Speaker Bercow I have to agree.
There have been many letters of complaint to him about the failure of a system where a M.P. as Speaker, effectively no longer represents their electorate, on several occasions he has promised to put to parliament that the situation should be discussed but predictably neither he nor they have chosen to do anything about it.
North Bucks would elect a baboon as its Tory M.P. as long as it had the backing of Tory HQ.
Milton Keynes, which lies just outside Bercow’s constituency elects two M.P.s, currently both Tory and both no more than lobby fodder.
So much for our ‘democracy’ where 75,000 voters are disenfranchised.
‘We’re utterly disfranchised’: Welcome to Buckingham, the constituency where votes don’t count
John Bercow’s constituency saw the largest number of spoiled votes anywhere in the country in the 2015 general election
‘“We’re really disenfranchised. Our MP hasn’t got a vote!” says Phil Harriss, the man behind a petition which has been “snowballing” since the election was called. Mr Harriss, an editor from the village of Brill, began his ‘Give us a voice, not a Speaker!’ campaign several years ago, after he learned of the convention. The petition calls for a change in the way the parties approach the issue of Speaker.’
Archaic nonsense. See Bercow parade in his finery here. https://goo.gl/images/FBLRTy
He spent over £1,000 on a new morning suit and £tens of thousands on refurbishing Speaker’s House.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5974009/MPs-expenses-speaker-John-Bercows-20000-bill-for-apartment.ht
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/john-bercow-speaker-house-commons-where-dont-votes-count-disenfranchisement-buckingham-constituency-a7739351.html
You are complaining away as if Speaker Bercow’s position is somehow new. Speakers of the House have eschewed party loyalty for a long time now.
Actually, it’s not quite correct either, to say as Mr Phil Harriss (who he?) does, that the Speaker doesn’t have a vote. He does in the event of a tie (and in that case always casts his vote on the government side ).
Is there anything at all to do with Parliament and the way our democracy functions – and it does – which you don’t have a go at? It’s just silly and nothong to do with discussion and debate.
His constituency elected Bercow as their MP knowing he was Speaker and to say the least, a controversial figure.
Helping out, again?
@MaryPau
A strange scenario;
“ln Buckingham, in the territory nestled between Oxford, Aylesbury and Milton Keynes, more than 75,000 voters have not been heard in Parliament since 2009.
Their representative is John Bercow, better known to the wider public as Speaker of the House of Commons. Unlike other MPs, Mr Bercow is independent and left his former party, the Conservatives, when he was elected to his position by the country’s politicians.
As a consequence of his impartiality, Mr Bercow – who keeps order in the Commons – cannot vote on legislative issues, unless it is to break a tie. Furthermore, it is a long-held tradition for the mainstream parties to respect the constituency of the Speaker and not to field candidates against him, whatever the constituency.”
Isn’t it about time that new laws were brought in to deal with MP’s who simply decide they wish to leave their party? I for one vote for a party, not an individual MP, so I firmly believe in cases like this that a by-election should be held, the MP’s salary stopped and if they fancy their chances, they can fund their own attempt at getting elected as an independent.
No, it’s not time. I don’t remember anhy of you lot complaining when a couple of Condervatives went over to Labour or otherwise gave up the Conservative whip. No calls to stand down there, if memory serves.
Charles Bostock
I wasn’t on this forum in 2007, because that is the last time it happened, and as I am a pretty consistent person, my views would be the same in that case.
Great analysis there Craig. Go raibh maith agat.
Fine blog. This completely confected anti semitism story simply confirms the MSM cannot be trusted. Newspapers and broadcasters who like to pose as moral arbiters have shown they will stoop to spreading the most heinous, evidenceless smears in order to prevent the election of a government of peace and equality. It should not be Craig but professional journalists who are laying out the facts about this fairy tale and exposing the lie. Sadly that is not the country we live in. But it is also surely about time Corbyn and especiallg McDonnell stopped appeasing the smearers. They are living in a dreamworld if they think Labour rightwingers are people of good faith.
Well said. I agree 100%, Sarge.
A key figure in promoting the “Labour antisemitism” campaign is Jeremy Newmark, who was chief executive of the Jewish Leadership Council, then chaired by Sir Mick David, who is now CEO of the Conservative Party.
https://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/police-investigating-ex-jlc-ceo-jeremy-newmark-over-alleged-fraud-after-independent-review-1.480002
This is the Jewish Chronicle verdict on Newmark and the cover-up of his behaviour by the Jewish Leadership Council
https://www.thejc.com/comment/leaders/the-jc-leader-a-tale-of-venality-newmark-jlc-1.480120
Newmark was also chair of the Jewish Labour Movement.
https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/yvette-cooper-anti-semitism-fight-would-be-boosted-by-election-of-jlm-leaders/
He no longer is, his role having been taken over jointly by Luciana Berger and former Labour MP Ivor Caplin.
https://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/jeremy-newmark-quits-as-jewish-labour-movement-chair-1.458482
https://www.timesofisrael.com/jewish-affiliate-of-uks-labour-threatens-to-sue-over-anti-semitism-definition/
Credit is due to the Jewish Chronicle for publicising these scandals.
None is due to the mainstream media who have consistently failed to report any of it to date.
The Jewish Chronicle had an article called “Team Cameron’s Big Jewish Backers” that listed some of David Cameron’s leadership bid backers. A little later Cameron was telling a Conservative friends of Israel meeting that belief in Israel was deep within the DNA of the Conservative party.
The article appears to have been disappeared from the Jewish Chronicle’s website.
Sir Mick Davis, late of the Fox/Werritty scandal.
He was just plain Mr Michael Davis here – https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2012/02/gould-werritty-the-continuing-cover-up/
Memo
Arrange Knighthood for Mick Davis.
(Signed) D Cameron.
‘In the 2015 Queen’s Birthday Honours, he was appointed a Knight Bachelor ‘for services to Holocaust Commemoration and Education’.’
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mick_Davis
Plus a list of his multiple interests on here, as chair of the Jewish Leadership Council, the umbrella organisation for other charities.
https://www.thejlc.org/sir_mick_davis
No wonder the knighthood followed. How the money sloshes around the Tory party.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10059773/Xstratas-Mick-Davis-gives-500000-to-Conservatives.html
Craig,
Powerful stuff. Everything right on the money. And to finish with this line
”It really is beyond time to crack on with Scottish Independence and the reunification of Ireland.”
Take a bow. Standing ovation stuff. That trip to Pakistan has brought you back in fine form.
2 thoughts –
1 – Why, on the extremely important week that Jeremy Corbyn goes to speak to the EU negotiators (Thursday) to put forward the idea of a PERMANENT CUSTOMS UNION, that has been received so well by the EU and that would secure both British jobs and the Good Friday Agreement (peace), do the friends of Israel brigade attempt to pull the rug from under Jeremy Corbyn? More wall to wall ‘AS’ bollox on the MSM rather than EU and Corbyn could have a viable exit deal.
2 – As this charade of resignation after resignation by ”Labour” MP’s continue day after day, it will become extremely transparent where their loyalties actually have laid over the course of their careers and it is as clear as day it is not with the working class of Britain. How many more will abandon the Labour party for the sake of their Friends of Israel membership card?
Watson and his gang of apartheid supporting scum really haven’t got a clue about the intelligence of the British working class if he thinks support for Israel (defeating Corbyn and his support for Christians, Muslims and minorities human rights in Palestine) takes priority over a better standard of life, health and education in Britain. They will be wiped out come election time by true Labour representatives.
First pass of your first question would suggest a conundrum. MSM spout that the seven are pro EU and pro “People’s vote”. This is certainly true of Umunna. As someone has previously pointed out, while the other six are beholden to Tel Aviv, Umunna is a tool of the State Department. It’s a question of priorities. The six FoI stooges will cast any pro EU leanings to the wind in pursuit of furthering their priority aim which is to further the agenda of their paymasters by damaging Corbyn and BDS. On the opposition benches they have chosen to sit next to the pro Tel Aviv and anti EU, DUP.
“Beholden to Tel Aviv” means indirectly beholden to American Caesar, that’s all.
Don’t watch Sky News. They are giving huge emphasis to the matter. They have had John Mann in the studio to enlarge on it and when reviewing the ‘papers’ ample opportunity is given to the reviewers to rehash it.
The Torygraph headline today – Brexit latest news: Jeremy Corbyn ally suggests Labour splitters were secretly funded by Israel
Just now, Joan Ryan appears online from Enfield. She is chair of LFoI. That’s another vacancy to be filled as she is no longer a Labour MP. The traitors should stand for re-election if they had any backbones.
Re “Don’t watch Sky News”
To late, I just read your comment after watching JR being interviewed on that channel. To be fair Sky did ask her about the Friends of Israel connection and she said she supported the Two State Solution re the Palestinian/Israeli conflict as being the only way to resolve that war. But the questioning did not delve into any receipt of benefits from her association with LFOI, or anywhere else, or indeed why she had seemingly conflated anti Semitism with anti Zionism – which is the sense I got from the answers she gave. She was not always easy to follow sense wise as Sky chose to interview her on a busy road during a mini gale, so the sound quality was poor and she is not a good speaker.
Note for the grammar police: did I just use two “or”s in the same sentence, is that bad grammar, I have just gifted my usage and abuse reference to a charity shop so I can’t check?
To s/b too
“she said she supported the Two State Solution re the Palestinian/Israeli conflict ”
Which should mean that she opposes those illegal policies of the Israeli government which make it an impossibility – but she doesn’t.
“She was not always easy to follow sense wise….. ”
I loved that part. Made me chuckle!
Concerning the frequency of antisemitism: I recently became aware of a Jew living in Berlin who has been the target of threats of violence from two antisemites for years. (Apparently the two perpetrators are independent from each other.) Reportedly they keep getting away with it as they are both certifiably insane. However, they are not considered dangerous enough to lock them away.
Given the strong correlation between antisemitism and psychosis or extreme stupidity, this could actually be a common problem that explains part of the heat in the discourse. Of course the open instrumantalisation of antisemitism charges for an unrelated purpose isn’t likely to help the victims, and might in fact make the situation even worse.
I agree.
Anecdotal, but in the comments section of this blog I have noticed a strong correlation between belief in theories that require a conspiracy virtually unlimited in power and numbers, and anti-Semitism. Rather frequently, the unspoken subtext of such theories seems to be “the Jews are controlling all the scientists / academics / medical professionals as part of a centuries-old plan of world domination”.
But this merely provides material. Blaming Jeremy Corbyn for it couldn’t possibly achieve anything.
“Anecdotal, but in the comments section of this blog I have noticed a strong correlation between belief in theories that require a conspiracy virtually unlimited in power and numbers, and anti-Semitism.”
Really? I can’t say I’ve ever seen any such thing here. I haven’t read everything on this blog, but I have read it for several years.
On the contrary, Laguerre, I think that Clark is spot on this time.
Perhaps you should read more but I suspect your eyes just skip over the sort of posts Clark’s talking about.
How about the posts which claim that the world is run by Jewish financial interests – have you never seen any of them on here?
Laguerre, as I said, it’s an unspoken subtext. Those who subscribe to it use cues that they mutually understand; I expect they get banned from sites when they’re too open about it. But clues emerge over time; conspiracy theorists hint that challengers are protecting the conspiracy, which is a covert hint that the challenger is Jewish. A Twin Tower demolition theorist recommends a book by a Holocaust denier, or a site they link to also hosts Holocaust denial. A medical conspiracy theorist links to a site about some ‘natural’ cure, where a nearby page claims that Jews control the medical community and states that Judaism prohibits Jewish doctors from ever fully curing any gentiles. Claims that the Sandy Hook shooting was really performed by Mossad. Once you come to recognise it, there’s a surprising amount of it. I didn’t recognise it myself for many years.
To anyone Jewish, it must be scary and infuriating.
For a more open display of it, try reading the comments under conspiracy theory videos on YouTube.
I wouldn’t associate antisemitism or any other bigotry with low intelligence; people who have learning difficulties have enough problems that they can’t cope with without being lumbered with guilt by association. Not also that very clever people kill people who have learning difficulties who fail ante-natal selektion.
By ‘extreme stupidity’ I didn’t mean learning difficulties. I can’t define it well, but I am thinking in terms of a certain practical ability to navigate the world and make sense of it that many people even with Down syndrome have to an astonishing degree but some ‘normal’ people don’t. It’s not about IQ or performance in school.
Thank you.
Tell you what though, if the Israeli embassy is dishing out that kind of money, I’d be sorely tempted to become a friend of Israel myself!
Do you seriously believe that the Israeli embassy paid out a million pounds to the MP?
Perhaps some people defend Israel because they happen to believe they’re doing the right thing and that the demonisation of that country is out of all proportion to its sins whether real or imagined.
Are these ‘real’ or ‘imagined’?
Question: Which country alone in the Middle East has nuclear weapons?
Answer: Israel
Question: Which country in the Middle East refuses to sign … etc.
[ Mod: Snipped a long quotation from Brig. Gen. James J. David. View the original at the Narkive. ]
Question: What country in the Middle East is the United States preparing to attack because of fear that it may be a threat to us and to our allies?
Answer: Iran
By “demonisation” do you mean “accurate reportage of it occupation policies”?
Watch the clip; that’s what Shai Masot said:
https://youtu.be/buFz_zkSHqs?t=199
– “just now we have got the money, it is more than one million pounds, it’s a lot of money”
Charles, why shouldn’t it be believed? I for one wholeheartedly believe it – the Israeli Govt does not want Corbyn to recognise Palestine. Many more millions of dollars have changed hands from the Israeli Govt to people to promote their cause. It is very very clear that all the defectors are FOI – one paid $US1m to spout anti Semitism claims against Corbyn. Why wont they declare their funding sources well, let’s see, because they are all FOI and it is the Israeli Govt/Embassy that funds them. Unless you can provide specific evidence to the contrary, the traitors to this country known as the IG, appear to be fully funded by the Jewish Counci/Govt/Embassy. In order to disprove this claim perhaps the IG could actually do the right thing and provide information about their funding sources. Do you think they will? Of course they won’t. They haven’t got a policy or strategy in their head, they are not politicians they are a private company founded wholly on Friends of Israel MPs with one single issue – to promote the Israeli Govt’s campaign against Corbyn by claiming anti-Semitism. Unless they can, of course, produce any evidence to the contrary
This is what’s going on in the US.
Set up a Youtube channel, promote ethno-statism and the money will flow to you through Patreon and Super chats.
Loads of it.
Rule of thumb: If you’re promoting Globalist lefty identity politics, you’ll need to be associated with someone approved by the Foundations, and get your payments from there.
If you’re promoting anti-Globalist, anti-identity politics, then you’ll be supported anonymously through Patreon and Super chats.
That’s in the US at the moment.
A couple of radical proposals for the future
First, we live under our Laws, created by those who we elect and enforced through our own legal system, not by some anti-democratic international institutions, nor by those of religious orders and not enforced through political or religious courts, be they Sharia or Rabbinical.
Second, we declare that killing people and taking their stuff is just not acceptable no matter what crazy story we are fed about it, whether it be about the supposed superiority of the Aryan Race by those who are not even of that lineage, or the Labour Theory of Value by those that could never have conceived of today’s automated workplace, or that there is some invisible man in the sky who says it’s perfectly alright.
Hi,
I am a documentary maker and I’m looking to create a film based on the experiences and insight on blogs such as this. Are there any posters/followers who’d be willing to participate?
I am looking to start filming in the fall of this year with as many participants possible from alternative viewing groups, such as this one.
I have tried to post my email address on this forum but it seems to be blocking posts. I am however contactable thru my twitter account.
Kind regards,
Daniel J Clark
@djcfilm2019
Who are you making it for and what’s your angle?
Daniel J Clark has a very flashy looking website that doesn’t work at all without Javascript:
http://www.danieljclark.com/
It gives contact details as Los Angeles, CA, with links to an entry on IMDb, the Internet Movie Database:
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4159248/
with details of a film about the flat earth conspiracy theory:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8132700/?ref_=nm_knf_i1
There is also one trailer on Vimeo:
https://vimeo.com/danieljclark
Oddly, Google fails to find the Twitter handle @djcfilm2019, but the website links to the Twitter account:
https://twitter.com/djcfilm
The Guardian also released a video about the flat earthers, on Feb 5, but it seems unrelated:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4kM5zwxThE
” I am extremely sorry and somewhat shocked to hear of the swamp of anti-semitism in which we were all already mired in 2005.”
– And I am extremely skeptical about that. Human beings have a degree of tribalism hard wired into their psyche. We are social animals. Probably all social groupings – religious, ethnic, racial, political, etc, etc, could complain about some sort of abuse by individuals from another group. How much of that abuse is genuinely damaging is sometimes a matter for debate.
I well remember as a primary school child in the 1970s being told jokes by my classmates where the adjective “jewish” was taken to mean stingy. I have no idea where that came from. Was it harmful? Perhaps, I really don’t know. I didn’t know any Jews at school. In fact I don’t know any Jews now. There are few (if any) in my city, though my MP is a member of the LFI.
Equally, celtic Roman Catholics such as my mother can cite examples of abuse suffered by members of her family at the hands of celtic Protestants. These abuses apparently persist, though no politicians seem to be labelled as anti-Catholic. Certainly it is not a label which would attract the level of angst that the label anti-Jewish might attract.
“I want everybody convicted and imprisoned who is involved in anti-semitic hate crime.”
– Well I certainly don’t, and I don’t see why I should. “Hate crime” these days is highly subjective. Any crime involving violence should probably attract a prison sentence and any persistent harrassment of any individual on the basis of ethnicity, sex or religious belief might also attract a prison sentence, but “hate crime” to some can be as innocuous as a wolf whistle.
Surely you must realise that there are some out there who would desire that all critics of the Israeli regime be punished as hate criminals and gaoled.
Mr Murray, as you are keen to get on with Scottish Independence, would you address a few key issues that are bound to emerge if and when that were to happen?
1. Faslane: do you tell the English to get those nukes off your territory and put them somwhere else? Do you license the base out to the English and make money from the nuclear weapons industry? Do you kick the English out and then invite Mr Putin or someone else to point nukes at London from your Faslane base, making money from pointing nukes at Westminster?
2. NATO: do you still support taking orders from the Atlantic Council, Mike Pompeo and other rabid warmongers? Or does Independent Scotland mean leaving NATO? Do you think the Americans will let you be a neutral independent country in Europe?
3. Do you join the Euro and have budgets imposed upon you like happened to the Italians? What do you say to the French, Spanish and others hoovering up all the fish in Scottish waters?
4. Do you promote the ostracism of Viktor Orban and kiss George Soros’ geriatric arse? Or is Scottish Independence really about nation state independence?
5. Is it OK for Scotland to be over-run by African Muslims who claim they are refugees and who see Scotland as a free breakfast, lunch and fish supper?
6. Will you expect a free journey on England’s motorways so Scottish and European HGVs can wear down English roads without paying one red centime? Or will a new ferry route emerge from the East Coast to Hook of Holland?
7. Will you order all the Scottish economic migrants to England to come back home or is that dreadful country England expected to provide a life of plenty for those who condemn it on a daily basis?
You will have to advance those arguments for IndyRef II, so you may as well rehearse them here…..
Wow, nailed it, journalism isn’t dead, excellent piece Mr Murray. Thank you.
” … It is apparently unthinkable and deeply wrong that Corbyn’s standard German style social democracy – which is routinely labeled “hard left” and “communist” – should be proffered to voters for them to support, or not.
… I confess I find this argument impossible to follow.”
That, of course, is because there is no logic in it at all for it is simply the smears of the corrupt.
The country is currently going to, or more accurately being driven to, rot.
Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party are going some way to offer answers and an antidote to that.
Joan Ryan and her ilk, along with her and their supporters across the whole mainstream media, sadly exemplify that stinking rot perfectly.
Agree, nailed it! Thank you!
“not one MSM journalist has asked her about her receipt of US$1 million from the Israeli Embassy”
But I’m sure that the MSM would be all over it if it were a million bucks from the Russian Embassy being used to subvert UK democracy.
Thanks to your sanity I’m slowly recovering from the BS that came out of Joan Ryans mouth this morning on R4, she has some front to jump on to this LFI plan to wreck the Labour Party in favour of a red Tory party that lifts theior hands to their every policies, as happened during the last years of the Bl;air Brown dynasty.
The UK is governed by a cabal of neocons and ,unless they are broken into their smallest common denominator and their sponsors taxed the amount they should pay, they will carry on demanding that the public duffs their caps to these pretenders.
MP that willfully and deliberately mislead the country and who commit crimes and false flag attacks to deliberately confuse and harangue others with false news, should be held responsible by law, be prosecuted, whether they speak inside or outside the house of commons.
There are too many backrooms these careerist politicians are sitting in,. one can’t call them representatives anymore, they are more like self appointed/safe seat hugging,yuk,/TNC sponsored lawyers and barristers who are full of themselves and who try their best to stay in this fickle relationship, they are bound to become psychopath with all the contrariness and lying they have to come up with.
Labout is calling for blue sky thinking? here’s some….
MP’s should not serve beyond one term, a means to stop dereliction of duty and corruption to fester, a means that would provide voters with a fair way of exchanging their MP.
Why should political parties determine who is and isn’t a candidate?, who will do as they say when in power? why can this not be a random person with enough civic duty and gumption to work at it ?, supported by a civil service that bends over backwards to make it work?
How about decentralising all powers that are not supranational to a locally accountable beefed up and rigorously cleansed County councils, operating on issue by issue and with natural coalitions that are formed by the fervour of those supporting it?
Without a fair proportional voting system, one of the better ideas Churchill had and proposed for Germany, this country will always be wasteful, adversarial and self servingly governed by political parties that are inhewrently weak and open to maniopulations of all sorts, be it foreign interests meddling in our foreign policy resolve, split loyalties to other nrogue entities or corporate finance that needs smoothing its way offshore.
Let us have this conversation, because their agenda will clash with ours pretty soon.
“There are too many back rooms….”
Too bloody true!
We don’t know the half of it and how will we ever know when we have a dishonest media – including, perhaps especially, the state funded BBC!
For anyone who supports the idea that MP’s shoyuld be held responsible if they deliberately mislead the pu8blic…there’s a petition for this….
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/239850?fbclid=IwAR0Klg0p-KiKcAl6kOYhIboNvIVUZRaOx0UG8mv2QCDtwcbwdow4X3ibTbY
Wollaston, Allen and Soubry have quit the Tory Party.
Talk about sheep. They are more like doggies. Walkies!
Read the Times when out. There is a centre double page spread on the defections, plus a cartoon showing the Seven Dwarves and an. Editorial. Daniel Finkelstein also got a whole page to tell us how he cried when he heard the news. ‘I cry easily’ he said. Pathetic stuff.
One snippet. P Harry was out with Chuka yesterday. At a youth club in Chuka’s constituency. Also carried by Gideon’s organ.
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/prince-harry-jokes-with-children-and-serves-up-lunch-at-london-youth-centre-during-halfterm-a4071106.html
Meanwhile the Brexit shambles looms, industry is collapsing and austerity increases whilst these fools are given the headlines.