For several months now, rumours have swirled concerning the formation of a new “Centrist” party in the UK, maybe left of centre, maybe in cooperation with the Lib Dems. Several Labour MPs unhappy with Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership have had their names pitched as likely recruits. And every time the Centrist party looks set to get off the ground, take-off is aborted, or more likely never attempted in the first place.
Tone might have some influence here ...
Until this week. As i News has reported, there was a meeting last Tuesday at the offices of Neil Blair. Who he? Well, he’s Jo Rowling’s agent. That’s right, she couldn’t be there, but sent her fridge, er, sorry, agent. We are also told “Countdown’s Rachel Riley and former EastEnders actress Tracy Ann Oberman have joined forces with advisers from Tony Blair’s Government and J K Rowling’s agent to create a new, centrist breakaway Labour party”.
Do go on. “They met with Blair’s former Chief of Staff Jonathan Powell and his former speechwriter Philip Collins on Tuesday at the central London offices of Ms Rowling’s agent Neil Blair at which there were 50 supporters. Details of the meeting, which have been confirmed to i, include creating a breakaway pro-European centrist party which would appeal to the left of the Conservative party and the right of the Labour party”.
There was more. “Observers believe the creation of such a party would be the death knell for the Liberal Democrats”. Ron Hopeful there. The Liberals, and later the Lib Dems, have been pronounced dead with monotonous regularity since the 1950s, and every time they turn out not to have been. And that wasn’t the only slice of over-optimism.
“During the meeting last week, when discussions of who should be leader of the new party, Harry Potter author JK Rowling’s name was shouted out to a round of applause … Although Ms Rowling, a past Labour donor, has been critical of Mr Corbyn, leadership of the new party is not believed to be her ambition. Instead it is thought she may offer financial backing or bankroll a think tank”. Leadership? She should steer well clear.
... while Jo Rowling may not. Perhaps
But enough of the PR: Right now, it looks as though this new venture is DOA. No surprise there, then.
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7 comments:
It had to happen didn't it? Celebs have been feted so much for the last twenty years they now think they can run the country. Surprised that other Twitter bully Eddie Marsan isn't mentioned here but, given that he posted his support for the Lib Dems recently following one of their party political broadcasts, I'm not surprised. Presumably Frances Barber was in the bar, or waiting for an Uber that wasn't driven by a 'brown face'
PS thanks for the Shaun Lawson article. I'm not on twitter myself so am often oblivious to this kind of activity. I had heard of Rosie and Rachel Riley's disgusting harrassment and abuse of her, but was ignorant that it continued at the hands of her sleb pals. Tracy Ann Oberman should be ashamed and people should refuse to work with her for this behaviour.
What's interesting on this issue is the "sudden re-emergence" of that hapless empty-headed dupe Owen Smith on broadcast media. You would've thought the poor bastard had learned his lesson when routed during the leadership election - when the usual New Labour main quislings (Benn, Umunna etc.) didn't have the guts to stand, knowing full well they'd get their far right arses kicked at the ballot box. Smith was and is the patsy until such time as his puppet masters think him useless.
This "centrist party" bullshit is merely SDP2, just another Establishment attempt to split the Labour Party through proxy fellow travellers. There's nothing new in it at all. The right wing of the Labour Party has ALWAYS stood ready to betray the party's founding principles. Hence also the "re-emergence" of Yvette "I've Known You [Treeza] For Twenty Years" Cooper. There'll be more of it, her and them.
Fortunately there are still, just, some honourable people in the Labour Party and in the country ready to dissent for social justice. The quislings will learn even Hitler and Pinochet (remember him, let off the hook by gobshite New Labour Straw?) couldn't completely crush opposition.
Which is why I would welcome the departure of the New Labour gang. Eventually they would go the same way as the SDP and the greasy spiv Clegg. The sooner they fuck off the better for the political health and morals of this country. But my bet is that most of them will stay because they don't want to lose their place in a corrupt, undemocratic parliamentary system.
Impatiently, history awaits the next step in progressive democracy. When it evolves it will look back in shame and horror on what New Labour and its perpetrators did. They will end up in the dustbin of history, which is all the conscience-free twats deserve.
And who turned up in the BBC's One o'clock news today representing the growing dissatisfaction with Corbyn's leadership and refusal to publicly back a people's vote? Yup, Owen Smith. The beeb were in a peculiar situation in this bulletin; their assistant political editor Norman Smith was presenting as fact Corbyn's accusation that May was running the clock down, yet they still can't resist a dig at Corbyn all the same and present that never-has-been's view.
Bit mild for you, Anon. Are you well?
If Owen Smith and co are the future of the country......we haven't got a future.
There no evidence the party will actually happen. But there's no actual evidence that it's "DOA" either.
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