A most unseemy row has broken out after Alastair Campbell, former spinmeister to the blessed Tone, found himself expelled from the Labour Party earlier today. As the BBC has reported, “Tony Blair's former spin doctor says he has been expelled from the Labour Party after voting for the Liberal Democrats in the European elections. Alastair Campbell, a lead campaigner for another Brexit referendum, said he was ‘sad and disappointed’”.
Try to ignore the naked boy, folks
Although, as a lifelong Burnley fan, he stopped short of declaring himself Gutted, or indeed Sick As A Parrot. The report also told “He said he voted Lib Dem ‘to try to persuade Labour to do the right thing’, but ‘always will be Labour’ and appeal. A Labour spokesman said supporting another party was ‘incompatible with membership’. Mr Campbell revealed he had voted Lib Dem during the BBC's election night broadcast on Sunday”.
Big Al pointed out in his defence “there was ‘plenty of precedent of members voting for other parties/causes’ and that some were now senior staff” … “He claimed the decision also ‘contrasts with our era’ when Mr Blair was ‘pressed’ to withdraw the Labour whip from Jeremy Corbyn for voting against the party - but the then PM said no”.
Then someone dug out a Tweet from Jezza which, it was then claimed, showed that the current Labour leader was rather fortunate to retain his party membership. In March 2012, at a particularly low point for them leader Ed Miliband, Corbyn had said “Congratulations to George Galloway on astonishing result in Bradford. Big message here on opposition to wars and austerity”. Galloway had stood for the Respect Party in Bradford West.
Moreover, the idea that Galloway ever cared about anyone other than Himself Personally Now inevitably enters. So is Jezza bang to rights, or is this just a little more mischief making? Well, Owen Jones dug out the rules, and the rules make interesting reading.
This is what it says under “Exclusions”. “A member of the Party who joins and/ or supports a political organisation other than an official Labour group or other unit of the Party, or supports any candidate who stands against an official Labour candidate, or publicly declares their intent to stand against a Labour candidate, shall automatically be ineligible to be or remain a Party member, subject to the provisions of Chapter 6.I.2 below of the disciplinary rules”. Big Al supported an opposition candidate, and said so. Bang to rights.
But what of Corbyn under Blair, and indeed under Mil The Younger? Ah well. What happened under Blair was that Corbyn voted against the Government in the Commons, which back benchers often do. It is not the same thing as supporting an opposition candidate. Then there is the congratulation of George Galloway.
Corbyn may have praised Galloway’s result, but did not support his opposition to Labour. And, of course, Jezza is not on the electoral roll for the Bradford West constituency.
What we have here is one false equivalence (Commons Rebel v supporting another party), and one example of Corbyn knowing the party’s rules better than his critics. Case closed.
Enjoy your visit to Zelo Street? You can help this truly independent blog carry on talking truth to power, while retaining its sense of humour, by adding to its Just Giving page at
11 comments:
If Labour wants to expel every member that voted for an explicitly remain party in the euro elections, they're going to lose a LOT of members...
Anyone trying to leave comments to this post which make derogatory reference to mental health issues - don't even think about it.
That is all.
When will Margaret Hodge be expelled then?
I wonder how the member for Vauxhall voted last Thursday...
It's reported that 'Labour' has expelled Campbell but it would have required some specific individual(s),presumably with higher approval, to have actually carried this out. It would be interesting to know who in the Labour party thought that this was an important and smart thing to do at this particular time and on this particular issue.
And of all Campbell's offences against Labour and its reputation, to choose this one .............
Campbell's being deliberately disingenuous here bringing in A/S. As others have pointed out elsewhere on social media, an allegation of A/S requires some substantial investigating, whereas someone publically announcing they're voting for another party, as Campbell has done several times, is something the party can easily make an almost immediate decision on.
How come Kate Hoey hasn't been expelled then? A number of other key Labour members have come out on Twitter to say they voted for other parties last week, so presumably they'll be getting their marching orders as well.
@ Anon 09:56
It has been said that Hoey is close to the Beloved Leader? Possibly she was the conduit for him in the Leave campaign seeing as he couldn't campaign for it personally?
She certainly doesn't seem to represent her constituents, the Nandy excuse for defying the Labour whip, as the majority of which voted remain.
Absolutely pathetic apologia. Hang your head.
Well done Jezza, ahead of the game again!
There are reports that, after Betty Boothroyd has come out with a similar claim of voting for the LIbDems, a rethinking is taking place amongst the "principled" hierarchy. Perhaps she is not one the Cabal, as some put it, can dismiss as lightly as the Blairite Tendency?
Not really surprising that yet another own goal sees the LibDems now apparently ahead in the polls. Whatever your views on polls it is not a good sign now is it? Well, for Labour anyways.
Perhaps Jezza can claim equal standing with the Tories in the self destruction of Party stakes?
Post a Comment