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Thursday, 18 July 2024

Labour And Racist Cry-Bullying

After securing a landslide election victory on a mere 34% of the popular vote, new Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his team are devoting rather less than their undivided attention to those constituencies they lost, or came close to losing. He would, he said after being gently prompted, address the loss of voter support in areas with a significant Muslim population.


The first signs of how that would happen are not good. Adil Ray was not impressed: “This is hugely damaging if he thinks he can carry on by simply ignoring the concerns of many British Muslims”. And then came Jonathan Ashworth. Ashworth had lost his seat to independent candidate Shockat Adam. Had he reflected on why this happened? Seemingly not.

He had been subjected to robust questioning by his constituents on why he had not called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. And, as Saul Staniforth observed, “Ashworth says his opponent won on the basis of a foul lie, that he has the blood of Gazan children on his hands … When 4,600 Palestinian children had been killed, Ashworth refused to vote for a ceasefire. When over 12,000 children had been killed he voted for a ceasefire”.

Also, he was waved through into the studios of national broadcasters. Shockat Adam was not, although he was given a platform by Owen Jones. His observations were to the point. Voters wanted their MPs to voice their concerns, but instead were met not with engagement, but silence.

Gaza was the lightening rod for many in those constituencies where Labour lost to independents, but yes, there were other concerns. As Taj Ali pointed out, “Labour's vote share decreased by 6.9% in the most deprived parts of Britain … When people see their communities fall into decline and they feel worse off, they will look for answers elsewhere”. There were other factors.

Where was the action on racism? The double standards which resulted in what Martin Forde called a “hierarchy of racism” in Labour? Defending Muslim communities from postal voting smears? Standing behind those communities over the phoney “Trojan Horse” letter? Denouncing the far right and its attempts to smear Muslim communities over “grooming gang” claims?


But all we get is talk of “faith-based politics”, and even “sectarian voting”. And an intervention by John Woodcock, former Labour MP and more recently ennobled by disgraced former alleged Prime Minister Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson. Woodcock is trying to draw a parallel between the Trump shooting and claims of intimidation of election candidates in the UK.

As the Guardian has told, “John Woodcock wrote to Yvette Cooper on Friday expressing his concern that a series of incidents in the election campaign could have been a ‘concerted campaign by extremists’ that ‘underlined the gravity of the threat to our democracy”. COULD have been.

There was more. “We have seen the growth in the UK of US-style politics of aggressive confrontation and intimidation which is unfortunately, exactly the toxic environment that could lead to another assassination attempt on a UK politician, of which we have already tragically seen a number in recent years”. COULD lead to. And more. Including suggestions of conspiracy.

Woodcock said he believed intimidation was increasingly being used as ‘a core electoral strategy to try to either get candidates defeated or bully candidates into submission’. He added that there was a particular pattern of abuse ‘created by aggressive pro-Palestine activists’”. He BELIEVED.

Do go on. “The peer called on [Ms] Cooper and the security minister, Dan Jarvis, to commission a short inquiry to establish whether groups in different constituencies were working together before the 4 July general election”. CONSPIRACY! But this is so much evidence-free horseshit. The brutal and seemingly random mass killing, the blowing to pieces of little children (or their summary incineration), along with all the racism and taking for granted.

Some communities have had enough. Stop gaslighting them. Stop smearing them. And start engaging with them. That, Labour politicians, is your job.


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10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Where's the beef?

The Trojan Horse Letter is a logical successor to the Zinoviev Letter. It's a standard ploy rolled out at suitable moments. Just as Starmer/Reeves and the Quislings are logical successors to the Bliar/Brown "New" Labour mass murdering war criminals.

Lying far right thugs all. In suits. Up to their necks in innocent blood. Hence the cringeworthy mutual back-slapping exchange with Sunak in the corrupt HoC.

David Carter said...

Woodcock left the Labour Party (and his wife) before Labour had a chance to investigate the sexual harassment allegations that were made about him.
Ashworth is/was married to Emilie Oldknow, who worked at Labour HQ and was revealed in the Labour Tapes documentary to have been a central player in undermining Jeremy Corbyn’s election campaign that year (when he nearly won), and sending vile WhatsApp messages about some of his staff.

Anonymous said...

Woodcock and Ashworth, two utterly vile individuals that Labour wouldn't have touched with a shitty stick in days of yore. Both totally right wing, both up to their necks in dodgy lobby groups, and, if we were allowed to be honest, both playing the Braverman card. Apparently it's not okay to point out the wrongs of Israel, and if you do you're clearly an 'aggressive' anti semite. But spread lies and hate about the Muslim community, and 'here's your free pass'...

Anonymous said...

"Stop smearing "?

The party whose far right racists smeared the good and honest man Jeremy Corbyn and sabotaged the 2019 election campaign? Who then paid off the racists? That one?

Oh my aching sides.

One guess as to the likelihood of a stop.....

Marl Hayhurst said...

Debonnaire has been a disgrace since being ousted. You wonder what drove such people to Labour in the first instance.

Anonymous said...

Labour has a historic, undeniable connection to Israel; Nye Bevan and Harold Wilson were both colossal zionists who would not tolerate even slight criticism of Israel.

Like most sane people I support a two-state solution. The clowns on the right and left who believe in a one-state solution (utterly fanciful and unfeasible, but our current politics is full of hegelians and sadly few empiricists).

James said...

It's not going to happen. Labour has had its day. The Labour Party is about self interest and neoliberalism. And neoliberalism will always lead to neo-feudalism and fascism in order to retain control of the masses.

Anonymous said...

It's amazing (or is it?) how often NSDAP tactics are used in modern politics. Although viciously attacking others while simultaneously crying foul when they attack you, is not new, they invented the notion of total innocence, while smearing opponents as completely to blame for the toxic atmosphere their actions created.

Anonymous said...

A public record of Starmer/Reeves Quisling "Labour" far right racist corruption....by Martin Forde KC, the man who reported it chapter and verse:

https://youtu.be/tiODoWurA64?si=JYfrTEYwfxpZBBRX

Anonymous said...

Correct. Neoliberalism is simply feudalism rehashed. Hence the wealthy and corrupt swear by it.