Another day, another load of old bollocks from the Guardian

It must be a day ending in Y because the Guardian - remember when it used to be a good paper1 - is running another spurious story about Corbyn's leadership being threatened over anti-Semitism.

The headline the Guardian runs is: "MPs tell Jeremy Corbyn: get a grip or lose a general election" and the main 'Gotcha' is a comment by Angela Rayner, speaking at a Fabian Society event:

The sense of crisis engulfing Labour deepened further last night when shadow education secretary Angela Rayner, a Jeremy Corbyn loyalist, broke cover to express her dismay at Labour’s handling of antisemitism. The shadow cabinet was “totally exasperated by the failure of our movement to be able to deal with this issue”, she said.  

 In an extraordinary outburst at a Fabian Society conference, Rayner said she was “absolutely embarrassed by what’s happened over the last few days and I’ve made my representations very clear. If that means setting up an independent system, then so be it... let’s just get on and do it.” 

Note the contrast.  The headline deliberately puts Corbyn in the frame, implying he is in someway responsible for the 'crisis.' (2)  Whereas Rayner doesn't mention him at all in the quoted passages.  In fact, the specifies "Movement," not Corbyn or the leadership team.

Later on, the story quotes Clive Lewis:

The Labour frontbencher Clive Lewis, who is on the left of the party, called on the leadership to “get a grip” before it was too late. With the Conservative party looking likely to elect a populist rightwinger, Boris Johnson, to replace Theresa May, the dangers and challenges were clear, Lewis said. 

“Now more than ever our democracy needs Her Majesty’s Opposition to do what it says on the tin and oppose and act as a counterbalance to what a significant portion of the electorate will consider as a likely dangerous lurch to the hard right,” said Lewis. 

“If Labour cannot perform this crucial function, then the danger for us as a party is that an increasing portion of the electorate will ask themselves: ‘If Labour won’t or can’t step up, then who will?’ The answer to this question may not be one we like very much. As such it really is time to get a grip and quick,” Lewis added.

Note again the lack of a specific mention of Corbyn or the leadership in general.  Surely, if he had specified Corbyn, the Guardian could have quoted him saying that?  But instead of actually presenting what Lewis and Rayner said failry, the Guardian framed these comments which seem to be aimed at the party as a whole, or perhaps - since the Guardian seems to think it is okay to make up whatever spin you like for a story - they mean Corbyn's critics within the party. 

So, another shoddy attempt by the Guardian to advance its Corbyn bashing narrative instead of just doing honest and straight-forward reporting.

1 - No, me neither.
2 - A crisis that largely exists in newspaper headlines such as the example here.  Even journalists must eat, and that is facilitated by making things sound much more exciting than they actually are. 

Chris Williamson's re-admission

So, some Labour MPs and peers have written Corbyn a letter complaining about the re-admission of loudmouth MP Chris Williamson, who had been suspended over allegations he made anti-Semitic comments.

Never mind the Guardian's typically biased headline that Corbyn is facing "Mounting pressure" over this (as opposed to the same old stuff from the same old sources).

This, from the letter to Corbyn, is truly bizarre:

It is clear to us that the Labour party’s disciplinary process remains mired by the appearance of political interference. This must stop. We need a truly independent process.

So, a "truly independent process" is one where an independent decision is made by the people who have scrutinised the case and are empowered to make that decision; and then it is overruled because some people don't like it?

 Williamson is a tool, but Watson et al are dearranged.

Islamaphobia in the Conservative Party

And now this:

EXC: The Conservative Muslim chief has been expelled from the Tory Muslim group. Mohammed Amin tells me he has been expelled following an intervention by CCHQ because he criticised the 'moral integrity' of Boris Johnson: https://t.co/5pkY2JR1C2

— Shehab Khan (@ShehabKhan) 21 June 2019

The Tories are having a really stink couple of days. Obviously, the prospect of a conservative win must be making a lot of bigots feel legitimised and safe to express their hate.

n.b. He hasn't actually been expelled from the Conservative Party (yet) but has been forced to stand down from his role as chairman of the Conservative Muslim Group, for the sin of criticising the Dear-Leader-in-Waiting.

It seems you can't question Johnson's moral character ... even though the police have just been round to see if his girlfriend was alright.

A bad couple of days for the Conservative Party

In - what, 48 hours? - a Tory MP assaults a female demonstrator, a Tory MP verbally abuses a female colleague via twitter, a Tory MP is recalled for corruption, and a Tory MP (and likely future PM) has the police turn up at their door at 2am because his girlfriend was screaming "Get off me!"

With regards the last instance, I'm trying to be fair and imagine circumstances where a woman screaming "Get off me!" at 2am in the morning is okay.

Nope, can't think of any.

The Conservative Party - home of corruption and toxic masculinity.

Tony (not Tommy) Robinson quits Labour

I’ve left the Labour Party after nearly 45 years of service at Branch, Constituency and NEC levels,partly because of it’s continued duplicity on Brexit, partly because of it’s antisemitism, but also because its leadership is complete shit.

— Tony Robinson (@Tony_Robinson) 3 May 2019

That's a shame, I've always liked him, but if he quits, he quits. His choice. I am puzzled by his comment about 'duplicity' on Brexit. The policy has always been pretty clear and if he though Labour were supporting Remain after the referendum result, then he is a fool.

It is very disappointing to see him mentioning anti-Semitism as a reason, though I wonder if this might help us understand the reasoning behind the right wing 'anti-Semitism' strategy. It isn't going to have much of an impact on the general voters because they won't pay much attention to it or will generally write it off (correctly) as a hatchet job. But celebrities will be nervous about supporting a party that is continually being described as anti-Semitic, no matter how unfounded the claims. After all, they depend on their reputation and profile for their money, and are likely to be very careful in avoiding negative associations.

Heidi Allen to lead 'Change UK'

So, Heidi Allen is to be leader of the re-branded The Independent Group (Now Change UK - really mining that vacuous, non-aligned, post-ideological, aspirational, sub-Obama seam of meaninglessness.)

At least she is guaranteed a footnote in the history books - Chukka Umuna must be sick with envy at that.

Let's remind ourselves of Allen's voting record:

Anti diversity:

•  Consistently voted against laws to promote equality and human rights.

Wants people to suffer:

• Has never voted on allowing terminally ill people to be given assistance to end their life

Warmonger:

• Consistently voted for use of UK military forces in combat operations overseas
• Voted against investigations into the Iraq war

Doesn't care about the poor and needy:

• Generally voted against paying higher benefits over longer periods for those unable to work due to illness or disability
• Generally voted for a reduction in spending on welfare benefits
• Consistently voted for phasing out secure tenancies for life
• Generally voted against greater public control of bus services

Serves the rich:

• Consistently voted for raising the threshold at which people start to pay income tax
• Consistently voted against higher taxes on banks
• Consistently voted for more restrictive regulation of trade union activity
• Consistently voted for reducing capital gains tax
• Consistently voted for reducing the rate of corporation tax

Anti-democracy, devolution and local control:

• Voted for fewer MPs in the House of Commons
• Consistently voted for reducing central government funding of local government
• Voted against a more proportional system for electing MPs
• Voted against a wholly elected House of Lords
• Voted against removing hereditary peers from the House of Lords
• Generally voted against transferring more powers to the Welsh Assembly
• Generally voted against transferring more powers to the Scottish Parliament
• Almost always voted against more powers for local councils

Contempt for young people:

• Almost always voted against a lower voting age

Little concern for refugees and immigrants:

• Consistently voted for a stricter asylum system
• Almost always voted for stronger enforcement of immigration rules

Like snooping:

• Consistently voted for requiring the mass retention of information about communications
• Consistently voted for mass surveillance of people’s communications and activities

Doesn't care about the environment;

• Consistently voted against measures to prevent climate change
• Voted against financial incentives for low carbon emission electricity generation methods
• Consistently voted against a publicly owned railway system

Oddly, used to hate the EU, but now purports to like it:

• Generally voted against a right to remain for EU nationals already in living in the UK
• Generally voted against UK membership of the EU

Ye shall know them by their fruits. Don't be fooled by her 'bubbly' exterior and her "I'm just like everyone, I eat chips at Nandos" routine.

Chukka Speaks!

Chukka Umunna, de facto leader of the Independent Group (yeah, I know I said that wouldn't happen.  I underestimated the reckless self-aggrandisement of those involved) has poured out his branes in an (inevitable) interview in Guardian.

Highlights include:

"I never felt totally comfortable in the Labour party" - he adds "I’ve never really been a massively tribal politician" as if social justice was just a convenient political badge, rather than a fundamental principle predicating the existence of the party.

"The team who were helping me organise, were told by quite a few MPs that they weren’t going to support me, because they didn’t think their working-class constituents would ever vote for a black man" - an astonishing claim, suggesting the rot Chukka attributes to Corbynism runs far deeper than that.  Calling the people who voted you into office vile racist bigots is an interesting way of winning their hearts and minds over, but - hey - TIG and Chukka aren't willing to be constrained by the old ways of doing things.

(It is worth noting that - in 2017 - almost two out of every three voters in Streatham voted for Umunna, giving him a majority of over 26,000.Vile racist bigots, the lot of them.

(It is also worth noting that he fared well, but not as well, in 2015, winning just 53% of the vote and a majority of 13,000.  It seems fair to attribute the increase in his vote to Corbyn and the 2017 manifesto striking a chord; the leader and the manifesto Umunna has now repudiated.)

If you were thinking that might be a poorly worded phrase or a wilful misinterpretation of his words, he doubles down, opining, "Maybe what we’ve seen happen in the Labour party since the late 1990s and through to 2010, was actually exceptional, and wasn’t what the Labour party really is?"

So, Labour suddenly went racist and anti-Semitic in 2010.  You know, year we had not one but two Jewish candidates vying for the leadership?  In the leadership election (under the old rules, with three electoral colleges) the Milliband brothers were first and second in each of the three colleges, in every round of voting.  Such rank anti-Semitism!

But Chukka blunders on, turning is attention to Brexit, suggesting, "I don’t believe it would have happened, were it not for our resignations. We appear to have had more influence on Labour’s Brexit policy out of the party than we ever had while we were in it".  It would seem Chukka is so wrapped up in himself he is unaware that supporting a second vote if an election or an acceptable deal is not possible has been Labour policy since the 2018 conference.

He then returns to Labour and the "he arid, aggressive, bullying culture within the party," which shows (again) a remarkable lack of awareness of the aggressive bullying Ummuna and his fellow travellers have been directing Corbyn's way since he had the termerity to win the leadership in 2015 (ummuna, of course, rather fancied being leader himself but chickened out for reasons he did not make clear at the time but which he now says was the inveterate racism of the British electorate.)

His ability to shoot himself in the foot is quite spectacular.

He really comes across as a whiney, entitled metropolitan-bubble politician, a manque-Blair, without the talent but with the narcissism and the principles so flexible they bend of their own accord, without any pressure being applied. He has nothing to offer, he has not ideas.

If he was your boss, he'd be the sort that talks in vacuous sound bites like 'Blue sky thinking'; refers vaguely to 'paradigm shifts in thinking'; and uses 'Going forwards' a lot, even none of that is current management jargon, because Chukka isn't even good at being what Chukka is.

And he'd be really, really big on 'team building' activities, like taking everyone out to Nandos.