So, the ‘chickencoup’ portion of the PLP (Parliamentary Labour Party) has ‘confronted‘ Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell and demanded that he ‘talk to’ world-renowned film director Ken Loach, after Loach labelled them ‘a disgrace’ during a talk at a screening of his award-winning film, ‘I, Daniel Blake’.
Apparently, the ‘coup-ers’ don’t think that initiating an anti-democratic challenge to the elected party leader, mass resignations, false allegations of ‘abuse’ and continually talking down the party’s electoral prospects to even the right-wing media is ‘disgraceful’ or that anyone should speak out about it. Right.
McDonnell promised that he would talk to Loach about it. So he did. And his office’s comments to media after that talk are a masterclass in the understated put-down:
John has spoken with Mr Loach directly after the meeting, just as he said he would. Ken confirmed to him that he only repeated his view that it was wrong when MPs had sought to undermine Jeremy’s leadership during the summer.
The campaign against ESA cuts has been extremely successful in raising awareness to the severity of the issue thanks to the support of individuals like Ken Loach. I, Daniel Blake is a powerful film that will reach more people than the usual campaigning methods.
In other words, ‘he talked to him, Loach declined to withdraw his comment – and isn’t he brilliant?!’
Priceless.
The ‘hen party’ (HP) also apparently criticised McDonnell for ‘failing’ to condemn supposed attempts to deselect arch-pullet Hilary Benn – by the invidious method of holding an annually-scheduled election and electing the CLP (constituency Labour party) officers they wanted.
If Leeds Central CLP decide they want to deselect their MP, that’s allowed in the party’s rules. This is not new – it has always been thus.
McDonnell’s response to this was also exemplary in its pithiness:
That’s democracy.
Quite. The HP reportedly ‘groaned’ at the mention of ‘democracy’
Anyone who does that and wants to deprive people of their democratic right to remove people they consider to have behaved ‘disgracefully’ is – well, there’s only one word for it.
Disgraceful.