Some ice for this burn, please – a great post by ‘Rachael Swindon‘:
There are times when 140 characters simply doesn’t do justice to a situation.
Has anyone else noticed, as soon as Jeremy Corbyn won 2 leadership contests, and made gains not predicted by a single member of the establishment media (or many of his own MPs) in a general election, a particular someone always seems to be keen on making headlines?
Whether it’s to offer their unconditional support, or on the flip side, whether it’s to throw their well-to-do toys out of their pram (that always pulls to the right), there’s always one person who seems compelled to make it all about them.
Popping up on every TV network, every radio station, buzzing around newsrooms like a Rampant Rabbit that’s gone from Panasonic Economy to Duracell Ultra, is Chuka Umunna.
Anybody would think Labour’s (unexpected by most) gains were like a personal defeat for Chuka. If Chuka represents the bright young hope of a now deceased and non-functioning New Labour then it was a defeat. And a damning one at that.
For the best part of 2 years, Chuka, and his band of not very merry, and “f*****g useless” plotters (hat-tip to John McDonnell) told anyone that would listen that Jeremy Corbyn is unelectable.
As the (first?) 2017 General Election campaign got underway a majority of these MPs campaigned to keep their job as an MP, not to form a Labour Government. But while they were thinking about their jobs, Jeremy was thinking about trying to change the world. They underestimated him enormously.
Some people won’t agree with this, but that’s the beauty of opinion: it’s yours, and you’re bound to find somebody with a different one soon.
Jeremy Corbyn and the ‘Corbyn surge’ he inspired kept a large number of these MPs in a job. His enthusiasm for public engagement was a scary prospect for those MPs more comfortable reviewing tomorrows tabloids on Sky, or writing a column on electability in (God help us) The Mail.
If MPs don’t feel comfortable with repaying the hard work Jeremy put in to the result on June 8th then are they really that shocked that deselections are being called for?
Britain needs a strong opposition that is ready-to-govern, not one with sniping from the defeated right-wing of the party. In the interests of constituents (many of whom clearly voted for Corbyn rather than their local Labour candidate), in the interest of the party and its members, and in the interests of a British people that desperately needs a Labour Government, deselections cannot be ruled out.
Nearly 13 million people went out on June 8th and endorsed Mr. ‘Unelectable’.
That is one hell of a mandate and greater than any right-wing MP’s will ever be. If they can’t respect that then how can we, or the electorate, genuinely respect them? In an ideal world we would come together, but grandstanding on individual issues simply to cause division within the party and, more importantly, to promote brand Umunna really isn’t very socialist, is it?
I’m sure Chuka will tell you it’s all about principles. What principles mate? You claimed expenses of 40p (FORTY PENCE), for a pint of milk! Not just once – twelve times! And this was during a time of austerity!
Time and time again the right-wingers told us Jeremy Corbyn was unelectable, that Labour would be lucky to have 150 MPs after the election. With the help of the media, they even managed to talk the public into believing it. You have to wonder how much better he result could’ve been if they were on-board, rather than making up voodoo dolls of Mr. Corbyn in a dark room for the likes of fading-star Fawkes (I think he’s a Tory blogger) to pierce with red hot pokers.
We tried it your way, Chuka and Co. We achieved a poll rating of 26%.
The country didn’t want to back a divided party. The right-wing told us we were on 26% because of Jeremy. Then the election was called. They managed to STFU for a few short weeks (the fear of losing your job has that effect). They didn’t have time to plot, and we could get on with things our way without them dragging us back and look what happens.
The poll that matters most of all saw Corbyn’s Labour hit nearly 40%. Most polls since the general election show the momentum continuing.
You really don’t need to be a polling expert to point out the bleedin’ obvious.
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Bob on Rachel
Polling has increased since the GE too – in spite of them, or because of them? You decide…
JUDAS UMMUNA, BE AFRAID BE DEEPLY AFRAID, ALONG WITH YOUR RIGHT LEANING BLAIRITE BUDDIES!
YOU ARE THE PAST NOT OUR FUTURE, JUMP BEFORE YOUR PUSHED!
OR, YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR IDEAS, GET ON BOARD, BITE YOUR BOTTOM LIP, START BACKING THE LEADER, THEN TELL US ALL, YOU WERE WRONG AND APOLOGISE.
WE MIGHT FORGIVE YOU.
You might forgive them – I won’t.
Leopards, spots………
Reblogged this on disabledsingleparent.
Tweeted @melissacade68
My vote and my families vote changed from Tory to labour to save NHS from privatisation and to get the Tories out, I did not vote labour to come out of the EU, Corbyn and May, there is no difference. They both need to go. I AM A PROUD REMAINER
Good view of a destructive force. I knew Chuka when he was a child (was living with his nanny). He was an obnoxious, selfish person then. I’m not sure he’s grown up emotionally or mentally.
I would really have loved to send this to our ‘friend’ dear Chuka, however, he is such a delicate wallflower who cannot bear a little criticism and thus he’s blocked me. I wasn’t rude, I just asked plainly and directly why he was doing this to the Labour party, our members and most of all our voters who need Labour now, more than ever. Apparently, this was too much for him to reply to and he blocked me. I haven’t forgotten how one day he was standing for the leadership and then next day he was gone. You would think that he would respect Jeremy Corbyn and his tenacity to stand up and go for something he believed is right for the country and right for the Labour party, despite being 200-1 behind in the leadership stakes, yet up he stood and won people like me over and I ended up voting for him twice as leader and again in the general election. I couldn’t vote for Dear Chuka because dear Chuka had thrown the towel in citing fear of press intrusion for his partner and family?! Piffle, like he didn’t know this beforehand?
When Chuka chucked in the towel he also chucked the towel on his own career and he is now behaving like a spoiled brat. He has only himself to blame, Chuka wasn’t worried about press intrusion, what he was worried about his career! He suddenly realised that he would probably lose the next GE and this would put paid to his chances of n
Earth to Chuka; stop behaving like a tart and either get behind Corbyn, Labour and MOST IMPORTANTLY the people who need us, or give up politics – your choice!
I’ve got a little list
I’ve got a little list
Of Bliarites and red tories
And I’m sure you’ll get the gist
There’s those who are Corbyn haters
And Westminster careerist
Some – just plain class traitors
And sure – they won’t be missed
And sure, they won’t be missed.
Rats like Byrne, Reeves and Umunna
Eagle, Coyle, and Mann
Now lord Sainsbury has withdrawn his dough
And the shit has hit the fan.
‘Cos now the tide is turning
And those rats are all quite pissed
To see momentum’s flame burning
And none of them’ll be missed
Not one of them’ll be missed.
(Thank you! 🙂 )
By the way – crackin’ post, Rachael. 🙂
Sums up the stoats (And umunna in particular) in the party very well.
They’re nowt but a millstone, imo.
A great blog and your vibrator metaphor to describe Ummuna made me smile. I see the Blairite MPs descension as the last throw of the dice for Neoliberal bs. As Jonathan Pie put it we don’t want a Tory tribute act in opposition. I imagine Ummana was ordered to cause trouble by a higher power. Nonetheless, I imagine his ego played a part as well. Great blog and let’s get rid of these fake socialist Blairite MPs, and put MPs who deserve to be there in their place.
Why don’t we get straight to the point? All Labour candidates for parliamentary constituencies should go through a compulsory reselection process, each parliament. Councillors have to do this between council elections and it is only democratic that MPs should have the support of local members, too.
Think you’ve down played the effects of out and out treachery of the Blairites just a tad Rach. They didn’t just shut their cakesholes during the election. The combined cynicism, ‘out-of-toughness’ and willful diversion of party resources by the likes of McNicoll, Dugdale, Unuuma, etc, helped Tories gain seats – 13 more in Scotland to be precise (Tories biggest gain there since 1983). Considering the 10 DUP May’s currently relying on and throwing vast sums of public money at to cling on to power, we should all hope that this outright backstabbing that strengthened the Tories, prolonging the pain and misery of working class people, will not be overlooked come conference time. Hopefully and if they have any sense, Unuuma and Co will fall on their swords before September. But they clearly have no shame so won’t hold my breath.
Corrections:
Cakeshole = cakehole
‘Out-of-toughness’ = ‘out-of-touchness’
Apologies all, (damn predictive text – makes a right show of me every time 😉)
They will need to sort out the cheats first, a blanket deselection would play straight into their hands. Brilliant post Rachael!