MP for Ashfield Gloria de Piero was the recipient of a kindness from Jeremy Corbyn in his post-election reshuffle, in the form of an appointment to the front-bench position of Shadow Minister for Justice.
She is also standing for re-election to the CAC (Conference Arrangements Committee) and is supported in that endeavour by the intractably anti-Corbyn pressure group Labour First.
Yet in spite of this, as Labour First’s latest email shows, she is aligning herself with Corbyn in her updated campaign statement, in order to attract the votes of Corbyn supporters:
Corbyn’s generosity toward Ms de Piero should not be allowed to distract Labour members from her recent history or to lead them to believe she has suddenly become a reliable Corbyn supporter.
The original version of her campaign statement did not mention Corbyn at all, let alone mention supporting him:
But the recent huge majority of CLPs supporting pro-Corbyn candidates may have pointed to a change of approach.
In 2016, Ms de Piero was already a front-bencher – and was the second to resign in the series of resignations carefully orchestrated to try to force Corbyn to resign in the aftermath of the EU referendum:
A short time later, as Owen Smith’s ill-judged leadership challenge foundered, de Piero went to the S*n, the worst of the Murdoch rags and the enemy of the Labour Party, to literally beg right-wing readers to join the party in a desperate attempt to recruit voters to vote against Corbyn:
Thirdly, Ms de Piero is seeking re-election to the CAC, as is her running mate Michael Cashman. Which means they were both on the CAC when it facilitated one of the most scandalous anti-democratic power-grabs in the party’s history.
At last year’s Conference, party rules and procedures were ignored in order to force through a set of rule changes that put two additional, unelected, anti-Corbyn members onto the NEC (Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee) – to the huge detriment of the party and the vast majority of its members.
Last, but far from least, the mere fact that she is supported by Labour First – a group founded and led by a man who crowed over the anti-democratic move described just above – is in and of itself enough to mean that no pro-Corbyn member should even think of casting a vote in her favour, whatever she has in her campaign statement.
If you support Labour’s leader; if you want a democratic Labour Party; if you believe in the party’s vision and direction since Corbyn was elected to lead it – then there is only one way to cast your two votes this week when your ballot papers arrive:
One for Seema Chandwani.
One for Billy Hayes.
And one in the eye for Labour First – with a big blow in support of democracy.
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And one in the eye for Corbyn supporters, by Saint Jeremy himself. What’s he doing appointing people like de Piero who will stab him in the back at the first opportunity?
For compulsory reselection of all MPs so members get to decide on the politics of their MPs, rather than the prima donnas just looking after thesmselves.
Perhaps JC was trying to show the way forward by once again extending the hand of friendship and to lead by good example. Now if that hand of friendship and unity is subsequently shat upon then so be it for those MPs . However, there maybe some genuine MPs who are now seeing that they were miss-lead by a minority of powerful and vocal idiots who would do better in another right wing party . So for the sake of party unity we need to approach things carefully so as not to throw the baby out with the proverbial bath water.
I am all for the compulsory re-selection idea and the continuing democratisation of the party , this I feel would be the best way to ensure that MPs are as good as their words printed on a piece of paper or in de Piero case a gutter rag national news paper ACA the shite Sun
Well, I would suggest that JC is at best a slow learner; like reappointing Lyn Brown MP to the front bench, when she (like de Piero) flounced off before, denouncing him – there are other examples of many other MPs.
As my dog stole my sausages, I think it reasonable for me to presume she will always do such (indeed, it was always in her nature, from Day 1). I am foolish for letting her near them and won’t do so again – but then it’s only me who went hungry; Corbyn the conciliator risks starving all his supporters by allowing free range for a pack of hyenas that will steal his supporters grub as well as his own.
Perhaps JC is merely following advice of Michael Corleoni? 🙂
“My father taught me many things here — he taught me in this room. He taught me — keep your friends close but your enemies closer.”
Reblogged this on elizapdushku's World.
Luke Akehurst helpfully points out that electing Billy Hayes and Seema Chandwani changes the ratio of the CAC to 4 proCorbyn to 3 anti (from 5 anti to 3 pro-Corbyn).
However, who are the members of the CAC? I’ve been trying to find out all day. Why is it a secret? Ditto NCC.
Reblogged this on Declaration Of Opinion.
Gloria De Piero’s amendment to her statement is of course a fraudulent act designed to mislead Labour Party members.
It is also a tacit self admission that centrists like De Piero are aware they electorally toxic and need to hide behind Jeremy Corbyn’s electability.
It is all rather rich coming from De Piero, who has incessantly attacked the leadership on the issue of electability.
This is all academic of course. Seema and Billy have the support of an overwhelming number of the membership and will win convincingly.
Which again demonstrates centrists like De Piero are unelectable and a liability to the Labour party.
Had to vote for De Piero in the latest election. It was that or a Tory MP would have got in (she won by about 300 votes) shows you how screwed our democracy really is. After the S@n article that was a horrid choice indeed.
At the time of the resignations, Tom Newton-Dunne said that he knew one person who had told him some time previously that he/she was only on the frontbench in the first place in order to resign later!
De Piero has put Corbyn’s name on her election address. Did she do this during the general election?
Her opportunism reminds me of Angela Eagle and her ridiculous claim to be ‘on the left of the Labour Party’.
Her opportunism reminds me of Angela Eagle and her ridiculous claim to be ‘on the left of the Labour Party’.
Pfffft! Maybe in a photo of party MP’s….And for illeagle to be on the left in the photo’d mean she was on the right when it was taken.
Gloria de Piero didn’t only stab Jeremy in the back, she completely ignored the democratic decision of the members to elect him and thereby stuck two fingers up to us. I didn’t see anywhere in her statement the word ‘sorry’. How can someone such as de Piero, having such a dislike of what Jeremy Corbyn represents, suddenly change course unless it is for their own ends? it doesn’t make sense.
De Piero and and Cashman (ha!) are irredeemably tainted by their actions on last year’s CAC. They have no shame at all.
Deselection.
Reminds me (again) a little bit of the ‘life of brian’ scene….
Deselection?
Yes.
Good – Out the door, line on the left, one cross each…
(If only)
This isn’t totality correct…what she did was actually worse.
Her article in the s*n was published on the two weeks between the resignations and Angela Eagle announcing her intention to stand.
The right didn’t even have a bloody candidate and she a STILL went in THAT paper and appealed for readers to join and vote against JC.
She was firmly in the Anyone But Corbyn camp.
Then she had the front to address the CLP and say she never lies to her constituents and that there definitely a was no coup, no plan, no plot, and it was a difficult heartfelt decision.
I would not trust her as far as I could throw herher.