The ‘Remain Labour‘ event in Liverpool last Saturday was set up with high expectations – as a joint event with ‘Liverpool for Europe‘ – as a demonstration of the scale of support for a so-called “people’s vote” and preventing Brexit.
Liverpool is routinely quoted by remain campaigners looking for justification for their campaign – particularly for MPs opposing the Labour leadership’s intelligent fight for everyone, as opposed to 48% or 52% – as an example of a northern city with strong remain sentiment and as a free pass for those trying to manoeuvre Labour into supporting a new referendum.
But it appears only a handful of people turned up.
This development was noticed by Twitter account “The Left Bible“, which challenged the event’s organisers to provide evidence for its claims that ‘at least 100’ attended:
In response, Remain Labour responded with a snarky comment and photo that showed ten audience members, as well as the panel of speakers:
We don’t answer to you. But because we’re feeling generous, here is one below. That’s it, we’re not going to waste anymore time with an organisation making false claims. We have more important things to do.
Remain Labour Twitter account
Unfortunately, Remain Labour were did not have a monopoly on the photos posted to Twitter – and the few others posted did not suggest an audience of ‘at least 100’. The images are only partial – significantly none at all appear to have been posted from the back of the room at the Quaker Meeting House in Liverpool One – but empty seats in the audience are highlighted below with yellow arrows:
The absence of any images from further back in a meeting room large enough to hold 130 people in ‘theatre layout’ certainly suggests there were no people sitting further back in a room that could accommodate at least a dozen rows and probably more:
The bleak faces of panellists in a number of images as they stare out across the sparse audience when not speaking supports this conclusion.
Remain Labour is run by Andrew Lewin, a former LibDem parliamentary candidate and now listed as a speaker by the right-wing group Progress. The SKWAWKBOX has been unable to find contact information for him or his campaign.
The campaign’s ‘contact’ page contains no contact details, but states that it will not support ‘any…exit deal that might be proposed‘. It therefore has no pretensions to try to represent the whole population.
SKWAWKBOX comment:
Claims that only eight people turned up look to be unkind. However, an audience of 20-25 people in a city region of 1.4 million or so people that voted heavily in favour of remaining in the EU is hardly stellar. There appears to be no evidence to support the campaign’s claim of ‘at least 100’ attendees, although even 100 would hardly be compelling.
It appears that Liverpool – a stronghold of Corbynism as well as a strong remain area – recognises that a Labour government is a far higher priority and that this goal would be damaged by any attempt to prevent the implementation of the 2016 referendum result.
A fact that may, of course, not be entirely unrelated to the attempts of Corbyn’s opponents to create an impression of ‘pressure’ for him to back such efforts.
In this case, with a spectacular lack of success.
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Hmmm…
With so many people there, I wonder what the bill was for berger’s security detail…Y’know?! Seeing as by her own words she feels neither ‘safe’ nor ‘welcome’ within the party. And don’t forget, the venue’s only a half mile or so away from the Echo Arena, which hosted the party conference last year…
Or, perhaps like at that conference, was the security just for outside the venue in the event berger receives the antisemitic abuse walking down the streets of the city where her constituency is?
I mean, even singing ‘Oh, Jeremy Corbyn!’ wouldn’t help – Ask weaselly screeching. But then again, maybe ellman could tell us…That’s if she remembers it was an event she attended.
I guess we’ll never know the truth…
“It appears that Liverpool – a stronghold of Corbynism as well as a strong remain area – recognises that a Labour government is a far higher priority”
A bit of a forced conclusion. More likely that people can’t be arsed with what passes for politics at the moment. They’re dangerously bored – which suits the Tories to a tee.
“Where are the vast majority of Labour people [on Brexit]?
“Love Corbyn, Hate Brexit.”
Given Corbyn’s position that the 2016 Brexit referendum result should be respected, how can this be explained? Perhaps it is because most Labour people understand that it is by the strength of our common endeavour that we achieve more than we do alone, and that together we can build a community in which power, wealth and opportunity are shared in the interests of the many and not the few. And that these foundational words of the Labour credo are as true internationally as they are domestically. Yes, the European Union, when influenced by a preponderance of centre-right national leaders, imposed austerity on Greece, has taken a morally questionable Fortress Europe approach to migration, and has leaned towards being a liberal club rather than anything more radical or socialist. But it is through working together and arguing for our values on the continental level that we can work towards creating a better Europe. As per the name of a vital campaigning organisation for our times: Another Europe is Possible. Outside it, we are voiceless and alone, not at the table.”
https://labourlist.org/2019/02/on-brexit-corbyn-should-get-back-to-his-roots/
I’ve been telling you that for months RH but you always respond to me with sneering and YouGov fake polls.
Interesting contrast here:
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/thousands-back-jeremy-corbyn-liverpool-8543449
Skwarky, you’ve put your own spin on the story again. If you are not careful you’ll be getting lumped in with the other fake media.
Even though I strongly support Remain, there there is no chance I would be seen in the company of that bunch of Corbyn haters unless it was to criticise them.
Even though I strongly support Remain, there there is no chance I would be seen in the company of that bunch of Corbyn haters unless it was to criticise them.
Fair point, like. But the article’s about remain labour claiming they had a hundred or so there when they plainly didn’t; that’s the fake news, innit?
The inference in Skwarky’s comments is that in Liverpool a remain city the Remainers could only attract a handful of Remainers. In fact the organizers were not just Remainers, they were enemies of Corbyn and THAT was the reason it was probably poorly attended, not because it was Remain.
Yes I remember thousands in Gateshead in the General Election running to the stadium so they would not miss Jeremy Corbyn speak, if had been a Right Wing speaker or Centrist they would have been running the other way!
Maybe it’s because we Left Wing Democratic Socialists believe in something and have ideas to change and transform society in the UK as an example to the World!
Ford has announced that it will do ‘whatever is necessary to protect its business’ in the event of no-deal (9,000 jobs). Who’s next Toyota, Honda or Vauxhall?
even owen smiffy attracted a larger crowd in Liverpool, but i guess Berger being there scared everyone off
Yeah, but most of that crowd were only there queueing for an ice-cream, weren’t they?
https://editorial01.shutterstock.com/wm-preview-1500/5810095f/69a59e14/owen-smith-labour-leadership-rally-liverpool-uk-shutterstock-editorial-5810095f.jpg
😀
If the Labour party want a crowd to show up in Liverpool, they’d best get the right MP to headline the venue.
http://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/0bffe2c0-c392-40a8-af5d-63b0ed37832d.jpg
😀
Poor luvs
Also note how, once again, Luciana Berger, who is supposedly ‘too heavily pregnant’ to face no-confidence motions from her CLP, is still not too heavily pregnant to take part in a meeting that explicitly contradicts party policy……
Agreed, I was gonna write as much meself in my first post.
Wonder what harriet (p.i.e.) harman will have to tweet in defence of that??
https://thegreatcritique.wordpress.com/2019/02/13/look-is-luciana-berger-too-heavily-pregnant-for-politics-or-not/
Luciana looks a picture of health in these pics! Never better!
Yet I’ve read elsewhere online that it was Labour Party headquarters who ‘persuaded ‘ CLP members to withdraw their no-confidence motions in her because of her being heavily pregnant.
I do hope that the members of her CLP table new no-confidence motions in her and that they are properly debated and voted on.. It’s a simple matter of Labour Party democracy.
oh dear me