Ian Austin, 2017 majority 22, claims Labour voters won’t vote for Corbyn, who that year won historic increase in Labour vote – and says ‘fortunate we’re not facing a general election’
Ian Austin – disliked even by other Labour quitters, according to Labour sources – has resigned from the Labour Party. Austin, who managed to win a majority of just twenty-two votes when the UK was witnessing the ‘Corbyn surge’, claimed voters tell him all the time they can’t vote for Corbyn.
In an interview with Sky News – full of curiously defensive hand-gestures – he also admitted he had been campaigning against Corbyn for years – and would not say he wouldn’t prefer a continuation of Tory government that has seen some 150,000 people die under its policies:
As well as the huge death toll linked to Tory cuts, Tory austerity has pushed millions into poverty – including well over four million children – and inflicted misery and despair on our most vulnerable people.
Yet Austin thinks it’s ‘fortunate’ the UK doesn’t have a chance to change its government.
SKWAWKBOX comment:
What this blog wants to say is not printable. Chris Williamson MP said earlier that Austin is no loss to the Labour Party and spoke of Austin’s contempt for democracy. He didn’t go far enough – the Labour Party is infinitely improved by his long-overdue departure and Austin’s contempt clearly extends to the poor and vulnerable.
Ian Austin is an affront to politics and to the suffering millions of this country – and doesn’t even have the backbone to face voters.
The SKWAWKBOX needs your support. This blog is provided free of charge but depends on the generosity of its readers to be viable. If you can afford to, please click here to arrange a one-off or modest monthly donation via PayPal or here for a monthly donation via GoCardless. Thanks for your solidarity so this blog can keep bringing you information the Establishment would prefer you not to know about.
If you wish to reblog this post for non-commercial use, you are welcome to do so – see here for more.
The question is how did he get nominated in the first place? Was he an NEC discovery or the fruit of a local search. Did he emerge from an ‘all reactionary’ shortlist or was he propelled into office by a tidal wave of popular enthusiasm?
Is democracy at fault here or its opposite, the manipulating clique treating the local constituents as so much cannon fodder in a war to protect imperialism.
That interests me as well. I see he entered politics before most of the other quitters (2010 parachutists) and was a staunch Brownite (no surprise there given his authoritarian personality). However, what drove these people to become so virulently pro Israel activists? I’m wondering if identity politics played a part. Either that or Mr Masot’s infiltration programme was very successful. Either way, it’s about time British politicians devoted their careers to British politics.
For once, I can agree with you, lundiel.
The answer to the question “what drove these people to become so virulently pro-Israel activists?” isn’t simple – it’s a mixture of motivations.
In the case of Austin, I would speculate that he actually believes the nonsense that he’s spouting – it’s simply a marker of limited imagination and intellect. He probably genuinely can’t understand the separation of antisemitism from ant-Zionism and criticism of Israel.
Then there’s the self-righteous tendency – those with no particular belief or cause who think it’s virtuous to bang on about antisemitism where little exists. They would do anything for a photo-shoot.
.. which is closely related to ‘virtue signalling’ – an attempt to curry favour without putting your neck on the line. They don’t get the despicable nature of using the memory of the holocaust as a cover for self-aggrandizement.
There are, of course, the true believers who actively promote the Israeli cause despite its contradiction of anti-racism and the on-going horror of the repression of Palestinians. They are quite happy to ignore the terrible hypocrisy involved.
But my guess is that the largest number are the cowardly, who don’t want to face down the propaganda initiative. I actually think that most journalists and – sadly – many senior Labopur politicians fall into this category. It’s easier to join the virtue signalers than the truth.
The question of local selection of candidates vs. selection by the leadership is interesting.
Yes, it was Blair and his cronies who selected and “parachuted in” right wingers – however much we despise him and them, the fact that so many of them survive suggests the practice itself was very effective and for that reason we should consider it.
Some claim local selection is more democratic – I wonder.
There are localities where hardly more than a handful attend meetings and it’s all too easy for a small cabal to wrest and maintain control, as we’ve read here.
A small group of self-selected locals selecting a candidate from a very small pool isn’t my idea of democracy – a party machine can select the best applicants from the whole country and has the resources to vet them and their beliefs thoroughly.
Local politics, like juries in the legal system, is a throwback to the days of smaller populations and limited travel when everyone knew everyone else in the district. That hasn’t been the case for generations and today most of us know people on the telly better than we know our neighbours.
We ought to be thinking about how to rework politics and society from basic principles to fit how we live today and how our kids will live tomorrow.
Ultimate democracy is technically possible already and I suspect tomorrow’s generation might demand it.
An interesting take. But, on balance, the downside of centralisation is going to increase alienation rather than any effectiveness. The experience of the Blair years is a terrible warning.
The effect would be to reverse the growth in membership that we have seen, and increase disdain and rejection as a response to politics.
In summary – over-centralisation is the main defect of British politics. Anything that increases it is a bad idea.
On the contrary RH, I alluded to the ability we already have to conduct the selection process in public and with the public free to add their input, subject to identity disclosure.
What we have now might as well, due to low attendance and lack of public interest in the process, be conducted in secret.
Unfortunately, like the other self-serving careerists YOU won’t put your cowardly, hypocritical arse on the line in a by-election.
But you’ll try & browbeat people you probably think wouldn’t put up much of a fight due to their passive nature because you don’t have anywhere’s near the ammunition to do it intellectually.
Although I’ve a feeling that now you know who your mates are – and there’s VERY few of them – that you’ll go out with more of a whimper than a blazing act of defiance.
That’s because it’s patently obvious you’re nowt but a shithouse, austin.
He’s an utter disgrace! The fact that The Imodium Group (they’ll need a lorry load, as they’re full of crap). Won’t even have him, says all you need to know about him! When is Tom, Margaret, Jess & Owen going to walk? It’s time they all stood for mandatory reelection and we can get rid of them.
You’ve got to laugh (drily) at the Graun.
Suzanne Moore, a notable air-head who pretends to journalism, has written an opinion piece entitled :
“Calling everyone who criticises Corbyn ‘Blairite’ is crazy”
… which may be true. But there’s no opportunity to post back another truth :
“But calling everyone who supports Corbyn an ‘Antisemite’ is even crazier (Even repulsive).”
The Graun doesn’t do challenge.
How did a tosser like Austin get into the Party in the first place ?
To be honest, it’s historically a pretty low bar. (Note the comment – letter to the Graun by Dave Hinchliffe that I posted re. Chris Leslie).
Times they are a-changin’. Jeremy must now realise that there are no true friends in politics as even his closest colleagues are making the wrong noises. No support whatsoever from Starmer as Gardiner & McDonnell are putting in the boot, endorsing claims of Anti-Semitism in the Labour Party & the 2nd Referendum goals of the new ‘Independence Group’.
Jeremy now appears to be the only leader @ the top table who believes that Blair was wrong & the class war is not over. The bourgeoisie may embrace these Lib Dems’ policies, but those who have always paid the price of austerity & globalisation will not forgive so easily. The Labour Party must continue to serve the interests of the downtrodden, the dispossessed & the disenfranchised or follow the Blairites & the Lib Dems into oblivion.
You’re not entirely wrong. But Corbyn and his advisers have made their own classic strategic mistake in shadowing Tory policy on Brexit too closely and distancing themselves from the instincts of the wider Party.
“The Labour Party must continue to serve the interests of the downtrodden”
Correct – but it won’t do that unless it can harness a majority of the population. And that means opposing the Tories effectively.
Just an additional thought. Compare the relative verbiage expended on fictional ‘antisemitism’ in comparison with the expressions of concern about the very real every day depredations visited on the Palestinian people.
Does it generate faith in the quality and principles of the PLP??
Good grief….I’m not entirely wrong? Now this is progress & then questioning the quality & principles of PLP over Palestine…..peace has broken out Comrade…..must be the dawning of the age of Aquarius or perhaps the major political parties are realigning?
Well phook me!
The interview austin did on ch4 earlier was oscar-worthy! I thought John Wayne was the biggest ham actor ever to grace my Tv screen, but austin’s just pished it by a country mile.
His physignomy – and reply – when asked about Chris Williamson’s comments over austin’s departure was ‘tres mange-tout’!!
His head went like mike gapes’ – a ribena berry about to burst! You could see him either wanting to explode or start crying with frustration like the petulant little shitehawk that he is.
Marvellous Tv.
*physiognomy.
In his case, phys-ignominy.
Hahaha.. It’s probable that’s what I was (subconsciously) thinking of when I typed it!
Like perhaps most posters on here I slogged my guts out in the General Election to get Jeremy in (though the Labour candidate in my area was a opportunist but not a Blairite),
But I was worried if we won.
I just couldn’t imagine the Blairites trooping through the lobby to vote for a transformation of society and democratic public ownership – I felt they would have stabbed the progressive Labour Govt and diverse working people in the back.
So I am pleased the nonentities are leaving but perhaps there may be more (there are about 50 Blairites who stand for nothing).
So have courage comrades, left wing democratic socialists could seriously tackle poverty including child poverty, homelessness, the housing crisis, poverty pay, end austerity, pay freezes etc. etc.
There are thousands of Diverse Left Wing
Democratic Socialists around the country ready and willing to stand up to the plate for Jeremy ! Solidarity!
Oh, austin reckons people (Williamson) shouldn’t gloat when utter thunderc*nts like him do the off.
Not just a knobhead but a miserable bleedin’ killjoy to boot.
PS. I expect if austin reads this he’ll go squealing to the old bill saying I’m inciting violence because when I say ‘to boot’ I mean to actually boot him. *whistles*
Ian Austin says, “It’s fortunate we’re not facing a General Election”. Fortunate for whom? Certainly for him and the rest of the shower of shits who quit. They know they have come to the end of their political careers, and their only ploy for extending them just a little bit longer is to refuse to stand down and trigger a bye-election. A GE would, of course see a mass wipe-out of these creatures.
Austin also says that many of his constituents tell him that they will never vote for Jeremy Corbyn to be Prime Minister. Well “his” constituents certainly didn’t vote for HIM in droves, did they, with a derisory majority of 23. The other question is obvious. If Corbyn is such a vote-loser (and this was certainly not the case in the last GE), Austin should want to bring on the next one so that Corbyn will fall and Labour will have to elect a new leader. This tells me that Austin is lying through his teeth and is terrified of a Corbyn Labour government which he fears is very very much on the cards.
But what tells you everything you need to know about Austin is that even the other shameless defectors detest him and do not want hm in their ranks. Johnny no mates!
150,000 people die under its policies: yet people like this support tory rule until that day they shown the door broad church not Blairs left behinds