Jeremy Corbyn addressed large crowds in the Nottinghamshire seat of Broxtowe on Saturday – now occupied by former-Tory ‘quitter’ MP Anna Soubry. ‘Mainstream’ journalists didn’t like it.
Recently-Tory Anna Soubry’s voting record on the her former party’s cuts and targeting of vulnerable people has not gone away because she has jumped ship to join the new ‘Tinge group’ of MPs. Nor have her politics moved noticeably – since her departure she has spoken approvingly of the austerity inflicted on the UK’s poorest since the Tories took Downing Street.
So Jeremy Corbyn’s decision to campaign in the tight marginal seat in Nottinghamshire made perfect sense, both as a statement of intent that Labour is in the business of getting into government – Soubry won Broxtowe in 2017 by fewer than 900 votes – and as a very clear message to the ‘quitter’ group.
According to research published last week, there is very little appetite for a the new ‘Thatcher-lite’, so-called ‘centrist’ option in UK politics. But it seems the one group that does pine for ‘more of the same’ is ‘mainstream’ journalists – at least judging by the howls of outrage from them.
A number of journalists couldn’t contain their anger at Corbyn’s impertinence in daring to park his tanks on Soubry’s and TINGE’s lawn, including the Guardian’s Carole Cadwalladr, who should know better – and subsequently deleted her tweet:
The Guardian’s Sonia Sodha – who happens to be on the advisory board of quitter Chuka Umunna’s think-tank – was another:
Of course, focusing on an ex-Tory in a narrowly Tory seat makes perfect sense – for a party that intends to win the marginals it needs in order to govern. But such logic didn’t seem to occur to many Establishment types.
Emily Thornberry gets it, though – and told the cheering crowd that the 2017 surge in Labour votes in quitter seats had nothing to do with individual incumbents and everything to do with Labour as an electoral force under its new leadership and policies:
The people of Broxtowe get it, too. While Corbyn was talking to a large crowd there, it seems Anna Soubry was talking to next to nobody at her so-called ‘rally’ for another referendum – referred to so glowingly by Sky’s Beth Rigby above -in neighbouring Nottingham. Even if you take passing shoppers into account:
Jeremy Corbyn’s full speech is available on YouTube and reflected the passion and confidence of a leader who knows his party has this week lost hindrances to it its mission of governing for the sake of the many:
But it was by no means all about Labour’s parliamentary front-benchers. Labour supporters in Broxtowe understand the mission and are ready to do what it takes, such as this group of two mothers and their daughters – all of whom are standing as candidates in the local elections:
SKWAWKBOX comment:
‘Peak centrist’ has often seemed to be reached, only for a new peak to reveal itself – but it’s hard to imagine anything more revealing than ‘mainstream’ journalists and commentators outraged by the idea that the Labour leader and his team should get to work to overthrow a candidate who has a long record of contributing to the damage this country’s vulnerable people have suffered for far too long.
Divided Tories or cardboard candidates who are in seats because of a Labour rosette they no longer want to wear and the hard work of supporters they now treat with contempt – all are fair game, in fact Labour has a duty and an obligation to the people to wipe the quitters off the electoral map. And there’s no time like the present to get started.
Broxtowe showed that voters get that, even if the small but well amplified centrist cult do not – and the latter’s outrage only shows how desperately out of touch they are.
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The problem is that Corbyn is still falling over himself to appease the Zionists. Hasn’t he learnt that it doesn’t do any good whatsoever in preventing their smears? Apologies actually harm him by reinforcing in the public’s mind that there is anti-Semitism in the Labour Party.
This genuinely happened to me yesterday. I had been reading messages sent by actor David Schneider explaining to someone that using the expression “having your pound of flesh “was deeply anti Semitic. Given that I had used the same expression to my Jewish daughter in law Anna last weekend when she told me my son was taking her for a meal following one of his many misdemeanours,I thought I should apologise.Anna,a university lecturer asked what I was apologising for,when I explained she said “What nonsense that man must spend his life looking for things to be offended by.”
David Schneider explaining to someone that using the expression “having your pound of flesh “was deeply anti Semitic’
F**king hell! What’s next ffs? That schneider certainly puts the ‘anal’ in analgesia, the absolute pain in the arse.
“that man must spend his life looking for things to be offended by.”
… which sums up much of the discourse where the objective isn’t consciously venal. . Yet nobody seems to recognize the deep and real offense that is perpetrated by the repetition of false accusations against the Labour Party as a body, or, worse, the perpetuation of the horrific treatment of the Palestinian people.
Compare the column inches!
Wake up and smell the coffee, Jim. David Schneider is 100% correct . The phrase comes directly and only from the outrageous demand of Shylock, a character (a classic anti-Semitic caricature ) in the play The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare. He is a Jewish money-lender who lends money to Antonio. When Antonio is unable to pay the money back, Shylock says he has the right to cut a pound of flesh from Antonio’s body. It is indeed a distinctly anti-Semitic expression .
What is it with sections of the ignorant, smug, Left , and it’s blindness about anti-Semitism ? The millennia deep cultural roots of Western anti-Semitism are so embedded in all sorts of expressions and memes that have become so commonly used as to become invisible to the ignorant. I well remember , in the 1970’s, having to reprimand a fine comrade with a lonstanding impeccable record of anti-fascist activism, for carelessly using the expression “he’s a tricky Isaacs” of someone who he considered untrustworthy. I admit that all of us ignorant, often thoughtlessly racist, 1960’s British schoolboys were apt to use that dreadful, anti-Semitic, expression , “don’t be such a Jew” , whenever a fellow schoolmate failed to share out his sweets. Such was, and still is, the saturation of anti-Semitic memes in Western culture. That many on the Left are still apparently unaware of the toxicity of careless use of historically loaded terms in 2019 , is pathetic to say the least.
The phrase long ago lost its specific relationship to Elizabethan prejudices – unlike the other terms that you cite.
RH,
“The phrase long ago lost its specific relationship to Elizabethan prejudices – unlike the other terms that you cite.”
I agree and would add the problem is our modern systems that enable ‘money lenders’ and the modern gauging financial systems to flourish and be parasitic on society and the real economy.
I also think racism is deeply embedded in western societies, hundreds of years of imperialism and colonialism gives European and their powerful colonies a sense of exceptionalism that is still played out today in most threatening, oppressive, extortionate, murderous, destructive and aggressive forms… Iraq, Venezuela, Yemen, Syria, Sudan etc. etc. etc.
RH,
“Yet nobody seems to recognize the deep and real offense that is perpetrated by the repetition of false accusations against the Labour Party as a body, or, worse, the perpetuation of the horrific treatment of the Palestinian people.”
Well said.
“I also think racism is deeply embedded in western societies”
I don’t disagree, Maria. But it isn’t only ‘western’ societies. The manipulation of identity by power groups is pretty universal. The roles of victim and perpetrator can swap quite easily – which brings us back to Israel.
Dear jpenney thank you for informing me that the quote comes from Shakespeare,I want you to know I didn’t find your response the least bit patronising ,but then I am.,after all a smug leftie.
I’m afraid that you are right.
To some extent, I can understand Corbyn, as the main victim, keeping his head down. But it is the overwhelming tendency in the Party hierarchy to reinforce the falsehooods by constantly apologising for nothing except the propaganda fictions of the pro-Israel lobby.
So many Jewish people, like those running the JVL website, and the signatories to last week’s letter, are absolutely incensed by the unrepresentative group hijacking pretended offense in their name. Yet the media ignores their views in order to give prominence to the ranting distortions of the Jewish Chroncle and the Board of Deputies.
… which is bad enough. But visible PLP members giving the nonsense credibility is beyond the pale. The propaganda and censorship has now got way beyond the flaws inherent in the imperfect governance of media ownership that we are used to.
The omission of the word ‘widespread’ in your last sentence, Jack, could be construed by the likes of the all-too-easily-offended-and-not-really-that-funny-anyway, david schneider (See Jim’s post below) as an outright denial by you that antisemitism exists within the party.
Which, granted, would say more about him than you. But who’s got the draw of the audience – And, therefore, the benefit of their ignorance?
Clue: It isn’t you…
Jack T, still lazily and offensively using that deeply ambiguous , dog whistle term “Zionists” – when one can charitably assume he simply means” the unconditional supporters of all and any of the actions of the government of the state of Israel”. If “Zionist” is instead, as is common on the ultraleft , and the clerico-fascist Islamic Right , simply taken to mean anyone at all who recognises the right of a Jewish majority state of Israel to exist in the Middle East, (but not necessarily within current boundaries, or supporting many of its actions, and still supporting the right of the Palestinian People to a fairly negotiated settlement which would provide for them a viable nation state alongside Israel), then The Labour Party in it’s policy , and Jeremy, and even the PLO are “Zionists” too.
Or does Jack T, with his constant refrains about “the Zionists” just really mean “Jews” , in the same way that fascists , or the clerico-fascists of Hamas, or Hezbollah, use the word “Zionists” , and just mean “Jews” ? The likes of Jack T, and RH, with their lazy, offensive, use of ambiguous dog whistle embedded language, do nothing but reinforce the establishment smear that the Left is riddled with anti-Semitism.
And jpenney finds antisemitism in the ‘pound of flesh’ phrase.
Nothing to do with the term referring to retribution or vindictiveness, or anything like that….Oh, no – It’s all about being mean to jews isn’t it?
F complete and total FS.
In other news the Kyphosis & Scoliosis associations from around the globe (The planet – not the theatre) have also panned shakespeare and demanded Richard III be removed from his historical works because of his knowingly false portrayal that people with hunchbacks are evil, nepoticidal maniacs and usurpers to the throne…
‘Having a crooked spine doesn’t mean a person has an inner crookedness’. They correctly said.
” The likes of Jack T, and RH, with their lazy, offensive, use of ambiguous dog whistle embedded language”
Don’t be so silly. You are the one using prejudicial and lazy language to conflate concepts that are distinct.
If you want to pursue the techniques and objectives of the Israel lobby exemplified by the Pathetic7 – so be it. But don’t claim self-righteousness or radicalism.
Jpenney it is you who continuously tries to conflate the description Zionists with Jews. Many other Jews know and recognise the difference and have no time for Zionists, be they Jewish or not.
l have traveled extensively in Palestine and even the Palestians know the difference. In fact I was amazed at their magnanimity.
Everyone I spoke to, including activists and Palestinian politicians said they would have no problem living peacefully as indeed they did in the past, alongside Jews in a truly democratic single State. However, it is the Zionists in the settler community who absolutely hate the Palestinians and try to drive them off their land and out of their houses by any means possible who are the greatest threat to peace. It is their counterparts in the Labour Party who are the greatest threat to a Corbyn government.
“l have traveled extensively in Palestine and even the Palestinians know the difference. In fact I was amazed at their magnanimity.”
Interesting. My anger at discrimination against the Palestinian people comes from the same source, and from some fantastic, and gentle people that I have come across who have worked selflessly within the wreckage of Palestine to help the dispossessed.
I don’t think, to be honest, that I had given the issue much thought until 20-30 years ago I visited Israel, and became aware of the strange and uneasy dislocation that was the country. Likewise, the balance was in the friendliness and hospitality of Palestinians that I came across – despite their having every reason to be antagonistic towards the British.
The pieces didn’t immediately fall into place, after the gut reaction became more informed – that the Palestinians had become the current victims of the antisemitism of the 20th century, in several senses.
It should, by now, be obvious that there will be no stable condition in the area until historic wrongs are addressed and the current Israeli constitution is brought to a modern heterogeneous world view that underpins inclusiveness. It is the natural corollary of an anti-prejudicial attitude.
jpenney 24/02/2019 at 12:15 pm
To quote Jonathan Cook
“Antisemitism refers to the hatred of Jews. It is bigotry, plain and simple.
Anti-Zionism, on the other hand, is opposition to the political ideology of Zionism, a movement that has insisted in all its political guises on prioritising the rights of Jews to a homeland over those, the Palestinians, who were already living there.
Anti-Zionism is not racism against Jews; it is opposition to racism by Zionist Jews.“
https://www.jonathan-cook.net/2019-02-27/france-macron-zionism-antisemitism/
RH,
“But it isn’t only ‘western’ societies. The manipulation of identity by power groups is pretty universal. ”
Manipulation is the crucial word and manipulation and exploitation of identity is a major tool in maintaining economic and power class structures that benefit those with wealth and power at the expense of the majority.
Really appreciate your videos SB. Inspiring for people who can’t be there and ignored by the rest of the media
Today’s Andrew Marr program is likely to be a anti-Corbyn winge-fest. It would be difficult to describe todays guest lineup of Tom Watson, Luciana Berger, Heidi Allan and Michael Gove as balanced.
The BBC is now no better than the Mail. Its anti-Corbyn stance is totally transparent in every political programme it puts out.
Totally agree with you Jack T. I was watching the BBC News Channel about 15 minutes ago and the ” News” was Tom Watson had said we were in crisis following the resignation of 9 MPs. They are still running the resignations story to try maximum the damage to us.
The BBC is paid a huge amount of public money via licence fees. It is supposed to be politically neutral and impartial. Clearly it is not. Anti Labour bias is clear not only in its reporting of the news but in programmes like Question Time and Newsnight.
If the BBC can’t do the job its paid for maybe we should just scrap the licence fee and let them get sponsorship like the other channels. Then the Tory party, not us , would have to pay for its daily propaganda slots.
Then the Tory party, not us , would have to pay for its ̶d̶a̶i̶l̶y̶ half-hourly propaganda slots.
The Observer has been awful today.
But this is what really caught my eye:
Sadiq Khan:
“It is our responsibility….to attract those members of Parliament who have left to return home!”
Another coup is underway. The objective is to prevent the new re-selection procedures to be implemented and to get Corbyn to replace some of his supporters on the front bench with people who will cause trouble and then launch another mass resignation to force him out.
But, given the money the Labour Party has now, it can opinion poll extensively in the quitters’ constituencies and see how much support they really have and then plan how to defeat them.
“The Observer has been awful today.”
It is noticeable that the Scott Trust papers have recently turned the screw on reporting and comment that opposes the hegemony of the right – the litmus test is, in particular, the constant rehearsal of the ‘antisemitism’ trope without any balancing investigative reporting. The line promulgated by editorial policy in the right-wing, pro-Israel ‘Jewish Chronicle’ and the Guardian/Observer is fag-paper of difference.
This is supplemented by an excess of pro-Squitter/Labour Right articles.
Brilliant speech and one that makes me feel hopeful that society can be mended. What’s not to like about this man?
I don’t have a problem with some austerity. There is a great deal of gov’t savings that may be made by changing the method of paying MPs. Perhaps a system of Performance Related Pay based on the earnings of the poorest in society would ‘incentivise’ MPs to work for the benefit of people & raise our standard of living.
‘…A number of journalists couldn’t contain their anger at Corbyn’s impertinence in daring to park his tanks on Soubry’s and TINGE’s lawn,…’. That is a normal reaction by a group of individuals who are used to yielding power and influence over captive politicians – and indirectly over the rest of society – suddenly realizing that there are some politicians they can’t control, thanks to social media, which they are now so keen to stifle under the guise of stopping radicalization and spreading of ‘fake news’.
We should strongly guard against governments’ (read: MSM’s) control of social media in any shape or form. Do you think BBC, SKY or any other MSM outlet for that matter can broadcast the whole 23-minutes of Corbyn’s speech advocating for fair taxation, including the so-called rich, who are are essentially a criminal class? Only through social media outlets like SB can we hear such speeches.
One of the most blatant actions of ass-licking by a politician was when Blair became godfather to one of Murdoch’s children – in return for positive portrayal in the media. A favour which is extended to all these so-called ‘centrists’. That’s why they are so beholden to Blair.
Interesting (not unarguable) article on the current situation re. Labour :
https://www.opendemocracy.net/uk/jeremy-gilbert/inevitable-division-politics-and-consequences-of-labour-split
“This isn’t to say that they are bad people. It’s a perfectly reasonable position for anyone to take, in the Britain of 2019, that there is simply no point making vain efforts to limit or oppose the awesome power of the City and the institutions that it represents. In the era of globalisation, of China’s rise and the Trump presidency, anyone could conclude that it can only be counterproductive to try to work against it. Many of us take a different view, believing that without severely limiting the power of capital, and soon, the planet itself is probably doomed. But a difference of view is what it is. It shouldn’t lead to moral condemnation.”
That was as far as I read. A pox on all apologists for the right OR the ‘centre’.
Business since 1986 has pursued ever-increasing profit and growth to service increasingly-insatiable investors, at huge cost to smaller enterprises, suppliers, employment and society at large.
“Limiting the power of capital” is like not finishing a course of antibiotics – if any of the parasites survive they grow back stronger, you get weaker and the antibiotics no longer work.
You have to kill them all.
May has just pulled meaningful vote in HOC for next week. It will now be the 12th March.
Can we please stop this idiocy about anti-semitism..Get over yourselves…What I and several others would like to know is ‘Who are these people?’..The people who are anti-semitic..Let us know~ name and shame them…
That’s the point, Patricia. The request for concrete evidence is always met by more obfuscation, and the frustration comes from the appalling quality of the exclusionary, advantaged consensus that represents the lazy gang-bang and self-interest of the journo-politico Westminster scene.
‘Investigative journalism’ and the related sceptical mind in this area is largely a lost art, sacrificed to comfort – including the spectrum from the usual suspects to Private Eye.
.