Deputy leader’s meeting with strategist of new centrist group raises questions about his recent behaviour
Labour deputy leader Tom Watson’s recent public comments and his amplification of the centrist quitters’ significance in the Labour Party are under a new spotlight after he was seen meeting “key strategist behind the plan for a new centrist party” Philip Collins last night.
Watson’s office failed to answer the phone when the SKWAWKBOX tried to reach him for comment, so the following questions have been sent for an urgent response:
- What did you discuss with Mr Collins?
- Is it appropriate for the Labour deputy leader to have such a meeting?
- Did Collins have any input to the video you put out immediately after the IG group quit?
Will he answer?
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Tom Watson’s motivation is as transparent as a freshly washed window.
Forgive me if I interject, but please sign the petition to reinstate Chris Williamson if you haven’t done so already, and please share far and wide:
https://www.change.org/p/labour-party-we-support-chris-williamson-mp-and-call-for-the-removal-as-deputy-leader-of-tom-watson-mp
PS There’s an option to not show your name on the website if you prefer…… yes, we live in very precarious times if you’re a left-wing JC supporter!
The above post was by me, but I forgot to change it from the joke name a former girlfriend used to call me that I used when I initially signed on to gravatar…… it was so long ago I don’t have a clue about what happened and how I came to sign on to it, or even what it is for that matter.
Have signed and shared petition.
Allan, I’d gladly support CW by signing a petition but I won’t engage with change dot org again under any circumstances.
Not just because of their pestering, wheedling, guilt-tripping, can-shaking, pop-upping methods either.
I can’t say for certain that it’s related to my previous visit but I saw a step-change in spam at that time.
I’m sure he has form for this type of behaviour during the original chicken coup.
If more evidence emerges, then surely this is grounds for him being expelled?
It’s Watson the Witchfinder General who should be suspended. He’s blatantly leading a rebel group that attacks the Shadow Cabinet, the Leader and tens of thousands of members. Not only that but he does it cynically on the back of ‘anti Semitism’. He must be challenged; he must go.
He has certainly betrayed the 133,747 members and supporters who voted for him on the basis of his false manifesto.
Looks as though we may be very lucky and Watson is about to jump ship.
Hurry up about it, Tom, will you! Don’t keep us all waiting. Don’t be bashful, dive in, the water’s….er….lovely!
snake in the grass
Is Labour leadership sensing a 2nd group of quitters happening and so are givin up on their demands so they can avoid it or make it harder for the new quitters (we know who they are) ?
PLEASE let us dispose of as many right wing Labour MPs as possible into the TIG – otherwise they will form a Betrayal Group in any Corbynista government to ensure that nothing is done to shift wealth and power towards the working class.
The sole role of the right wing of the Labour Party is to protect capitalism and the economic elite.
Hence the need for mandatory reselection using OMOV. It was profoundly disappointing that its introduction was sabotaged by union leaders.
When will the 7 dwarfs be invited back into Watson’s Shadow Cabinet to write his Manifesto? For the Globalists; not the Socialists. If wonder if Blair’s 3 New Babes will also be invited? Imagine Watson & Alexander leading the Labour Party, with the other gruesome twosome, Ummuna & Souberry as lovers in the wings……..Aaaargh! Stop it!
Names check Spelling – apologies
In my years as a Labour member and councillor, I have known and worked with a range of individuals with a correspondingly wide range of views. A few chancers made me sceptical of their authenticity, but, by and large, the majority fell into that category of shared values that we call a ‘broad church’. A few would use the press as shit-stirrers for their own ends – but they have been a minority, and even when disagreeing, there was a perception of common interest.
I can also say that there have been members of other parties where, even if there have been fundamental differences, a common sense of decency and honesty has made working together possible when necessary.
This bunch of Squitters and Fakes typified by Watson, fall outside these categories. Common decency and honesty are foreign concepts to them. There is no church broad enough to include them.
Very well put Richard.
He will do as much damage as possible and leave when it is a quiet news day to get the best headlines possible. His motives are not to assist the Labour Party in any way.
Which is precisely why he needs to be forced out of office by a challenge for his position as Deputy Leader. His downfall needs to be on the party’s terms, not his.
(to quote from the rule book)
Where there is no vacancy, nominations
may be sought by potential challengers
each year prior to the annual session of
Party conference. In this case any
nomination must be supported by 20 per
cent of the combined Commons members
of the PLP and members of the EPLP.
Nominations not attaining this threshold
shall be null and void. The sitting Leader or
Deputy Leader shall not be required to
seek nominations in the event of a
challenge under this rule.
Chris Williamson was regarded by many as a front runner for this challenge but the RW have sabotaged any bid from him with false accusations of anti-Semitism.
Agreed , bet they couldn’t believe their luck with the timing very convenient then to paint Chris into a corner and neutralise any bid . Step forward the next contender , this twat must be removed from this position of power , Christ how I deeply regret voting for him now , a very bitter taste indeed.
rob 01/03/2019 at 6:02 pm · ·
I made the same mistake myself but to be fair to ourselves the only alternatives on offer was either Creasy or Eagle so it was a case of trying to pick the lesser of 3 evils.
Thanks Steve , I think devil and deep blue sea , no doubt many thousands of us did the same , believing that Watson might have been true to his word and giving him the benefit of the doubt. He lives down to the lowest denominator .
Evolve Politics
https://evolvepolitics.com/excl-tory-politicians-are-running-a-vile-facebook-group-where-members-joke-about-bombing-mosques-and-shooting-immigrants/
EXCL: Tory Politicians are running a VILE Facebook Group where members joke about BOMBING MOSQUES and SHOOTING IMMIGRANTS
By Tom D. Rogers – 1st March 2019
John Wight “The great antisemitism witchhunt: McCarthyism redux”
“Watson is the Labour Party’s Matthew Hopkins, the infamous 17th century witch-hunter whose reign of terror now finds its metaphorical equivalent in the 21st century with the objective not of locating and hanging out to dry antisemites but in truth anti-Zionists, which means to say genuine anti-racists.”
https://medium.com/@JohnWight1/the-great-antisemitism-witchhunt-mccarthyism-redux-5feab7b95b01
Surely this has to be grounds for expulsion and if not at least suspension pending investigation , IMO there is no reason what so ever to be having this meeting .
This is how I see the situation. I could be wrong but, I think that Tom Watson is very clever. He knows he is going to leave the Labour Party but he does not want to go without causing maximum trouble. So, he picks on people he knows will be defended by a lot of Labour members, such as, Jenny Formby, Chris Williamson and the Wavertree CLP. That way he can say he has been hounded out instead of just leaving, because he wants to go with maximum headlines. I do not know how members and the Labour party combat this but at least we should know what situation we are dealing with, perhaps someone has a good suggestion.
He needs to be challenged to an election for his job, as per the rule book. See my post above – SteveH 01/03/2019 at 4:49 pm ·
Dinag, perhaps we have to remember we are up against Right Wing Barbarians. MCarthy of such ill fame was a Barbarian, Watson is a Barbarian, the Right Wing of Labour are Barbarians, the new Independent Group of MPs are Barbarians,
as are those of uncritical thinking middle class journalists at the BBC, Right Wing Media and Guardian, as are Trump, Erdogen, Putin, Netanyanu etc. whilst China and North Korea are led by top down Bourgeois ‘Socialists’ but as left wing democratic socialists we have IDEAS.
We are left wing democratic socialists.
We should feel good about ourselves, we fight against global poverty.
We are really up against political imbeciles and lightweights.
Feel good comrades, you fight for the oppressed of the World!
X
BBC radio news at five. “Chris Grayling under fire for paying Eurotunnel millions in botched Brexit deal.” Government demand of landlords breeches human rights laws.” “Capita hugely overspend whilst failing to meet army recruitment targets”. “Probation service reforms cost millions but fail service users”. “Now a special report on Labours anti Semitism crisis “.
As I’ve said before, it’s probably the total compliance of the media that is the worst aspect of the whole scam. Journalism is a really discredited profession in this country : a pastime for privileged groupies.
Do you think this may have something to do with the MSM’s opposition.
https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/newspapers-warn-jeremy-corbyns-proposals-to-create-sustainable-media-will-silence-and-squeeze-free-press-sun-spectator-telegraph-labour/
The Sun and Telegraph are among newspapers to have hit out at Jeremy Corbyn’s proposals for a sustainable media industry, saying his only aim is to “silence” and “squeeze” the free press.
I remain convinced protecting current egregious foreign policy is the main motivation of those opposed to Corbyn.
Note the latest Groan headline :
“Chuka Umunna: I never felt totally comfortable in the Labour party”
Poor ickle fing – so discriminated against, he drew a parliamentary salary and various other monies because of it.
Excuse me while I throw up. What a bunch of fakers pretending to victimisation whilst undermining those who really suffer from it!
““Chuka Umunna: I never felt totally comfortable in the Labour party”
Shame he didn’t have the guts to leave years ago then… exposes himself for the fake Labour person he is.
Is that going to develop into his justification for abandoned his leadership bid
Did he say this at his selection meeting to be a LABOUR candidate?
Keep thinking of 2 great soul songs: “Fake” and “Don’t Believe in the Hype!”
Chuka Umunna , Excuse me while I throw up —– QED ! full stop , end of , nuff said .
Seen this?
https://labourlist.org/2019/02/corbynites-launch-open-letter-apologising-for-labour-antisemitism/
The problem with this letter, quite a bit of the content of which I concur, is that it entirely fails to mention, let alone focus on, the towering elephant in the room: Labour Right Wing’s exploitation of the anti-Semitism issue to advance its anti-socialist and anti-working class politics.
The fundamental aim has been to get rid of Corbyn and replace him with someone in the mould of Tony Blair or Gordon Brown in order to make the Labour Party absolutely safe for the 1%, the combined politico-economic elite, the capitalist ruling class. How can any “left” analysis possibly ignore this!
The last paragraph sums this situation up quite nicely
“PLEASE NOTE THAT SIGNATURES ARE BEING VETTED AS BEST POSSIBLE TO AVOID TROLLING AND PROBLEMATIC PEOPLE FROM SIGNING SO IT MAY TAKE TIME FOR YOUR NAME TO APPEAR AFTER SIGNING.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1cuDi0sm-xORNirB8wwj6KITl-yxd1NY8-QImc14zDlY/viewform
Tweet here stating to include a letter from Formby to Watson cc all PLP and Labour peers. Hope I’m not spreading ‘fake news’… https://twitter.com/BenGartside/status/1101549426806542337
If genuine hats off to Formby.
Dear Ron
I won the deputy leadership and now I have to live up to your expectations.
It’s a daunting challenge but I’m determined to put in place the changes we need to win.
If you voted for me, thank you for your trust. If you didn’t, thank you for the trust you put in Labour. This great party of ours is going to change the world again.
These leadership elections were a signal that business as usual isn’t working. The way we do politics has to change.
We’ve got to put members at the centre of our party and the aspirations of ordinary people at the centre of our programme. With the Tories reinvigorated, Labour is the last line of defence for the millions who suffer at their hands.
I said I’d overhaul our party organisation and launch a revolution in our digital campaigning. That work starts this afternoon.
I promised to back our new leader 100% – I plan to do exactly that, and I ask you to do the same. Only through unity can we find the strength we need to fight the Tories.
Please stay with me on this journey. If you would like to share your ideas, receive updates on party reform, the digital revolution and be kept in touch with a growing number of community campaigners and organisers, then sign up below. I will only send you the occasional email and promise your private information will not be shared.
I would like to keep in touch with Tom
To win in 2020, we must harness the power of the 600,000. We can be the force for change the country needs. Don’t let the media tell you otherwise.
We’ve astonished the political world this summer. Now we’ve got four years and eight months to astonish them again.
Yours sincerely
Tom
Tom Watson
Well that puts it into perspective how profound his betrayal of the Labour Party its members and himself has been.
Since Corbyn became leader the party has moved to the left but it has hardly become more democratic. Apart from better NEC members not much has changed in its structure and Tom Watson can safely abuse his position without fear of the members being able to do anything about it.
Being a public schoolboy, like Tony Blair, will inevitably lead to a problem of understanding that the class war is not over Chukky; that’s why you don’t feel comfortable, because you don’t belong.