Former Labour First trainer Ian McKenzie was suspended after complaints including tweets calling Shadow Foreign Secretary Thornberry ‘too old for ISIS’ and discussing her prospects for beheading or selling as a sex-slave
Ian McKenzie is a former Labour First activist who travelled to different constituencies to train the Labour right how to keep control of local party structures in spite of the party’s majority left membership. Labour First cut ties with him after he was suspended by Labour for a series of vile tweets, most infamously about Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry.
McKenzie tweeted his opinion that Ms Thornberry was ‘too old’ to be used by Islamist extremists ISIS as a ‘sex slave’ and that they would behead her instead. He also discussed her possible sale or gang rape:
McKenzie was suspended for his tweets – but his problematic comments were not exclusively about Emily Thornberry. He also made a series of ugly comments about black and female Labour MPs, including Diane Abbott and Angela Rayner – and tweeted about shooting school girls in the head:
McKenzie claimed his comments were not advocating such actions, but they caused widespread revulsion.
McKenzie, an entrenched opponent of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, also tweeted that antisemitism allegations against Labour were “cutting through”, when he pleaded with a right-wing actor not to leave Labour when the “tide’s turned”
Complaints were also made alleging that McKenzie had tampered with the process during a key parliamentary selection meeting.
In spite of his suspension, McKenzie was defended by right-wing, male figures inside and outside the Labour Party, while two Labour MPs invited him to meet them on the Commons terrace in Parliament.
Now, after a suspension lasting almost a year, McKenzie’s case has been sent by Labour’s National Executive Committee to the NCC (National Constitutional Committee).
Mr McKenzie did not respond to a request for comment. He continues to maintain his Twitter account and to attack left-wingers.
SKWAWKBOX view:
Abuse, especially online abuse, is an exclusively left-wing phenomenon. At least if you believe the media and centrist politicians.
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3 years though!!!
3 years? One of those tweets is from 2013. That’s 6 years.
Make a tweet criticising israel and you’re hauled up before the disciplinary committee in double quick time…
The 2013 tweet looks like it was rather crude and unpleasant sarcasm rather than meant. However the ET tweet is horrendous – and the ‘cutting through’ tweet gives the game away for the smearers.
Toffee, you’re so right about the way this is treated so differently to the AS smears. Why is he taking this all the way to a hearing, given that people have been expelled for much less? I suspect that the reason is that he thinks that he’ll have sufficient support on the NCC to get away with it.
We’ll see.
I’m sure that, whatever the result we won’t see Sweeting and Smeeth queuing up to condemn this in the media.
What the heck is wrong with our NEC and Discipline , yes the comments were made before JC but even so looking back his record is disgusting , . Stop pissing about and sack/expel him .
If I believed in “spooky” I’d think it was spooky that, while I was reading the previous article about Watson and Eling, I was thinking about what search terms to use to find the name of the scumbag who used to teach the other scumbags how to manipulate their CLP meetings etc.
I’d forgotten about his “little problem” and was thinking he must be a bit unpopular with the Blairites now it’s all falling apart.
Will he jump or will he wait to be pushed?
Do you think he visits them in their homes now? (I’m assuming he’s barred from Labour premises)
I hope they make him dress up like the Avon lady in case the neighbours spot him.
The significance of these tweets is the confession that there is a concerted campaign to discredit Corbyn’s labour … “First IRA/Iran”, then when that failed, “Antisemitism, Brexit … “.
Not news, but good to hear it confirmed by the perpetrators.
I think that is the key point. The fact of the overall impact on the Labour Party of confected and disgusting smears is not a consideration in the sick mind on display.
Has this story appeared in the MSM – particularly the reference to ‘antisemitism’ as merely a ploy??
I’ve been suspended from Twitter for a week for the alleged ‘harassment’ of a political entity: ” the Change UK / @TheIndGroup party.
As Twitter’s top lawyers know all to well, an inanimate “thing” cannot BE harassed.
So people, be careful how you conduct yourself in this strange and wacky world that corporations are forcing upon the globe’s working people.
https://wirralinittogether.blog/2019/04/23/were-banned-from-twitter-for-a-week-for-calling-for-the-death-of-a-political-entity/
P.S. Twitter celebrities involved in rabble rousing, whipping up a storm and calling for the death of e.g. Jeremy Corbyn have a “safe space” in which to frolic without any fear of receiving similar bans.
Serves you right – didn’t your Mother tell you? It’s not nice to speak ill of the dead 🙂
Wirral, sorry to hear that. I suspect that Twitter/it’s systems doesn’t understand the difference between being rude to an individual and an organisation.
As your Blog suggests, perhaps learn from the pythons and use ‘bleeding demised’ instead?
Incidentally, the Protection from Harassment Act was brought in as an anti stalker law – and was promptly used by Big Pharma and the like to prevent animal rights campaigners demonstrating outside labs.
Worth noting that Ian McKenzie, the person who posted these disgusting tweets, is a people’s vote campaigner and fellow traveller of RH, SteveH and JackT.
Not a word of condemnation from them I see. Disappointing but not surprising.
There seems to be no compromise they are not willing to make in their desperate and futile attempt to overturn the largest democratic mandate in British history.
Shame on them.
Internal Affairs 29/04/2019 at 7:29 pm
Does virtue signalling improve your self esteem?
Largest democratic mandate in British history!
Largest democratic mandate in British history! SQUAAAWK!
David, in other circumstances, that might be a definitive argument. No one is suggesting that, e.g. the recent Irish referenda should be rerun.
However, simply saying ‘largest mandate’ doesn’t cater for 2 vital and connected points.
First, the vote was very close in percentage terms. Over 16 million voted against. As Frances O’Grady commented back in 2016, if she’d got a positive vote for industrial action in a ballot by such a close ballot she’d be very aware that her mandate was very narrow.
Secondly, the age demographics were very uneven. in the last 3 years lots of leave voters have died and lots of new remain voters have reached voting age.
If we go ahead with leaving the EU now, it will in effect be giving the votes of the dead priority over the wishes of the living.
If the ref result had been say 60 -40 (or even 55-45) leave and there was an even spread of leave/remain among age groups than I wouldn’t be opposing leaving. But I’m a democrat, not a majoritarian, and continuing to attempt to leave seems to me to be now quite undemocratic.
‘Virtue signaling’??
More like sticking the label ‘ARSEHOLE ‘ on his own back.
Simon, I’ve always held that 99% of the anger that led to the leave vote should have been directed at the Tories not the EU and that the “largest democratic mandate in British history” was swung by gullible kippers who don’t usually bother to vote.
All over the world there’s never been a shortage of people ready to believe the shouty man telling them that if we get rid of immigrants, minorities, foreigners and whatever “other” suits his purpose, their troubles will be over.
They’re happy to parrot the soundbites that the shouty man designed to sound insightful and be easy to remember.
They’re not alone in that – business ‘gurus’ and charlatans like Jordan Peterson make a good living from corporate leaders and scions of the establishment who are equally ill-equipped.
Well, IA, I’m a remainer and you’ll see that I’ve posted about him using the word ‘horrendous’.
This is the second time in the last few days that you have attempted to suggest that unless someone actively posts a condemnation, they somehow approve of something.
Calling someone a ‘fellow traveller’ was originally a neutral descriptive term coined by Leon T.
However, your use of it seem to be much more akin to that of Senator McCarthy.in his witch hunting days.
(‘Some targets of investigation were created by way of anonymous and unfounded accusations of treason and subversion, during which time the term fellow traveler was applied as a political pejorative against many American citizens who did not outright condemn Communism’ – from wiki).
So, let’s see; shall we agree that every time you call someone a fellow traveller or troll we remind you that you are using McCarthyite ‘red under the bed’ tactics?
Simon, you have to realise that ‘Internal Affairs’ is not that bright and probably won’t understand a word you’ve said.
Jack, let’s see. I prefer to use argument rather than insults (though I may make exceptions for TW -and the Smearers)
My comment seems to have really triggered you, Simon. Which is odd considering it wasn’t addressed at you.
Perhaps if you don’t stick your nose into commemts which have nothing to do with you then you wouldn’t be triggered and wouldn’t have to make bizarre and totally unrelated comments about McCarthy and redbaiting
An interesting analogy though, considering you are probably one of those lunatics who are banging on about Russian interference all the time, yet here you are accusing other people of the type of McCarthyite witch hunt which you yourself are guilty of.
You just caught yourself out there. Whoops!
Feel free to rebut my accusation that you’re a McCarthyite redbaiting loon who thinks the Russians influenced the American elections. I’ll wait.
Hey, Jack T, you’ve just been proved correct! See IA’s response at 9.27. Incoherent insults galore! You win!
The sooner we leave the EU the sooner the people’s vote trolls will be gone. Praise the Lord.
I am sure the readers will be glad when that happens so we can get on discussing serious issues like reducing poverty and ending austerity instead of listening to infantile “you win!” comments from people’s vote wankers like Simon Dewsbury.
Oh, and Simon & Jack?
It’s crossed my mind that IA isn’t a person at all.
He could be three adolescents sitting around a laptop watching classic Beavis & Butthead, playing Game of Tits and copy-pasting from Tommy Robinson’s “Mein Dumpf.”
David, I think I’d be happier if that was the case. It seems to me that there’s a lot of anger and frustration behind those posts. I’m not bothered by the rudeness and verbal attacks myself, but I hope he isn’t doing the same elsewhere to people who aren’t so sanguine.
IA, can you really not see the point I’m making about McCarthyism? Your original post argues that failure to condemn is the same as support. That is just what McCarthy was doing.
I note that you appear to be a Putin supporter. Please correct me if that’s an incorrect assumption.
I will leave you to your people’s vote trolling. You waste your time, you’re not wasting any more of mine you cretin.
Ps, you do know that everyone here thinks you and the rest of your people’s vote mob who clutter up these threads are a bunch of of assholes, right? You do realise that?
Goodbye cretin.
Goodbye IA. Love you too!
Simon Dewsbury 29/04/2019 at 9:40
…and if IA follows his usual ‘debating strategy’ anytime soon he’ll throw a strop, and play the victim before running away again. I really don’t know why he repeatedly puts himself through this self imposed anguish.
..and there he is right on cue, whist I was posting my comment IA has announced he’s running away again.
IA – I name you as Ian McKenzie (aka Tommy Robinson) of the foetid mind and claim my ten pounds.
More pathetic than offensive.,
” the largest democratic mandate in British history”
OK. Let’s forget the blather and get to the essence.
This ‘democratic mandate’ resulted in a ‘minority’ vote in favour of Brexit. The majoritarian margin of those that exopressed a clear preference was actually strikingly small, and was dwarfed by the numbers actually getting out of bed to request a withdrawal of Article 50. The size of the ‘swing vote’ was less than the number actually marching in London recently.
The level of support for ‘Leave’ didn’t match the support for ‘Remain’ in the previous referendum which, if you support some notion of the sanctity of such results (I don’t), should be the determining one.
So much for the numbers in perspective.
Additionally, of course are factors such as the duplicity of the ‘Leave’campaign and its funding and the selective culling of the representative electorate. These flaws are of a different order to the uninspiring incompetence and hyperbole that the ‘Remain’ campaign could be accused of.
Finally, there is much evidence that the balance of opinion has changed with greater knowledge.
Obviously, the democratic way would be to hold a confirmatory vote now that explicit outcomes are on the table.
… unless you’re scared of the result.
RH 30/04/2019 at 10:26 am
“The majoritarian margin of those that expressed a clear preference was actually strikingly small,”
The equivalent of less than 1,000 votes per constituency. In GE terms this would be considered marginal.
Argument has been tried with I.A. and gets insults in response.
Jack T, yes that does tend to be the case. But I live in hope.
I like to debate but it is pointless debating with people’s vote trolls. You are irrational, beyond reason. You’re just time-wasters.
Jack T, well, i tried to give him the benefit of the doubt. Suppose I’d better ignore him now, though, as he seems to want.
Bingo! The Putin puppet accusation. Ladies and gentleman, we have the McCarthyite redbaiting full house!
Simon Dewsbury just fell into his own trap. When I said he was a cretin I could never have dreamt that he would so rapidly prove my assessment of him to be 100% correct.
It is not really Simon’s fault. He is a troll. It is simply his troll nature, he cannot help himself.
We should feel sorry for him really. He is just a dim people’s vote troll, he cannot think for himself. He deserves our pity in a way.
…and everyone shakes their head and sighs.
They certainly do when they read the comments of people’s vote wankers like you.
Sorry for the language regular readers but I am merely stating the truth, albeit in earthy terms.
People’s vote trolls think they are superior to you and I but the truth is they are just useless pompous wankers.
They will soon be gone so we won’t have to put up with the wankers for much longer.
Do you have a problem with obsessing about masturbation?
You clearly don’t understand why I used that type of language, let me explain, more to the reader than to you.
You and your fellow people’s vote trolls think you are better than other people. You have a Blairite, right wing sense of superiority and entitlement. You don’t respect democracy but think people should respect you. If they don’t then you all pile in and abuse, bully, hector and harrass people.
I have seen all your troll tactics before, many, many times. I could write a book about trolls like you. I am an expert at identifying online thugs like you.
I intentionally and repeatedly belittled you because I knew it deeply offends your sense of superiority and punctures your pomposity. It only works because you have such a high opinion of yourself.
I used strong language as a political weapon to flush you out. The reader can now see for themselves what nasty pieces of work you and RH and Simon Dewsbury are. You are abusive people. It is your nature. Politics just gives you an excuse to abuse and patronise others.
It wouldn’t really matter what you campaign for, your abusive nature will out whatever you do, be it in politics or in an office or in your home. You’re just a nasty piece of work, that’s all.
Feel free to post another troll comment, after all it is your nature, you just can’t help yourself.
I feel sullied even interacting with abusive bullies like you so won’t be responding or communicating with you or any of the other abusive people’s vote thugs on this site again. I have had my pound of flesh.
Apologies to the reader for the language. I will be returning to non-profane mode again now.
Internal Affairs 30/04/2019 at 12:33 am
“You clearly don’t understand why I used that type of language, let me explain, more to the reader than to you.”
It is more than a little ironic that you accuse others of being patronising
“You and your fellow people’s vote trolls think you are better than other people. You have a Blairite, right wing sense of superiority and entitlement. You don’t respect democracy but think people should respect you. If they don’t then you all pile in and abuse, bully, hector and harrass people.
At this point it is worth pointing out that you initiated all this with your opening remark “Worth noting that Ian McKenzie, the person who posted these disgusting tweets, is a people’s vote campaigner and fellow traveller of RH, SteveH and JackT.”
“I have seen all your troll tactics before, many, many times. I could write a book about trolls like you. I am an expert at identifying online thugs like you.”
You project your own faults onto others, does this stem from your obvious insecurities
“I intentionally and repeatedly belittled you because I knew it deeply offends your sense of superiority and punctures your pomposity. It only works because you have such a high opinion of yourself.”
The only person you are belittling is yourself
“I used strong language as a political weapon to flush you out. The reader can now see for themselves what nasty pieces of work you and RH and Simon Dewsbury are. You are abusive people. It is your nature. Politics just gives you an excuse to abuse and patronise others.
This all sounds like a cunningly devious ‘Baldrick’ plan, but without the humour. I think if you took a poll it would be commonly acknowledged you are the most abusive person on this site. For some perverse reason you seem to delight in initiating conflict.
“It wouldn’t really matter what you campaign for, your abusive nature will out whatever you do, be it in politics or in an office or in your home. You’re just a nasty piece of work, that’s all.
I love you too 😘
“Feel free to post another troll comment, after all it is your nature, you just can’t help yourself.
Do you need reminding that you started this
“I feel sullied even interacting with abusive bullies like you so won’t be responding or communicating with you or any of the other abusive people’s vote thugs on this site again. I have had my pound of flesh.”
You seem to make a habit of metaphorically flouncing out of the room and slamming the door behind you. You must be a very difficult person to live with.
“Apologies to the reader for the language. I will be returning to non-profane mode again now.”
Repeated apologies don’t count for much, they don’t excuse your behavior
I hope I’ve managed to answer all your ‘substantive’ points. Perhaps you should give up whilst you’re ‘ahead’ 😉.
What’s this ‘we’ and ‘our’, paleface? There are people here that share your basic position on Brexit but even they’re not exactly rushing to your defence.
You’re one of only two people here whose comments I generally skip – in your case because they’re always the same tedious repetitive rubbish.
A one trick pony is one up on you.
I know this is completely of subject but have you all seen Labour’s latest campaign video
Here’s some good news.
Tory candidates are not even bothering to canvass, just leaflet drop, with one source saying: “Why would I get screamed and shouted at about something I can’t change, [Theresa May] she’s no idea what we are facing”.
https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/news/tories-in-freefall-as-councillors-say-they-have-given-up-canvassing/29/04/
SteveH Its the same in my area , in fact the Tories can’t find candidates to stand in many Wards , perhaps they know the utter shit that is to come and don’t want to be in the firing line .
In some ways I hope that the Labour candidates in my Tory stronghold area don’t win the seats for the obvious reasons of taking the blame for the incredibly destructive local policies the Tory dominated Council have rammed through .
It’s an excellent video, isn’t it Steve.
Comments here are becoming an unpleasant experience for anyone but those obsessed with bloody Brexit.
It’s certainly a sad reflection of how much time certain people seem to have on their hands, exhaustively rebutting, point by point in desperation to have the last word.
Almost like it’s their livelihood or something…
On the subject of manufactured smears and scams, JVL has re-posted another excellent analysis of what lies behind the cross-Atlantic phenomenon of false claims of ‘antisemitism’.
It’s a pretty lengthy forum from four academic perspectives – but worth a look because of its comprehensiveness.
https://www.jewishvoiceforlabour.org.uk/blog/israel-and-the-antisemitism-playbook/
RH. Yes, the infiltration of the Israeli Lobby, which includes Tom Watson, into the Labour Party is another issue that we must face up to.
At the NEC meeting this morning it’s vital that Labour decides to follow the wishes of the members and announce that the only democratic option to resolve the Brexit situation is to put it back to the people.
This is a classic case where anyone with common sense and a cool head can see that Brexit has been an obsession for some fanatics such as Farage for decades but the time has come for Labour to get off the fence and be honest with the people.
There is NO such thing as a Brexit which will benefit the country and by staying in the EU with our partners we have by far the best chance of improving the life chances and outcomes for everyone, not just those with £billions who are financing Farage.
PKB
Isn’t it time the PVers came off the fence and stopped pretending it’s a vote they want? What they want is to reverse Brexit: an entirely reasonable aim, but they feel the need to dress it up as some ultrademocratic campaign. And they whine about Brexit dishonesty.
Disingenuous nonsense.
I’ve never hidden the fact that I believe that Brexit is a ridiculous act of self-harm.
Isn’t it time Brexiters came off the fence and admitted that the “biggest democratic mandate in British history” was corrupted and invalidated by falsehoods on both sides – and that the reason they’re so obnoxious now is they know perfectly well that Kipperism was a transient aberration and that the tide of opinion has turned?
but they feel the need to dress it up as some ultrademocratic campaign.
————————————————
Yes indeedy. Those valiant visionaries and plucky pioneers from the remain camp; just take a look at what they’ve done for us, folks…
SteveH 26/04/2019 at 4:50 pm · ·
”On the contrary the left in the EU has its victories.
https://www.pes.eu/en/news-events/news/detail/European-Parliament-backs-key-progressive-policies-in-final-plenary-week/
We wouldn’t have a NHS or a Welfare System if our predecessors had all been as timid as you.”
…That’s right – You miserable, ungrateful bastards NEVER had it so good; and it was ALL because of remain.
Jesus wept.
The Toffee (597) 30/04/2019 at 4:04
Is there a reason why you keep posting the same thing on different threads? It’s starting to look a little desperate. I’ve already given you my answer on more than one occasion. .
https://skwawkbox.org/2019/04/28/major-affiliated-union-nec-approves-motion-no-referendum-we-need-transformative-labour-govt/#comment-103922