‘Mainstream’ media acting as if shocked at Alastair Campbell’s expulsion from Labour – but he knew it would happen. But one response to his own ‘outrage’ at result makes whole thing worthwhile
Comment
All too predictably, the so-called ‘mainstream’ media and Alastair Campbell are whipping up a storm about his equally predictable expulsion from the Labour Party.
Labour’s rules are clear – members who support a rival party expel themselves (known in rules jargon as ‘auto-exclusion’) – so Campbell’s statement on radio that he voted LibDem in last week’s EU elections and his encouragement of others to support ‘remain’ parties was an act of self-expulsion:
His letter from the Labour Party simply confirmed something that had already happened.
Campbell, as a longtime Labour member and employee, would have been well aware of this – and is on record admitting that he knew it, during an interview with journalist Owen Jones:
Jones today described the furore about Campbell’s expulsion as “silly and disingenuous” and he is absolutely right. If Campbell was surprised at the result of his behaviour, it can only mean that he expected to be immune – that the rules couldn’t apply to him.
In case you think that video was a one-off and it slipped Campbell’s mind since, here’s another:
Nonetheless, Campbell has publicly expressed his ‘disappointment’ and has said that he intends to appeal – a process that will, of course, yield further opportunities for him and the ‘MSM’ to express their outrage.
The media, meanwhile, is ignoring every interview he’s given since Corbyn became leader and is claiming that there has been no more aggressively pro-Labour voice, as this clip found by Dev Raval typifies:
But the joy of Labour members at finally seeing a senior Blairite fail to act with impunity has made it more than worth it.
And when Campbell tried to ‘stir’ further with a tweet claiming an unspecified number of Labour staff and elected officials had voted for other parties, Tom Walker’s response was the icing on the cake:
Campbell, who was intimately connected to the UK’s involvement in the Iraq invasion, was notoriously involved in ‘sexing up’ a ‘dossier’ concerning weapons of mass destruction to shore up Tony Blair’s decision to support George W Bush.
These things have a way of coming back around.
The media are asking ‘how much of a problem will this be for Jeremy Corbyn?’ The answer is, ‘It won’t‘. Blairite obstructions self-purging is no kind of problem at all and is excellent for the morale of good members.
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His boss now wants No Deal v Remain referendum,
Further proof if any were needed that he truly is the bastard son of Thatcher or as the milk snatcher once said ‘her finest creation’
Why would anyone in their right mind risk a No Deal brexit, when you dont have to, as soon as it becomes clear which way cheap and nasties are going then call a VONC
Caliban always acts in self-promotion. He liked a drop and it was nearly the cause of his destruction. The top picture shows a man you would be advised to avoid not a charismatic charmer of our blessed media. Pip Pip. Next stop Peterborough. I wonder what is going to pop up in the next week. Surely not AS again! Mr Landsom has been keeping his powder dry. Any odds on a new leadership debacle? Don’t despair yet because it’s going to get worse. Regards
In GE campaign on leave with promise of referendum, Labour brexit v Remain
Invoice in post
Savage wit @tomwlkr….
Take a bow, son 😀
Toffee,for once I agree with you!
March 31st 2019: Campbell is interviewed by Nigel Farage on LBC and says: “I’ll get expelled!” – in the context of not voting Labour at the EU elections. (see link for full text).
The interview is also a give away in that he has not only been writing soundbites for Tom Watson (Skwawkbox last week) but clearly also crib notes for Paul Mason; he doesn’t use the word “Stalinist” but his targets are obviously the same people – “posh boy revolutionaries.” I wonder if he’d dare say that about Tony Benn?
https://www.lbc.co.uk/radio/presenters/nigel-farage/alastair-campbell-jeremy-corbyn-posh-boys/
If Campbell has been auto excluded, why has Blair not been? He’s always telling people to vote for other parties. I would have a party if Blair was kicked out.
Oh dear – is this really worth the confected ire? Campbell has reaped the inevitable – and justified – consequences of his actions – but don’t over-egg the pudding to cover up the fragility of the Leave position. The hard truth is that he’s expressed the view of thousands of *real* (as opposed to fictional) Labour supporters – a refusal to endorse a non-policy.
… which Corbyn has also now realised is the case. Good.
As predicted…
https://skwawkbox.org/2019/05/28/campbell-expelled-from-labour/#comment-107617
At least @Joe Kaliszczak has rid himself of any ambiguity. But we already knew what you’re about anyway, dicky.
Is your boss having a bad day then RH? Tell Peter and the rest of the gang not
To be worried ,as theres plenty room in the funny tinge brigade for the lot of the Dirt bags!
Don’t be daft – even if it’s a common symptom amongst the ‘MeToo’ leftier-than-thou brigade here, it’s not compulsory or unavoidable.
The serious, unvarnished point that I was making is that extended bellyaching about Campbell in the usual race not to be outdone in the cliche stakes is a distraction from the hard fact of Labour’s 14% in the election – and the continued downward trajectory of polling.
Paddling about in the shallows of politics continually and self-righteously complaining about the MSM, the LibDems, the Greens, the Centrists, the Blairites – and whatever is the latest bete noir doesn’t change any of that whilst fundamental policy decisions are driving away support.
Now. Any sensible suggestions about what might be done differently? Or is ‘Yah-Boo’ it?
The hard truth is that Campbell has followed the Lib.Dems to the natural home of all ‘Remainers’. Seems ‘Change UK’ not quite to his liking, but I’m sure there are other MPs interested….may I suggest Margaret Hodge; Keir Starmer; Jess Phillips; Yvette Cooper; Mary Creagh; Rosie Duffield………perhaps another 60 Blairite MPs who have serious problems with Socialism & want to ignore the Referendum result.
Steve, so where will you be going if it turns out that the party changes policy? Seems more and more likely unless we want to get 25 – 30% vote at a GE.
…….I’m thinking, I don’t want to leave but…………
..but … the Labour Party is too inclusive and even threatens to have a majority if it changes tack?
I’m not convinced Change UK has a future and a canny experienced political operator like Campbell wishes to avoid hitching a lift on the Titanic
Certainly ‘ChangeBuggerAll’ has no future.
… but neither has Labour without a better strategy. Leaking this percentage of the vote will probably not be reflected in a general election (it would be more than disastrous if it were), but it doesn’t need to be to end in failure – have a look at Scotland and its critical seats.
Yes Campbell “sexed up” a dossier for war criminal Blair to help his case in support of the Iraq War with the other war criminal Bush.
The latter two should be tried at The Hague and perhaps Campbell has a case to answer too?
But then again Alistair would no doubt say ABC – Anyone But Campbell?
Left wing democratic socialists should just select 620 left wing democratic socialist PPCs.
Whilst you are right about selection 620 left wing democratic socialist PPCs. in my patch I have trouble in even specifying that there are 620 PPCs to be identified.
I hope that any other LP members who voted for other parties whether remain or leave are treated similarly.
This will be a one day mediafest. However, I do wonder what the Tory party rule is. If it’s anything similar, I wonder whether some of the Tory centrists might try to get the swathes of their party who voted BRUK barred from voting in their leadership election. That could be interesting.
Why worry yourself about what happens to a mass murderer? Hopefully more of his ilk Will get booted out soon enough.
“I hope that any other LP members who voted for other parties whether remain or leave are treated similarly.”
Simon … do the numbers if the failures of policy were to be simply visited on the members in that way.
Time for a reboot, not a vendetta.
I can hear the voices : ‘Just f.off, then’ and see the shrugged shoulders. All such a policy would do is confirm and harden the outward migration of real supporters who make Labour a viable Party for government , as opposed to a dilettante irrelevacy like the SWP etc.
I can’t be bothered to pity Alastair Campbell. I’m saving my pity for the children being raped and tortured in the outsourced concentration camps of the racist EU.
https://www.hrw.org/report/2019/01/21/no-escape-hell/eu-policies-contribute-abuse-migrants-libya
Not forgetting the men women and children being slaughted daily by the Israelis in the Gaza concentration camp in order to continue the illegal occupation of Palestinian land and homes!
It makes you wonder what has become of the Country’s moral compass when a likable, lifelong anti racist and peace campaigner like Jeremy Corbyn can be variously depicted as incompetent, unelectable, Anti Semitic or an enabler of anti Semitism, Spy, terrorist supporter, Stalinist,Marxist, Trotskyite, pacifist, threat to national security while Alaister Campbell who helped compile the dodgy dossier which led to an illegal invasion of Iraq, the rise of ISIS and a million deaths is lauded by the same people as a wonderful but hard done by Labour activist who was totally justified in breaking the party rules and whose expulsion is allegedly a disgrace.
The country’s moral compass is in the process of being hi-jacked by the far right using Brexit as an attempt to kid people that they are on the side of the less well off. Is there anyone here crazy enough to think that Farage has any feeling at all for the ‘working class’ other than to use us to destroy the EU?
After all the victimisation and hounding of the Left, a Big Beast of the Blairite right bites the dust.
Theresa May has announced her imminent resignation, and the mighty Campbell has been shot down in flames. What next I wonder?
Happy, happy. joy, joy!!!
OMG why me?? what have I done?? another one bites the dust . . See you in the job centre lol …
It is difficult to accept that Campbell’s gesture is a single act, or even a single act with a couple of follow up benefits. I will give him credit for being competent and that this action is part of a stage of precipitive actions and a strategy that goes further than publicity. But most seriously that he has calculated for an outcome which shifts things considerable more in his direction than just gestures.
Talking about Campbell’s tweets.
https://twitter.com/CampbeIClaranet/status/1133477323775389696
I know I’m old but I’m sure I remember Corbyn being voted as leader of the Labour Party twice with good majorities by Labour membership… in Campbells strange mind that equals “elevated”… beam me up Scottie.
ps. Skwawkbox the two videos in your piece are now blank showing message “Invalid Source”.
Campbells expulsion has really put the cat amongst the Blairite Pigeons, good its long overdue
Oh FFS. He got what are indeed just deserts – but it mainly benefitted the MSM and the right. The canny political move would have been to ignore it – but political nous is screwed at the top of the Party at the moment without a set of good political operators to back up Corbyn. Thus the 14% figure and the continuing decline.
This news has boosted morale in my CLP and Momentum group. Made up :-))) keep it up!