Centrist attempt to isolate Labour leader from his most trusted support continues – but Beckett’s background undermines latest attack on ‘LOTO’ staff
Margaret Beckett has become the latest centrist to join in the spate of attacks on Jeremy Corbyn’s closest supporters – his ‘LOTO’ (leader of the opposition) team, in an article in the Independent.
Centrists have launched a shameful procession of media assaults on Corbyn’s staff in an attempt to use the issue of Brexit to isolate the Labour leader from his most trusted and trustworthy support, having apparently decided that a direct attack on Corbyn himself will fail, just as it failed in 2016 and since.
And it is the infamous 2016 ‘chicken coup‘ – in which a timed series of resignations by right-wing front-benchers and an eventual, meaningless vote of no confidence were used to try to force Corbyn to resign – which suggests that Beckett’s intervention now forms part of the latest tactic.
Beckett told the Independent that “the leader’s office” is the “stumbling block” to Labour becoming a referendum-and-remain party, adding “[t]hey don’t give a toss about what the British people now want or what Labour members think is in the country’s interests.”
When challenged about whom exactly she meant, she said “I think there are people very close to him, with great influence with him, who are and have been from the beginning passionately opposed [to EU membership].”
But Beckett’s history belies the idea that she is a neutral arbiter of ‘what the British people want’ or ‘what Labour members think’.
In 2016, Beckett was a full participant in the ill-judged ‘chicken coup’ attempt to topple Corbyn as Labour leader, but she dressed her participation in a show of remorse that many of Corbyn’s supporters dismissed as ‘crocodile tears’.
In an interview with BBC Radio 4, Beckett said that she had been loyal to every one of the nine leaders of the party during her time “with their different views and approaches” – yet made a mockery of that claim by admitting that she had voted against Corbyn in the centrists’ no-confidence vote:
Three short weeks later, as the attempt to remove Corbyn – against the wishes of the members who had overwhelmingly elected him only ten months earlier – continued, she told the BBC that she had been ‘a moron’ to nominate him in the 2015 leadership election.
Beckett also added that she had never intended to vote for him in the actual election.
Corbyn, of course, went on to win his second leadership contest by an even bigger margin that he won the first. Then, in spite of the undermining that continued unabated by right-wing Labour MPs and the Establishment media, less than nine months later he destroyed Theresa May’s parliamentary majority in the snap 2017 general election.
Yet now, Margaret Beckett and others – who have consistently failed to discern the wishes of either Labour members or of the public – are laughably trying to claim that they have magically tuned in to those views and that they care about those views.
History says differently – and casts a bleak, unflattering light on the motives of those who are now trying to exploit Brexit in a proxy attack on Jeremy Corbyn, just as the centrist Establishment has attempted to use every other event and development to attack him.
Meanwhile, Corbyn – and his LOTO team enacting his wishes – continue to try to bring both sides of the Brexit debate together and to find a Brexit compromise that will respect democracy while protecting the many and ensuring that Labour can win the next general election for the sake of the millions suffering under Tory misrule. Recent polls again suggest they are succeeding.
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I heard Beckett singing from this hymn sheet on the radio this morning. Someone, somewhere has planned all this and very cleverly managed to get their narrative taken up by people from Alastair “ConDem” Campbell to Paul “motormouth” Mason with, of course, the willing collusion of the MSM. There’s no doubt it’s yet another remake of “Get Corbyn” – but just like the others it will bomb at the box office.
The Fabian Society
Her ugliness shines from the inside out.
Good heavens, I hope that snot didn’t run down her mug. My imagination disturbs me. Why are the ones with their gobs all over the place particularly, mmm, unbeautiful in and out? As Mr Dylan said, ” I shall be released” by the inquisitors. Best wishes.
A classic case of avoiding the issues raised in the message by attacking the messenger
Is that your way of dismissing a sustained campaign against principled socialists and anti-imperialists by mostly the same people who stabbed the miners in the back, ditched clause 4 and launched mass murder in Iraq?
No – It meant precisely what it said, anything that you attempt to attach to it is entirely your own creation and just a different distraction from addressing the contents of the message she was delivering.
Kidding nobody
Your overt willingness to play down certin MP’s serial transgressions and/or attacks on the leadership – as long as it’s done by a 2nd referendum/remain protagonist – hasn’t gone unnoticed.
…By many people
The Toffee (597) 26/06/2019 at 2:16 pm
jpenney 26/06/2019 at 3:54 pm
wlbcarepants 26/06/2019 at 2:31 pm
There is/was absolutely no intent to deceive. If I’d wanted to do that I would simply have used a different email address.
I had difficulty posting on this site at the beginning of this month and at the time the only way I could get round it was to register ‘stevedavidh’ with WordPress. I subsequently went back to using ‘Steve H’ when the problem was resolved. The reason the above mistake occurred was because I was using a device that I hadn’t used for few weeks to post my comment and I didn’t notice that the ‘wrong’ name had been auto-completed.
Sorry to pour cold water on your carefully crafted conspiracy theories but it was just a completely innocent oversight.
Yes, it does seem to be “mostly the same people” e.g. (and in the interest of gender balance) Hilary Benn’s recent pro remain address. Remember false flags and Syria?
So , by their directly linked comments to you, labrebisgalloise, it is quite clear that at least two of the Troll poster identities, SteveH, and stevedavidh, are the same person. And of course it is highly likely that a number of the other constant Trolls are actually just one person too . A bit clumsy that, SteveH. you wally. Come on Skwawkbox, surely using multiple identities to agree with yourself is grounds enough for banning for dishonest Trolling ?
Though I’m much less annoyed by the quite openly always hostile Right winger, Margaret Beckett’s, continued predictable, ineffective treachery, than by the current backstabbing of Jeremy by old comrades McDonnell and Abbott on the PV and Remain issue. When the supposed PLP Left fails to support Jeremy we truly are f****d !
jpenney 26/06/2019 at 3:54 pm
You really aren’t in any position to pass judgement on others.
“JohnP
October 30, 2017 at 10:22 am
Bazza, I had to change my posting name , to “JohnP” and my EMAIL address, to get past the “moderation” (ie, blockage) that you, me, and many other regular (Left) posters were mysteriously faced with six months ago ! I don’t think the regular Right trolls had any such problem. “
https://www.leftfutures.org/2017/10/jeremy-corbyn-and-the-new-mainstream/#comment-261138
@jpenney
What to look for is the pattern on the avatar. If steve h had different accounts with a different email address the pattern of the avatar would be different. In fairness they don’t appear to be.
That said, whenever I’ve made a change to my username on here I’ve had my posts put into moderation.
e.g. I used to be ‘The Toffee’ without the ‘597’ (which symbolises the horrifying amount of homeless who have died up Jan-Nov ’18)
When I originally changed to ‘The Toffee (44:1) I was put into moderation; same when I became my current username (44:1 symbolising the ratio of antisemitic complaints lodged to those upheld)
The same happened to ‘597’ and the same would happen if I reverted to plain old ‘The Toffee’
This doesn’t appear to happening to steve h or rh, yet their avatars have the same pattern.
Strange…
But SteveH (and your clone, stevedavidh) in the very different Left Futures case a mysterious glitch ( Lansman trying to screen out troublesome not-on-message Lefties ? who knows), meant many of us regulars had to change our posting names in order to post at all. You, in contrast , are cheekily posting BOTH as SteveH AND stevedavidh , and backing yourself up in those posts ! Tragic. And rather a different story to Left Futures, Troll clown .
You are obviously intent on being Boswell to my Dr Johnson, by having on hand endless copies of my past wise and insightful socialist political postings on the sadly missed Left Futures site. If you want to collect these into a book of Left wisdom I’ll give you a signed copy ! Or of course you could get out of your sweaty computer room where you spend far too much time and go outside and play a healthy game of football – if your mum will let you.
jpenney 26/06/2019 at 8:00 pm
Did you miss my comment above where I have given a reasonable and truthful explanation for my error. Do you have any evidence to suggest I am being dishonest?
Brilliantly said. She resembles the Tinger. Regards
How many accounts do you have? Stevedavidh posting, then replying as the known regular troll SteveH.
Bell end.
There’s RH and Richard Heyward (same avatar), too.
Funny how this only happens with the “usual suspects”…
timfrom 27/06/2019 at 11:14 am
How fascinating 🥱
What recent polls!!!!???? They suggest nothing of the sort. The most recent, from YouGov out yesterday, has Labour losing two points from their previous poll, and being joined by the Conservatives. Jeremy Corbyn’s strategy might be clear to ardent supporters of Jeremy, but would appear not to be so with the wider public and, ultimately, that’s what matters
I would suggest you take that up with comrade Watson who is now openly running a party within a party with its own manifesto, which is far more of a threat to the future of Labour than a miscro-sect like Militant ever was.
Plls go up and down, and YouGov often seems to underestimate Labour’s position. The Opinium Poll pub 20th June has
Labour up by 6 points to 26% with Tories on 20%
And Survation (which has been most accurate in predicting Westminster election results) has
Labour up 2 points to 26%, Tories on 24%
on the same day ,
https://opinionbee.uk/polls/westminster
Joe – your contact with reality is, to certain (Me! Me!) ‘principled socialists’ a diversion from the Holy Light of True Revelation (aka ‘Bollockspeak’) that doesn’t allow of deviation from the True Religion.
You can’t have political disagreement – it’s defined in the Toytown terms of Cowboys and Indians, Saints and Sinners, the Faithful and the Traitors.
It’s a bit like the Wee Frees claiming ultimate authority for a tiny church of pure believers that aims for lasting irrelevance. F. the ‘broad church’.
Heaven forfend that messy reality and contact with the living should impinge on that great work of fiction – The True Gospel!
Well done.
Thanks Swawk, I am still gullible enough to believe the crap some of the MSM spout.. Thank goodness there are alt’s out there to enlighten me.
Margaret Becket nominated Jeremy because there was mass dissatisfaction among the ranks that the MPs were not representative of the party.
She along with the rest of her ilk also thought that Jeremy was unlikely to get elected as the membership were mostly of the right……forgetting the huge influx of new members that has transformed the party.
These people that pretend to be Labour were the ones who lost millions of Labour voters and the “Allowances Scandal”, shows just how concerned they were about the public interest:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/5293973/Margaret-Becketts-600-claim-for-hanging-baskets-and-pot-plants-MPs-expenses.html
”She along with the rest of her ilk also thought that Jeremy was unlikely to get elected as the membership were mostly of the right……forgetting the huge influx of new members that has transformed the party.”
Reminds me of how the elitists in their westminster bubble plus the latte-slurpers of remain thought they’d romp home in the referendum; right up until the final whistle.
And look at how beckett (Plus the majority of the rats from the blair/brown eras) now treats both like they were ‘injustices’.
But the whoppers here will excuse that (and everything else) if it means they can get their way.
Us plebs OWE them THAT much, apparently.
Margaret has clearly been ordered to rubbish corbyn and supporters.She has always been a bit player in the chicken coup.and the plotters club.She has been wheeled out to give credibility to the plot.She is not normally involved in the trough politics of Benn watson and gives good reason to believe that we may be in a fight for the soul of the Labour party and our members? Why have we not been warned regarding a serious attempt to remove Corbyn.from any loyal mp.?How much longer do we take this from the bulk of the plp and helped on by the NEC destroying our loyal base.Bad news week,it can only get better the song goes!
Just has Chris Williamson back in!
It’d be nice to think she’ll be one of the ‘de-selecteds’ but I suspect some might scrape by just on the strength of being household names.
It’s a constant disappointment that there are those who’ll vote for the famous just because they’re famous, and others who take pride simply in having an MP who’s a household name – presumably seeing some shallow reflected glory in it.
Ffs shut up people. Get behind your leader Jetemy, and bring this shambolic failure of a Tory Government down.
Any other focus is pure treason against the ideals of a Socialist Labour Party for the many not the few
It’d be a pretty tedious comments section with the same thing restated a hundred different ways.
Labour is a party of free, hopefully meaningful discussion with the aim of achieving a consensus.
I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Allelulia! Let’s all sing, in unison, a hymn to the Great Leader!
FFS! I can’t imagine Corbyn with his record falling for that crap.
Time for some of these oldies to be sent to “the other place” (House of Lords) where the feeding trough is enough to keep them busy and out of the way for ages.
Make way for younger energetic MPs with a stake in the future, not in the trough.
Florence – good, honest socialist values and intellects worthy of the position are what we need in our MPs, whatever the age of the carcass they come in.
Brains don’t come with use-by dates.
One thing Labour doesn’t need more of is lords.
If by ‘energy’ you mean agility of mind and perseverance then yes, more of that, please – but again, that’s not a function of youth.
Great new – Chris Williamson back in!
And perhaps they don’t give a toss about the working class people in 66%,of Labour constituencies who voted to leave?
Oh and it was the Blairites who sucked up to the banks (but evidence shows it was the banks in 2008 who crashed the economy – see Financial pages and the billion dollar fines in the US imposed on banks for their role in sub prime lending).
But then the arrogant politically lightweight Miliband clique (top down) felt they knew best and though offered the information/evidence didn’t challenge the Tory Right wing narrative that Labour crashed the economy.
And of course the Blairites neglected working class communities, leaving a vacuum for others including UKIP et al to try to fill.
Political imbeciles in glass (well-heeled) houses should not throw stones.
Stand by the LOTO team and don’t let the Right in Labour divide – we are on to their game!
Time for Labour members to select and support left wing democratic socialist stars!
I always assumed it was Brown’s embarrassment at having interminably preened and boasted that he’d “cured boom and bust” that stopped him challenging the transparently ridiculous Tory lie that became the accepted narrative – that “Labour overspending” had caused a worldwide financial crash ffs.
I can forgive him (just about) for not seeing Thatcher’s bubble for what it was but can’t forgive him for letting the Tories walk all over us like that.
He and the other cretin trying to climb back on the world stage as if they were two cherished elder statesmen is what galls me.
They need to retire and seriously shut the fuck up.
Let’s be honest about Britain’s obsession with ‘anti-Semitism’
Tony Greenstein
The Electronic Intifada
26 June 2019
We had a Jewish couple journeying from Heathrow to Wales today on our bus, given at least one virulent Corbynista was on said bus, notwithstanding allegations that Wales itself is a hot bed of Antisemitism, it was therefore strange that this couple experienced zero AS from all those journeying with them, it was as if it was a none-issue, one politicised by nutters to attack the Labour Left without any foundation in fact, as witnessed by today’s real events.
Mr Chris Williamson retains my full support, although Dame Margaret Hodge and the other purveyors of faux AS claims need expelling from the Party.
Good day, Chris. “Virulent Corbynista” and Wales being “a Welsh hotbed of a/s”. Marvellous, your own and if so can I nick them. Good post and good form. Thank you.
All anyone needs to know about Ms Becket comes form her own confessions.
She has admitted that she nominated Corbyn, not because she supported him, and wanted him to win, but because she thought he’d lose – she wasn’t interested in democracy, simply in the appearance of democracy.
This is later confirmed by her confession that she had been ‘a moron’ to offer him any support.
Ms Becket is totally unprincipled and amoral, playing the kind of game we’ve just seen from the tories.
She should be deeply ashamed, and she does not deserve to be taken seriously by anyone left of Ghengis Khan (there’s a few of us left).
I know it’s fashionable these days to ‘tweak’ democracy through the use of cherry-picked statistics, shallow morals and outright lies – but that is not the way we will ever achieve a socialist government.
It appears that her intentions when she nominated Jeremy were far more honourable than you suggest.
To quote from a BBC interview
“To a certain extent to be honest, yes I do,” she said. “We were being urged as MPs to ensure that the party had a field of candidates and that I thought was a perfectly legitimate point of view.
“If Jeremy had been a long way behind, I don’t think the thought of nominating him would have crossed my mind. But then when it looked as if he might almost be able to stand but then not be able to, I was concerned that people would feel that they had been deprived of the opportunity for their point of view to be aired.
“But yes, I’m beginning to wish that I hadn’t, to be quite honest about it.”
Mr Corbyn secured 36 nominations, one more than was needed to qualify for the contest. As many as 12 of the MPs who nominated him actually support other candidates but lent him their support to get him on the ballot paper.
And the rest , as they say , is history , and what a pleasant and reinvigorating history it is .
rob 26/06/2019 at 9:50 pm
I am simply pointing out that heenan73’s rant appeared to be unjustified. We should bare in mind that if she and several others hadn’t ‘lent their votes’ then JC wouldn’t be our party leader. By all means have a go at MB for her policies but it is unreasonable to twist her nomination for JC as something that wasn’t done with good intentions. Her actions may have led to a result she and others didn’t anticipate but her original motivation of opening up the leadership debate was an honourable one.
SteveH, I think it depends what you mean by “good intentions” – if, as she seems to admit, she put up a candidate she believed to have no chance of winning then I don’t see those as good intentions even though it resulted in a win for our team.
More a case of standing Corbyn to make the contest appear to offer a wider choice than was intended by Beckett and the others who nominated him.
No more well-intentioned than any other own goal the way I see it.
David McNiven 26/06/2019 at 10:43 pm
It is undeniable that Jeremy pushed the debate to the left throughout the leadership election process and that he won several concessions and/or commitments from the other candidates, She is quite clear that this was her intention so even if JC hadn’t won we would have been in a marginally better position . Wasn’t this an honourable intention?
Would you rather that MB + around 10 others hadn’t have ‘lent’ their votes? You can’t have it both ways.
Always the cherry picking.
She may well have said that: part of the act, in view of the many statements she’s made contradicting it since.
And even then all she’s claiming is that it was important that he stand – again, she never expected him to win, and she’s said many times that had she anticipated that she would not have ‘helped’ him.
But I do agree that her hypocrisy has done us all a favour.
heenan73 26/06/2019 at 11:50 pm
Or you could have just had the good grace to admit that your rant was counter productive. There are plenty of things you could criticise MB for, so what purpose did you think your inaccurate contribution would serve. Please don’t be lazy, check your facts first.
She acted honourably although she preferred some other people she went for for JC. Since she has changed her opinions will she be calling for new leadership vote, then the membership can vote for a new deputy as well. That would be nice. By the way when did this calling of each other as, “honourable”, begin? Honour amongst….etc. perhaps? We should dump that protocol the day after the GE. For heaven’s sake when are we going to take the gloves off. I am decrepit but I do wish that I will meet the Horrible T Watson. Just to ask about his opinions on gallantry, chivalry and honour, after all he does intend to receive baubles and beads, and how to remain staunch in the face of bullies of women and fellow party members. Cheerio.
Margaret Beckett has never cared about anything other than the career of Margaret Beckett.
To take just one example:
She was part of what became known as the ‘hard left’ when she was selected to fight Lincoln.
In 1976, Joan Lestor resigned from the Department of Education in protest at cuts demanded by the IMF. Cuts, incidentally, that Denis Healey later admitted had not turned out to be necessary.
Anyway, who popped up to take her place but Margaret Beckett.
Like Neil Kinnock and others, Beckett also pretended to oppose nuclear weapons but had little trouble embracing them when her squalid career demanded it.
The thought that she helped elect Corbyn must be doing her head in I would think.
I think that you will find that MB is a staunch, honourable Beckist. I never trusted any of that lot of supposed leftists. How many cuckoo’s can you force into one nest? Regards