Tories organising meetings of invited guests only – invitations only made by telephone – to decide on policy and strategy
The corporate media are reporting this evening that Boris Johnson has ‘absolutely’ ruled out an early general election before Halloween.
What the media are not reporting is that the Tories are arranging secret meetings with key members and activists outside London. Attendance at these meetings – described as ‘hush-hush’ by one involved – is by invitation only. Those invitations are being made by telephone only, to avoid leaving a paper or electronic trail that might leak.
The purpose of the meetings is an ’emergency’ consultation on policies the Tories hope will help them fight off challenges from Labour and the LibDems in marginal seats.
SKWAWKBOX view:
Boris Johnson says he is ‘absolutely’ ruling out an imminent general election. Well, he would, wouldn’t he? This is the ‘leave’ politician who infamously had two statements ready on the eve of the EU referendum so he could support both leave and remain once he decided which would suit him best.
Meanwhile, on-the-ground activity being arranged with the Tories’ local elites suggests something different – as does their social media blitz this week.
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Could Boris say anything other than “I’m a clown” and be believed?
‘Coco the Clown performs to us.
And he’s spending our money for free!
As the Neo-Liberal ideologues they write his script.
Johnson’s found the Tory Magic Money Tree!’
He has Dominic Cummings as special advisor who persuaded the majority of the voting population to vote the way he wanted.
“Boris Johnson says he is ‘absolutely’ ruling out an imminent general election.”
Trans : A general election is quite possible in the near future (Mr Toad dictionary of double-speak)
I seem to recall someone else saying the same thing:
No, she was not lying this time.
But she was persuaded to change her mind. This meant that the Conservatives were not as well-prepared as Labour.
That was just Tory hype to try and explain away the disasterous result. There was no reason whatsoever why they couldn’t have called it a few weeks later when they WERE prepared if they WEREN’T prepared at that point.
They have organised a meeting for all their members under 25 year of age in a telephone box in Sussex.
It was in a brothel
I would have thought the Tory strategy in the event of a GE is pretty obvious by now. They’ll steal and bastardise Labour’s policies until they get elected and then blame the EU intransigence for not being able to implement these policies because Brexit has fucked our economy.
We need to get a move on with selections,reselections and deselections so that we are not lumbered with Labour in name only MPs after the next election.
I don’t disagree with you over the need to cull the most egregious PLP members.
But that has little to do with the urgent need to develop a coherent strategy for winning.
There has to be a concerted push-back instead of the mistaken ‘apologize, apologize’ strategy on AS, and the threat from the LibDems has to be neutralized with an umambiguous opposition to Tory policy on Brexit.
Be under no illusion – the Tories will be manufacturing illusory spend, spend stuff to undermine Labour economic proposals, and the propaganda lies will be ramped up.
Remember – if there weren’t enough potential fodder stupid enough to be open to Tory propaganda, sufficient to swing an election, we wouldn’t be here in the first place. Same old same old won’t do.
RH…..nobody can acuse you of not being predictable,but you know we have only one shot at de selection and smartboy is right to insist that removal of a destructive corrosive group of mps must take priority The time is now not later and the CLPs are ready to swing the axe…..The torys are in control of brexit and deselection will silence the AS….scam artists!
“nobody can acuse you of not being predictable”
Consistent, Joseph. Consistent.
Just like yourself.
For me, it’s about winning a majority, and the priorities to that end; picking the fights.
Reply to RH
Do you really think a seat won by a Labour in Name Only MPs is a Labour win?
Don’t you realise that these MPs would hold the balance of power in a hung parliament or if we only have a small majority and we all know how they would use/misuse that power.
It is essential therefore that we don’t give them the opportunity.
They have got to go otherwise we will never be able to implement an anti austerity programme.
‘…… and deselection will silence the AS….scam artists!’
Even if that were the case Joseph – ie that they were all deselected – there’s a whole bunch of Labour peers who will, I’m sure, be more than happy to fill in for them, not to mention the CAA and LFI and the JLM, and I have little doubt that the Tories would up the ante to help fill in for them, and as if the MSM and the Jewish newspapers are going to suddenly stop smearing and demonising Jeremy and the left.
Yes, lets by all means deselect as many of the saboteurs as we possibly can, but it ain’t gonna bring an end to the black propaganda operation being waged against us.
The only thing I can think of that has a chance of stopping the smears and the lies NOW is, as I’ve said before, a declaration that the first order of business after we win the next election is an investigation into media corruption and collusion between the MSM and the Tories. And others.
I see no other options. They’ll never stop unless there are consequences to their treason – and subverting the opposition by fraudulent means IS treason in a democracy.
If anyone has a better idea spit it out – time’s getting short.
‘There has to be a concerted push-back instead of the mistaken ‘apologize, apologize’ strategy on AS….’
YOU have to keep getting your propaganda line in every single day, don’t you Richard. There is of course no possibility of ‘pushing back’ if the MSM is hostile towards you, and YOU know it, and if anyone fails to apologise, they will just be condemned and vilified all the more. Funny isn’t it how Ken Livingstone and Pete Willsman and Chris Williamson, for example, understand THAT perfectly and, as such, apologised, but YOU just go on pretending that you DON’T so that you can generate frustration and indignation and animosity towards JC in the many LP members who visit this site. Along with a few of your buddies!
But you will of course continue to maintain your strategy of’ ‘repetition, repetition’, won’t you Richard, and manipulate people emotionally so as to do as much damage as you can!!!
Allan Howard 27/07/2019 at 1:48 am
“Funny isn’t it how Ken Livingstone and Pete Willsman and Chris Williamson, for example, understand THAT perfectly and, as such, apologised,
Aww come on Allan, what did their apologies achieve for either the party or themselves?
And I should just point out to everyone that when Ken apologised, he DIDN’T apologise for saying something anti-semitic (because he didn’t say anything anti-semitic of course AND was just alluding to the Haavara Agreement as such), and what he said was this: ” I’m sorry if what I said upset anybody”.
And although I can’t remember what Pete Willsman and Chris said exactly when they apologised, they definitely didn’t apologise for saying anything anti-semitic (precisely because they DiDN’T). And nor did Jeremy of course on the occasions that he apologised when HE was accused of anti-semitism; over the mural, for example. But they DID apologise never-the-less, NOT because they are weak or cowardly or appeasers etc, etc, but because they knew of course that they would bring down a tsunami wave of condemnation on themselves if they DIDN’T.
*AND* because it was more than evident to them they were never going to get a fair hearing, and THAT’s the reality of the situation.
But RH and a few others on here would have people believe that if they HADN’T apologised, and they had stuck up for themselves, then the saboteurs in the Labour Party and the Tory Party and the MSM and the Jewish newspapers – along with the CAA and LFI and the JLM – would have then stopped their ‘anti-semitic’ black op campaign against them. And THAT of course is just pure fantasy, so PLEASE don’t be taken in by those dissembling such a fantasy. And also please ask yourself WHY they keep repeatedly dissembling such a fantasy.
Aw, Steve, you obviously didn’t read my post properly, so I’ll just copy and paste the relevant point again:
…..and if anyone fails to apologise, they will just be condemned and vilified all the more.
________________________
Anyway, so what do you think they should have done Steve?
And why do you think they DID apologise?
And what is it that they WOULD have achieved that they DIDN’T achieve (had they done whatever it is you think they should have done)?
“if anyone fails to apologise, they will just be condemned and vilified all the more.”
C’mon, Allan. Where are Chris Williamson, Ken Livingstone and Jackie Walker – three for starters – now? In the bosom of the Party?
… and in reply to Smartboy :
“Do you really think a seat won by a Labour in Name Only MPs is a Labour win?”
I don’t think I implied that at all if you read my comment. My cautioning was about thinking that mob-handed attempts at deselection is (a) likely and (b) the main priority. Focus is what I’m arguing for.
What I do know is that a Labour loss is a loss, and that there is a desperate need to have a coherent electoral strategy in place that keeps votes rather than pushes them away.
I’ve just noticed these two rambles around the wilder fringes of fantasy :
“YOU have to keep getting your propaganda line”
“But you will of course continue to maintain your strategy of’ ‘repetition, repetition’, won’t you Richard, and manipulate people emotionally so as to do as much damage as you can!!!”
…. surely you can’t be as brainless as to believe such crap?
Or is it that you’re out of argument (I think in the repetition stakes, I’m running some way behind!)
Rattle throwing is never a good look.
“There he goes, there he goes again.”
– The La’s.
RH trying to get YOU back on the AS agenda yet again. Comrades recognise patterns of behaviour and Fake Socialists!
We need to put clear daylight between ourselves and the Tories on the subject over which the next election will be fought, assuming we don’t crash out first. That means producing a manifesto and a firm commitment to remain in the EU now that some of the dire consequences of leaving are known.
With the most right wing cabinet we’ve had for a long time and a clown for a PM who will sell his soul to Trump, this is by far the best chance we’ve had. Boris is the gift who will keep on giving.
This must go hand in hand with a fight back against further A/S smears by directly informing the public why these attacks upon Labour and JC are being made by the Israeli lobby. Link the attacks to the destruction of Palestinian homes and livelihoods taking place in Israel at the moment and tie in those Labour MPs who have deliberately made attempts to undermine Jeremy Corbyn so that when CLPs deselect them if we ever get a trigger vote, it can be shown to be justifiable and democratic.
The MSM will only tell the story the Tories want told – during Purdah they’ll just shift to psych-trolling and push at the boundaries of election law – and the Tories will break or stretch those laws as always.
If there’s a fine after the ‘investigation’ three years later when everyone’s forgotten, so what?
Jack, how does clear daylight help if the people never hear the truth about it?
How do we “directly inform” the public when they see Tory propaganda repeated every twenty minutes on News 24 and every day in the tabloid comics – more leaflets?
There’s always clear daylight between them and us but the people aren’t told.
They’re told that we’re not the ‘real’ Labour.
They’re told Watson and the rest are the real, reasonable Labour and we’re a bunch of devious, antisemitic, wild-eyed Marxist-or-worse infiltrators who’ve somehow managed to hijack the party from the majority – the decent, hardworking, respectable centrists – and who’ll bankrupt the country if we’re ever given the chance.
FFS there’s already a belief in some quarters that ANYTHING done to stop Corbyn would be a patriotic act.
The first question we need to answer is “How do we stop the MSM lying?”
This may make me sound a bit like a Conspiracy nut , but it’s my conclusions looking at what is happening and has happened so far in our Democracy and please forgive me if you already know this . I have just watched the documentary “The Great Hack “ detailing Cambridge Analytica ( CA) involvement in Brexit and Trump election . It has left me extremely concerned for the future of our democracy , no matter what side you are on .
I urge all of you to watch it . It is for some perverse reason only on Netflix , a entertainment channel , this documentary is of such importance it should be on BBC ITV Ch 4 and every other major channel of communication .
It is truly stunning when you look at how CA utterly perverted the votes in the Trump election , and again here in the UK, with Brexit via mass personal data manipulation of millions of individuals , the result of which was a Trump victory and a Leave vote .Don’t believe me , then watch the documentary and you ‘ll see how the Trump victory was achieved by manipulating /influencing what people should think for just 70,000 out of all the electorate in the USA . That’s right , just 70,000 decided the trump victory . AND they did exactly the same here in the UK . They just needed to influence a very small margin of people to produce the result , that’s why the margin for leave remain was so close .
There is not the space to explain further , just watch the documentary , then look at the other recent events , Johnsons mass advert release on Facebook ( a massive platform used by CA to deliver it s influence ) .
The insertion Of Dominic Cummings into the heart of Johnson Govt as a special adviser , this guy is like Cambridge Analytica on steroids read the Guardian article , here
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jul/26/dominic-cummings-a-career-psychopath-in-downing-street
This points to one thing , the Tories have already WON the GE and we don’t know it , because Labour is utterly distracted successful with the lies of AS , it does not and is not countering at present the utterly ruthless use of personal data like Cambridge Analytica used and the Tories are using that methodology right now , hence Johnson mass advert , its not just a mass advert , it’s the visible face of personal data manipulation to screw democracy and skew elections victories .
We must be protected from it , we must call it out and shout it from the roof tops and our bloody politicians must make it use illegal !
David McNiven. “How do we “directly inform” the public…..”
At the time we were trying to get Jeremy elected as Leader I went to a meeting at which he spoke, one of the things he said was “you are my media”.
At any opportunity we get, whether on social media or person to person, we must by-pass the MSM and put our case against the smears directly to the public. Likewise, a strategy must be developed by the Leadership and imparted to all our MPs so that whenever they have a chance in the media, they too have to make best use of that time and speak directly to the public about the reasons for the smears.
With reference to Rob’s justifiable concerns above, the Tories now have Dominic Cummings in their camp, mainly to push Brexit but I suspect he will also be used troughout their election campaign. He is an expert in how to use the media but he is so arrogant that he told us exactly how he did it. We have to have someone with a similar knowledge and skill on our side to refine those techniques and counteract his influence.
But Jack – the broadcast media choose who they invite to speak – and if it’s a Labour MP only the Blairites get a free ride, and only then if they kowtow on ‘Corbyn/Labour/institutional antisemitism’.
Left wing Labour MP’s are a rarity on the news and generally they’re there to be attacked by four or five Tory plants including the presenter.
If our MP’s were all socialists it’d be different but we can’t get rid of the Quislings at a stroke – and some PPC’s will be only pretending to be lefties anyway.
There aren’t enough left wing activists to convince enough voters one-to-one.
The S*n ‘turn the lights out’ headline ought to be enough proof for anyone that we live in a media-ocracy not a democracy.
Unless we force them to be genuinely unbiased we might have to wait for the third or fourth tranche of AI/robotics job losses to tip the balance.
In a decade or so the 1% will be so powerful we might have to fight their private armies – if I had relatives in the Forces I’d be telling them to let the officers think they’re good little right wingers until the time comes they’re ordered to fire on us.
You heard that General or Brigadier or whatever the fuck he was talk about declaring martial law if Corbyn got in, right?
That wasn’t a joke and neither was using JC’s photo for target practice.
Squaddies are indoctrinated with Torythink.
‘Coco the Clown performs to us.
And he’s spending our money for free.
With his script written by Neo-Liberal ideologues.
Johnson’s found the Tory Magic Money Tree!’
Some really thoughtful posts – a bit of a relief from simply swearing at Watson etc.
The question posed by David :“How do we stop the MSM lying?”
… is a key one. But I think the honest answer is ‘We can’t.’ And, to be honest, trying to stitch them up in formal terms is too long-winded and too fraught with legal complication.
I know there was no sanction involved, but think about what happened over ‘The Lobby’. There was a complaint to Ofcom which was booted out, thus underlining the fact that the documentary was based on sound evidence. At that point, a genuinely investigative media would have seen a green light, and piled in on the exposures. Well … we all know that was precisely what *didn’t* happen, and we also know why. The only remarkable fact has been the sustained and comprehensive ‘omerta’ about the facts. The situation is emphasized by the fact that what was in ‘The Lobby’ was actually old news – Peter Oborne’s mainstream documentary had been available for about ten years. But have you ever heard that being referenced, either?
Bluntly, Labour isn’t going to get balanced treatment from the media, and rob’s highlighting of more specific dirty tricks puts a focus on another part of the wood.
But, personal contact and informal media do provide an alternative network. A problem is, obviously the welter of crap on the internet that means a lot of panning has to be done to separate the real stuff. That said – without underestimating the effect of the MSM – there is much more scepticism about it, and its recent campaigning has been so over the top that it does a pretty good job of undermining its own credibility.
One point of pressure might be to get more professional in terms of campaigning to consistently call the BBC to account, and using the troops to do that by giving them ammunition with which to blast the corporation.
Beyond that, I’m with JackT in seeing the need for policy clarity over an alignment with Europe and more rebuttal and less apology.
The former is important because it cuts the legs off the internal opposition from the right, whilst also posing some of the MSM a problem in choosing which side of the establishment to back. Brexit is a fault line in establishment unity.
In general, the Party has to get more focused and incisive and give up on foot-shooting.
RH, if we announce that we’re determined to form a commission to investigate media bias the next time we’re in government – and that subversion of democracy by any branch of the media is to be made a criminal offence – and that media honesty is of such importance to democracy that ex post facto legislation is being considered ….
…. the MSM will unanimously declare this to be an assault on press freedom.
Our counter if necessary would be that the MSM, by challenging the principle of legislation designed solely to ensure journalists are not only free to tell the truth but required to tell the truth to the people, are effectively demanding the right of rich corporations to lie to the electorate as they please – but I don’t think it’ll be necessary.
The evidence of their bias is so overwhelming and so outrageous I don’t believe they can survive it being dissected and debated in public – the consequences to them of being proven to be liars in full view of their own audience will be too humiliating for them to contemplate.
I think they’ll fold and the smears will stop right after our announcement.
“The evidence of their bias is so overwhelming and so outrageous”
David – I totally agree with you, and I reckon an academically sound continuing examination of media bias – perhaps under a revised Ofcom remit and appointment process might be able to get legs. Perhaps it might involve the requirement that a ‘news’ outlet has to pass tests of reasonable impariality in order to claim that description. A ‘fitness for purpose’ test – like a trade description that has to fulfil reasonable objective criteria.
Given wht happened to Nolan II, however, I don’t hold out much hope.
But I doubt that attempts at strict legal definitions and sanctions, formulated in legislation, could succeed – except in terms of barristers’ bank balances.
A further thought, tho’ : perhaps revising the framework governing the BBC’s output of news could succeed?
RH, my point all along has been that the threat of legislation, intelligently applied, could stop the smears NOW – yet rather than argue against that, and despite your “total agreement” you offer suggestions of a mild tweak to OFCOM here or a teensie nudge to the BBC’s framework there – neither of which could have any effect until AFTER we win an election – and doubts about the possibility of even writing legislation that would survive legal challenge.
Frankly I don’t care whether you agree with me or not.
Start with smashing every lie broadcast as it hits the airwaves,
You already have your first contribution on here
There will be less police in 3 years time FACT
As more leave than the 20,000 promised, so he needs to promise 40,000 and that is a number that is impossible to deliver
Then ask about the loss of boots on the ground in the Armed Forces, remind him of redundancy notices handed out on the frontline in Afghanistan
The only real challenge is to reduce it all down into 7 key messages which you reinforce on the same every week upto GE,
Let’s call no1 monday
I think our election winner will be Johnson represents all that is bad about conservatism,The people are suffering and unhappy?.Whos in government?.. The government will be the ones in charge of brexit!…The torys control the media but no one can control the feeling and facts of the mess conservative rule has cost the people!.I will put my faith in Corbyn being the only alternative to the Torys,and with a little bit of house cleaning and good policys we all might be surprised that the British public will deliver a Labour government
I envy your optimism, Joseph ( no – I’m not being sarcastic, BTW).
But I think that you forget that you can never underestimate the doziness of a large chunk of the GBP (Great British Public). It is a frightening thought, but the Whethefukawee Tribe actually forms the key deciding margin in any election. If it didn’t, we wouldn’t have had ten years of austerity.
Meanwhile, I think we will have to watch Chris Williamson’s re-trial with baited breath in order to see if the Party has what it takes to stand a chance of dealing with Mr Toad’s gang of right-wing vomit.
I had my facebook seriously hacked and I’ve just started a new one and looking for Corbyn supporting sites to sign back up to. Have you seen how difficult it is to find them now? I can only find about 5. My favourite was something like ‘Over 60’s (or 50’s??) Corbyn supporters’ . I can’t find that anywhere. Does anyone else remember the name? Would really appreciate the support. I’m very concerned though about how the internet is being swamped by right wing garbage. Any query in google now gives you reams of anti labour, anti corbyn invective. You don’t notice it when you move from familiar site to familiar site.
Not just Facebook and Twitter – Google is clipping results too.
I’ve seen the US as the biggest threat to socialism and world peace since I was a kid.
The evidence just grows and grows.
Bottom line dream team is Boris and Jo
Like shooting fish in a barrel
No 2
Why should we trust you with NHS