LibDem leader’s supporters attempt to defend her absence from democracy protests backfires badly
LibDem leader Jo Swinson has been heavily criticised for being absent from any of yesterday’s protests against Boris Johnson’s ‘prorogation’ of Parliament because she was on holiday. In spite of her own and her party’s lack of activity during the 2016 referendum, Ms Swinson has previously – and completely inaccurately – criticised Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn for taking a holiday during the 2016 referendum campaign.
Ms Swinson’s supporters attempted to deny that she was on holiday by pointing out that she was in London yesterday to speak to a meeting of the Young Liberals – but unfortunately for them, this has backfired in a big way.
Swinson was in London – on Saturday morning, with the Young Liberals tweeting their pride at her presence as she spoke – at 10.51am:
However, the event appears to have been over in plenty of time for Young Liberals to attend the London march against Johnson’s suspension of Parliament – which also featured on Twitter:
The LibDems press office has already confirmed that Swinson was on holiday and absent from the march – so the attempts to deny she was on holiday have only made her absence worse.
Ms Swinson was in London only a few hours before the protest – and then left to go on holiday, leaving protesters to get on with it.
Compounding her decision, Swinson tweeted on Saturday evening about how ‘hopeful’ the attendance at protest marches around the UK made her feel – a tweet that triggered an avalanche of derision:
Swinson reportedly went to her holiday home in Dordogne. The LibDem press office promised confirmation of her destination today, along with answers on why Jo Swinson left before the march and how she travelled, but the promised responses were not provided and follow-up calls were not returned.
Swinson is, of course, entitled to take a family holiday. However, given her recent and unfounded attempt to attack Corbyn for a holiday he didn’t take during the 2016 referendum, her decision to skip yesterday’s march to do so is a huge blunder and the criticism she has attracted is entirely merited.
Even more so since her supporters helpfully pointed out that she was in the vicinity yesterday morning.
The SKWAWKBOX needs your support. This blog is provided free of charge but depends on the generosity of its readers to be viable. If you can afford to, please click here to arrange a one-off or modest monthly donation via PayPal or here for a monthly donation via GoCardless. Thanks for your solidarity so this blog can keep bringing you information the Establishment would prefer you not to know about.
If you wish to reblog this post for non-commercial use, you are welcome to do so – see here for more.
Your extraordinary jealousy of the slogan “bollocks to brexit” is noted. Prepare to become a small party in a big pro EU parliament.
Fib Dems slogan should actually be ‘bollox to “bollox to Brexit” ‘
Footsoldiers for neo-liberalism!
Did she think it was really worth it – leaving London Sat pm and having to be back in London Monday pm ready for the House sitting on Tuesday – a sort of Liberal awayaday!
She will fly to the South of France……wonder what her treacherous carbon footprint is…..Probably has a cute little hidaway cottage whilst Britain burns…..still that was a good picture of those ever so nicey nice young libers….will she make it back….and does it matter….she’s no supporter of the Jeremy Corbyn Labour party,and shes been paid along with Watson to show it…..she better not blow it on holiday as theirs a court case to pay for…….The boys and girls in wigs dressed up in gowns Will make a lot of money out of the king with no clothes and no constitution fiasco…..maybe they can go on holiday,and some might wonder…….What about the workers…?
The Labour Left’s hatred of a No Deal hard Brexit constantly ignores that such a Brexit is the ONLY way of nationalising key sectors, which has been the top priority of the Left if it wants to shift wealth and power fundamentally in favour of working people.
One is driven to the conclusion that the post-Thatcher Labour Left is now so fearful of change that it no longer seeks such a shift, in which case the difference between Labour Left and Labour Right is now pretty minor.
https://www.thefullbrexit.com/no-deal
… and such as the Lexiteer Tory ‘little helpers’ seem to make massive assumptions and find it hard to grasp the big picture, in which ‘nationalisation’ is just one issue – and an undefined means, not an end.
Essentially they are happy with increased US dominance (including Trident) and the greater deregulation that will make any ‘nationalisation’ a hollow joke.
Tony Blair says that Corbyns done ✔ well but we shouldn’t rush into an election…..Socialist translation.. Let’s get stuck into a general election and free this country from the Tory regime….There’s also the added bonus of maybe dumping Swansong and Chuka and an whole lot of flotsam on the way by having a general election…..it’s the only way forward!
Also Jo, if Blair’s electoral instinct was a hundredth as strong as his supporters claim (that’s not to say Blair didn’t cost Labour over 5million votes), then he also realises that a general election before 2022 will make Jeremy Corbyn the next elected Prime Minister of GB – and this terrifies him tremendously – more, even, than an unsexedup report supporting a massively unpopular war.
Right, so swindle was at a meeting of young liberals called #activate19?
Now, wasn’t ‘Activate’ the name that the so-called ‘toerag momentum’ gave themselves a while back?
Hmmm…..
Is she speaking at an event organised by Activate? Weren’t they meant to be the Tory Answer to momentum back in 2017? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activate_(organisation)
Libs Will steal anyones clothes and don’t forget they are the party of deception……maybe Lansman can accuse them of being AS….like he did with Chris Williamson….?
A chilling reminder of how the US will have more leverage over this country if there is a No Deal Brexit:
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/could-brexit-leave-the-uk-vulnerable-to-pressure-from-u-s-hawks/
So much for ‘take back control’.
Tony….my daughter and grandchildren have loaded up the car and are getting out of st johns county nr Jacksonville Florida were the hurricane will possibly make landfall on the east coast of America….Trump thought it was Alabama’s gulf coast.. The guys either senile or on medication….and Johnson wants to do a deal wi th the US who invented carpetbagers in the civil war… Beggars belief!
” The guys either senile or on medication…”
It’s no either/or Jo. Plarmaceutical “medication” and senility often go together. In fact the only wat to avoid senility and sometimes Alzheimer’s disease is to take your water-based vitamins (B complex and C) and a full set of antioxidents.
Pharaceuticals and bad industrialised food CAUSE senility,
Good post btw.
To beat Johnson, Labour and the Lib Dems should work together with others too like they have in several councils now, unity alliances.
Not until they admit publicly that supporting the Tories was wrong and showed hideously bad judgement – and their current leader stops excoriating Corbyn as a ‘danger to the UK’.
Then we can talk.