MP Frank Field expelled from party after saying he would be an independent MP
Comment
Labour MP John Mann announced this week that he is quitting the Commons to work as the Tories’ ‘antisemitism tsar’ – in spite of past accusations of anti-Gypsy racism against him that led to him being interviewed by police as part of a ‘hate incident’ investigation.
Last night, the Tories announced they were putting him in the House of Lords, along with several Tory donors.
This morning, Mann told Sky News that he was going to retain his Labour membership – but sit in the Lords as an independent peer:
Mann clearly feels entitled to be a Labour member but not represent Labour in the Lords – but he has stepped onto thin ice.
When MP Frank Field resigned the Labour whip last year to sit as an independent MP, he also expected to keep his Labour membership in spite of his decision – but he was told that resigning the whip had immediately terminated his personal membership of the party as well:
Field vowed legal action but eventually set up his own ‘party of one’ to stand in Birkenhead at the next election.
Given the risk of legal action, Labour must surely act consistently in its response if Mann attempts to sit as an independent peer.
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The only appropriate response I can think of would get censured.
If enough people follow Liz McInnes’ lead and replace “Fuck off” with “Go stand over there” maybe it’ll take root and its meaning be understood by all.
He’s sent in his letter of resignation so he can’t stay as a Labour MP.
https://twitter.com/johnmannmp/status/1170667982302920710?s=21
Thought he’d gone already. Beggers belief hes still here,. Oh lordy.. What do you have to do other than mention the AS word to get chucked out of the Labour party. Maybe I will find out?
I wish he would be given his marching orders. He totally deserves that.
‘And in the labour party I will continue’
That, right, plums? Methinks the labour party best give him free reign to be critical by giving the twunt bell, book & candle.
And if mann thinks he’s ever getting a ‘Your lordship’ from me, then he can get bent. He’ll be lucky to get ‘gobshite’ just like the rest of them.
Given many of the complaints that have ensured actual democratic socialists are ejected from the Labour Party have come from within the PLP, and that many of these Red Tory Friends of Israel are no longer themselves within the Labour fold, its staggering blighters like Mann feel any affinity whatsoever with the Left, or, should be allowed the pretence of being within the Left.
Lets remind ourselves of the numbers expelled or suspended since August 2015 – the last reliable figures I had, namely from February 2018 indicated 12,000 persons were involved, and, even with Formby at the helm, innocents continue getting ejected from the Party, so lets round it up to 13,000, which is a large figure indeed when compared to all those booted out of the Party under Ed Miliband.
Many of this 13K expelled have been expelled for shouting out the fact our PLP and the Party Regions are infested with those who in no way could be deemed democratic socialists – the majority of those expelled by Rightist forces need an apology from the Party, not black marks against our names.
Still, its one rule for the PLP and another rule for the rest of us, which don’t seem fair at all in my humble opinion.
“these Red Tory Friends of Israel”
They aren’t even pale pink, Christopher. Just Black and Blue.
The failure to embrace ‘Open Selection’ last year has done immensurable damage to Party democracy and the chance have ensuring decent Party representatives in Parliament – with an early election now expected within weeks, the Party is stuck with most of those involved in the Chicken Coup, many of those still opposed to Corbyn and a Left-of-Centre Party.
Sad is an understatement I’m afraid.
christopher rogers 10/09/2019 at 2:52 pm
After a lot of careful consideration I reluctantly decided to cancel my Unite membership because they sabotaged mandatory re-selection and OMOV at last years conference.
Any union leader putting his or her union’s influence above the ability of members to remove proven Quislings needs to think again.
Open selection NOW and no more jobs for life.
One of the most truly nasty of the Labour right, in the same league as Ian Austin. The Tory party is of course his natural home. His tenure as A/S tsar will unravel in short order once his anti-Roma history gains traction.
Good fucking riddance. About 3 years too late though!
I’ve never accepted the need for a revising chamber with lifetime members whose membership may not be challenged, much less inherited membership – why would any socialist accept such a thing?
If the commons needs expertise let it hire experts as required.
First put an end to unearned and inherited privilege, then finish the job by replacing the bullshit of “equal opportunity” with equality of outcomes.
why would any socialist accept such a thing?
They wouldn’t. But, as you suggest, he was no socialist.
The way he door-stepped Ken Livingstone with a camera crew in tow going up that staircase (and kept looking at the camera in the hope it’s getting all the action) told us that!
Vile, self-promoting scum.
“I’ve never accepted the need for a revising chamber with lifetime members”
Agreed – but I reckon that a second chamber on a proper elected basisis a good idea, even if that raises the question of ‘What basis?’
Good idea? Why, RH?
With two chambers there’ll always be an element of competition – the revising second chamber will be seen as unnecessary by some in the first and will always be fighting to prove its relevance and assert itself.
What qualifications/expertise will members of any revising chamber have that will be unavailable to the first chamber in other ways? Why would socialists want to choose one representative – and then another to make sure the first makes good decisions?
To me it’s a nonsense.
If 650 people with access to all the expertise in the world aren’t enough to make good decisions why would anyone expect or even hope that 650 different people elected by the same people – would arrive at better decisions?
What will John Mann care about his Labour membership now?Theresa May has granted him a permanent seat on the gravy train by making him a Lord as well as giving him a well paid job as AS Tsar.
John made a very good living out of the Labour party. He’s now leaving us to take up even more lucrative opportunities which is unsurprising given his past behaviour.
Smartboy 10/09/2019 at 2:47 pm
Like many others I was rather hoping that the loud mouthed bigot would loose his platform when he lost his seat. Theresa has turned out to be remarkably vindictive for a woman who professes to embrace her ‘christian faith’ so much.
SteveH
Going as he did John exposed his dedication to his own self interest and undermined his credibility.
Many are asking what he did to earn his lifelong seat on the gravy train. In relation to his credentials as AS Tsar I don’t think he is any more qualified than numerous others and of course there are many people who are better qualified than him for the post which again begs the question – why was he chosen? I think we can all draw the very obvious conclusions in respect of these questions. bearing in mind his self interest and her vindictiveness.
In relation to T May, her capacity for holding grudges is well known which as you say is at variance with her professed Christianity.I would make just two points in relation to her religious beliefs
1 we all have our flaws and
2 it takes more than being a church goer to make a person a Christian.
I certainly identify Jeremy Corbyn’s Socialism more with Christ’s teachings than T Mays austerity politics which have heaped humiliation and destitution on hundreds of thousands of old sick and vulnerable people.
Nobody can simultaneously claim to uphold Christian beliefs and impose austerity. The two are completely incompatible in my opinion which makes Theresa May a hypocrite as well as an uncaring individual.
“I’m going to be independent of any party in the Lords”
(Except the Conservative Party).
Anyone else curious as to why they’ve appointed an official “Antisemitism tsar” and nobody to investigate Islamophobia?
Good point, Colin.
Hes the official antisemitism tsar with a sole purpose of targeting labour. Hes in his element! The Tories have a blind spot when it comes to Islamophobia and Tory AS.
More ‘don’t give a fuck’ spot than blind spot.
I have no problem with him being a member of the opposition whether in the Lords or in Parliament, but his time as a member of the Labour Party must be bought to an end ASAP