As the Labour Party chooses its new leader, one thing has become obvious – whoever wins, the left is in for a tough fight over the coming months and years as the Establishment tries to put an end to the threat the left represents to its interests.
The movement is going to need its media more than ever to inform supporters, expose the manoeuvres of opponents and their abuses, to counteract the worse-than-ever mainstream media dishonesty and to help prevent the dismantling of what’s been achieved in terms of reshaping the political narrative and turning the Labour Party back into one that represents the people who rely on it.
To perform that role, the left media outlets will need your support. So if you can afford to do so without hardship, please consider supporting your preferred media site.
If that’s the SKWAWKBOX, you can click here to arrange a one-off or modest monthly donation via PayPal or here for a monthly donation via GoCardless. If it isn’t, you can find links to support some other good sites below:
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Thanks for your solidarity.
Surprised the morning star isn’t in your list of left wing media that needs support, by buying the paper.
Absolutely Frank! Superbly well said! Most appropriate this is 1st comment here!
Now celebrating its 90th anniversary, the Morning Star- b4 1966 The Daily Worker – has been exposing the Establishment daily since 1930 and weekly since 1920.
Not an official LP newspaper but enjoys major support from the TU mvt whose representatives sit on the Management Cttee of the People’s Press Printing Society (PPPS), the coop which owns the Morning Star.
AGM each June. To vote buy minimum £5 share in PPPS by writing to
Secretary
PPPS
William Rust House
52 Beachy Rd
Bow
London
E3 2NS
Hasta la Victoria Siempre!
Watching PMQ’s
Isn’t it basic respect for democracy that the PM does not tell bare faced lies to the house and the country
Record funding increase in funding for the NHS
50,000 extra nurses
20,000 extra police
This needs to be brought up on the floor by JC and a warning that if it persists then other conventions such as not accusing honorable members of dishonesty
Today’s blog by Jonathan Cook is an absolute must read
Antisemitism threats will keep destroying Labour
The party’s Blairite faction – supporters of the former centrist leader Tony Blair – knew that they could not win a straight fight on ideological issues against Corbyn and the hundreds of thousands of members who supported him. The Blairites’ middle-of-the-road, status-quo-embracing triangulation now found little favour with voters. But the Blairites could discredit and weaken Corbyn by highlighting an “antisemitism crisis” he had supposedly provoked in Labour by promoting Palestinian rights and refusing to cheerlead Israel, as the Blairites had always done. Identity politics, the Blairites quickly concluded, was the ground that they could weaponise against him.
As a result, Corbyn was forced endlessly on to the back foot, unable to advance popular leftwing policies because the antisemitism smears sucked all oxygen out of the room. Think of Corbyn’s interview with Andrew Neil shortly before the December election. Not only did Corbyn not get a chance to explain the party’s progressive platform to floating voters, but much worse he was forced into abandoning the very personal traits – openness, honesty, modesty – that had made him unexpectedly popular in the 2017 election. Accusations of antisemitism – like those of being a wife-beater – are impossible to face down in TV soundbites. Corbyn was left looking evasive, shifty and out of touch.
https://www.jonathan-cook.net/blog/2020-02-12/antisemitism-threat-labour/
I think Cooke’s opening paragraph is also worth quoting, given the false perspective that is often imposed post-election:
“If there is one issue that denotes the terminal decline of Labour as a force for change – desperately needed social, economic and environmental change – it is not Brexit. It is the constant furore over an “antisemitism crisis …”
Actually, I don’t think it’s the lies propagated by the “antisemitism” nonsense per se, but its role in framing the successful attack on Corbyn that was the decider in the election.
Everyone should read the whole of this blog, I had some difficulty in deciding which bits to quote.
Agreed. Cook’s article is a model of clarity about the situation.
… and, Allan, a detailed forensic analysis of why you’re wrong in suggesting the TINA is the only response to sinking in the quicksand of assent to the JLM/BoD nexus.
It’s funny RH, but when I read Jonathan Cook’s article earlier this evening (prior to coming on this site), there was one bit where he said that the LP leadership contenders had been ‘cowed’ into signing up to the BoDs ten demands, and I instantly thought of YOU. The point is that he DOESN’T say – as you and your fellow im-posters do repeatedly/endlessly – that people are cowards for not ‘fighting back’ or ‘capitulating’ etc, and it is quite evident from his articles that he fully understands and appreciates that it’s impossible to fight back when it comes to the A/S allegations and smears, because anyone that does so will just be condemned and vilified for doing so
And I couldn’t help but notice that you didn’t elaborate as to what the alternative is. I wonder why! But then again, when you have a No-Win situation, alternatives don’t enter into it!
But thankyou for thinking of me, I’m sure Joe appreciates it!!.
… and another excellent article by Jamie-Stern Weiner carried by Marxism Today and JVL :
https://www.jewishvoiceforlabour.org.uk/article/labours-anti-semitism-crisis-what-caused-it-and-how-well-was-it-handled/
Again., Allan – I’m afraid it refutes your TINA contention.
Len McCluskey did a BBC Hardtalk Interview this weekend. It is quite a hard hitting and at times controversial interview which will divide opinions. Have a listen and decide for yourself. 23 minutes.
Len McCluskey: What’s the future of the UK Labour Party?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3csy9fm
Antisemitism and Corbyn’s supposed ‘indecision’ over brexit were both weaponised, but without the constant repetition of the MSFM they’d have been minor issues in the hive mind compared to growing income and wealth inequality.
Wealth inequality is the issue that really makes a difference to ‘the many’ but it was almost completely absent from the election narrative as broadcast.
The left media would have to increase their readership ten, twenty, a hundred times to make much difference despite the great job that they do, at great cost, if they’re ignored on the telly.
Moves to remove ‘harmful content’ from social media are underway. I doubt WordPress will escape attention for long once Facebook etc. are watered down – I doubt they’ll stop short of calling Skwawkbox and our other friends “harmful.”
Sorry for repeating myself but taming the massive tory fake media is essential and urgent – unless we think they might undergo a Damascene conversion, be overcome by shame, give up cocaine and stop spreading Borisprop?
Good luck finding a new leader with the balls to threaten journalists with jail for subverting democracy though.
Corbyn could raise the issue at little personal cost given his present situation.
Showing the people how the mainstream fake media distracts them with entertainment while it misleads them politically to keep them poor would be the most honourable legacy any Labour politician could leave.
I think that your scepticism is entirely justified, David.
In terms of the long decline of the MSM, there is no chance of making it more honest while the Spiv Party is in charge. The chronic dishonesty of the current set-up and the power of the billionaire owners works entirely to their advantage in a symbiotic relationship.
Come to that, to guage by the deafening silence from the ‘opposition’ about this main feature of the election, we are unlikely to see any emphasis on this form of antisocial behaviour from this quarter, either. More likely is the ‘Blair response’ – if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.
As a side product of the establishment press, those who are most conned by it remain devoted – thus the mass purchase of SunMail bog paper every day, and the consequent poisoning of brains. Propaganda on this scale – and with little printed alternative – works. Conclusively. Forget all the Brexit bullshit – it was the SunMail wot dun it.
As to t’Internet – it isn’t a solution to the mass predation of the MSM. As you’ve pointed out, some of the noise about controlling it could be a double-edged sword – especially now the SunMail support group have given Mr Toad & Co. a free pass.
And, even if members of that brigade resort to on-line sources – would they choose anything that contradicts their preferred fare of recycled garbage? Sorting wheat from chaff in the welter of stuff on-line requires a degree of discrimination and skill that means that you wouldn’t be swallowing a lot of MSM output in the first place. Or voting for this bunch of chancers in a general election.
No – it’s hard to be optimistic.
They have a similar problem in the US
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/02/12/do-they-never-learn-progressives-rip-media-attempts-downplay-bernie-sanders-win-nh
“The story of the night is that Bernie Sanders is the favorite to win the Democratic nomination… Why is this so hard for people to see?”
Difficult to support these sites when you are on benefits and have no spare cash. I support by sharing in the hopes that those who do have spare cash can support these important sites.
An important point. Also, you have the question of *which* sites to choose. I don’t want simple echo chambers – which is a feature of quite a few online presences. Nor do I want sites that resort to the popular party game of ‘name the conspiracy’ in every sentence – another too common characteristic.
Theres nothing to loose now!go for it jeremy Corbyn and at the same time dump the secrecy and name the treacherous plotters and AS scam from the PLP and NEC….Sorry just dreaming!
I find your list surprising Steve; some of these sites are a bit hit and miss. As people have already referenced, the glaring omission is the Morning Star. Elsewhere, others have quite rightly mentioned Jonathan Cook; excellent journalism and analysis, which really deserves support. There are also off-Guardian, Nye Bevan News, Labour Heartlands and others arguably as worthy as some on your list. My list would go:
Morning Star
Jonathan Cook
Socialist Correspondent
Skwawkbox
Canary
100/1 bar.
My benefits have been cut so I won’t be funding any of them until I find a job/win an accumulator. The former is unlikely because I’ve been blacklisted, the latter even more so because I don’t bet.
All the best and keep up your good work.
There’s also the Politics and Insights Blog by the excellent Kitty S Jones https://politicsandinsights.org/
You forgot Jewish Voice for Labour. It stars out from a particular sphere of concern, but maintains a high standard of intelligent articles that have wider implications.
Re: above, here is an important contribution today from Off-Guardian:
https://off-guardian.org/2020/02/12/assange-extradition-blatant-judicial-double-standards/
… and note this comment about the leadership ‘debate’ on Newsnight :
” …the candidates discussed the party’s record on antisemitism – which all four said they would apologise for …”
Gutless and unhworthy to a wo/man. What a choice!
If they want to claim to be antisemites – fine. But don’t include me and the rest of the Party.