Jingoism is no substitute for an actual policy platform to improve life for UK people
Labour’s Shadow Foreign Secretary has been criticised for a Radio 4 interview that effectively made ‘Britain First’ – the name of a far right hate group and the words shouted by the murderer of Labour MP Jo Cox – a Labour slogan.
Commentator Rachel Shabi identified the similarity just after Nandy had appeared on Radio 4’s Today programme:
Hundreds of responses attacked Nandy’s – and by implication party leader Keir Starmer’s – jingoistic approach, with some referring back to the appalling anti-immigration mugs created by New Labour as it tried to out-Tory the Tories:
Others simply felt nauseous, or referred to Nandy’s association with the right-wing ‘Blue Labour’ group:
While Nandy did not use the exact phrase ‘Britain First’, she did refer to lots of ‘British’ things and say ‘we will always put that first’:
Starmer’s excruciating conference speech, which Nandy’s appearance was meant to trail, attempted unconvincingly to tap into that same jingoism and will do nothing to persuade the leave seats that Labour lost last year that he is any different to the remain-obsessed referendum advocate that helped destroy Labour in many of its heartlands.
To even flirt with ‘Britain first’ rhetoric is an appalling betrayal of Labour values – and no replacement for pursuing the actual policies that will improve lives for everyone who lives in this country. But it seems Starmer thinks he can run away from those policies and make up for it in dog-whistle language.
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“Are you local? This is a local country for local people. There’s nothing for you here!”
Starmer and Smeeth – him Trilateral Commission, her a ‘strictly protect US intelligence asset’. Allegedly.
Move along now, nothing to see here, folks.
Nothing to do with Labour trying to align itself with the US in preparation for attacking the Tories on Russian money I suppose? It might even work.
I am not a local person, so Starmer and nandi are following suit in creating their own brand of hostile environment…. Regardless of that we received a begging letter requesting donations….. He should not have misspent those £600000….
The new leadership, along with their sycophants, have proved countless times that they have little regard for democracy and a hatred of anything socialist,so we shouldn’t be surprised by their jingoistic comments. They’ve no intention of challenging the Tories in any way whatsoever.
Along with the TUC, they’re now asking the Tories for a ‘grand coalition’, a ‘Sacred Union’. They intend to accept the flawed ideology of shrinking the economy on the excuse of paying back the national debt. 5 million unemployed is the forecast.
We’ve already seen many years of ‘austerity’ while the debt doubled; only a growing economy can amount a surplus to pay back the debt. They must know this, so therefore the reason for the cuts will be ideological. Instead the LP and TUC should be challenging the bankruptcy (literally) of capitalism. But they won’t.
Start organising outside of the LP cmds, but don’t leave yet.
The opportunists turn to wherever the wind blows or the money comes from……
The sad thing is, British politicians trying to capture the patriotic vote and promote nationalism are to a man/woman wedded to American/NATO foreign policy…..the idea of Britain first is an out and out lie.
Yes, very true. The BBC (Centrist Establishment) actually (my s?) inform us that radical left ‘populists’ like Syriza and the Italian and Spanish socialists “burnt out” (and fail) because they weren’t fervently neo-con and pro-American militarily.
Yes, unfortunately I imagine the British army would start a coup rather than accept a political policy that was non-aligned.
ApeTory race to the bottom and hostile environment
‘War criminal ‘
Been there, done that, got the T shirt
Red Tory, Blue Tory, Yellow Tory, Tartan Tory
In the immortal words of Maximus Peake
If you dont vote Labour, your a Tory
Ah well, looks like we’ll be ready-to-go when the next war is declared in the ME/North Africa against the indigenous muslims. And remember that patriotism is a Good Thing, so you’ll all be expected to wave off your children to fight and die for Boris/Keith and should the worst happen, remember there’ll be a nice service at the cenotaph for a few minutes every year (followed by an even nicer nosh-up for the elite, just to make the occasion worth the effort of them trufing up – all at your expense.).
Remember folks, patriotism brought us that nice empire, slaves, and every reason for the elite to demand our allegiance to THEIR cause, down to the minutiae of our lives.
Remember – it’s a New Leadership! (How in God’s name could we forget)?
I suppose when the Britain First position, which Trump and the far-right pressure groups promote, is put onto the political continuum model that Sir Keir is attuned to for votes, the centristRight feel more central, more middle england, more mainstream
It’s sad really and very very wrong. We can kiss goodbye to the 5m votes Jeremy won for us in 2017.
That does not even enter their minds or his. He got the job now so his elders will be very proud.
When those who make the ultimate sacrifice are brought back into the country
Its not coffins or devastated families the cheap and nasties are counting
Its votes
Votes mean pound notes to Tories
So hands up, can they stay in our party
Methinks not
First stammer swerves the post-brexit debate…Now nandy gives us the ‘Putting britain first’ spiel.
…And I was called the ‘knuckledragger for pointing out the almost unhindered rise of fascism across the eu – the stammer wanted us to remain in so much that he deliberately fucked up labour’s chances of winning the election; encouraged by pro-eu factions within the party.
The same pro-eu members that complained about zionist influences, but happily allowed stammer his perfidiousness, despite being warned on multiple occasions what his game was…And look at how much of a grip the zionists have on the hierarchy, now?
And guess what? Now stammer’s got the reins, they’ve gone full-on, right-wing protectionist, too. Next thing you know, they’ll be cheerleading de piffle’s ‘no deal’ brexit. After all, they’ve supported just about everything else the toerags have fucked up, up to now.
I’d just LOVE see dicky-head, little steve h, and clever jack t defend THAT one when it comes about…And the way blue labour’s going, it’s looking ever increasingly like a safe bet.
This would never have happened had they told stammer to get fucked and respected the referendum result. Why? Because had they done so, we’d have had a Corbyn-led government now, who’d neither have needed, nor entertained, going down that route.
But they knew better, didn’t they? The eu was ALWAYS more important to them than a socialist labour government. They knew full well there was ZERO chance of both, so they deliberately chose to blow their stack on the EU and HOPE the dissenters and labour voting leavers would be wrong about labour getting bummed in the election.
So to them I say ‘Bravo, knobheads. You shat the bed, it’s your mess to clean up. I’ll just sit here and curse you all until the end of time for it, because you deserve it’ (And worse).
Meanwhile, the party’s anthem’ll be getting changed to: “Tomorrow belongs to me” before too long.
Except tomorrow wil never belong to Keith & Co.
The Toffee
You got it spot on with ‘No Deal’
Thats the moment Temporary Embarrassment completely disappears up his 2nd referendum chutney button
The Party’s anthemn……”Things can only get bitter”.
Sir Keith is a liar: “When you lose an election in a democracy, you deserve to. You don’t look at the electorate and ask them: ‘what were you thinking?’ You look at yourself and ask: ‘what were we doing?'”
Corbyn supporters never looked “at the electorate” they looked at remain fanatics, 5th columnists within their own party, people just like you Keith.
It’s not good and I’m not proud of the fact, but on this day which, for a better leader, would be momentous and motivational, I decided NOT to watch the new incumbent’s first speech as Leader. Sir Keir Bland is already having his inevitable effect.
I’m Not making a Donation to help him get into Downing Street (I’ll make direct contributions to seats with aaSCG candidates/incumbents and I am telling my mail programme to put Labour Party emails straight into my Junk folder.
Meanwhile, I see that journalistic standards are still in free-fall at the Observer.
The latest example of this relates to an invented quote that it attributes to Owen Jones in the most recent edition (page37).
The headline quote appears in large print and bold type:
Owen Jones: ‘A lot of people in the Labour party are horrible.’
However, having looked through the actual article itself, I can find no such quote.
Instead, I find this:
“A lot of those people in the parliamentary Labour party—I’m just going to say it—are jumped-up thugs. Vicious, horrible people…”
That is not the same thing, is it?
We are capable of changing the narrative by grasping the opportunity presented by the Tory Government’s efforts to shut down protest by adopting a new, far more inclusive style of protest: Social Distancing in our regulated groups of six, right outside our homes, right across this entire country. We can collectively create a cacophony of noise on “Sound off Saturday at six” to protest our rage at this Government’s massive failings.
The Tory ‘levelling up’ is their standard cash flow from the working poor up to the wealthy elite; in reality it is just more ‘Decimating Down! As unemployment rises, more ordinary people, in once secure jobs, will discover a Tory planed path to destitution and debt purposely built into what remains of our beleaguered social safety net. It is intentionally stressful and cruel, with unnecessary delays, punitive sanctions and paltry, wholly inadequate, provision: no longer fit for purpose.
Songs of Empire demand more realistic rewording for our neoliberal vulture capitalist age; sung to the tune of ‘Land of hope and glory’ with strong emphasis on the words ‘Drop Dead!’
Lost hope and past glory, never to be free,
Powerful privilege eternal, breads Tory cruelty.
Poorer still and poorer, while on the treadmill set,
Work until you – Drop – Dead – forever in their debt!
Wealth made Tories mighty, it makes them mightier yet!
It is sickening to watch Boris Johnson defend Empire in all its obscene excesses of blatant criminal plundering and subjugation. The PM defends the memory of Churchill: the man responsible for the Bengal Famine and the first use of chemical weapons in Iraq against the Kurds that he despised as ‘savages.’ Now Starmer is dutifully emulating him.
Why should we continue to sing ‘God, who made thee mighty, make thee mightier yet,’ when this represents ample reason to become an atheist? How could any merciful God genuinely endorse this cruel persecution under British rule? Boris is still trying to make that one fit.”
Then I reworded yet another jingoistic Proms night favourite; “we sing: ‘Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rules the waves – Britons never, never, never shall be slaves.’ But in a cruel dystopian reality the 99% truly are slaves, due to chronic wage stagnation, zero hours contracts and an even more punitive payment system for younger workers that leaves them trapped unable to leave home. New words, Please…
Cruel Britannia! Vile Tories rule the Slaves…
Only by ousting Boris Johnson will lives be saved!”
The propaganda of right wing press and the compliant BBC will fall flat when the growing evidence of civil unrest is so observably confirmed on a regular basis. It is really hard to continue lying when the obvious evidence of anti-Government feeling is being so loudly demonstrated. Would this type of protest inspire the public and really catch on, even among Brexiteers? I believe that it would, just as “Clapping for Carers” caught on.
Why? Because people are really frustrated, and confronted by new restrictions with threats of steep fines, as the Government seeks to blame ordinary people, the public still remember Tory special treatment of the elite; they remain angry that Dominic Cummings has never been held accountable. This protest stays within the strict new rules the Tories are seeking to impose to make sure we will still send children to school, attend college and continue working and travelling to work in cramped public transport, while they blame us for daring to speak to acquaintances on the street in seditious “Mingling.”
You tried to ban our protests, but here you have no Clout,
One by one outside our homes, scream: “Get the Tories Out!”
Land’s End up to John O’Groats, bang drums and drink stout,
Create a din with baking tins, but, “Get the Tories Out!”
Arrest people just for “mingling…” What’s all that about?
To greet our friends is not a crime; No: “Get the Tories Out!”
“Shut your gob and do your job,” you treat me as a lout!
There’ll be pardons for the privileged: “Get the Tories Out!”
You promise us the moon, but down here on earth we pout,
Squandered funding of the wealthy? No! “Get the Tories Out!”
You cannot gag our protest, from across the land we shout,
Both rich and poor, at every door, yell: “Get the Tories out!”
Your word is not your bond, a signed treaty now you flout,
Your power lust, destroyed our trust, let’s: “Get the Tories out!”
Gorging at their wealth trough, but will they raise a snout?
Even noble Sires in silent shires, yell: “Get the Tories Out!”
The glory days of empire, global free trade that you tout,
With Brexit done, your battle won? No! “Get the Tories Out!”
Big debts, no work, no cash, our food supply in doubt,
The rebel song, six only strong, belt: “Get the Tories Out!”
There’s money by the billions, it’s Circo’s turn this bout,
State plunder for the privileged; No: “Get the Tories Out!”
Slaughter of the Sheeple, for they will give us Nought,
A desperate cry, protest or die, but: “Get the Tories Out!”
Broken pledges and failed plans, the endless lies you spout,
They break the law and hurt the poor; so: “Get the Tories Out!”
Blast them with your car horn and they must hear us shout,
Pots and pans are all to hand, please: “Get the Tories Out!”
ITs good to hear a different story and song,because the Land of hope and Glory is not about the working class,but about those that exploit the people and destroy lives across the world.And that is how it has been for centuries and that is how it is now.Until the working class stand up and fight back it will always be.Thanks for highlighting the need to remove the collaberators on either side of the trough and that includes Britain first Labour party and the dwindling membership that voted for the knights treachery.
‘Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel’. (arch Tory, Samuel Johnson). Another Johnson…………looks like the past never ends.
Shadow ‘Foreign Secretary’ is Lisa Nandy…..are you serious?
I can confirm- she is my MP…well not ‘mine’ god forbid. Naked ambition and t treacherous, especially towards JC.
In his speech to Conference, Sir Keir emphasised the differences between BoJo & himself. While The PM was was writing drivel in ‘The Times’, Sir Keir was prosecuting Julian Assange.