Damning comments from Howard Beckett during Labour Grassroots ‘Not the Andrew Marr Show’ zoom call published by popular demand
The Labour Grassroots (LG) ‘Not the Andrew Marr Show’s Zoom discussion featured an explosive contribution from Howard Beckett, a member of Labour’s National Executive (NEC) and a leading candidate for the leadership of the Unite union when incumbent Len McCluskey resigns.
Beckett hammered Starmer for letting the Tories off the hook, by starting a civil war with the left while thousands of mostly working-class people are dying of COVID-19 – then went on to list Starmer’s failures to stand up to the Tories on their mismanagement of the pandemic crisis and their plans to make working people rather than the wealthy pay for the measures needed to prop up the economy.
As if that wasn’t enough, Beckett then exposed the Labour right’s misrepresentation in the media of the conclusions of the EHRC report and for hobbling Labour’s ability to tackle racism by demonising anyone who tries to discuss what’s really going on.
Those watching immediately began asking for Beckett’s section to be clipped and released – and LG duly obliged. Watch and share:
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Beckett would make a good Labour leader. To hell with ‘chocolate teapot’ Starmer.
THE priority is neither the welfare of “the many” nor noble causes to which attachment is only a worthless distraction from the failures at all of them – CND, Iraq, the displaced Chagos Islanders, the Palestinians … HUNDREDS of them, ALL oddly sacrificed with all of us, long held beliefs… EVERYTHING on the alter of the “Big Church”. WHY❓❓❓
Just to gain the approval of, and play with the priest and priestesses of that sordid “Big Church”? What is the reasoning? What is the gain? What has changed except for the worst ? ? ?
We have been painfully and selfishly hoodwinked. There may be something which we are yet to discover. Whatever it is may either crush the “Left” for good or hopefully, compel us to realise that the virtuous noises without meaningful actions are just noise. Worthless noise with no TRUE determination to change the Status Quo. Has anyone seen any sign determination …even the slightest sign
❓ ❓ ❓
Please, inform us all.
Please 🥀🥀🥀
Like him, it’s the surname that gets me.
Absolutely. If Lavery still won’t go for it, Beckett is sounding like a/the next leader of the party!
Excellent contribution by Howard Beckett, every time I thought of an issue he covered it and nailed it.
Starmar would be ashamed of himself if he could. He can’t be ashamed. He has no shame.
His DPP record, these last four and a half years of open sabotage against the Labour party, are sufficiently overwhelming evidence that he was central to the choreographed walk outs on Jeremy with the other plotters. Starmar is as one with Campbell, the Bliar creature & Co which openly endorsed Cummings and Johnson. They said so. They published their treacherous plot. There was no attempt to keep the plot secret over the four and a half years.
To date, they show at every turn, every day, that their aim is to discourage and drive out every single decent member who wishes a change to the status quo.
They break every rule as they always have. Yet observe the tenses and HOPEFUL interpretations people still use. Eg “it is BEGINNING to look like…”. Starmar and Evans are making a big mistake IF they want unity… IF they want to win the election … etc etc etc. Despite the cabal stating that they expect to lose because “Jeremy has destroyed the party so badly”.
We cannot regain any MEANINGFUL control and purpose in our party until we face harsh facts the TRUTHS. It is impossible to be “unified” and “calm” with people who OPENLY prove that they despise you. That dream is puzzling, … extremely odd to me. More so, that the dream is maintained by those who have witnessed / experienced the poisonous fangs of the Right Wing for nearly TWO generations.
THAT is THE cause of our enduring embarrassments and pains of being stitched and sewn up time and time again. The situation is beyond a cruel joke. The proud determination neither to learn nor change is THE reason for what we see from Starmar & Co. They do as is their nature. Our beyond pathetic craving to be tolerated by the most self-serving venomous protectors of the 1%, DESPITE OVERWHELMING evidence, is the oddest mystery🥀🥀🥀
Via Starmer, the BOD now exerts control over the Labour Party. Many of us were already aware of this but since the leaked BOD letter it must be obvious to even the most fervent of Starmer supporters – I’m looking at you SteveH – that the BOD wants all Socialists out of the Party and it’s Starmer’s job to carry out their orders.
Yes indeed. I said at the time that the writing was on the wall on the very day of his election, when Starmer sent the obviously pre prepared grovelling letter to the BoD’s. However, never in my wildest imagination could I have foreseen how quickly and how far he has sunk since that day.
Heaven’s sake, you’re right. Two generations. We’ll when we turned and stood we beat them. The battleground is no longer the streets and a visible enemy. No, it’s in our own offices, parties, workplaces, front rooms and newsagents. Grief it’s within us, can we stand and fight again? Can we develop new tactics and strategies? These vids are a good start, undoubtedly. We need a paper! Perhaps most people have, at last recognised the value of security. The stakes are high but we are all the working class have left. The alternative chills my blood and the enemy can feel victory in the air. HoP is an irrelevance, have you watched them. Their and LPO Members can barely mask their loathing for us. Ex RCP, CPGB, SWP etc hacks pose as spokespersons for the opposition. I was looking thru some cartoons and clicked on Steve Bell. There it is, they can be frightened. How can anyone still read that Guardian is beyond me. The lipstick left and the cowering radicals are a disgrace. That’s the centre isn’t it? Give me the mail, if you’re patient there are specks of independent thought. I’m withering, because I am old and angry and a socialist. Good luck bruvvers and sisters we will meet at the barricades. I’ll be the old, brown, bespectacled bloke in a wheelchair with my African walking stick. Locking, I’ve shit em for the last ten years. Regards ☮️ Wobbly X.
HB needs to be leading the party. A brilliant speech.
Brilliant Howard well done ✊👍
He’d get my vote if I was eligible.
More, please.
Sigh I am amazed yet again people impressed by NOTHING did he demand the whip be returned to JC? Did he demand that Starmer and his cult of new Labour 2.0 be thrown out the Labour party of him and all the other so called socialists whould gasp. Actually do something like all quit if this was not done. Has him and the equally useless all left members of the NEC refuse to take part in anything until this mess is sorted out? Nope, your hearing these so called socialists ask us to stay and fight the same BS you get poured into your ears during the Blair years.
Fight the next time we will be all united combi bloody ya. What utter BS and they know it. Until these dam unions get off there collective assess and demand JC’s reinstallation of the dam whip. Or they will stop paying for idiots like Starmers executive desk toys and demand change or they will collectively all quit. Then we will go around and around slowly losing all the left MP’s who will join the games of the PLP, or be falsed out for the next parachuted in chinless wonder. Sorry the Labour party is dead the new Labour 2.0 right wing scumbag cancer has killed it.
Until we accept we are fighting for scraps and small victories fast forgotten and ignored. Until we fight back and so no more to the scummy media in this country. Until we have a true socialist Labour party only to grow and help the poor and marginalized workers of this country. We are just playing by their rules and will never win!
Take our collective votes, strength and passion away and they will die the middle of the road mee too BS of Tory lite will get them nowhere near power and that how they like it.
I am guilty of missing out the points you raised D/A/G. You are right. We need to tread so carefully, real heroes come along once in a generation. Labour were lucky to have had one. Heroes need protection from the dark side. We were found wanting , we stood back and watched the slowest political assassination of all. Never mind that he should have been more forceful etc he never was and that was one of the reasons that millions loved him. I should have done something, anything from the off but I just cheered and it wasn’t enough. It was in our hands but we couldn’t form a clench never mind a first. The wind blew it away so let’s run down the road and grab it this time. Enough!
I know very little about Howard Beckett and his personal life and background I only know that he’s a millionaire lawyer from NIreland with no shop floor experience. His he married,does he have children and do they attend state schools.Where was he educated and what did his parents do.Now many of you will say his personal life is his business…But it’s relevant to whether hes a good guy or just the same old game of talk the talk,but don’t walk the walk..more info needed because we don’t want anymore fake socialist cuckoo’s…!
I don’t know a great deal about Howard Beckett either and after getting my fingers burnt by voting for Tom Watson it’s good that there are sceptics here warning us to take it easy until Beckett has proven himself.
I never liked Tom Watson. As for saying about Howard Beckett why on earth would he stick his neck out like that if it wasnt for the fact he thinks that what Starmer is doing is wrong.
Oh no, another millionaire lawyer. We’re being mugged off again.
The voter turnout in UNITE elections for General Secretary is extraordinarily small for such a vast union. Len McCluskey’s last election win (over a rabid Right Winger) was very nearly kiboshed by the vote-spitting of a , much better, revolutionary Left candidate (who had VERY valid points to make about the constant ‘tough in rhetoric – but doing nowt in practice’ career of Len McCluskey as Leader of such a potentially massively powerful union) . So , as the long-time crony and desired successor , of McCluskey (and his wider crony network) , that millionaire lawyer (who sold his business for £2.5m) , Beckett – who is NOT the Union’s Left candidate , (that being Steve Turner), is therefore desperate to establish his , purely posturing – but bereft of past evidence of ACTION, ‘radical Left’ credentials up to the election for General Secretary – because whoever wins the most Left Wing member votes should win it.
I wouldn’t put ANY weight on the pontificating Leftism of Howard Beckett, beyond the date of election for General Secretary, and am surprised at the naivety of posters on here so easily seduced by some action-empty posturing ! And less surprised at Skwawkbox, acting for some time now as Beckett’s own PR agency on the Left- simply in gratitude for him getting UNITE to meet Skwawkbox’s recent lost libel case costs ! (I suppose that unconditional gratitude is understandable for all that bankruptcy-avoiding, lovely UNITE dosh – but it’s not very political !)
That a few airy pseudo-radical words from Beckett can draw posters on here, who know absolutely nothing about him, to suddenly want Beckett as Party Leader , also explains how hundreds of thousands of gullible ex-Corbyn supporters were also fooled so easily into believing Starmer’s ’10 Pledges’ nonsense , and voting for him as Leader. When just a swift look at Google on Starmer – as DPP and selected creature of the Trilateral Commission, would have easily revealed what a completely Right Wing con man he is !
Kenney, thanks for your post. In fact from what you’ve told us he’ll fit in nicely with the present leadership. Cheers
Sorry, course I meant Jenny. I used to play footy with Jennie. Must be the Maradona news. Ta.
Howard Beckett. it’s not very often that I stop dead in my tracks to listen closely to any politician, It’s been a long time since that happened & it just did. Impressive.
Steve Richards….the early years with tony bliar were imppressive,the young barrister could verbally emasculate the most strident left wing firbrand.and talk the talk.I reported back to my CLP after a gathering of euro mps in “Gravesend” that this young man was going places and we should follow.Being as we are supposed to learn from our mistakes we should scrutinise this lawyer from N Ireland who could be almost as influential to the coming Reset of the western capitalist system as Tony Blair was in hobbling the Labour party..I also fell for the twatson spin…we have to be more careful about checking out candidates and background does matter.Just look what Tony Benn produced from his loins?
Comprende Joseph! You are quite right. One swallow does not make a spring.
Still need to sort who is the left candidate in Unite election, pretty basic stuff
The actual agreed united Left candidate, selected by the UNITE Left democratically *whatever Skwawkbox claims to the contrary) , is Steve Turner (and he’s not VERY Left), not McCluskey’s old crony, the millionaire lawyer, Beckett. That simple enough for you ? A tiny bit of investigation on the internet would reveal so much to so many posters on here , if they just had the patience to do a wee bit of online research.