Analysis Announcement Exclusive

Exclusive: Sutton & Cheam Labour blocked from no-confidence vote in Evans, but allowed to – and does – vote no confidence in Starmer

Labour bureaucracy protects acting general secretary more than party leader

Keir Starmer and David Evans

Labour members in Sutton and Cheam have been barred by the party’s London regional office from holding a no-confidence vote in right-wing acting general secretary David Evans – but allowed to vote on a similar motion against Keir Starmer.

S&C voted on two motions last night. The first called on the party to accept the EHRC report’s protection of members’ right to free speech on its contents and on antisemitism in the party:

Sutton and Cheam CLP welcomes the statement by 7 out of 12 affiliated trade unions (Unite, CWU, TSSA, ASLEF, BFAWU, FBU, NUM) on 31st October 2020 over the issue of the EHRC report.

The unions say publication of the EHRC report ought to have marked a moment of reflection and repair for our party and they call on the Party to repair any damage done over it. They also fear that any bad outcome over it compromises the opportunity to unite our party behind the full implementation of the EHRC’s important recommendations so that they can be taken forward with the members’ full trust and confidence. They further state they are concerned that any bad outcome undermines our party’s democratic processes and, ultimately, our party unity. They conclude by calling on the Party to listen to their serious concerns and to work with them on a fairer, unifying way forward.

The Sutton and Cheam CLP furthermore welcomes similarly worded statements by John McDonnell, Diane Abbott and Len McCluskey after the publication of the report.

We therefore as a CLP call on the Party Leadership and NEC to listen to all those statements and act accordingly on them.

The EHRC report rightly makes it clear it recognises freedom of speech is important. Our CLP reaffirms our commitment to free speech and the right of Assembly under Article 10 and 11 of the Convention on Human Rights that the EHRC draws our attention to and asks us as a Party to reaffirm.

As a CLP we therefore note that:

a) the commitment to freedom of expression and assembly has been fundamental to the British Labour Movement and to the Labour Party in particular

b) there has been a long history of struggle in the British Labour Movement to win these rights

c) these rights have to be constantly affirmed and defended

d) failure to do so has led, in other countries to fascism and undemocratic authoritarianism

e) An attack on the human rights of any is an attack on the human rights of all

f) the right to free speech can only be limited under strictly defined conditions. An attempt to restrict freedom of expression and/or the defense of Human Rights by reference to an alleged ‘perceived offense’ must be disregarded unless there has been an illegality or other breach of rule

Therefore we call on the British Labour Party to uphold its most honourable traditions and courageously uphold the rule of law, the right to free speech and assembly as part of the ongoing struggle for Human Rights against oppressive regimes.

The right to debate, strike, speak out in support and to show solidarity to others goes to the very soul of the Labour Party. Freedom of speech and democracy are precious but both are increasingly at risk. We must not stand by in silence whilst these hard fought for fundamental rights are ripped away.

The second confirmed that members have no confidence in Starmer:

This CLP agrees that it has no confidence in Keir Starmer as Leader of the Labour Party for the following reasons:

1. Whipping the PLP to abstain on the “Licence to Kill Bill” and the “Spycops Bill”. The Labour Party should be making it clear by their actions (not just their words) that they oppose any illegal actions by British Armed Forces and likewise oppose the illegal actions of undercover police officers in the UK.

2. Disassociating himself and the party from the tradition of solidarity with the oppressed peoples and nations of the world. Labour and Starmer should have shown solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. It is not acceptable that there was silence in response to events in Bolivia.

3. Complete disregard of Labour Party democracy. The Green New Deal was ratified by the 2019 conference, published in the 2019 manifesto and is supported by 70% of the membership. Replacing it with the “Green Recovery Plan” is a wishy washy, half-hearted, sop to multinationals. The country and the world do not have time to take it easy!!

4. Lack of support for the teaching unions in their concerns over pupils and teachers being forced back to unprepared schools

Both motions passed by a ratio of around three to one.

However, while representatives of Labour’s Governance and Legal Unit (GLU) and London regional office present did not prevent the anti-Starmer motion, they did block a no-confidence vote in Evans, telling members they could face action if they proceeded. One member told SKWAWKBOX:

They refused to allow us to VONC Evans, but were apparently fine to no-confidence Keith [as Starmer is often called].

Why are they protecting Evans but allowing Keith to shoulder the resentment? Even people who voted for Starmer as leader are disgusted.

Three delegates spoke against the Starmer no-confidence motion, referring to the usual centrist call for ‘unity to fight the Tories’, but were “firmly but politely reminded of the partisan actions of the Leadership and reminded that there were serious failings and that whilst the VONC may not be the ideal vehicle to get the Leadership to listen to the members, we were left with very little choice of alternatives” – a reference to Labour’s attacks on members who discuss motions of solidarity with Jeremy Corbyn.

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27 comments

  1. Having read the Canary report into how aides of Starmer have tried to close it down, plus all the stuff going on with CLPs, Corbyn, left-wingers, I have come to the conclusion that Starmer is more dangerous that the current incumbent of Downing Street – who is himself a danger to democracy!

    Somehow, he and his cabal must be got rid of.

    1. Joe Robson
      Thank you for highlighting the Canary Report which I read just now. It disgusted me but the really sad thing is , my opinion of the leadership and right wing of our party is so low that it did not surprise me.
      The whole thing stinks to high heaven.We cannot let any more decent people be hounded and persecuted by the party leadership/PLP/ right wing simply because they are socialists who support the rights of Palestinians.
      The whole thing stinks to high heaven but I think they have met their match this time. Kerry Ann is more than able for bullies.She is a strong clever fearless woman who won’t be intimidated. If she or the Canary are sued or need to sue she can depend on her fellow socialists to crowd fund any legal fees. Solidarity.

      1. ❌❌❌ Dear readers, you will have noticed a few who are determined that we continue to be defeated by the Right Wing. They bullied Jeremy into “doing whatever they asked”. They harangued him constantly as they do here, that he has no alternative but to let them kick him over and over. One in particular claims that “Jeremy was duped” and “Jeremy was tricked”. It is there indirect way of trying to fool you in thinking Jeremy is stupid.

        That particular individual may be in need of a good rest. He has has certainly refused several kind offers of help. Perhaps the individual is only a pitiable fraud or possessed of perverted sense of humour or is a sinister stalker and bully determined to ensure that we on the “Left” continue to be “Stitched & Sewn” up by the “Knife Jeremy in the front” exploiters of the Labour party name, infrastructure and all its assets.

        Note well – Those assets were accrued at vast expense over generations, long before i was an idea in my parents’ minds.

        Anyway, i’v been meaning to clarify a deliberate and persistent attempt to mislead readers by someone who without self-awareness, admitted that he saw the result of bullies (thugs) batter an elderly man to the ground. The fraud admitted leaving the elderly man BLEEDING on the gents floor.

        The fraud REFUSED to offer practical urgent help to the vulnerable victim. The fraud walked back to their friend, SAT DOWN, finished drinking, then WALKED AWAY from someone in need of help. Others were around who had a responsibility to help ie the pub staff.

        Such a disgrace of a human being is attempting to mislead readers again. When Cummings decided to pioneer a novel eye-testing method of driving along a hilly bendy road to Barnard Castle, someone posted their justified anger at the behaviour of Cummings and Johnson.

        Robin Lees reported that he saw Cummings “eye test” drive to the police. To date, others are still pursuing the failure of the authorities to prosecute Cummings. HOWEVER – JK Rowling, whose name slipped me at the time, generously offered to DONATE A YEARS SALARY to the person who posted their outrage at the Johnson Cummings outfits disregard for observing their own rules. Robin Lees and JK Rowling, like ALL of us here including those we may disagree with are SPEAKING UP FOR WHAT WE BELIEVE IN.

        But take no lectures from an AH who walks away from an elderly man bleeding on a gents floor, to finish a drink and walk away. We have the Right Wing to do that. Not even they need a “comrade” like that. That is the behaviour of useless low life. The poor elderly man may have died from the shock Allan Howard was no use to him. No help. A disgrace to humanity and no friend of Jeremy nor Chris Williamson❌❌❌

      2. CORRECTION – It is Allan Howard’s way of trying to fool you into thinking Jeremy is stupid, by saying a grown man was “tricked” and “duped” by trusting people who said openly that they would “Knife him in the front” as Jessica Phillips boasted she would.

        Howard and McDonnell worked AGAINST Jeremy’s and our interests. NB McDonnell did an MSM interview just BEFORE the 2019 election when he said something like, he and Jeremy would step aside if we lose.

        Very odd and grossly unhelpful, like his GQ interview. With “friends” like McDonnell and Allan Howard, Jeremy and the “Left” need no enemies. They both together crushed and wrecked more than a legion of demons could🚨🚨🚨

      3. Just came across this completely fraudulent ‘account’ of the expereience I had many years ago AND related in a post last week. Compare what I actually said in my post to the Big Lie signpost dissembles:

        In the first place the elderly guy was NOT ‘battered’, and although he had obviously been knocked down by the guy who was standing over him, all he had was a bleeding lip. And as I said in my post, I deliberately took my time washing my hands (after having a pee) just in case the psychopath guy started laying into the elderly guy again, AND, as I explained, the psychopath guy must have picked up on the fact that I was taking my time and, as such, drew me into it by saying something to me, which I don’t recall, but I DO recall answering (in relation to the guy laying on the floor) ‘yeah, but he’s an old guy’, or something to that effect, whereupon the psychopath guy suddenly grabbed me by the lapels, so to speak, stuck his face up close to mine, and said something to the effect: ‘Do you fancy your chances then’. You can read my account of it in the link below, but as signpost knows, when I then left the toilet, the psychopath and his sidekick followed me out. In other words, I in effect caused a distraction. And in case anyone is in any doubt, had the psychopath started laying into the elderly guy again, I would have jumped on him and got him in a headlock, and no-one – on the few occasions I’ve had to use it in the years prior to that – has EVER been able to get out of it.

        You see signpost is a paid shill – ie a black propagandist posing as a left-winger – and THAT is why – albeit not until five or six days after I posted my ‘story’ (and did so in ‘reply’ to another poster who brought up bullying) for some strange reason, and that is why he’s posted a totally distorted version of what happened and how it actually was:

        https://skwawkbox.org/2020/11/25/outraged-jewish-members-accuse-labour-of-weaponising-them-to-kill-free-speech-as-party-uses-safe-space-to-threaten-clps-over-corbyn-motions/#comment-166848

        NB When I went to copy and paste a link to my post, I noticed that signpost’s shill chum okeefe had posted a ‘reply’ to it. The joke of it is that okeefe, just like signpost, knows that there was NEVER at any point the need for me to get involved physically, and they are BOTH just trying to deceive readers of skwawkbox for the obvious reason – ie to discredit ME of course, and they do so because I am the only person who comments on this blog that calls them out for the black propagandist paid shills that they are.

    2. Yes, “Starmer is” indeed “more dangerous than the current incumbent of Downing Street”. Yes Johnson is a charlatan, phenomenally lazy, a liar of infinite proportions like Blair but not as warmongering yet. Also Johnson is a compulsively liar often for laughs, while Tony Blair lies compulsively to cause murder… slaughter of over a million children, women and men in Iraq alone.

      Blair lies on an industrial scale to stuff the pockets of the international military arms complex. Starmer is gravely more dangerous as it is in league with the warmonger infesting what could be our transforming party.

      Starmer like the other frauds devoted to the war-criminal Blair, are desperate to hobnob with the biggest 1% bandits. But most dangerous of all, Starmer has deceived enough of the membership to believe that because he exploits the label “Labour” and the red rosette, the front knifer is worth support. NO‼️ NEVER ‼️ Stick not a single stamp‼️ The culture of low expectations plagues us. We must dump that along with WFM MANIA and Starmer.

      Dangerous morally degenerate Starmer should only get the type of support he gave to Jeremy. Disgusting Starmer should get his type of support back from every CLP, from every strategic angle, every day, three thousand times the intensity of what they plotted over the last nearly five years. SH AH et al will try every scam to discourage us. That’s how you know you are right to return Starmeritis support.

      We are generous and honest. Thus we will return Starmer and his snakes’ support SWIFTLY. Coup plotter may not last long, so give it to him quickly. Make sure he and his cabal get all that’s theirs🚨🚨🚨

      1. So May Ayres agrees wirh a signpost comment but Wobblyjack says “Thank you.”
        Did somebody get his split personalities mixed up?

    1. Thank you Mary. People think that I a paranoid about Max Headroom. He’s an agent. House boy of Red Hands at the very least. Regards.

      1. Wobblyjack you are definitely NOT paranoid. And even if you were, a stopped clock is correct twice daily.
        You are spot on as far as i can recall, and TOTALLY correct re Max Headroom.

        Keith is bad bad news. Infinitely more dangerous than BloJob. BloJob has little or no support of “operators”. He is too lazy and unreliable… a loose cannon …

        “Controllers” like desperate parasitic wannabes like Keith Starmer. VERY compliant. LOVES baubles like Knighthoods etc. Follows instructions without blinking. Lacking a moral compass… compassion free, integrity vacuum.

        Some are born predisposed to become his typed of besuited social depravity. Others are groomed to erase their conscience. Controllers spot the weakness in people like Keith. The plughole weakness is almost always an unanchored idea of whats beyond the pale. Untethered values / conscience… sociopathy .. hence the ease with which he worked to get Julian Assange incarcerated. What would prevent the rest of us sleeping at night is no bother to SIR Starmer. The only thing that keels him awake is how to please the one percent🆘🆘🆘

  2. Maybe the reason to prevent motions of non confidence against David Evans is that he is Labour Party official? Appointed by Labour’s hierarchy rather than elected by members.
    This is of course ridiculous with the amount of motions expressing non confidence in Evans, he should have been suspended from employment.
    Evans doesn’t have a year employment within the Labour Party as far as I know and he hasn’t be ratified by Conference, he should be fired.
    Would the NEC fire him now Evans wouldn’t have a case to take to an employment tribunal. I guess that they are waiting to see what happens at Conference next year. By them he will have accrue over a year employment and of course if Conference fires him, I bet he will be handsomely compensated with a juicy redundancy payment.

  3. There’s another angle to Starmer being as dangerous to the left of the party.

    I fear that his long term plan is to rid the party of left wing MPs by trying to force local CLPs to deselect them. If we take into account the 7 Tinge/CUK defectors, those who lost their seats in December and others who resigned before and after they did Starmer will need to find them safe seats to parachute them in to.

    With his recent speech saying he wants to change party rules to allow ex-members who left citing ‘antisemitism’ and went on to back other parties. His aims are increasingly becoming so transparent even someone who isn’t remotely interested in politics can see where all this is going.

    It’s especially interesting with his actions and attitude towards Corbyn. Another obvious plan even if the Whip is returned to Corbyn he will work to get him deselected. If this occurs the impression

    I get is such is the support for Corbyn in his constituency Labour may well lose to Corbyn as an Independent MP.

    1. I get the feeling he’d have trouble finding an electorate prepared to accept them. I’d vote Tory before considering them.

    2. Totally agree BackofBeyond. That is the strategy of Max Headroom & Co. Drive us out and steal the assets, infrastructure and name.🚨🚨🚨

      1. The right wing has controlled the infrastructure since before Blair – otherwise Labour would have won in 2017 – they have no need to steal what they already own.
        That’s why we need a new party.

      2. Dear DAVID McNIVEN,
        Get this straight McNic. Right Wing Rats have infested, soiled and control the infrastructure. BUT, McNivvy, Control does NOT = OWN. That’s like saying The British Museum owns the PILFERED “Elgin” Marbles.

        OR Betty in the big council houses, owns the plundered jewels with which she and the other parasites prance about.
        If rats gorge on your electricity wires thus plunging you in darkness as bleak and depressing as the damp dark AH, do you give in and say ah well, the pestilent invaders OWN your house and your electricity supply❓❓❓

        Don’t you call an effective pest eradicator? Take note of how you allowed them to invade and establish their disgusting presence in YOUR house? Don’t you DRIVE the RATS OUT?… BLOCK their reentry? BLOCK all points of their invasion? Get a reliable competent electrician to mend your wires ? ? ?

        That’s what i would do McNiv, not run away to build a new house, leaving my house and possessions to rats? No way! The pests will tell their chums – that McNivvy is a pushover. McNivvy will let you invade and occupy his house. Go, infest that one too. McNiv will do just as he did before and leave you to do as you please. 🚨🚨🚨

      3. “Own” and “control” in terms of Labour’s infrastructure amount to the same thing, yet you choose to defend an indefensible position on the meaning of ownership.
        That’s pathetic, you loquacious windbag, even for you.
        Never heard the expression “possession is nine-tenths of the law?”

      4. “Own” and “control” “only amounts to the same thing” in your mission to get the “Left” to surrender.

        Your “choose to defend an indefensible position on the meaning of ownership.” is best left alone to get some air and the disinfectant of sunlight.

        I marvel at the depths to which you lot sink though.

        Your “possession is nine-tenths of the law” is the “law” of bandits. Crooks. The Royal family. Apartheid states as South Africa was and Palestine is today.

        Your “law” is the convenient “law” of the one percent. Used to legitimise THEFT by the few. AND, to condemn and imprison the many – usually poor – as common thieves.

        You McNiv have revealed much about yourself and done us a GREAT service.
        🚨🚨🚨

      5. “Mission to get the left to surrender” – me?
        Look as hard as you like for as long as you like, you’ll never find a single word of mine supporting that accusation.

        You’re correct in one thing – possession being 9/10 of the law IS the law of the jungle and something socialists should fix in government – but then I wasn’t advocating it, just pointing out that in Labour’s administration, it applies.

        I’m reluctant to believe you’re THAT fucking stupid that you don’t know that, so the alternative seems to be that you maliciously distort the perfectly clear and lucid words of others for some ulterior motive – could it be that you’re the one with the “mission” – to sow dissent among the left?

        On the other hand you appear to lack the logical discrimination of a dung beetle, so perhaps I give you too much credit.
        Sadly, unless you’re liking your own posts, you’re not the only one here playing with a short deck.

      6. David McNiven, “you’re THAT fucking stupid that you don’t know that, so the alternative seems to be that you maliciously distort ” You sound EXACTLY like AH. You are the only four or five, who spew out tosh in an expletive weird rage. Keep trying.

        Your “they have no need to steal what they already own.” is clear. CONTRARY to what you stated clearly, the 1% and Right Wing DO repeatedly steal what they control. They always have. Like all empire builders. and the shameless selfish wicked racist occupiers and controllers of Palestine.

        The Apartheid controllers, CONTROL the budgets, ports, property of the Palestinians yet STILL go on to STEAL what they control bit by bit. So just like an AH, when you get caught out, you tangle yourself in utterly ridiculous excuses laced with F words to people who have not first used F words to you. Typical bully and the only posters who respond like gutter slithering rats when exposed. Pull another one. Your type will never frighten me🚨🚨🚨

  4. J.K. Rowling
    @jk_rowling
    When you find out who it was, let us know. I want to give them a year’s salary.

    Cabinet Office
    @cabinetofficeuk
    An unauthorised tweet was posted on a government channel this evening. The post has been removed and we are investigating the matter.
    7:01 PM · May 24, 2020
    168.7K
    31.2K people

  5. I have a simple question show me were in the Labour rulebook that says you can’t call for a vote of no confidence in Evans FFS Demand this happens otherwise walk the fuck out. No more nice socialist that has to play by the rules and talk respectfully to these scumbags.

    They have urinated all over the rulebook, membership and last Leader JC sorry NO MORE I am sick and tired about being told what as a member I can do while the leadership ignores or blatantly carries out action after action, attack after attack and were meant to just take this BS!

  6. Now is the time for root and branch change. The motions should read:

    This (Branch/CLP) has no confidence in the current hierarchical structure of the Labour Party and calls for it to be replaced by a federal structure in which power remains with the grassroots.

    This (B/CLP) has no confidence in the LP bureaucracy and calls for it to be dismantle and replaced by an administration which has no power of decision, is federal in structure and answerable to the grassroots.

    and so on. VONC in the leader GS are fine, but the structure has to be remade to put power in the hands of the members.

    1. totally Totally TOTALLY agree Frank.
      Power is concentrated dangerously at the “top” throughout the party. And very opaque. Even experienced bods in my CLP seem to struggle with shape shifting rules.

      Right Wing invent, smash and reinvent rules as suits them without a dot of shame. Possibly always so. Allowed to kick us as they please. I was told “we must convert them”. No time limit for “conversion”???

      i’ve never encountered such an odd approach before. Even religious people traipse from one charlatan to a charismatic one, to solve problems. All manner of hocus-pocus. They inevitably fail, the varied hocus-pocus… or is it hoci-poci? or hoca-poca? ANYWAY all fail but they keep trying new ish stuff and die trying… even combining hocus-pocusses i.e. syncretisation. At least they try new ish ridiculous stuff. On the basis of probability, a little less unlikely to succeed than our determination to keep failing in the same way, as if it’s a virtue so to do. Is it ?
      🚨🚨🚨

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