Activist and children’s author lost ‘gentle giant’ son Joe to a road accident in September 2018 and grieved by throwing himself into campaigning
Liverpool Walton CLP secretary Alan Gibbons is a Merseyside legend with organising and campaigning in his blood. When fascists tried to organise marches through Liverpool, Alan was at the forefront of organising to make sure they barely left Lime Street station before ‘squirming’ back inside and hiding until they all left again. He did it not once, but twice. He marches regularly in solidarity with the victims and survivors of Grenfell and is right at the heart of Black Lives Matter solidarity protests.
He’s also a renowned, prolific and prize-winning children’s author, though you’d never guess it when you talk to him, because he and his family are real ‘salt of the earth’ people and part of the working-class fabric of a working-class city – and all I’ve ever heard him talk about is either family or politics. His passion for those two things was thrown into an unwelcome spotlight when his son, Joe – a ‘gentle giant’ – was killed in a Kent traffic accident in September 2018, just before Labour’s conference was due to be held in Liverpool.
At the time of Joe’s death, Alan told Kent Online:
We don’t blame anyone, we don’t feel any anger.We just feel deep, deep sadness.
We just want to get our boy home now. We’re going to celebrate his life when we get him back and remember only the good things… We’re used to tragedy in Liverpool. I want to say to your readers to hold your loved ones close because life is fragile.
Only days later, I was surprised to see ‘Gibbo’ at a left event in the city, where he was busy planning Labour activities and rallying support for yet another show of solidarity and resistance to oppose an attempted fascist march in the city centre – resistance that was again successful and saw the racist right scurrying away. In a quiet moment of the event, I went to express my sadness at Joe’s death and offer any support if he needed it.
I told Alan that I hadn’t expected to see him and his family around so soon – and he responded simply that he was processing and balancing his grief the only way he could, by throwing himself into organising to help where it was needed.
A year later, he was on the stage in Brighton at the Labour party’s next conference, full of fire and making one of the outstanding speeches of the event in support of the party, calling on working-class people to remember who really represented their interests and speaking out, as ever, for the people the right treat with contempt.
Gibbo is also the secretary of Liverpool Walton Labour party (CLP) – though technically, at the moment, he isn’t. Labour suspended him on Tuesday without even bothering to provide any details about the reason for the suspension – although many believe it’s because he is being targeted as Walton secretary, because the members of the CLP dared to debate and pass a motion supporting former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn against Keir Starmer’s interference in the party’s disciplinary processes.
I almost never write in the first person on SKWAWKBOX, but wanted to let people know that Labour has suspended a man who grieved for his son by campaigning and organising for the good of working-class people and those who suffer discrimination – and he’s one of many good, decent, honourable people being targeted by the Labour right because it thinks it has an opportunity.
Alan Gibbons and people like him are part of whatever hope this country has at the moment. Those who are hiding behind, exploiting and misrepresenting Jewish people as cover for political attacks are cowards and scum.
The cuckoo can’t help its nature, so it must push others out of the nest.
Indeed, John.
I was thinking of the scorpion and the frog while reading the O.P.
…And viruses have no qualms about killing their hosts.
Tapeworms can never get enough,
And to think that people cursed tess may when she threw amber rudd under the bus – even after rudd had stepped in for may at a TV debate…
Stammer exceeds even that level of shithousery.. if that isn’t a reason to withhold your funding and support for that corrupt cabal, then God help ya because you don’t deserve help off any mortal being.
Sorry, was meant to read: ‘After rudd had stepped in for may at s TV debate a day or two after her own father had died’.
But you knew that anyway…
I now think stammer should be made as welcome to the city/region as the s*n, after reading yet more tales of the shithousery of the cold-blooded reptile.
Wallasey CLP… Pull yer effin’ fingers out and get a declaration of no confidence in the snake(s) declared. …That goes for all the rest of the CLPs that are still wringing their hands.
…Shame on you if you don’t.
The way these people are acting has reached the point where members will have to ask themselves whether, in good conscience, they can work to put them in power.
We have already seen this lot in office before, after 1997, and to be honest it was a disaster. At home Blair consolidated Thatcherism, accepted the whole raft of anti-Union legislation, and went along with all the privatisation, of utilities, transport etc that has led to so much misery. They also began, in a manner the Tories never dared, to dismantle the NHS. And then there were the famous Public Private partnerships pouring taxpayers money into the pockets of usurers.
And that was the good stuff: abroad the Red Flag was draped over every cruel imperialist adventure that the worst of Washington could devise- war crimes that led to the deaths of at least a million people, and are still ruining the lives of the Iraqis the UK “rescued” from the Ottomans a century ago.
And Starmer has already promised more of the same, backing the enormous increase in, totally unnecessary, Defence spending, backing the appalling Tory laws to enable soldiers and spies to kill, steal or kidnap at will with complete impunity and giving Israel a blank cheque in Palestine.
The scoundrels who sabotaged the 2017 election were encouraged by Blair et al to do so on the grounds that keeping Labour from power was patriotic. They were wrong and they were traitors but they did set an example that needs to be considered: can we dare to put a bunch of people who break all rules, suspend and expel without deigning to explain or justify themselves anywhere near the powers of government? We have already seen, in Starmer’s conduct as DPP, that they will pull out all the stops to persecute people like Assange, while handing out Get Out Of Jail Free cards to torturers, kidnappers and cops who beat workers on their way home to death or shoot electricians in the Underground.
And that was just in a subordinate official position. Put him in charge of the government and he will probably fill the prisons with strikers, supporters of Palestine and socialists moving motions of censure in him.
Great stuff. Longer, controversial, original post are becoming the norm in Skwakies. It’s essential, debate is our life blood as is the right to be wrong. I’ve been getting a good feeling when I read the posts here. Less whining, more politics. Respect to you Steve and All posters. I learn a lot here esp when I pursue some issues that I was never aware of, the Kiel Mutiny springs to mind.
I agree wholeheartedly Bevin. However, the only flaw in your argument is that by shunning Labour we leave in power another bunch of people who have no qualms about breaking the law & the rules that they’ve created nor throwing workers & their families under the bus.
There are many good, sound, socialist councillors & prospective candidates who deserve & need our support & votes. We need to be discriminating in sanctioning & withholding our efforts from known Bliarites, right wingers & Progress candidates.
We must preserve our workers party as the only viable alternative to the Tory vermin, no fringe group is capable of filling the void that would be left. Now is not the time to leave & give up the fight but to dig in & fight harder.
You are absolutely Bevin – wonderful from the heart post
I think the penny dropped for me under Blair,but as a long time member and councillor in east Surrey I thought that we could start again under Corbyn.I was so very wrong.I was conned from the beginning and even then I struggled on like an addict looking for a fix.We are looking for a new home and I wonder if the scorched earth policy might be a smarter option than the one I took from leaving the Labour party permanently..,throw everything at them with nothing to lose and miricales can happen.
The clause 4debacle must have really hurt some very fine people. I don’t mean the dilletantes but good, strong members. This lot must revive thoughts of those times. Would anyone believe that it could become darker and more wretched?
Labour party’s been destroyed by the write wing part of labour we definitely need a new socialist party to challenge these scum
Starmar Isla disgrace , with a heavy heart ive left the party , and won’t return until ear get a leader with JCs values
Joseph is right. Throw the sink at them. They must be stopped.
I think the time is now fast approaching where the membership should simply ignore all and anything Starmer/Evans dictate to us . CLPs whom are in dispute over unfounded and unjustified edicts , should simply carry on as normal and disregard said edicts. The CLP membership should be consulted on this course of action to ensure majority agreement .
No doubt further dictatorial repercussion will ensue from LOTO and Regional Offices , perhaps stifling of funding etc. To which I would suggest that ALL CLPs ( if not already done so ) now as a matter of urgency set up their own independent banking and start collecting donations or funding independent of the Party.
In fact it maybe preferable for members to transfer their party Subs directly to their own CLP and Branches should they be punished in any way by Evans. After all when you consider that about 1% of our subs go to us at Branch/CLP level why is that ?
Evans and his lick-spittals only have power as long as YOU give it to them by obeying and following his dictates . Its not now a case of No Confidence in LOTO and his RWrs but simply NO LONGER RECOGNISING them at ALL .
Start the shadow CLP movement and support group in your area run it along side your CLP/Branch in order to provide a home and support for good people who fight for the right causes justice and peace but Labour and the Zionists that run it want rid of .
Don’t support any Labour candidates that don’t support and stand for us working class , don’t turn out to canvas , don’t give time or money , and if possible stand our own independent Peace and Justice candidates against them . Local elections are coming , there is plenty of opportunity for non Labour HQ approved candidates to stand.
Organise , resist , fight back , become independent of this bunch of utter shitehawks and unify around a new real member lead organisation from the grass roots upwards .Work with and support those Branch /CLPs and members unjustly attacked by Evans and Starmer with shadow organisations mimicking what exists but are not corrupted by Zionists leaders.It makes it easy for members to follow and then join , either voluntarily or because of unjust expulsion
rob
A financial strike is a great idea, leading to a General Strike by members come May
Usual calls to resign should be ignored, at least go down in flames and together in coordinated fashion
I’m Spartacus
This country needs a GENERAL STRIKE to make a difference!
Really is absolutely disgraceful treatment of a a good solid dedicated socialist, typical of the Stalinist methods of Starmer and Evans!!😠
Also agree 100% with every word Rob says in his post!
Solidarity Steve. Solidarity Alan.
This must surely be a wake up call for Starmer in whom I’m deeply disappointed.
I like that understated criticism from the heart peter Aspinwall,its gives somthing of real hurt and betrayal that many of us feel.
Evans has to go asp along with rest of his right wing mob. The LP will no longer exist as a party for descent humane people.
It really is time for Evans NOT to be confirmed in post at Conference and a challenge made against Starmer. They did it to Corbyn – as Leader, so its only fair! As for Regional Officials – they are paid by the membership and CLP’s should look after their Branch funds – only sending the HQ share ( too much IMHO) when voted on by the membership at CLP AGM . This is an abusive relationship and members need to fight back against the unelected and paid(with our subs) office staff who probably don’t even need to be members of the Party in their job descriptions.!!!!
I am outraged by the purely dictatorial actions of starmer and co. Holding back my resignation since I read there will be a leadership election in April?May 2021 the result will guide me then.
Would be good to hear from Alan Evans and what advice he has for other CLP’s and members
Gibbons
Huge apologies, shit for brains
Poverty is a political choice…says Richard Burgon Labour MP.as Unicef step in to alleviate the scandal of children going hungry and the number of street sleeping dramatically in the sixth wealthiest country in the world.ITS now a political scandal and a choice that the CLPs cannot ignore.OPEN the doors and take charge of your local CLP offices and feed the Hungary,and at the same time deliver the Labour party from an extremist leader that cannot and will not tackle the Tory way which is his way and now it’s Unicef a sight I see in the most deprived areas in Phnom Penh,but never thought the shame of seeing them in the UK…..DO something about the political scandal and help these poor children in the citys of Her majestic majesty…Britian 2020?