Labour has ‘impugned the integrity’ of all candidates in original shortlist by barring them from standing – yet claims offering a ‘clean break’ from the city council’s recent and well-publicised issues ‘risks political damage to the party’ and is allowing a different candidate to make the same pitch without penalty
Yesterday the Labour party defended itself against Anna Rothery’s legal action to be reinstated to the party’s mayoral selection contest by claiming her statement at a Zoom hustings ‘impugned’ other candidates and presented ‘a clear risk of political damage to the party‘.
SKWAWKBOX can exclusively inform its readers exactly what Rothery said in the hustings, in the form of a video of the statement in question:
SKWAWKBOX has also spoken to members who were at the hustings who have confirmed that there was nothing else in the meeting that could fit the party’s court claim.
Damningly, one of the candidates who replaced the original shortlist of three women councillors emailed members this week using the same campaign angle – telling members that ‘our city needs a fresh start’ and that’s why she is standing for selection. The party has not scrapped its new shortlist.
SKWAWKBOX view:
This video seems to present only two options: either Labour removed Rothery for other reasons than those it stated in court, or the party considers standing against corruption and for a better ‘clean break’ to damage its interests.
And of course, Labour has ‘impugned the integrity’ of all the candidates in the original shortlist – by barring them from selection with no explanation.
The SKWAWKBOX needs your help. The site is provided free of charge but depends on the support of its readers to be viable. If you can afford to without hardship, please click here to arrange a one-off or modest monthly donation via PayPal or here to set up a monthly donation via GoCardless (SKWAWKBOX will contact you to confirm the GoCardless amount). Thanks for your solidarity so SKWAWKBOX can keep bringing you information the Establishment would prefer you not to know about.
If you wish to republish this post for non-commercial use, you are welcome to do so – see here for more.
Thanks for this additional evidence of Right Wing disregard for all that’s in line with TRUE Labour values.
The best option i believe is to support only those you consider decent. Do everything possible to ensure the others all lose their seats and other position. Driving them out is the only way i see. No threats. No compromise. No “working around” etc. Action. Determined organised action. I’ve received several communications attempting to get me to do phone bank campaigning etc. Ignore them. DON’t reply. Definitely don’t reply to say no. Do not try to “convert” or “reform” the un reformable.
📍🌱📍🌱📍🌱
Indeed, that is the only workable option in essentially a two-party state. It’s almost impossible to get a third party seriously going. The only positive i see is that there is some attention to local organising. I don’t understand why so many potential challenger parties do not build a ground game. Imagine if a third party controlling let’s say Camden council. That way they could start to build support for the GE in 2024 and kick Starmer out. I always feel that the lack of local anchoring is hindering challengers. Anna Rothery can run as an independent but it will take a lot of incredible hard work and possibly many Labour members being expellled for expressing support for her.
As a new candidate previously uninvolved in any office to which any allegations are or were attached, Rothery is perfectly entitled to include this in her pitch to Labour local members at a candidate selection meeting. That Rothery’s words above have been used to deselect her as a candidate could raise the danger that those accusing her of impugning other candidates, with her above words,are protecting other candidates or are at least less interested in confronting allegations of corruption than they should be.
I have no vote in the Liverpool election but as an outside observer you wonder what on earth is going on. Either the local regional big wigs are out of control so why hasn’t Keir’s Kremlin got a grip? Or if the Kremlin is behind all this we must ask why and how is it so cack handed? Either way if I was a local party member whether a supporter of Rothery or not, I would be livid and getting up a right stink in the local and national media. Media outlets like the Mail will be filing all this sort of stuff away to trot out for a GE to show examples of Labour chaos.
Rothery may have to make a difficult decision if all else fails, do a Ken in Liverpool and stand as a LIVERPOOL INDEPENDENT SOCIALIST (?)
That is an excellent idea. She should publish her ‘manifesto’ anyway to show voters and Labour what they are missing.
Reply to Beatle 66
That was my opinion too but one of the posters on an earlier thread said that that was probably what the Right want- it would give them to opportunity to expel Anna and all those who support her or campaign for her. So I’m not so sure now that that her standing as an independent is the right thing to do
Somebody else referred to a scorched earth policy ( same as Lisa Nandy adopted during Owen Smith’s ludicrous campaign ).That poster is right in my opinion. It seems to me that Starmer is willing to decimate the party by getting rid of all left members and activists so that he can go forward with the nodding dogs and careerists who will be all that remains once he has got rid of us.
I really do believe that purging the Left is more important to him than winning an election and the sooner we can have annual conference and make him answer for what he has done/ is doing the better.
Somone needs to make a stand,and don’t think conference will stop the rot.Waiving the white flag never delivers a result.Rothery will gain the backing of the people of Liverpool who are sick of the Labour party establishment system.She will automatically get help from the Socialists who as the former leaders against the Thatcher establishment will be eager to help.Liverpool are a proud people and a proud city they will no more roll over for Labour than they did with the successful fight against Thatcher in the 80s.The public will go with Rothery and this fight against tyranny is not over.Theres nothing lost by running independent Labour and nothing gained by going with the system.
Smartboy, it is not necessarily the case that supporting an independent candidate such as Anna Rothery will result in a ban, they have to catch you first. Many Labour members supported Chris Williamson and are still Labour members.
Independent Labour Party – For the Many, not the Few (LIVERPOOL Branch)?
The Liverpool branch would be the new ILP’s first branch. Islington North might not be its second, but it will be an ‘early adopter’. Then tens of thousands of current and former Labour members would make sure the ILP for Peace and Prosperity, Justice and Electoral Reform becomes a national phenomenon in no-time.
The 70% who allowed stammer to shit on democracy and renege on policy, plus the 56% or whatever that elected him are who you pont the finger at.
It also means there’s more of them than there is leftists. Plus they have the senior positions and committees boxed off; those that they don’t they’re rigging their way to in order to achieve hegemony.
There are no demonstrations of protest from those higher-profile party memebrs who would tell you they abhor the right’s methods – they haven’t done or said a dicky-bird to bring these things to the attention of the media and keep them in the spotlight. Ordinary rank-and-file are deserting daily (And no effin wonder!)
And people still demand other members stay and fight. What’s the matter with them? Are they masochists or summit?
The best time to have got things done was 2015-19. But nothing was done. The next best time is NOW.
And THE thing to do is to get out of the abusive relationship. Starve them of your time, your efforts, your funding and your vote.
As long as you’re prepared to be their meal ticket, they’ll only get fatter.
Do you run towards the guns or away from them, which one gives you a chance of victory and which one guarantee’s defeat
RaV
Do neither. A long fight, not on your opponent’s terms.
The Boars hit the Brits and disappeared into the bushvelt,the Irish did it and took the war to the establishment.The Vietcong fought and disappeared into the jungle.The enemy may have the power but we have the will…And only a fool charges into the guns.on a battlefield of their choosing.
The Toffee
If Rothery stands as an Independent with Unite backing what’s Temporary Embarrassment going to do
Let rothery stand as an independent – I could not give less of a f**k who stands because I think the whole notion of an elected mayor is bullshit should be done away with – especially when there are other bureaucratic sinecures that should not be independent of each other.
And remember, nobody was asked if they wanted an elected mayor…Tyhe party that knows what’s best, knew what was best…And potato head got his whack out of it, but I didn’t see any improvement in local politics as a result – did you?
Rotherham’s position should incorporate all the region’s mayoralties as well as the plod & crime commissioner’s role – f**k knows he’s on enough moolah that he should be doing al three roles for that renumeration.
That’s not to say I approve of stammer and co’s usual shithousery in any way, shape, nor form, though.
He got 225,135 party members’ votes. Less than 33 or maybe 34% of all vote-holders voted for him. And now that in less than a year he has shown himself to be a very divisive, sectarian party leader, is in receipt of support and sponsorsship money from neo-con likudist multi-millionaire (i.e Trevor Chinn) AND, IMPORTANTLY. this was not admited/disclosed at the time of the election, and has the organisational support of a group of neoliberal billionaires through the rilateral Commission, I suspect he would never do a “Corbyn” and win a second election.
We need a new leadership competition immediately and should be willing to leave Labour and watch it collapse if it is not forthcoming.
PS…There’s no video, just a black screen that you cant even start
This situation has damaged the Labour Party in Liverpool so badly I fear for the local elections. It was bad enough when the last Mayor was arrested. But it was a real chance for change to more open and involved politics but the only person capable of doing it was Rothery. Instead we have the local leadership and the LOTO colluding and defrauding the candidates chosen locally by the people in the CLPs. This screams to me of out with the old and in with the younger looking old. There were two black women maligned last week and one of them wasn’t Megan Markle.
Caroline Carney..correct,but remember both were facing the enemy of the people the establishment.of which the Labour party are fully paid up members with a entitled Titled at the Helm..!
Hi Joseph, one of my relatives from your neck of the woods reminded me of 9th March 1946, Burnden Park disaster, 33 dead 400+ injured. Her Uncle died, not long back from fighting in the far east.
Plain citizen the railway end was still leathel in the early 60s and waiting for a Bus stood outside Yates wine lodge was worse with cops on horseback riding through the doors to clearout the alkis on there 2bob sherrys waiving a wanderers scarf.Late night tonight kick off for me at3am.
I’ll push this one a bit further… could it be about BDS?
Did Rothery took position on this either in hustings, during her campaign or as councillor?
LIES, LIES and Deceptions WTF is going on in Liverpool regarding the Mayoral candidate for Labour this cult banned the first 3 for NO reason!
Now desperately trying to concoct a story before the Ladies court case against them and I hope they lose these scumbags from this right-wing cult think were all idiots…
Believe there BS and keep on supporting these fellow cult members were told… We all know no socialist is allowed in Labour now. What a mess I am glad I want nothing to do with them..
Stop giving the cult of new Labour support, money or a vote and they will have to change keep on helping them by being a useful idiot and nothing will change. History shows this cult keeps on returning so the stay and fight know there going to lose again so why bother?
We need a socialist Labour party until we have that and MP’s with fire in there hearts like in the old days nothing will change!
Oh, right DG, all we need is socialist MPs with fire in their hearts and we can transform the world and all live happily ever-after. And the fascist psychopaths who run the show will let it happen.
Yeah, sure, as if!!!
https://pathocracy.net/