Anti-black and anti-Muslim racism continues rampant among party right
The Labour right regime is targeting black and Asian women MPs disproportionately for deselection, according to new reports. While the right has set its sights on a couple of white male MPs on the left of the party, at least four women of colour are on the hit-list – hugely disproportionate to their representation in the party. Two are Muslims, again disproportionate.
Labour’s first black woman MP, Diane Abbott, has faced pressure to step down while Apsana Begum, the victim of a concocted political attempt by the right to oust her via imprisonment that fell apart in court, Zarah Sultana and Taiwo Owatemi are all the focus of plans to deselect them, despite Owatemi not being considered particularly on the left of the party.
The Labour right has long – and rightly – been criticised for rampant anti-Muslim and anti-black racism. The Labour Muslim Network’s explosive report last year revealed all manner of abuse and discrimination – and Keir Starmer and his sidekick David Evans promised to implement its recommendations in full, but appear to have done nothing and none of the perpetrators have been removed. Some have been promoted. Events since then, such as the blatant Islamophobia of Labour’s Batley and Spen campaign, have only deepened the stain.
Likewise, the Labour Black Socialists group were forced to announce a ‘campaign strike’ because of the lack of solidarity – and black MPs, again often women, were targeted for demotion as soon as the new regime took over the party.
A leaked Labour report last year revealed disgraceful comments among staff about black MPs and colleagues, yet while the Forde report on the content of the leaked document is still being withheld by the party, Starmer’s Labour spent a six-figure sum trying to track down those who leaked it – and was willing to throw several former staff under the bus in a legal case even though it has said that it can’t say for sure who was responsible for the leak.
Former Corbyn speechwriter Alex Nunns has rightly pointed out that the bland reporting of the targeting of the left for deselection exposes the whipped-up histrionics of the Labour right’s whining about deselections during Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership. This is even more true when some of those now being targeted are among the most hard-working and effective MPs on behalf of their constituents.
But the right’s focus on women of colour is even more sinister. Twitter activist account ToryFibs has warned that Labour’s discriminatory targeting of women of colour should be treated as a matter of grave concern – and that the targeting is ‘systematic’:
Appallingly, no one at Labour HQ is likely to listen, let alone care.
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.
Stay strong ladies! Right is on your side.
Not if Labour wants to get elected. I don’t think anyone (apart from some very odd folk who love making ridiculous and amazing statements on this site) thinks this is about the colour of someones skin but about their competence as an MP and ability to explain LP policies. We all know Diane’s (in)ability to respond to questions posed by any competent interviewer and unfortunately others (like Claudia) are apparently cast from the same mould and dozens of hilarious examples exist on YouTube and other places. That they should be subject to vile racist and sexist abuse is a disgrace but the plain fact is they are an embarrassment and not good enough in their role. I hope some bizarre form of tokenism doesn’t exist for the left where merely because of their skin tone they cannot not be criticised for their performance in their jobs.
We all know Diane’s (in)ability to respond to questions posed by any competent interviewer and unfortunately others (like Claudia) are apparently cast from the same mould and dozens of hilarious examples exist on YouTube and other places. That they should be subject to vile racist and sexist abuse is a disgrace but the plain fact is they are an embarrassment and not good enough in their role
Abbott’s been returned time after time over the past 34 years. Not good enough? Her constituents disagree.
Try again.
plain citizen, you are either being stupid or disingenuous, the very reason there are “dozens of hilarious examples” of asian and black MPs misspeaking on youtube is because or the overt or dogwhistle racism of people like you singling them out and pouring over every interview, if the same were done to the fat white male MPs the same would be found, start with our PM and Labour leader, then try the rightwing nutters in both parties, it will be a fun day for you if you find getting a number wrong “hilarious”.
Here we go again, PCs favourite bug bear. Diane Abbott attended Newnham College Cambridge. And she managed to get in despite coming from a background which wasn’t via public school and the old boy/girl network. Whatever else she may, or may not, be, she is not stupid.
Other than being a shadow minister, she has never held a high position in parliament. And shadow minister have almost no power, Where she has appeared “stupid” has either been because she’s not been on top of numbers relating to her brief, but she’s far from the only person who studied humanities that aren’t good with numbers. One of the problems we have with political discourse in this country is we assume politicians should be able to recite by rote the minutiae of policies when as the people at the top, they should be responsible for broad direction, not the fine details. This is where new Labour comes in. They will have spreadsheets and graphs detailing every event provided to them by helpful media, it’s easy when you know what’s coming but there again they never answer a question anyway.
I can’t help noticing PC, that for an intelligent man you so easily accept every tabloid/right wing fat bloke on the radio attacks as genuine. In which case, oh my God, she was Corbyn’s girlfriend so he gave her the job.
Surely, their competence – or otherwise – can be left up to their constituents at an election.
Isn’t that how democracy works?
Or has Southside Labour changed the paradigm of democracy, alongside everything else?
Plain Citizen, If this is the criteria to be applied the question arises as to why Keir Starmer and the rest of the extreme centrist sectarians currently only interested in Tory voters are not facing the chop. Indeed, why are these incompetent’s still holding down any kind of job?
Here you go again Mr Racist PC…..why don’t you get lost?
You disgusting excuse of a human being.
I would love to know where and how you make this stuff up.
Your mastery of the art of assertion is admirable, but you really need to work on the science of contextualisation. If you did…….
JoeRobson
Well said.
The right probably think they have already plenty of Asian women in their ranks, like Priti Patel.
All being supporters of JC has absolutely nothing to do with it.
The Night of the Long Knioves continues….
Basically the Labour right are trying to bully women of colour into retiring to save the party from being challenged and accused of racism.
It’s obvious they’ve promised their new intake of PPCs a safe seat but the only way the right can do this is to remove some left MPs, especially as
Diane’s majority – 33,000
Apsana’s majority – nearly 29,000
Zarah’s and Taiwo are somewhat less 401 and 208 respectively.
I don’t know much about Taiwo but I can guess the right fear Zarah because she is popular with the left and a possible threat to Starmer. Oh and she’s on a list of undesirables the party has been told to get shut of.
There’s also the prospect of, if they are deselected and decide to stand as Independents. The outcome could be a split the Labour vote and losing to the Tories. So the only way they can avoid this is to bully them into resigning.
But why pick on Muslim women? Is there certain sections of the party whose allegiance lays elsewhere in another part of the world.
“Why pick on Muslim women?”
Because they’re funded by the Israeli Apartheid State, that’s why.
I think you need to reconsider your comment Steve H.
In my opinion most Labour MPs are not at all secure under Starmer’s leadership. He has managed to alienate our Socialist, Jewish ,Non Zionist Muslim, Arab ,Black, Irish, Liverpudlian and Kashmiri brothers and sisters along with our young people and everyone who believes in fairness and freedom of speech. If an election were called tomorrow most of our MPs would be “deselected” by the electorate.
Keir Starmer is an electoral liability and as the PLP are fully aware of this I expect that they’ll oust him sooner rather than later.
Smartboy – Unfortunately 60 Labour MPs lost their seats in the last GE when the voters lost trust in Corbyn. I think we will make substantial gains in the next GE.
baz2001
Although I wasn’t sure I kind of guessed your suggestion may well be why Muslim women, possibly Muslims in general could be singled out for special treatment of punishment, suspension, expulsion or deselection by the party.
We’ll have to wait and seer Steve H but my guess is you “ain’t seen nothin’ yet”
Smartboy – You may be right, here is the front page headline story in tomorrow’s (Sat) Daily Mail
Now Boris Johnson pays price at the polls: Labour race ahead of the Tories by SIX points as survey reveals scale of public anger over PM’s handling of sleaze scandal
▪️ Shock poll sees Labour now sit six points clear in wake of the Tory sleaze scandal
▪️ The survey revealed scale of public anger over Johnson’s handling of the crisis
▪️ According to the poll, a Tory three-point lead last week is now a six-point deficit
▪️ The rapid turnaround ramps up pressure on the Prime Minister to get a grip
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10196665/Now-Boris-Johnson-pays-price-polls-Labour-race-ahead-Tories-SIX-points.html
…….an odd argument as Geoffrey Cox majority -24,992
Thanks to Keir Starmer all Labour MPs are now more secure in their posts.
Conference has changed the rules on trigger ballots. Now local parties can only force a full selection process in a Labour-held seat only if a majority of local party and affiliate branches vote to ‘trigger’ such a contest.
The 2021 rule changes raised the trigger ballot threshold from a third of either local party or affiliate branches to more than 50% of branches in an electoral college, states the following:
“If more than 50% of an electoral college consisting of party branches voting with a weight of 50% and affiliated branches voting with a weight of 50% indicate that they wish a selection to take place, a selection shall proceed. The MP shall automatically be included in the shortlist of candidates from whom the selection shall be made. Where 50% or less of an electoral college consisting of party branches voting with a weight of 50% and affiliated branches voting with a weight of 50% indicate that they do not wish a selection to take place, the MP will, 71 subject to NEC endorsement, be selected as that CLP’s prospective parliamentary candidate.”
You know that’s not true in Watson’s West Midlands powerhouse, the right have got it stitched up tighter than a drum, it’s been like that for years. The same is true of my own Croydon constituency and many others I’m sure. Momentum were the new kid on the block and they were hated by the old guard and a lot of the unions. If they hadn’t split apart, they were making progress but the old guard still controls the party machine and Starmer’s only going to strengthen their hold.
lundiel – Whichever way you try and spin it is now significantly more difficult to trigger a sitting MP and then there is the democracy of a OMOV ballot.
If ‘the left’ can’t get their act together to defend their MP then they are obviously deluding themselves about their MP’s popularity.
SteveH – So you’re presenting a move aimed squarely at protecting the unrepresentative PLP right-wingers from CLP deselection as somehow a win for the now under-attack left?
The PLP right’s bogus argument against lowering trigger thresholds for CLPs; mandatory reselections and open selection, was that it’d mean “they have to spend too much time campaigning locally at the expense of campaigning for the party”(sic). That’s complete nonsense btw, party candidates in every other western country manage to walk and chew gum.
Isn’t that really an admission that they know they are out-of-touch and unrepresentative? No representative MP confident of CLP support would have any such worries, as they’d breeze through any reselection process with ease.
Andy – It is undeniable that it is now much more difficult to trigger a sitting MP and that applies to Labour MPs right across the political spectrum. Whether that was the original intention or not is irrelevant
SteveH –
“Thanks to Keir Starmer all Labour MPs are now more secure in their posts.”
And what was the underlying motivation behind that move?
Remember Starmer promised to increase local democracy in the leadership hustings, in response to RLB’s promise to bring in open selection. Starmer lied again and has done the opposite by decreasing local party power.
On a wide point , you do realise you’re actually making an argument against democracy.
Using your logic, should the US scrap primaries so Congressmen and Congresswomen feel more secure in their positions? You’re making an argument against democracy and for ‘seat for life’ MPs. If the Blairites and others know they are vulnerable to local challenge then they have the courage of their convictions, make their case to CLPs and live with democratic verdict. Your answer is for the PLP to simply pull up the democratic drawbridge and stick their fingers in their ears.
Andy – Jeremy Corbyn also promised to democratise the party and it was Jeremy who introduced and promoted trigger ballots.
Starmer has actually done more to democratise internal elections than Corbyn did throughout his tenure.
Personally I think that all sitting MPs should face mandatory reselection. Other parties manage it, Labour councillors are subject to it it etc etc
I think you need to reconsider your comment Steve H.
In my opinion most Labour MPs are not at all secure under Starmer’s leadership. He has managed to alienate our Socialist, Jewish ,Non Zionist Muslim, Arab ,Black, Irish, Liverpudlian and Kashmiri brothers and sisters along with our young people and everyone who believes in fairness and freedom of speech. If an election were called tomorrow most of our MPs would be “deselected” by the electorate.
Keir Starmer is an electoral liability and as the PLP are fully aware of this I expect that they’ll oust him sooner rather than later.
I am disgusted by Starmer and his right wing cronies. They have destroyed the Party that I was so proud to be a member of. Thank God I cut my party membership card up before things got this bad.
Don’t worry Starmer, your Tory Peerage is in the bag!
All commentators who say the final arbiters must be constituency voters are completely correct and no one should quarrel with that. An MP may be well loved as a local character (like Owen Paterson was in Shropshire!) but it cannot blind us to their performance on a wider stage. Anyone who has seen Diane and Claudia perform can see how uselessly inept they are. Whether an MP has been to Harvard, Harrow or Harlesden Uni, if they can’t add up and know a little bit about their departmental policies or have other failings, it’s embarrassing
Diane is well known for her good performance in Parliament and has
won at least one award (see below).
Her problems responding to the questions about Police Numbers arose from her illness –
she had been diagnosed with Diabetes but in spite this had been careless about eating
regularly. These are excerpts from her Wiki:
“Abbott’s speech on civil liberties, in the debate on the Counter-Terrorism Bill 2008, won The Spectator magazine’s “Parliamentary Speech of the Year” award, and further recognition at the 2008 Human Rights awards.’
“Following her move onto the front bench, the Telegraph said on 27 September 2011 that Abbott had “become one of Labour’s best front bench performers”.
Now neither the Spectator nor the Telegraph are exactly left wing institutions ..!
Starmer is under fire for his large donations (some of which only show the amount and notthe donor) and for taking on extra work while an MP and even as party leader.
https://twitter.com/JamesCleverly/status/889602680066277376?s=20
Anybody spotted the obvious dead cat?
I think people forget the difficulties Diane faced when entering parliament in the 1980s. This article from the Guardian is quite illuminating and makes you realise how she’s had to fight just about everyone for the last 30 odd years and she hasn’t buckled. Diane is stronger and cleverer than her critics.
https://amp-theguardian-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/amp.theguardian.com/politics/2020/sep/29/how-diane-abbott-fought-racism-and-her-own-party-to-become-britains-first-black-female-mp?amp_js_v=a6&_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQKKAFQArABIIACAw%3D%3D#aoh=16366496800088&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=From%20%251%24s&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fpolitics%2F2020%2Fsep%2F29%2Fhow-diane-abbott-fought-racism-and-her-own-party-to-become-britains-first-black-female-mp
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/sep/29/how-diane-abbott-fought-racism-and-her-own-party-to-become-britains-first-black-female-mp
Take a look at this tweet, then wonder what kind of response Diane Abbott would have had if it were her.
https://twitter.com/PhillipsBarrie/status/1458835887236829184?t=a1tmIqjFkR9Hz91JKjt6Tw&s=19
It would have featured top slot on the news.
Well IIRC the right wing shysters and twatterati gobshites had a good old shriek when Abbott committed the heinous crime of drinking a mojito (?) straight from a can, like your ordinary common or garden chav, on a train, not so long ago.
So pathetic that I don’t think the beeb even bothered with it (could be wrong, though).
Just let them try to deselect Diane and the others that’s all I can say.
Diane ix 68yrs old, maybe she’ll just choose to retire
Got your pinkies crossed, and included it in your letter to santa, have you, wee fella?
Toffee – I don’t really care much either way.
Why the hell should she retire just because she’s 68? She’ll retire when she’s good and ready, or when her consituents cease to vote for her, which on all available evidence will not be any time soon. It seems that you have added ageism to your portfolio of unreasoning prejudice, alongside racism and sexism.
Redveg – FFS calm down and stop getting your knickers in a twist over stuff you are imagining that I said.
This is what I actually said – “Diane is 68yrs old, maybe she’ll just choose to retire,” Whether she chooses to step down or stand again at the next GE is of course entirely her choice.
And sexism.
Diane may or may not decide to retire. Its entirely up to her. But I would repeat – just let them try to deselect her.
Plain Citizen has a very poor knowledge of Labour history. Its benches have been filled for decades by dim, white men who can hardly string a sentence together but who can be relied on to do what the whips tell them. Remember George Brown? He was sozzled half the time. And Angela Rayner? Hardly Ms Astute 2021 is she? Nor is Jonathan Ashworth someone to make the Tory front bench tremble and Starmer is so dull, so limp, so much a bank manager playing at politics Johnson can’t believe his luck. It’s called “confirmation bias”: black people can’t cut the mustard. Oh, look at that, black people making mistakes. And black women ! The truth is Labour is playing to anti-Muslim prejudice in constituencies the Tories won in 2019. Barrow and Grimsby do not have big Asian or black populations. That’s why levels of fear are greater there than in places that do. Labour is playing a vile and dangerous game. It sides with the racism of the Israeli State and it panders to racism in search of votes. All in keeping with its slide into fascism. The choice always is equality or barbarism. Labour has chosen barbarism.
And Zahra got this email today:
https://twitter.com/zarahsultana/status/1458720181069529092?t=I-rys4gEfbuT6x-6DyH81A&s=19
The abuse Zarah has received appears to be similar to that received by Claudia
Webbe .
However the new rules for deselection (engineered by Starmer) mean
that MPs like Zahra will be LESS likely to be deselected than before Conference 21
Be careful what you wish for Sir Keir ..!
Incidentally this has been picked up by Labour List
https://labourlist.org/2021/11/are-taiwo-owatemi-and-zarah-sultana-under-threat-of-deselection/
Disgusting Right Wing Labour & like PC & SH on here they are NOT socialists.
The Right perhaps could get rid of every Left Labour MP if they wanted to but perhaps they find it useful to keep up ‘The Left in Labour Delusion’ (?)
Perhaps the Right need the many experienced Left activists (canvassers & leaflet distributors etc.)
Perhaps according to the Labour Right socialists in Labour should be seen (grafting for them) but definitely NOT heard.
The Left in Labour are good people.
I left 10 seconds after the Neo-Liberal Lump of Wood won the Leadership and saw what was coming.
Sadly I was correct.
I’m not the one drifting in the wind without a home.
True. Not drifting in it, simply producing lots of it.
Disgusting Right Wing Labour & like PC and SH on here they are NOT socialists.
The Right in Labour could get rid of every Left Labour MP if they wanted but perhaps find it useful to keep a few to maintain ‘The Left in Labour Delusion’ (?)
Perhaps they need the experienced Left campaigners (canvassers and leaflet distributors) to work for them and perhaps too according to Right Wing Labour socialists in Labour should be seen (grafting for them) but definitely NOT heard.
The Left in Labour are good people.
I left 10 seconds after the Neo-Liberal Lump of Wood won the Leadership.
I saw what was coming and sadly have been correct.
Solidarity to Socialists!
Perhaps you’ve not been missed.
In recent weeks I have been with my union on demos and marches re COP 26, supporting the local Sudanese community who are opposing the coup there, fighting to keep the UC extra £20, supporting workers facing fire and rehire, supporting researchers who have not been paid by employers, supporting tenants who may lose their homes (because of a lack of support from the Labour Council), supporting the local disabled community to keep a taxi rank outside a train station (against a Labour Council) & more and at each Right Wing Labour was nowhere to be seen!
Better than being prisoners of Right Wing Labour Turds!
What a busy little 🐝 you are.