Sandwell councillor Steve Melia was convicted of attacking and beating local blogger – he was filmed doing so – yet was allowed to stand for re-election as a Labour candidate
The Labour party continues to try to oust Leicester East MP Claudia Webbe, despite the obvious problems with the outcome of her appeal, the fact that the judge accepted that her accuser had lied repeatedly, the withholding of evidence by the Met Police in the first trial, the reduction of Webbe’s sentence to little more than a parking fine – and the outraged condemnation by the Society of Black Lawyers and a retired judge of the ‘systemic racism’ of a decision that gave more weight to the claims of a white woman who lied than to the evidence of a black woman MP.
Yet not so very far from Webbe’s seat in Leicester, Sandwell Borough councillor Steve Melia was allowed by the party to stand for re-election even though he had just received a conviction for assault with beating because of his attack on a local anti-corruption blogger. And unlike in Webbe’s case, where evidence was almost non-existent, Melia’s attack on Julian Saunders was filmed. Melia took exception to Saunders filming him and other councillors in a public space and launched his assault:
When the Labour right bullied out Sandwell council leader Yvonne Davies, Keir Starmer promised a ‘new broom’ in the borough – and promptly reinstalled most of the old right-wingers who had trashed Labour’s reputation there, including one who tried to join the Tories but was rejected and who had been recorded boasting of arranging an undeclared ‘loan’ for a right-wing MP to save her from bankruptcy.
And earlier this month, Melia was allowed to stand for re-election as a Labour candidate, despite his criminal and undisputed conviction for violence. Yet Labour continues to gun for Ms Webbe, demanding her resignation and attempting to have her removed through parliamentary processes.
But then, Webbe is a left-wing black woman and not a violent old white right-winger, so of course Starmer’s Labour is willing to accommodate and cover for him.
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This news report on the Steve Melia case adds some additional context
“Councillor given conditional discharge after damaging blogger’s phone
A VETERAN Labour councillor who knocked a phone out of a blogger’s hand while passing a noisy protest as he headed into a meeting has admitted a charge of assault by beating.
Sandwell Council member Steve Melia, aged 75, admitted the offence at Dudley Magistrates’ Court on Thursday and was sentenced to a 12-month conditional discharge…….
…….Ordering Melia, of Friar Park, Wednesbury, West Midlands, to pay £200 in compensation and £130 towards the costs of the prosecution, the judge told him: “It’s clear and in my view unfortunate that certain remarks were being made to you.
“It’s clear to me that you reacted in the heat of the moment.
“Having said that your actions went well beyond what would have been acceptable in this set of circumstances.”
https://www.halesowennews.co.uk/news/19914370.councillor-given-conditional-discharge-damaging-bloggers-phone/
The manic keith preacher strikes again. In this country we are allowed to photograph anything we can see with our eyes from a public place. The fact the blogger was talking about labour party corruption and got beat for it. Do u think its north korea.
What about the VICTIM, wee fella? 😗🎵
Toffee – What’s your problem, is the news item that I have quoted above inaccurate?
Just watched the video.
“Heat of the moment” my foot.
Steve Melia is clearly a nasty thug but he is a right wing nasty thug and so in Starners Labour that makes it OK
Toffee – What’s your problem, is the news item that I have quoted above inaccurate?
Well you certainly had LOADS to pontificate to us over a ‘victim’ who, we later discovered to be a LIAR.
And you haven’t said anything about those LIES since. But we HAD to take the victim’s feelings into consideration didn’t we?
What, and with your insistence on ‘additional context’ and all…😗🎵
So, where’s the consideration for THIS victim, hmm? I mean, it’s not as if we haven’t seen for ourselves what happened, is it?
Gobshite.
Toffee – Are you saying that the fact that Steve Melia’s conviction for “assault by beating” actually amounted to nothing more than him knocking the mobile phone out of the hand of some blogger who was intentionally trying to wind him up whilst filming should have remained hidden from sight?
SteveH you are forgetting to add the most important information? Cllr Steve Melia is:
1- White
2- a man
3- a neo-labour Cllr
Therefore, the battery Cllr Melia was convicted for was downplayed.
However, what is more relevant here is that Keir didn’t suspend Melia and expelled him from the LP but allows him to stand as Labour candidate in contrast with the stand of the LP on Claudia Webbe.
Webbe hasn’t battered anyone but was expelled from the LP on the allegations of a white woman that has been proven to have lied extensively to the police and in the Magistrate Court.
Still when Webbe is not longer a member of the LP thus, Starmer & co has not business in telling her what to do, Starmer & co are still asking her to resign the seat. It smack of racism and white privilege.
I already resigned my membership of the LP and glad I did, the smell of fascism, racism and anti-semitism emanating from it is overwhelming.
Maria – From what I see in the news report the sum total of his offence consisted of nothing more than knocking the phone from the hand of someone who was intentionally trying to provoke him whilst filming it on his mobile.
Do you have any evidence to the contrary.
I really don’t see where race comes into this minor altercation or how it is in any way comparable with Claudia’s offence.
I really don’t know why Steve H defends the indefensible,we can only assume he sold out the real democratic socialist labour party for a handful of silver like ihs mercenary pals.Clearly Webbe would have no problem representing the real labour party and her constituents much like jeremy Corbyn
.Times not on the side of the fascist labour party and they will bleed out unotticed and despised as a second rate tribute act.
Joseph – Thanks for the rant but what have I defended that is indefensible.
SteveH, indirectly you are defending that Cllr Melia hasn’t been expelled from the LP and that he has being allowed to re-stand as Labour Cllr in Sandwell.
Hence, you are defending the indefensible. Unless of course you are telling us that in your opinion Cllr Melia should have being expelled from the Labour Party and the local Labour whip withheld as soon as the actions in the video become apparent.
Maria – Oh come on don’t be silly. This was a very minor altercation where an old guy briefly lost his rag and knocked the mobile phone out of the hand of someone who was filming him whilst screaming abuse at him.
Perceived (And contrived) threat of violence (Allegedly made by a black woman) = NOT OK. Demands made for so-called victim (Later found to have LIED) to be considered, with comprehensive dismissal of any mitigation made for alleged perpetrator.
ACTUAL VIOLENCE COMMITTED by white man = SOUND 👍 Demand for additional context to be given to mitigate for the assailant; and NO call WHATSOEVER for VICTIM consideration here.
So if I was to ever get to hear of you getting assaulted, I will give consideration to either buying ?your attacker a pint, or kicking his head in for not giving you enough of the hiding you deserve.
#Dickhead.
Toffee – Calm down, why are you getting so wound-up?
All I’ve done is pointed out that Steve Melia’s conviction for “assault by beating” actually amounted to no more than him knocking the mobile phone out of the hand of some blogger who was intentionally trying to wind him up whilst filming it.
Why do you have a problem with me highlighting the very simple facts of the case?
“all’s I did….”
Shut up dickhead. We can all of us see for ourselves what you’ve said. You’re a prick. End of discussion.
Toffee – I see you’ve run out of anything sensible to say, again.
Why don’t you take a stab at answering why you have objected so strongly to me drawing attention to the basic facts of the case?
SteveH, you acknowlege Cllr Melia “knocked the phone of his hand” Hence, touched the other person with force as showcased in the video.
The only evidence against Webbe are the words of her love rival. Plus Webbe did never knock anything out of the hands on anybody.
I am sorry but you are coming across as a tad racist since in your opinion is OK for an old guy to lost his rag and assaults someone, it is OK too for a white professional woman to lie in Court to damage the reputation of a black woman MP with the only evidence been her words.
Thus, protest all you like but you are defending the indefensible when you are willing to excuse Cllr Mellia’s behaviour while refusing to accept that Webbe is a victim of institutional racism and this case would have never see the light of a Court of Justice has she been a white MP and her accuser a black woman.
Maria – You can try all you like but the two offences are of a quite different nature and are not really comparable plus I’m not the one who is bringing race into this.
Was it racist of me to draw attention to the basic facts of Melia’s offence. An offence who’s gravity was reflected in the sentence and the magistrates comments.
Have we heard anything from the Leicester East’s CLP about whether they want to reinstate her or not. Even disregarding Claudia’s conviction maybe her CLP think that they could do better with another candidate. Labour’s majority dropped from 42.8% in 2017 to only 12.2%. in 2019.
Labour has traditionally enjoyed very substantial majorities in Leicester East
2019-12.2%, 2017-42.8%, 2018-38.2%, 2010-29.3%, 2005-38.4%, 2001-33.1%, 1997-41.49%
But if she was expelled from the Party last year (and sits as an Independent), then why does it say in the above article that ‘The Labour party continues to try to oust Leicester East MP Claudia Webbe’. It doesn’t make sense. Or am I missing something!
AND – in the headline to the article – say that Starmer is trying to get rid of her???
How can he get rid of her if he already has!
Starmer wants Claudia to stand down
as an MP – that is what “getting rid of”
means ..
It seems she wont. I just hope she is getting
some support from her CLP ..
Some from the Labour Party in the Commons
would not hurt either – or from women of any
party.
But what has it got to do with Starmer or the Labour Party if she’s been expelled from the Labour Party, and is now an Independent. It doesn’t make sense.
Sorry Holby, but ‘getting rid of’ is how you would describe what someone wants to do to one of their own MPs, and is NOT how it would be described in respect of an MP who is not a member of their Party. And given that the skwawkbox article is making a point by comparing Claudia to Steve Melia, it of course implies that Starmer has some input into what happens to Claudia. But he DOESN’T.
There is nothing whatsoever that the LP and/or Starmer can do to oust Claudia as an MP – if there is then can someone elaborate – so it doesn’t make sense that Steve Walker/skwawkbox says in the above article that ‘the Labour Party continues to try to oust Claudia Webbe’. It makes as much sense as saying that the Tory Party continues to try to oust her.
Alan Howard,
You are approaching this question on a rational common sense basis.
And therein lies the problem. Because that approach assumes a great deal.
Such as, for example, that the LP, its leadership, and the cadre throughout its organisational structure are operating to the same set of rational and common sense principles.
On the basis of everything we know, so far, it seems reasonable to surmise that such an assumption may not be totally sound.
Hope this helps.
Reply to Allan Howard
I read somewhere that Starmers Labour had indicated that they would try for a recall petition to get Claudia out of her seat and force a by election. They are not content to expel her and clearly don’t think that the court sentence she received and the threats and abuse from right wing nut jobs she has endured is enough of a punishment for her, they want to take her livelihood from her as well. The only thing that surprises me is that they are have not started campaign to bring back capital punishment in her case.
Smartboy – It is no longer possible to have a recall petition, the appeal court judge quashed Claudia’s custodial sentence.
Thanks for the info about the recall petition Steve H. I note you do not dispute the validity of the other comments in my post.
Smartboy – I couldn’t be bothered, I wasn’t looking for a fight. But since you mention it your silly quip about capital punishment does betray a remarkable level of ignorance on your part , have you ever even looked at Starmer’s CV
Steve H
Couldn’t resist it could you? LOL
Smartboy – What was it that I couldn’t resist. I was simply responding to your comment.
Excellent post by Caitlin Johnstone:
MSM Offers Rare Glimpse Into How Bad Things Are Really Going For Ukrainian Forces
While everyone’s focused on the latest mass shooting in the US, The Washington Post published what may be the first major acknowledgement from the mainstream western media that Ukraine’s war against Russia has not been nearly the cakewalk they’ve been leading the public to believe.
In a new article titled “Ukrainian volunteer fighters in the east feel abandoned,” WaPo reports that contrary to the triumphant narratives the western world is being spoon fed, many troops in eastern Ukraine have been surviving on one potato per day and deserting their posts because they feel their leaders have turned their backs on them and they’re being sent to certain death.
There’s no real reckoning with exactly what’s happening and exactly what these people are being called on to put themselves through. In the children’s crayon drawing version of this war that lives in the heads of western so-called centrists, this is a team of heroic Good Guys righteously beating the tar out of hordes of Bad Guys because that’s what happens in the movies and on TV.
But this is not the movies, and this is not TV. People are dying in a US proxy war that was deliberately provoked by the US-centralized empire, and behind all the narratives and spin they are ultimately doing so for nothing more noble than the agenda to secure US unipolar hegemony.
Many of the blue-and-yellow flag wavers are well-intentioned, and really do think they are advocating for Ukrainian freedom and sovereignty. But in reality all they’ve been cheering for is Ukrainian subservience and enslavement to the empire, Ukrainian death, Ukrainian suffering, and the continuation of a dangerous proxy war between nuclear superpowers that threatens the life of everyone on earth.
https://caitlinjohnstone.com/2022/05/27/msm-offers-rare-glimpse-into-how-bad-things-are-really-going-for-ukrainian-forces/
So that was the same for Chechnya, Georgia, Litvenyenko, the Skripals, Ukraine 2014, MH17, Crimea, the UK-EU referendum, the USA Presidential election, the financing of Marine Le Pen, and the Tory Party was it? You don’t reckon that it might be the work of a deranged leader who was feted by Blair, and leaders across Europe, whose welath stolen from ordinary Russians left him as the world’s richest man, surrounded by other candidtes for the richest men in Russia, as well as the west? How did the Yanks manage to do that? OR maybe, just maybe,… heaven forbid – you’re wrong? And support a madman in the Kremlin who is at least as bad as Hitler. Doubtless when a Satan II is heading for your chimney pots, it’ll still be the Americans who forced him to kill you and everyone you know and love? WAkey, wakey!
I must agree with Allan Howard. It’s all random Daily Mail stuff.
And it’s not just “the Skipals” that is twaddle.
It’s Navalny too. Read Craig Murray.
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2020/09/novichok-navalny-nordstream-nonsense/
Joe
Start with what the Ham Shanks did to Gorbachev and their subsequent mafia tactics to break up Russia
Putin put a stop to it and yes proceeded to loot the country himself, but as they say ‘better the devil you know than the one you dont’
See Neo Cons who form part of every American administration
No matter who we vote for the same fuckers get in
You are just spouting complete and utter garbage Joe. And ‘the Skripals’ says it ALL. If you believe such a blatant fairy tale then you’ll believe anything. Why don’t you address the valid points that Caitlin Johnstone and many other independent thinkers have been making – ie that it’s a proxy war, with the goal of destroying Russia (and then China) and creating a unipolar world where the US gangster elite rule supreme. And what her article was SPECIFICALLY about is the ‘movie’ that the Western media paint the conflict as.
The Skripals my arse! Ffs! Be REAL Joe!! Ukraine 2014! Yur ‘avin a larf!! Etc, etc, etc!
You really should stop reading the Daily Mail Joe! Or taking any notice of what the MSM says….. you know, like Weapons of Mass Destruction, oh, right, and Jeremy Corbyn is an antisemite and a Jew hater, and Ken Livingstone said that Hitler was a Zionist. Ffs Joe!
I have given up looking for the truth with British and American news.I only ever seem to see sabre rattling and blind hatred against Russia and China.I noticed on RT news that British mercenarys are to be tried for war crimes,when in fact it should be Truss Johnson in the box for actively encouraging the breaking of international law on mercenary activity.Still when you look at the flippent way Truss as ignored international law on the N.Ireland protocol and the Good Friday agreement and then followed up again with the breaking of the law on the so called “legacy” then its not really suprising.I have no doubt that they will be fully supported by the tribute act of Starmer and Reeves and a whole gang of misfits in the PLP.Still weve got the jubilee celebrations to mark the occasion of her majestys wonderful rule of Britania……God save the working class…!
Why is it, the West Midlands seems to be the sh*thole of Labour politics? Why is it, they seem so keen to spread this brand, to Liverpool and Yorkshire?
Take a look at who represents/has represented the E.Midlands, George.
And then of course, there’s far too many on Merseyside, too, unfortunately. The whole party’s RIFE with that shower. In the famous words of Jesse Ventura’s character from the film Predator, they’re:‘Dug in like an Alabama tick’, and amputation/separation is the only way to be rid of their disease.
From the excellent Sandwell Skidder blog by Julian Saunders. If every Sandwell citizen was as fully engaged as Julian, the local elected and unelected bullies would be driven out.
https://thesandwellskidder.blogspot.com/2018/01/an-exchange-of-correspondence-with.html?m=1
How long until Starmer issues the remaining English Party Membership with Brown Shirts Black Trousers Jackboots and Truncheons, I cannot believe the English Membership allowed this incompetent Fool a Puppet for the Rich to Oust Jeremy Corbyn but they did, This action points to only one conclusion and that is the remaining Dregs of a once Great Movement for the Poor and Normal People of Britain the Party who gave us the NHS and Welfare State is Tragically a Facist Racist Anti Semitic Shambles, Along with the Neo Nazi Ruling Government voted into Power by the Largest part of a now Disintegrating United Kingdom, I watched probably the best Documentary ever made a masterpiece it Was called
THE NAZIS A WARNING FROM HISTORY we have LEARNED NOTHING, This Country has reached the Event Horizon and is now being sucked into the Black Hole of a Facist Nazi State, “THANK YOU ENGLAND”
I remember being the only man in a ‘Family Court’ when I was fighting for custody of my son, some 20+ years ago. His mother was a young black girl; an alledged victim of domestic abuse amid other accusations of child abuse from ‘her partner’ a white, working class father, with a white working class address, aka me. All the stereotyped cliches were trotted out by the woman’s barrister, that I was a controlling & manipulative violent thug……an oft repeated script straight from Eastenders. No evidence was ever submitted to substantiate anything, just accusation after accusation, cliche after cliche.
I have lived in a multi-cultural family environment all my life; from St.Pauls, Bristol; Pilgwenlly, Newport; Moss Side Manchester & Toxteth, Liverpool. Many in my family do not have white skin & my son has just married a Chinese national The gene pool has been given a good shake. It seems that I remain a racist because I am an old working class white man who voted leave, Being left wing now has nothing to do with Socialism, I am just the wrong colour, the wrong gender, the wrong age, but most of all the wrong social class.
Steve101704, how did the case end? Maybe I am wrong but somehow you are coming across as a well articulated man. Hence, I am not going to be surprised if you won the case and it this was the case I am glad for you and for your son. 20 years ago no many men would have taken on the fight, you sound like a good father that have kept in touch with his son.
However, had the mother of your son been a middle class white woman you wouldn’t have stand a change.
Has anybody else noticed the pattern of our favourite shill? Same stock intro –
What about the …..
Thanks for the rant but ……
From what I …….
Oh come on don’t be silly ……..
.
These instances are just from this Skwakws blog, but are not unusual.
A bots profile –
Often use formulaic or repetitive language in posts
Profile picture is one of the first things that people notice on social media. Not having a profile picture – or having a generic one depicting a landscape or a cute puppy (or hampster).
Bots usually post very frequently throughout the day. Is the account posting at all hours or posting more times per day than is humanly possible? That’s another warning sign.
These bots behave in an either partially or fully autonomous fashion, and are often designed to mimic human users.
A chatbot often requires a person or even a team of people to maintain its functionality. Chatbots come in all forms. A chatbot that chats with real people and learns as it goes.
Just sayin’.
“It’s not a hamster, Manuel, it’s a rat!” (Basil Fawlty)
Sorry but why the quibbling about Starmers
utterances about Webbe? He reckons he is
speaking for the constituency of
Leicester East! Any excuse to undermine her
in other words ..
Since we have got back to Ukraine/ Russia the
MSM is portraying the struggle as by no means
a win for Ukraine. There are some Colonel Blimps
going on about “winning” and “Russia losing” but
these seem mainly confined to the Tories. They
do not seem concerned that it is not them who
are hiding in basements and dying in the field.
As for Russia (or rather Putin) and its ultimate aim
it is plainly for a “Greater Russia” – or maybe a
land-grab and he is supported by the Russian
Orthodox Church who regard it as a Holy War.
All other churches in Ukraine support their country
over Russia. Certainly I do not support NATOs
expansionism – but what Putin has done has unified
NATO and has made a case for it if anything .
Corbyn had Putin bang to rights 20 years ago over
Chechnya while Blair was fawning all over him. He
has done so ever since and has supported OPCW***
in their investigations of Chemical attacks in Syria.
I do not understand why any left wing person would
want to support Putin and his corrupt kleptocracy.
Four years ago McDonald proposed a range
of restrictions on Oligarchs four years ago but
these were booed by the Tories as “not what
chaps do” . These Tories were mates with same
oligarchs and their children who had bought up
half Mayfair,
Russian businesses gave plenty of money
to the Tories who were their natural friends.
The same oligarchy have embedded themselves
into the UK Establishment .. which includes
some Right wing Labour (eg Mandelson).
*** Russia is a signatory of the OPCW charter,