Prescott, Burnham and Brown all take on Starmer’s ‘leadership’
Three of the Labour movement’s best known figures all went on record this week to call out Keir Starmer’s refusal to back workers striking to protect their jobs and pay – and his addiction to breaking his promises.
Former deputy PM John Prescott took a minimalist approach, tweeting out a picture of himself supporting striking miners almost four decades ago in a ‘how it’s done’ lesson:
Manchester mayor Andy Burnham was more direct, telling a TV interviewer that Labour ‘can’t ever be a party that undermines working people’ – sadly exactly what Keir Starmer’s version of the party is:
And on Friday, former PM Gordon Brown saw Establishment-lover Starmer rowing back on his promise to abolish the House of Lords and called on him to keep a promise he made to obtain the party leadership (for a change). Brown pointed to Boris Johnson’s plans to use ‘levelling up’ as the ‘perfect excuse’ for packing the House with far-right peers to force through extremist legislation after the Lords stymied or amended several of his bills – and said that the ‘gerrymandering’ anti-democratic plan is proof that leaving things as they are is not an option.
Tragically for the nation and shamefully for him, Keir Starmer has zero interest in backing workers – and is very fond of a bit of anti-democracy.
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It’s a reminder that they exist. They don’t give a damn. Not one of them.
Especially Gordon Brown!
Brown was vocally anti-Corbyn and happy to join the media cacophony 2017-2020 over the minuscule number of alleged antisemitism cases among Labour’s then huge membership of 580,000.
Likewise with Burnham, you sense he’s only speaking out now because he thinks there could soon be a vacancy at the top and wants to stay relevant with the membership and especially the unions.
Despite having the best leftist credentials, Prescott’s legacy is that of a loyal Deputy to Blair, a token leftist – part of all the damage Blair’s era entailed with the discrimination against the PLP left, and the stuffing the party with those on the right many of whom were parachuted in and are still in the same seats today.
Brown is terrified the SNP will manage to gain independence and wants to bind Scotland into the UK through an elected ‘Chamber the nations and regions. But his plan has a major flaw; namely, the current HoL has no revising role on the Scottish parliament’s legislation. Neither Brown nor Sarwar have explained the exact role they foresee for this Chamber of the Nations and Regions. If it involves any transfer of powers from Holyrood back to Westminster that’d obviously involve radically changing the referendum based devolution settlement, and the SNP and others would ferociously resist.
Personally, I hope Scotland achieves independence. And then shows a progressive alternative to the rUK.
Who do you mean by ‘they’? Andy Burnham cares. Gordon Brown cares. John Prescott cares.
Reply to Jenw2049
You say they care Jenw2039 – all I can say is if that is so then they hide it very well
REALLY?
So many ignorant stupid Labour supporters
I used to respect Prescott and Burnham browns a hypocrite but so are the rest of them Andy and john know that they have compramised once too often and are part of the problem…browns not worth a mention being openly contemptuous of the working class .They can see the writing on the wall for the legacy of a broken and near bankrupt in every way moraly and financially.The labour party…..the partys over shut off the lights and close the door on leaving….
In 2015, Burnham was a complete weather vane, swinging first left and then right. But I got the distinct impression his personal position was more towards the left.
He gained a lot of credit with me for the fact that not once did I see or hear of him joining in the pile-on on Corbyn, even though it would have been easy to do and would have made him popular with the party establishment.
He now has his own good track record as Mayor in Manchester. I think he would make a pretty decent leader; and certainly the best there is any hope of Labour MPs allowing the members to have a choice of voting for.
And not one of them said keefs’ more tory than the Tories.
THAT is the crux of the issue.
Not one Labour MP of Councillor were interested in spilling the beans on this fucking mass betrayal or speaking out to let the membership understand the LIE we’ve ended up in. I will never trust any of them again, they are all guilty..
All three are turkeys. Talk is cheap and easy. Even wandering down to the picket line isn’t that difficult. Who has what for dinner that night?
As Joseph said, the party is over. It’s a good analogy. Going to be interesting to watch the stupid teens poor clean up attempt and resulting parental response to the mess.
Well bloody said
I first joined Labour in 1970. That’s fifty years of canvassing,phone banking,leafleting and contributing considerable amounts of money. Now because I say that in the last few years of my life I have been abandoned by the party and feel real disgust for the leadership for the first time ever, I am condemned by a load of spotty Herbert’s who joined a couple of years ago as a “Tory enabler” and “closet Tory”
HEAR! HEAR! JIM
HEAR! FUCKING! HEAR!
Jim, 50 years is a long time dedicated to the struggle. I applaud you sir and the thousands of others like you 👏. I would guess that we are of a similar vintage. I have always been an activist but only joined during the JC period. Prior to that members of our movement often helped out during local, by and GEs. As a trade unionist I could vote but never did, I felt that it was LP affairs and most of the time we were in a civil war. Manifesto for new times, The great strike, Warping, etc became all consuming. Perhaps if more of us put our shoulders to the wheel things might have been different. I am amazed that half a mill idealists could not work out ways to navigate the labyrinthine to benefit the many. Weasels and rats are born for these distractions, clever, subtle and insidious but richly rewarding. People like us do not retire from the class war. Not till we have won, ahh then we can put our feet up, roll a fat one and listen to real blues. The world changed in February so who knows? Love to you and yours, all socialists, reds, anarchist and 77 SteveH.
Jim you have my sympathy and I am sure many more on here feel betrayed as long time former members of the labour party.The real hurt is that I swallowed the whole scam for a long time until I sampled being a councillor and associated with the labour mps….the penny dropped but I tried again and look what they did to Corbyn and many other activists.?Hard to have wasted all them years on a myth of a working class party of the people..Knee capping would be too kind for the majority of the labour mps.who have sold us all out over many years..And still bleeding the members and the unions whilst showing in public utter contempt for us the working class.of Britain.and Ireland.
Jim, let’s be crystal clear here. You are being condemned as a Tory enabler and closet Tory by people who worked damned hard from 2017-2019 to get Johnson his victory. The people who committed such treachery and now demand that we be loyal to them because otherwise we will be letting the Tories back in leave me sick to my stomach.
Yet do you remain? I have to ask because my tenure almost as long as yours could not go on. My ideology was spat on once to often and I am tired of appeasement after appeasement and were all one big tent BS when there throwing you out the door. All because your a socialist well if my views and membership is not required in a party I supported for over half a sodding century then don’t ask for money, support and especially my vote.
Call me a Tory enabler don’t care your side didn’t give a shit about that in 2016 & 2019! So why the hell should your rather childish insults worry me? I will give my money, time and vote to a socialist party if Labour refuses to be one any more there are other choices they should remember this party was created by unions and working class to defend them NOT the sodding right wing melts…
So time to see if PAL or another real socialist party wants me because sure as hell Labour doesn’t and the feeling is mutual these days. I just suggest a few more consider if there is a real future in Labour and not just more false new Labour slick BS that only wants useful idiots believing there lies.
They are all a bit late in the day calling out Starmer for his atrocious behaviour. He has shamed the party many times in the past with his vicious vendetta against (mostly older ) anti Zionist Jews, his vile treatment of Jeremy Corbyn, Apsana Begum and Claudia Webbe and other Socialists, his failure to act on Islamophobia and BAME racism within the party, his alienation of so many of our traditional supporters, his breaking of the party rules, his well demonstrated contempt for democracy and his abject failure to oppose Tory legislation. Not one of them has said a word about any of these issues.
In my opinion the fact that these three are speaking out now shows that Starmer is being seen as the electoral liability he is. It is the clearest indication yet that Starmers days are numbered and the Right are preparing to make a move on him
Of course because so many on the Left have resigned from the party (as the trolls and fake Socialists on this and numerous other sites urge us to do each and every single day) it is unlikely that anyone Left of Centre will replace him so we will be stuck with another Right Winger but one with a bit more savvy than Starmer.
We are not stuck with anything my friend, all it take is a mass movement away from Labour and that has already started mate
As far as I am concerned this is my plan of Action and how I will Campaign and Vote:
Enemy 1: Sabotaging Globalist Neoliberal Neo-Labour Parasite Party TORIES!
Enemy 2: Globalist Neoliberal Conservative Party TORIES!
Enemy 3: Any other Flavour of Globalist Neoliberal TORY.
This is a battle of Globalist Neoliberalism VS The PEOPLE.
VOTE IN: ANYONE who is NOT Globalist Neoliberal and who Stands and Speaks FOR The PEOPLE and NOT FOR Themselves OR Their Elitist Establishment Masters.
Reply to Andrew
As said in my post many of the Left have resigned from the party at the urging of trolls and fake socialists on social media. Many also have resigned because of Starmers behaviour which I detailed and which has alienated so many. Countless others have been expelled.
Whether or not we can build a successful new socialist party for these disaffected ex Labour members and supporters really depends on us getting the backing and financial sponsorship from Trade Unions and others. So far this has not happened and until it does unfortunately we will be stuck with a right wing Labour leader ( Starmer or his successor).
However I think following Starmers stance on picket lines and his total lack of support for workers in dispute the Trade Union movement may finally wake up and see that there is no benefit whatsoever to the members in financially supporting Starmers Labour via Union political funds . If they do this and redirect their money towards a new left wing party then there is every chance we will be able to form a viable new party which has at its heart traditional labour values and is truly for the many and not the few.
And then just stand back and watch the establishment/media reaction.
It will be explosive!
All right wingers!! The game begins and who will lead this filthy party of betrayal next??
Are the Careerist Globalist Neo-Labour Party MPs starting to wake up to the smell of Jeremy Corbyn’s Deepest Red Roses?
Realising that no matter how much they and their Unverified Billionaire Pollsters want to erase The PEOPLE Class, that we vastly outnumber the MIDDLE CLASS whom they are currently pandering to! And that it is our VOTE that will unseat their arse from Parliament.
Interesting what will they do? How will they play it? Their MASTERS The Elitist Establishment have spoken, BlueKeef must be PM. They desperately need him to become more The PEOPLE Class friendly, Oh the dilemma!
As far as I am concerned this is my plan of Action and how I will Campaign and Vote:
Enemy 1: Sabotaging Globalist Neoliberal Neo-Labour Parasite Party TORIES!
Enemy 2: Globalist Neoliberal Conservative Party TORIES!
Enemy 3: Any other Flavour of Globalist Neoliberal TORY.
This is a battle of Globalist Neoliberalism VS The PEOPLE.
VOTE IN: ANYONE who is NOT Globalist Neoliberal and who Stands and Speaks FOR The PEOPLE and NOT FOR Themselves OR Their Elitist Establishment Masters.
Andy Burnham is appreciated by the people of Manchester. He has managed to take back control of transport in Manchetser, and reduce fares for all. I wish others would do the same.
The problem is that most of The PEOPLE are fast asleep in a SHEEPLED MSM Propaganda Dream of Fluffy Clouds and Soft Pinkish Sunsets, far removed from the REALITY on the ground.
Well bully for Burnham… Doing what’s within his remit.
Also within his remit is calling a spade a spade. Keef can’t sack him as mayor, and if the people of greater Manchester are that appreciative of him they can vote him in as an independent, can’t they?
Burnham’s public control of buses means we consult, pick the communities brains & private bus companies scoop up the profits from our efforts.
We need (1) decentralisation of funding re transport (2) buses owned & controlled by democratic councils with staff & community having a say eg bus users councils and (c) free public transport on the buses!
Not one of them backed (((CORBYN!)))
All right wingers!! The game begins and who will lead this filthy party of betrayal next?.
Don’t fall for it this Blairite brigade of shysters.
Prescott did! Corbyn used one of his speeches
recently. Prescott had spoken out ridiculing the
idea of Corbyn being antisemitic and Corbyn used
this in a video which refuted accusations of him
being anti-semitic ! I wondered why Prescott had
not spoken up more recently – but then discovered
he had had a stroke.
Burnham has been accused of selling Manchester
to the highest bidder – but had apparently been
vilified by right wingers in the leaked report. He
has – as reported above – sorted out transport
in Greater Manchester
Brown has not spoken up for Corbyn but has at
least used his time out of politics for charity
work, together with his wife Sarah (?)
So far as I know he did not fawn all over Putin
in the early 2000s as Blair did – so fair dos.
The three of them together do make a
formidable case for getting rid of Starmer
Cannot stand Brown or Burnham.
Prescott did become fairly supportive of Corbyn though.
There are a number of shallow opportunists who can see that the Starm-trooper reign has run its course and done its dirty work.
These are the ones who are now manoeuvring for positions.
Do not trust them.
Has any one of them called for the re-instatement of Jeremy Corbyn ?
Has any one of them denounced the foul lies of the bogus Campaign Against Anti-Semitism ?
Just saying !!
Why would Prescott or Brown be manoeuvring for positions? They’ve been there, don’t need it again. Prescott is 84, for heavens sake. Brown is in his 70s.
Reply to Jenw2049
I think Andy Burnham sees himself the new leader once Starmer is ousted. Thats why he has spoken out. The other two are just aligning their selves with him.
I reckon it’s more about saving their own arses from what appears to be generally speaking the Campaign of The PEOPLE to vote all The Parasite Party TORIES out of Parliament. Hopefulle we can take all ~180 of the Conniving, Propagandist, Sabotaging Parasite Neo-Labour Party TORY bastards out in one fowl swoop.
Then Crush and Burn, that dead old husk of a thing, that once was The UK Labour Party and restart the building of The PEOPLE’S Movement and Party, free from Internal Coupes, Propaganda, Spin, Lies, Smear, Sabbotage!
All I see is an image representing decades of betrayal from right to left and finally their desperation as they realise too many people have woken up to their filthy games played.
Goes to show that rats do not always leave a sinking ship.
Finally, they are getting the balls to speak out against Starmer’s ‘New Tory’ Party. Now, we just need more of them to shout it from the rooftops
Ladies and Gentlemen, we have company. BlueSteveH has been overwhelmed and the new recruits flew in today.
Interesting set of events in the Independent Medias recently wouldn’t you say?
Keep your Grit and Stand Your Ground! In the end the Good will always prevail!
‘Said bourgeois social democrats.
Have had enough of New Tony Blair.
And as for The Trilateral Commission’s puppet?
The Lumpen he don’t care.’
Lightweight Right Wing Labour Losers!
New Labour are getting worried they will lose their base, hope they’re right.
Would anyone else agree that in the current climate of Corporate Owned and Run Politics, that the normalisation of Independent MPs, can only be a good thing? Just as the Independence of our Unions would be a good thing?
As The PEOPLE, we would be alright our MPs will naturally have drive to work for the best interests of The PEOPLE.
For the MPs bought and propped up by Corporate Britain it would be an entirely different story, they would find it hard serve The PEOPLE and their Elitist Establishment Masters.
We need to do something to knock MPs off their podiums and remind them, that they are our Civil Servants, they work for us! They are NOT some kind of entitled, celebrity type of untouchable Ubermensch!
I often get the feeling people forget this, and this is another route we have to let them know, en masse and overwhelmingly, that we’re not happy with their bullshitting.
The only reason “we need” a party or two is to divide The PEOPLE! We need to turn down these divission tools of the Elitist Establishment, The MSM, MSSM, MSP, MSI, we don’t need it.
There are alternatives ready and waiting we just need to use it and do our part to maintain and improve it, we have to be quick though because even the Open Source are falling for Corporate allure.
My suspicion is that this is an indication that those who own the LP are looking very seriously at defenestrating Starmer.
We’ll know for certain if they are joined by David Flunk It.