MP of the Year Ian Byrne’s asks Electoral Commission to investigate party’s unrestrained rigging and abuse of protect – including both selection committee union reps being cut out of process and many Byrne supporters have been prevented from voting in branch ballots, along with rampant rule breaches
Left-wing Liverpool West Derby MP Ian Byrne is fighting a selection battle against a Labour regime apparently prepared to disregard its own rules and even the notion of proper democracy in its push to replace him with a right-wing drone in the safe Labour seat.
The right’s determination led to such intense rigging of results, in the ‘trigger’ process to decide whether there would be a selection contest, that the official appointed to oversee it refused to sign off on the ‘result’. Instead of investigating the official’s complaints, the party removed them and installed its London regional office, which has been accused of extensive anti-democratic conduct, joining in domestic abuse perpetrated against Muslim woman MP Apsana Begum and even ‘criminal’ data breaches in the London area.
The party’s drive to remove Byrne also saw Labour break its own rules to lock Byrne out of party communications platforms, preventing him from emailing members – while the right-wing staffer, whom the party wants to install in the safe seat (despite unanswered allegations of bullying and hate speech toward a young disabled woman), is reportedly able to freely email campaign messages and media to members.
And on Saturday, Skwawkbox revealed that the party machine had cut out one of the union representatives on the ‘selection committee’ appointed to oversee the contest from even knowing when votes were taking place. Byrne has massive support among unions both nationally and in Liverpool.
But in fact, both union reps were cut out of the selection committee notifications – and many local Labour members who support Byrne have also been prevented from voting in the branch nomination ballots currently underway – along with numerous breaches of rules and democracy, as a statement released by the MP today confirms:
The abuses in West Derby are extensive, but not unique. The party right has been accused of rigging, abuse, intimidation in multiple locations as it looks to put right-wingers into safe seats and other winnable constituencies – even those accused of appalling bullying or even grievous sexual abuse.
Skwawbox view:
The Labour right believes it can get away with anything, because the Establishment and their media allies will cover for them. The right needs to learn that enough is enough – and if the UK’s democracy is to be worth anything, then both the Electoral Commision and the unions need to show their teeth. The West Derby rigging scandal is a good place to start.
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Good. Go get ’em, young feller.
I have no faith in the electoral commission…and I am quickly loosing faith and confidence in any of the institutions that either of our neo liberal governments have had their grubby hands on..
The Idea that ian Byrne is to be fitted up and dumped like all the left is inevitable and extremely sad for the ever deluded members who hope for the best on a wing and a prayer..Time to face up to reality and let the neo liberal nightmare of the labour party implode.Just look across the water and see just how far the corruption and criminality of the establishment will go to enforce their warped dogma on the economic black hole of Ulster who have the chance to compete in europe and Britain but is now on the brink with the Protocol and the Good Friday agreement..
Right wing extremism is on the rise in Britain and Ulster…please dont fund it for all our sakes…the working class god bless em because non of these parasites infecting parliament will.
Reply to Joseph O Keefe
As you are very well aware the strength of the Left has diminished because so many of us have been expelled or resigned.
You claim to be a socialist yet in nearly every one of your numerous posts you name call and criticise Left members who have not resigned- at best you call us deluded(as in your post above)- usually its fascist supporters or similar.
You and others like you who regularly post on this site want all Left members to resign so that we leave the party totally in the control of the Right – they will then lose no time in getting rid of Left MPs, CLP chairs etc.
If, as you would like, the Left had resigned en-masse in West Derby Ian Byrne would have had no chance. He would have been deselected – end of.
As it is he is up against it but he still has the support of his CLP which the Right has been unable to take over. He is also a strong and popular MP so its not going to be easy for them to oust him.
Unfortunately other CLPs have been taken over due to the exodus of Left members and their MPs are facing probable deselection so its job done for Right wing trolls and fake socialists who spend hours on sites like this urging or demanding that Left members resign from Starmer’s Labour.
More hypocrisy by the crocodile tears boy 👦 Smarmboy who hasn’t the balls to criticise under his real name.whilst labelling me and many others who have served in the labour party as “not socialists despite using my own name.Try it smarmy and have some balls instead of firing from the protection of the aliases you might not then be such a deceitful hypocrite paying subs to fascist parasites
Reply to Joseph O Keefe – Insult and name call me as much as you like . Your posts expose your real agenda which is to get as many Socialists as possible to resign so that the Right can take control of CLPs and other elected positions and make it easier to oust people like Ian Byrne who you claim to support.
So your answer is to stay? Giving tacit money and support to the same people you complain about how does that help socialism? This fantasy that a couple of small wins will turn the tide and suddenly everything will be OK. Sorry many that left disillusioned and tired of this endless fight that in the end achieves nothing because after 2016 we say the result we had the strength but not the commitment from the senior socialists to finally push for a real left wing government and what happened they made sure to loose that election a party within a party actually helping the enemy.
So maybe were bitter maybe we see that there never will be hope or a real chance within Labour it’s to rotten and corrupt we have saw that with out own eyes. I personally want the damn unions to get off there collective backsides and actually help fund left wing parties not just pay lip service and then go back to the status que. I should like JC to give a simple ultimation reinstate me or I will form a left wing party but again like you I believe he is so convinced that Labour can be the image we all want it to be again that he can’t see the reality.
But you might have spotted I am NOT trying to convince you you have made up your mind I just hope you don’t regret it… I walked away from Labour for my own sanity, i will not return, give money or my vote until there is a socialist party to help and I tried to join all 3 small parties they never replied that in a nutshell is everything wrong with socialism yes they want the prise but don’t want to really work at it!
Reply to Disabled Grandad
I understand how you feel. I and tens of thousands of others walked away because of Iraq and as I have posted before I think looking back that this was a massive mistake. It meant Blair could pursue his warmongering and money grabbing largely unchallenged.
I rejoined to support Jeremy Corbyn and was vilified along with all the rest as an entryist, a bully, scum, an antisemite etc etc.
People have to make up their own minds about whether to stay or go this time but what is happening here with Joseph O Keefe and others is clearly a concerted effort to get socialists who have not been expelled to resign thereby doing what we did over Iraq- leaving the way clear for a total takeover by the Right.
They aren’t even subtle about it – its all insults and name calling and “don’t feed the parasites” repeated a dozen times a day in order to wear us down. It obviously means a lot to them to get us out so for now I’m staying.
Smarboy, the right has taken over West Derby CLP already. It is the CLP that elects the procedure secretary, is it not?
Usually, unless standing for election him/her the CLP’s secretary double up as procedures secretary. Hence, explain if the CLP still under the control of the left how it is that the two Trade Union reps appointed to the panel weren’t informed? How did the rigging took place? Are you suggesting that elected left officers allowed the rigging? Surely no.
As somebody that resigned Labour Party after 30 years membership because I couldn’t stand the stench of fascism reaching my nostrils at Labour Conference 2021, I hear your argument but, I am very sorry in my view to stay in the Labour Party is to finance a fascist Party.
I will support Ian Byrne and will help him with donating to a crowdfunding if necessary. I would donate too should he chose to stand to be re-elected for West Derby as an independent socialist.
I hope both Corbyn and Byrne stand as independents if the Labour Party refuse to allow them to stand as Labour’s candidates.
Whatever the next General Election is going to be, I am going to canvas for Zarah Sultana as it isn’t that far from me. She is in a marginal that needs to be retained. I am not longer a member of the (fascists) Labour Party but I still support socialists MPs.
Reply to Maria V
For the reasons previously given I am still a member of the Labour party and intend remaining so for the time being. I know many people genuinely disagree with my position but while paid trolls and fake Socialists bombard sites like this every day urging me and others like me (who they haven’t been able to expel yet as part of the on going purge ) to resign I’m going nowhere.
Who but a member of the DUP would refer to the North of Ireland, Northern Ireland, as Ulster. Sorry but I don’t believe you are a socialist, and fear you are a troll.
Anyone else, sitting chuckling to themselves, with fingers and toes crossed?
Mandelson, Evans, Arkwright, Starmer et al., at Southside Labour, have picked on the wrong Socialist MP, this time.
Not only the wrong Socialist, the wrong CLP and the wrong city.
If other CLP’s, in similar positions, joined in, it might go some way to reining in some of the high-handedness and vindictiveness of the Southside Labour Party, and their lackeys and minions, in the Regions.
Solidarity, with the City of Liverpool! Solidarity, with Liverpool West Derby CLP!
Solidarity, with Ian Byrne MP!!
We all hope but the reality is they can and will just suspend every single CLP that doesn’t produce the result they want. Were playing by there rules that they can alter or change or make BS up about at the drop of a hat.
I wish the MP well but lets be honest the fix is in he is getting kicked out even if they have to pull the BS antisemitic card again! I have seen with my own eyes what happens when a CLP goes rogue as they see it it gets shut down damn quick and controlled by area wonks then every single committee member membership looked at trying to find any excuse to remove them if that fails then lies and smears that fails then other dirty tricks you can’t win no one will come to help you might as well save yourself the grief and walk away…
The other side has no honour it will not hesitate to lie, smear and make up story’s that never happened but spread enough dirt and fools will believe the lie before you have a chance to say otherwise we have all seen this in Labour reports and many other documents and reports.
Is staying a Labour member worth this price? Sorry I don’t see it is and after 40+ years I have had enough.
Me too. For the first time in 43yrs I’m politically homeless, refuse to pay into or support Starmer’s corruption of what should be our party (the party of ‘Labour – a democratic socialist party’).
But, but, but…What does he hope to achieve???
At least, uphold democracy, on his own patch. Who knows where that might lead?
Other, affected, CLP’S may find their voices, and who knows where that may lead… see where I’m going with this.
Typed with tongue firmly in cheek, George.
It was a question I expected you-know-who to have already asked by now. I notice he’s been a bit slow off the mark recently. Let’s hope it’s not too serious, eh? 😏
https://skwawkbox.org/2022/11/05/exclusive-union-member-of-selection-committee-excluded-from-west-derby-branch-vote/#comment-236814
Surely the only vote that really matters is the final OMOV one.
And how many will be locked out of THAT vote, plums?
Don’t remember YOU telling us how YOU voted on the second ref shithousery??
There you are, perpetually crowing crowing about this alleged 70%. And how you gladly accepted the result of a vote YOU had no say on.
But it’s all Corbyn’s fault, somehow.
New New labour can get away with anything? They’ve been right so far.
New New labour can get away with anything? They’ve been far right so far.
Fixed.
Makes you wonder who & where they learned these shithouse tricks from…
Mandelson.
And the last 12 years of the toerags, doing as they please.
I suspect the Electoral Commission is concerned with public election matters rather than internal Party activities in selecting its candidates. This private club status enables Labour to do what is wants (or that its members and unions allow) outside of laws on protective charactsristics. Surely all this should have been learned during tge Kinnock Blair years. Is there no experience to pass down.
Indeed Verity!
If true, then we’re a step nearer our hands being well-and-truly Tied. The anti-member, anti-democracy authoritarian Starmer Regime wants nothing more than for Labour’s relatively few remaining left-members to be powerless in this -and other – party matters, for their desolation to cause them to leave and (together with the already ‘dearly departed’), start a ‘new party’ which their buddies in the synchronised-MSM immediately do a “anti-semitism job” on and which cannot, therefore, produce any MPs thanks to FPTP and the MSM’s concerted actions.
and Verity, re. your “is there no experience to pass down” question, I suspect the Kinnock and Blair years only gave us a “SCG Option”: i.e. stay in labour and retract into our own little SCG caucus, which, thanks to 2015 and “Oh-Jeremy-Corbyn”-Eruptions, the WEF-enterists (Starmer and bulk of the PLP) is already attacking. Ian Byrne’s rigged triggering is an instance of this.
One thing I know – if anyone can beat this problem, it’s Organised Labour” – as Ronan Burtenshaw said in a recent Tribune Editorial: |There is only one force on earth that Organised Wealth fears, and that is Organised Labour”.
New thinking AND a new party – we’ve got our work cut out.
The new party already exist in spirit but not in reality, because Labour’s purged knowledgeable political types are running like lemmings over a cliff, to TUSC or PAL small parties, that have never gained anything but derisory small vote share for decades and in recent years.
The reason is that no unelected party has full Grey Vote policies, when only the Grey Vote sufficiently turn out to vote for any and all parties in elections.
The young below aged 40 do not turn out to vote and a quarter of them are not even on the electoral roll, so cannot vote.
The Over 50s (policies From ages 1 to 100 plus) is updated Corbyn manifesto and the omitted Grey Vote policies learned between all us 1950s born ladies, thieved half a decade of state pension, and then learning about all the other discriminations we suffered and are still suffering, even when retired.
See website
www dot over50sparty dot org dot uk
We should, some while ago, have finally realised the Left of Labour is utterly doomed to failure particularly with PLP’s despicable orchestrated ongoing treatment backed-up by rightwing press and insinuating disruptive lobbyist faith pals purporting to be of a religious humanitarian bent ~ with all of their outrageous defaming and libelling of previous Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and team from moment he took the leadership through to his ragg-ed resignation at last general election. The Left is a completely lost cause while uselessly faffing about within a forever-to-be Tory-lite party. FFS why doesn’t the Left hive off and form a new Party of real social and politically inspired ethics that is unafraid to be properly socialist? Those of us who’ve left or have been suspended or expelled from the Labour Party why should any of us imagine rejoining will remould Labour into anything other than it’s stolid avowed intent to be Tory-lite?
The rightwing Blairite/pro-Israel lobby minority, controls the Labour Party and it can never be otherwise in this totally corrupt system based on greed, privilege, gross injustices against the poor, sick, vulnerable etc. Using its propaganda-wing state broadcaster BBC and its corporate owned and controlled press, Tory or Labour governments are selected on the basis of which can best serve the interests of Establishment. Only a rightwing-led Labour Party like Blair’s New Labour is allowed to govern. The successful right-wing media demonising and toppling of Corbyn was led by state broadcaster BBC, the propaganda-wing of the Establishment. The UK is, in effect, a one-party state. The energies of the many good people working for a fair and just society should be directed at fighting for a republic. It’s the only realistic solution in this totally corrupt system where a government for the many is impossible, and it would get massive support if offered in a referendum. Anything less will always end in bitter disappointment.