Garry Haldane shared posts by far right group and attacking women’s mental health – but Starmer’s Labour thinks he’s a fit candidate
Right-wing Labour figure Garry Haldane has proclaimed his delight at being shortlisted by the party in the parliamentary selection for Dunfermline and West Fife/Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath:
However, in 2017 Mr Haldane was discovered to have made ‘disgusting’ anti-refugee and anti-women posts on social media, including sharing posts by right-wing extremist groups, of which some are shown below:
The posts caused the CWU union to withdraw support for his 2017 local election campaign.
Starmer and his factional allies have tried to claim that left-wingers have been blocked from standing for selection – despite or more likely because of their popularity with local members – because he wants to ensure that no controversial candidates or those who might bring disrepute to the party.
But right-wing candidates have been greenlit despite allegations as grave as serious sexual assault and hate speech toward the disabled, as well as undisputed track records of racist comment and sexual harassment.
Starmer has been accused of trying to appeal to racists and ‘little Englanders’ – understandably, given his affinity for dogwhistle politics, cosiness with billionaires and corporations, demonisation of the poor and support for anti-democracy laws – and has covered up abuse of vulnerable domestic violence victims while sheltering alleged sex pests on his front bench.
In this context, Garry Haldane’s shortlisting looks more like par for the course, or even a plan, than any kind of oversight or blunder.
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