In the wake of “Labour Purge 2,” it’s easy to become despondent.
Here are 10 reasons to be hopeful:
- Labour HQ looks incompetent. Labour’s NEC made history, taking steps unprecedented in British politics. Backed by General Secretary, Iain McNicol, Labour has culled over a third of its members. Purging the head of the Bakers union (BFAWU) led John McDonnell to demand the protection of members from a “rigged purge.” Presented with little to no evidence of their suspensions, members have received letters outlining vague justifications, such as “sharing inappropriate content” on social media.
- Iain McNicol will resign. The systematic abuse of members and supporters is a final “Hoorah” from the General Secretary and his outgoing team. The NEC will soon have five new representatives; promising to protect and serve Party members. McNicol cannot survive this.
- A purge won’t happen again. Labour can look forward to a future where Party members and supporters have greater powers, authority and responsibility; where Party leaders have greater accountability to the movement they represent. Is it any wonder Jeremy Corbyn wanted to democratise the Party? The Labour purge is precisely the kind of scenario he foresaw and demonstrates just how irrelevant party members have become in the eyes of HQ. The devolution of powers to the Party Grassroots is not a luxury – it’s a necessity.
- Tories may be callous; but they’re not stupid. They know what’s happening in the Party. They know systematic attempts have been made to obliterate members. Accusations of Corbyn being a “fantasist,” “weak” or “inept” are dissipating. Many Tory voters now find themselves cultivating a sense of respect for Corbyn as a person, regardless of his political leanings. This is half the battle.
- Floating-voters. The public see Corbyn suffering anti-democratic forces. They see the bullying. They see the abuse. And, while many of them may think he’s “incapable of winning a general election,” he has their respect.
- Labour Hustings. Thursday’s debate in Glasgow revealed yet more ugliness as Smith attacked Corbyn for “not voting to remain” in the European Union; conveniently forgetting he campaigned with the entire “leadership of the Labour movement” in Cardiff.
- Pressure. Smith’s habit of resorting to abuse when under scrutiny is not just a problem for his leadership ambitions but for the PLP as a whole. In Smith’s own words, there’s a concession that “Jeremy is right” about almost everything. The Party cannot defeat Corbyn on policy and has therefore resorted to ad-hominem attacks.
- Numbers. The scale of anti-democratic plotting in Labour is unprecedented. But gerrymandering votes away from Corbyn won’t work. The number of eligible voters (roughly 300,000 after “Purge no. 1”) means HQ still faces a mammoth task. Even if Labour was to purge another 200,000, the percentage of Corbyn/Smith supporters would remain the same. The danger is the specific-targeting of Corbyn supporters which, if evidenced, would see Iain McNicol and co. behind bars.
- Corbyn is winning undecided leadership voters. After Thursday’s debate, HPOL carried-out its own polling of undecided/previously-undecided voters, based on the evening’s Hustings. The result was conclusive. Owen’s performances were getting worse. Through the leadership challenge, Corbyn has developed precisely the skills he’d been attacked as lacking.
10. Labour HQ wants Corbyn supporters to quit – and they’re not doing it. Having accepted Corbyn is impossible to “break as a man,” Labour turned its attention to the only available target: its own members. This new attempt to break Jeremy Corbyn through his supporters is both cruel and stupid. Systematic purges may prevent many Corbyn supporters from voting; but in doing-so Labour is creating more in their place.
Our message is clear: Don’t be silenced. Don’t lose hope. Stand up for democracy. And let’s win this election.
Great article. Absolutely spot on. I live in Central America and I have not received my voting email or letter. So I’m figuring I’ve been purged. It will not stop me supporting JC it will free me to be more specific in my feedback to the 171 Contras and their shadowy backers. Interestingly I received my NEC voting pack on the day the results were announced! McNicol and his co-conspirators are toast. It seems they are doing as much damage as possible on their way out. Please keep up the great work.
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Thank you :-) We will try!
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Reblogged this on royboxer and commented:
JEZWECAN we shall overcome
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Thanks for such an excellent article! Really well done! And more strength to you and your blog and it’s excellent tone. Keep up the great work and that’s the spirit!
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Thank you, Sally! More writers next month :-)
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Hi Tim! I just saw when I shared this the pic comes that accompanies the share shows ‘just the vote remain section of the pic and not that it is part of a tweet. Just a suggestion to add another pic as well to the blog so that becomes the main pic so that it does not seem that the article has a ‘vote remain’ theme – although the headline title does tell the story. Just a suggestion but well done!
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Great spot, Sally :-) Thank you! :-) !
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PS: One just needs to find another pic that is that landscape format as facebook seems to scrape those more easily but actually already the response to my shares of the blog on facebook are getting lots of likes so I do not need think this is an issue. This all by way of brainstorm and best wishes
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Reblogged this on Mark Catlin's Blog.
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The idea is not necessarily to neat corbyn bit to minimise the margin of victory so they have an excise to keep shaking the tree. Theyve said coebym makes the party unelectable so they have to do all they can to make it come true. Where are the peacemakers in all this?
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Reblogged this on dainagregory.
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The personal attacks on Jeremy Corbyn are making it easier to support him. He is a principled man and will not bring himself down to their levels. The policies he has announced have hit the right note with the public to carry on the support for the Labour Party.
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This is a powerful summation of the present conflict between Labour Party members and the Labour Party NEC
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Thank you, Ronald!
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It worries me this election will be stolen from Corbyn, and the implications of that are far reaching, the left will not be able to stand a challenger in future, I have said for many years the Party had been hi-jacked by the Blairites and if anyone was in any doubt before now they cannot have any doubts now, We have to break that grip, we cannot win an election with 172 undemocratic nomarks who have lost 168MPs, Scotland and 5m voters, there is all out war about to breakout but I am confident the membership will win and return this party to democracy, The 172 know what is happening and are as culpable as McNicol, they all have to go.,
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All very nice – BUT, there is an inescapable fact, a Party led by Corbyn is unelectable in the real world, outside of the committe meetings and the confirmation bias atmosphere of the members get togethers – We are doomed to opposition –
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“BUT, there is an inescapable fact, a Party led by Corbyn is unelectable” – Not fact … Supposition. There has never been an election with Corbyn as leader. The fact has never been tested Please don’t confuse rhetoric by calling it fact.
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Just how I see this whole affair…….. Great article thank you
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Thank you, Billy!
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Perfectly timed positivity. I have been getting a sense of some disillusionment setting in so it is essential that we bring our focus back to the future that we all want. It isn’t just having the experience of a general election with Jeremy as leader. It is also having the experience of a general election with half a million “real” people persuading, particularly people who don’t normally vote, to vote for a set of positive, people oriented policies that will make this country a better place to work, rest and play
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Glad we could help, Ian!
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Reblogged this on paul8ar.
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Excellent and uplifting analysis Tim. Do take a look at my own latest blog https://medium.com/@AndyBowen/the-scourge-of-the-purge-f77a69d1acb0#.bzs0ylkl8
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In the last week I have travelled on train and ferry from Leeds to Lerwick. Just generally talking to people there is no doubt that many ‘ordinary’ people, both those affected badly by austerity and those with a conscience, could be labour voters under Corbyn – but maybe not labour or Momentum members. There is a moodswing out there that the media either hasn’t acknowledged or darent address. It really was encouraging to get that feedback and to feel that we are fighting for real democracy, not dogma.
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The very fact this Labour leader Mr J Corbny has stood his ground while in Parliament even under verbal abuse from Tory’s leadership and the P.MP.s on all sides of Parliament ,
Even from his own Labour P.MP.S
Mr Corbny stands above the whole of Government School boys and girls jeers,
and got on with job,
With a his quite way and getting point across even when the very office,
he is part of and to which he was voted in to ,
Jeer him and make small of his ambitions for the Labour party,
and the fact that he is not cowl by MEDIA and the Establishment ,
For this I will back the Labour party leader,
even in order to vote even when I cant afford it,
Pay to keep right to vote,
and have voted,
Because he is worth the effort and time,
to keep him as LABOUR LEADER,
and believe him when he said he will do what is right,
The likes of Media and the so call sodo intellectuals
that deem the common herd they call Doe AND Joe Public,
Are intellect stunted to the point that even their right to VOTE Democracy
Should and is being curtailed at each round of General Elections,
and only approved sodo intellectuals of any party’s should be allow in to those hallowed halls of
establishment and PARLIAMENT,
Think about this people.
They seek to exclude anyone not meeting their OLD SCHOOL RULES and failing the meet their so call old school standards,
Mr Corbny falls out side the this elite class of people,
and they seek to eject him in the most humiliating way possible to
deter other people from trying from you Mrs/Mr Public,
FROM STANDING FOR OFFICE IN THE HOUSE OF PARLIAMENT.
The Labour P.MPs Are fighting Mr Corbny to keep A very converlooted type of control
they now think they exercise over you Joe and Doe Public ,
So I back Mr Corbny and any that stand with him as Labour party members,
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“The danger is the specific-targeting of Corbyn supporters which, if evidenced, would see Iain McNicol and co. behind bars.”
Interesting comment – Does the rigging of internal party elections really have legal criminal consequences?
Any references for this?
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Reblogged this on jeanid123.
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