The image of the left was shared on Facebook 21 September 2021. It is one of many Sun front pages churned out ahead of the General Election 2019. It is easy to see why many of us on the left of British politics call the Sun the Scum and avoid it like the plague. However, some Labour MPs dabble with the Sun as they try to win over voters. It was always called something of a working men's paper, though in truth this working class Northern woman knows few if any people who read or even glance at the garbage it shares daily. But take a good look at this particular front page. It promises sunshine all the way in a land of golden opportunity as long as the country returns a Boris Johnson Tory government to parliament. Its alternative vision shows a Jeremy Corbyn led Labour government heralding in a dark new era which includes the lights going out across the U.K. With the sub heading Save Britain it is so wrong it is farcical. It would be hilarious if times were not dire. Currently smaller energy companies across the U.K. are going bust at record speed, energy customers face massive price hikes, supermarkets are running low on stock, and Johnson today received the bum's rush from Joe Biden as he visited the States in person. In the last week Michael Gove was given a whole new title which encompasses "Get Christmas Done" and it is "Secretary of State for of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Minister for Intergovernmental Relations!" The country is currently in such a mess Christmas as most of us know it is under threat. Look how a different Scum front page calls Corbyn's manifesto pledges "bribes" and talks of a "grim vision of Marxist Britain." But such verbal attacks, including calling Corbyn Red Jez worked on some voters. That and a desire to "Get Brexit Done" returned Johnson to office portraying him as some sort of pal called Boris. It will be interesting, though painful for many of us, to see how events pan out. The covid19 crisis has certainly played a part but that is true in all countries. After all it is a pandemic. One big difference between a Johnson and a possible Corbyn led government has been priorities. Even in the throes of a pandemic the Tories have tried to help their friends and donors do well financially out of the crisis. I know which type of government I would prefer, and it is not this Johnson living nightmare we are experiencing. The British electorate was sold a pup! www.indy100.com/news/nhs-testing-programme-talktalk-dido-harding-matt-hancock-9505216 Jeremy Corbyn was scheduled to speak at the 2019 Labour Party conference Wednesday but after a crazy political day in the UK Tom Watson’s speech was put on hold until conference 2020, Jeremy Corbyn’s speech was brought forward to Tuesday and the conference closed a day early. ‘ The reason for this hasty reshuffle was the Supreme Court’s ruling that when Boris Johnson prorogued parliament he acted unlawfully. The Queen has now been dragged into a mighty political storm and Johnson, just five weeks into his role as Prime Minister of the UK, is facing calls to resign. One man today took full advantage if the situation though, Jeremy Corbyn. Following an introduction by Labour Party member and singer Jermain Jackman Corbyn gave a storming leader’s speech at the Labour Party conference in Brighton. His speech was clear and articulate, he was light hearted at times yet serious, poking fun at himself at times and leading the audience into bursts of #JohnsonOut. Conference finished on a high and parliament will resume tomorrow at 11.30am. The Conservative Party insist their conference will go ahead next week but they are in unchartered waters. Make sure you are registered to vote as a General Election is back on the cards. https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote This is a personal view of events concerning the Labour Party this week, with a little personal background to kick this off
(Apologies this will be rather long) Coming from a working class background, our family occupying what was deemed a slum property during my childhood in the 1950s and 1960s, I guess I was always going to be a socialist. My parents were Labour voters though never party members and I followed that trend. There were always some working class Tory voters, even where we lived as kids, most for a variety of reasons including working class snobbery and an “I'm Alright Jack Attitude”. But we kids all played on the same bomb-sites, went to the same old Victorian built schools, tore around the streets playing games, washed in tin baths, if we were lucky, slept in icy cold bedrooms during the winter months and enjoyed the privilege of an outside lavatory. But we were lucky as not far from our streets the tenants in blocks of houses all shared one outside lavatory in a communal yard with one outside tap thrown in to spoil them. So for me once a socialist always a socialist I have voted Labour all my adult life though at times having to pinch my nose and encourage others to vote for "the lesser of the evils", the Labour Party. Retiring a few years ago it seemed sensible to join the Labour Party which I have always supported and put my money where my mouth has always been. It was ahead of the General Election 2015 and Ed Miliband was party leader. I had already been joining in pro-Labour tweet-storms and other social media activity as well as posting supportive blogs so what could possibly go wrong? What went wrong for me was the Labour Party in all its self-proclaimed broad-church splendour People say ignorance is bliss and that is certainly true. GE2015 was lost and Ed was the sacrificial lamb. Ed’s own MPs, many who shy away from leadership or even cabinet positions, like to virtually throw the party leader under any passing bus in defeat and so they chucked Ed as far as they could throw him. Which means it was strange to me that Jeremy was blamed when a majority of people in the U.K. voted to leave the E.U, as my M.P. Alan Johnson ran the Labour campaign. Warning bells went ting-a-ling But I digress I initially supported Andy Burnham for party leader when Ed stepped down. My thoughts were his age compared to Jeremy Corbyn rather than anything else, and I say that as a person aged mid-sixties now. But a new lesson was learned, never judge others by yourself. Jeremy Corbyn has amazing stamina and resilience. I never supported Yvette Cooper or Liz Kendall as both were just too wishy-washy and middle-of-the-road for me. I looked at those standing for Deputy Party Leader and opted for Tom Watson as best of the bunch. Like so many I truly regret that vote. Having followed the leadership race tirelessly I actually missed the new leader announcement as the health of our old rescue dog took a terrible turn for the worse. As the new leader of the Labour Party was announced we sat on our kitchen floor, with our beloved Jessie, while the vet put her to sleep. So it was a tearful day for us but nothing to do with politics. I had vowed to support whichever candidate won and I have been true to my word unlike some. However it has been an easy task to support Jeremy as Jeremy Corbyn is the best thing that has happened to British politics for many decades. He and his political supporters offer real hope for the many not the few and a chance to create a better Britain. Having watched Britain's decline over the decades he remains an inspiration to me and one of the few politicians that could reverse the decay and stop the rot. But it has not been an easy ride for Mr Corbyn or his supporters. From day one there have been accusations, smears, challenges to his leadership and enemies within the party trying their damnedest to remove him and return to the politics of Tony Blair; a man who came to the Labour Party late. For some it is as if there was no Labour Party in existence before Blair took office. So this week another crisis is reached in the Labour Party. This time a huge crisis which kicked off with claims of Antisemitism levelled against Mr Corbyn relating to a comment he made on Facebook in 2012. It is worth noting when he did not rapidly respond to the allegation made by a Labour MP she took to Twitter to ensure maximum coverage and damage. But yes 2012, so why the huge personal urgency now? Why not work with colleagues and address this once and for all? For me timing is always important when we look at allegations and try to decide if they are an opportunistic smear or made with real concerns. At the end of this blog I will share some links to this week’s events but I refuse to dredge it all up again. This is my closure on the affair, cathartic, as we look forward to upcoming elections and begin campaigning. Those safely nestled in Westminster apparently do not give a flying fig about local people standing for election this year. Timing as always matters More sacrificial lambs? There has been a plethora of nasty screenshots from closed member only Labour supporting groups flooding some twitter troll accounts for some time. If there are real and new problems real action would have been taken by now. The ruling bodies of the NEC would have acted and new procedures would already be in place. And the party machinery under outgoing General Secretary Iain McNicol have obviously left a backlog of work for newly appointed Jennie Formby. Are all the issues new and only occurring now under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership? No except possibly for the extent of in-house smears. It is notable that today, Good Friday in the U.K. the boss of Progress Richard Angell has made sure Jeremy Corbyn and his supporters are headline news for all the wrong reasons. As Angell and his side-kick Luke Akehurst have tried to undermine Jeremy Corbyn and his supporters from day one their involvement actually disrespects genuine victims of Antisemitism in my honest opinion. Until I joined the Labour Party I had no idea what Progress or Momentum was but you soon wise up. So here I stand, or rather sit at my P.C typing this blog on Good Friday, the day that Jesus Christ was crucified wondering what next? What next for the smears? What nest for the accusers? What next for Jeremy Corbyn supporters like myself branded a rabble or trots and neo fascists from people within the party and from one Tory M.P. this week Sajid Javid who took the cowards way out and did his accusing in the House of Commons under parliamentary privilege rules. And, what next for me? I commented on social media a short while ago sensing what was coming having observed trolls in action "should I renew my Labour Party membership and why?" I had lots of positive reactions and reasons to stick with it. However as I watch our own MPs, some who were helped back into office by Momentum and Jeremy Corbyn supporting activists in 2017, virtually spit on each and every one of us I wonder why bother? There are many reasons to stay but many more to quit. One main one will be to continue to support Jeremy Corbyn from within as well as outside of the party. But who knows which member will be deemed not fit to grace the party traditionally of the working class at any future date? It could well be me next if someone wants to trawl social media with the software the trolls and the party use to find a reason to remove people; or even if they do not like this blog. Of course the likes of Tony Blair and John Woodcock are allowed to stay party members while actively telling people they cannot vote for Jeremy or even telling them to vote for another party. They can also feed the media negative story after negative story and not be held to account. Seems the software used and the people reporting are very selective. So in case you are wondering:- I am not a racist I am not homophobic I am not Antisemitic I am not sexist I am not abusive I am not a careerist I am not a journo posting click bait to make money I do not yearn for any public office But I am a Jeremy Corbyn supporter? And I am angry All I do is yearn for a Jeremy Corbyn led Labour government with a great team working with him. I ask do other Labour people such as John Mann, Stella Creasy, Tony Blair, John Woodcock, Luke Akehurst, Richard Angell et al want that? I think we all know the answer to that one Will I renew my party membership? The jury is still out on that one and here is why. I have as little in common with Progress, its members, its supporting MPs, its bosses Luke Akehurst and Richard Angell and those on the right of the party as I do with the Tories or even god forbid Ukip. Until I see that change why would I want to throw my hat in the Labour Party ring. But there is a subtle difference this time. If I leave the party my vote goes with me. I will become non-political and enjoy a full-retirement at last. Eileen Kersey Please feel free to comment but note due to spammers and those darn trolls comments need to be approved before they show. The tabloids and the BBC are at it again.
Not content with the egging they received over fake claims that Jeremy Corbyn was passing secrets to a Czechoslovakian spy, they are now trying their hardest to discredit him using the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yuliya, who were hospitalised after encountering the nerve agent Novichok in Salisbury two-weeks ago. The theme in the main stream media this time, is that Corbyn, by wanting to err on the side of caution until we have proof that the Russian government administered Novichok to Mr Skripal and his daughter, must mean that he is trying to protect the Russians for some nefarious reason of his own. Most right-thinking people would undoubtedly agree that before our Government went ahead and escalated a cold war with Russia, it might not be a bad idea to check a few facts first, especially as the scientist working on the samples of the poison that were sent to Porton Down, have refused to state categorically that the Novichok was made in Russia. ‘Labour MPs round on Corbyn after he says he does not TRUST security services' evidence that Russia is to blame for spy nerve agent attack’ Screamed the Daily Mail. Of course it mattered not to the Mail that it was totally untrue. What Mr Corbyn said was he fully condemned the attack, and those who had committed such an atrocity on British soil must be found and punished. He simply wanted to wait for the report from the experts at Porton Down to identify the source of the poison before blame was apportioned anywhere. Trial by media did not stop with the gutter press however. On BBC Newsnight March 15, a photo of Jeremy Corbyn was selected to make him look as much like Lenin as possible. His picture was set against a backdrop of Russia’s Red Square. It was obvious to Labour supporters and others that Mr Corbyn was set up to look like a Russian stooge. Accusations of photoshopping Mr Corbyn’s hat were denied by the BBC, but it cannot be doubted that the colouring and the shadows in the photo of the Labour leader and his hat were altered to sit more comfortably with the backdrop. The subliminal message from the BBC was look at Corbyn at home with his Russian mates. There has been indecent haste to brand the leader of Her Majesty’s Opposition in the U.K. a Russian sympathiser and a traitor to the country in which he was born and has served loyally for 35 years as a Labour MP and it’s not difficult to see why the right-wing hacks are behaving like this. After Ben Bradley was forced to apologise for calling Jeremy Corbyn a traitor on social media, the oligarchs who control democracy in the U.K. must have felt a little flutter of alarm. Jeremy Corbyn is a strong and principled man who has promised to sort out the jackals in the press when Labour take office. They only have themselves to blame, however, but, any chance they get to go a little bit James Bond between now and the next election will not be missed. Rosalyn Cullan Please note: By Monday March 19 a standard email was being sent out to those who had complained to the BBC. A copy follows: MayDay for women describe themselves as an underground resistance, standing up for the rights of women and children. They are allegedly Labour party supporters who feign outrage at the idea that transgender women are allowed the same platform in the Labour Party as people assigned female at birth. Desperate to see misogyny in the most harmless of situations, these people are trying to bring down Corbyn’s Labour by claiming outrage that Labour are planning to allow transgender people onto all women short lists. Emboldened by the onslaught against LGBT people in the right wing press, this sinister and nasty group are trying their best to create a hostile environment for those in the Labour Party who support a person’s right to choose the sex with which they feel most comfortable. This group of seemingly transphobic bigots are trying hard to get their hatred sanctioned by organising mass resignations from the Labour Party in protest at what they see as sullying their gender purity. They are the worst kind of feminists who set the cause for female equality back a hundred years. Owen Jones reported that in today’s Britain, eight in 10 trans young people report self-harm and nearly half have tried to kill themselves. How is a minority so afflicted with transphobia-induced mental distress supposed to feel with this relentless campaign against them? Note that 64% of trans school pupils have been bullied for their gender identity; and 38% of trans people have suffered physical intimidation. True feminism embraces all creeds colours and persuasions, and that includes those souls who wish to identify themselves as female MayDay isnt motivated by sisterly love or women’s rights, they have a thinly veiled agenda which is to score points against the democratically elected leader of the Labour Party, and it doesn’t take a genius to work out who is behind it. Rosalyn Cullan ............................................................................................................ #Women4Corbyn is a transinclusive group of female Labour Party members showing continued support for Jeremy Corbyn as Labour Party leader. Show your support here Many ordinary people struggle to pay their annual council Tax bill. I know we do and we are only in a Band B property. Even so that is £1,143.69 a year. As pensioners that is a huge cost. Under the old rates system we would be paying much less. But Tory PM Margaret Thatcher wanted the rates scrapped. In came the dreadful poll tax, followed by the community charge and our current council tax system. The top rate of council tax locally is £2940.92. That is six tax bands higher than mine. That is a maximum tax and payable on mansions worth millions if there are any locally. There will be some. The rates were not perfect but Thatcher’s argument that they hurt some vulnerable and elderly people was a gimmick. In fact the changes led to wealthier residents getting a financially better and more affordable deal on local taxation And that funding goes toward a range of local services including police and fire. In truth the government should fund such vital services But the following is what is what happens when you go down the road of local taxation being a one fund pays for all. “Plans for 150 more cops for Essex Police - but council tax would increase to pay for it” #Policing #CouncilTax What could and should replace the #CouncilTax when we are in government? #JC4PM #JCEffect Morning thoughts 😉
Did you watch any of the Alan Bennett airings last weekend on UK TV? We caught some including replays. A couple of things must have implanted on my brain one being Alan Bennett singing They Fuck You Up Your Mum and Dad, from a Philip Larkin verse, to the theme tune of Last of the Summer Wine, which after an unsettled night I woke up singing Tuesday. The mind is very strange or at least mine is. Bennett talked in a documentary about various things including Miss Shepherd the real Lady in the Van. If you have seen the film or read the book you will know that she was from genteel stock but lived a hand to mouth existence. Turns out she was also a Tory supporter. But she had her own views on who should lead the country politically and politics did not always come into it. Tall herself she thought a shorter person did a better job. So she preferred Harold Wilson Labour to Ted Heath Tory but simply on height - yes size matters to some. This moved my ponderings onto a former work colleague at the NHS. This person tried giving me a friendly lecture of sorts in the run up to the 2010 General Election; she was voting Liberal Democrat as Gordon Brown and the Labour Party was ruining this country and she thought I should too. I asked her what she meant by "ruining the country" and went on to ask her why SHE was bothered after she talked a great deal about our banking system. It was post the financial crisis and it seemed the mainstream media and election campaigners had sucked her in. She was adamant. It was hard not to gloat post election after the Lib Dems agreed to form a coalition government with the Tories. She had put her faith in Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg and he had let her down miserably. The point is this person lived in social housing, was a single parent, needed income tops from the DWP and had a child claiming Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA). EMA was scrapped pretty quickly and this woman felt the pinch pretty sharpish. She learned the hard way that your vote matters and should never be squandered. That woman faced a tough future but who was to blame for that - in the end herself? But it highlights how some ordinary people with plenty to lose and lots to potentially gain vote in weird, wonderful and lunatic ways at times. We can never take election success for granted. The best person for the role of British Prime Minister at this time is Jeremy Corbyn leading a Labour government. Having to convince those who should already know that may still be a sad fact of life. http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/15272526/what-impact-has-scrapping-ema-had http://www.npr.org/2015/12/12/459212329/for-15-years-the-real-lady-in-the-van-lived-in-this-playwrights-driveway If you are eligible to vote and register to do so by 11.59pm May 22, 2017, you can vote June 8, 2017, for the next government of the UK.
Tuesday Jeremy Corbyn along with key players in the Labour Party kicked of Labour's General Election 2017 campaign. The Tory's unelected leader Theresa May was also out and about but it was a very different game she was playing. Take a look at the images above from Michael Crick a senior Channel 4 news reporter. Perhaps Mrs May and her team are opting for a carefully controlled campaign environment for many reasons including;
He has fiercely chased allegations of Tory electoral fraud. Following the General Election 2015 senior BBC journo Nick Robinson revealed it was a very different scenario at the BBC to Channel 4. The "Mail Online ran a story titled "Cameron threatened to 'close down' the BBC after general election row, claims political editor Nick Robinson"." Theresa May and her team are dictating events. Tonight she and her husband Philip will appear on the One Show on BBC. Monday BBCDP host Jo Coburn was caught on camera smirking at the thought of Jeremy Corbyn and his wife appearing on that show at a later date. http://www.newtekjournalismukworld.com/latest/nick-robinson-claims-bbc-ran-scared-of-david-cameron https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote http://www.thejeremycorbyneffect.com/jeremycorbyn/corbyn-supporters-even-abused-by-journalist-janan-ganesh This week Jeremy Corbyn, Labour politicians and their supporters have been election campaigning. Unelected Tory Party leader Theresa May has opted for a more limited campaign so far. Well she is called the "submarine" by some for obvious reasons and also "mummy" by some in her cabinet also for obvious reasons. The General Election June 8, 2017, is important. Such elections are always important but this one is crucial for many voters and for many reasons. If Theresa May wins and wins big time she will have a free hand to extend so called austerity measures. The Tory Party has a huge election campaign chest stuffed with money and will outspend the Labour Party. But that does not guarantee the Tories will win on June 8. One of the few promises the Tory Party has ever kept is holding an in or out European Union referendum. While the Tory Party is split and having serious rows behind closed doors the truth is that many Tory voters and supporters have a vested interest in the UK leaving the EU. The Labour Party will respect the EU referendum result and British democracy but ensure we all get the best deal available. Watch the campaign launch below, make sure you are registered to vote and on June 8 #VoteLabour http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/theresa-may-called-mummy-by-tory-conservative-activists-why-motherhood-female-power-a7707841.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/24/theresa-may-accused-of-leaving-david-cameron-to-fight-alone-duri/ https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/may/02/conservative-general-election-campaign-key-people-lynton-crosby After watching PMQs Wednesday John Sargent writes:
In the lunchtime TV news following today's PMQs, rather than focusing on the fact that Theresa May either could not or would not answer perfectly reasonable questions from Jeremy Corbyn, why did the report instead feature her bullying, hectoring personal attack on him? I would have thought it was more newsworthy at this time to hold Mrs May and her government to account for the past six years - the bulletin should have reflected the fact that she had no answers and could not defend her government's actions or the distress and inequality that has been caused as a result of those actions. Does the BBC really equate refusal to answer, refusal to debate or the aggressive verbal bullying and insulting behaviour she displayed with being a strong leader? It is my belief that just one of the chief protagonists in this election deserves the title of 'strong leader' and he demonstrates that week in week out regardless of the personal attacks made on him which are repeated by the conservative media. Today's bulletin was yet another surreptitious attempt to undermine a very powerful, principled man who has all the right values to deliver a fairer and decent society for all of us. If you are concerned about the plight of education, about the crisis in the NHS; if you care about the old, the disabled, the vulnerable; if you are appalled that there are food banks and more children than ever are now living in poverty, then on June 8th help to put things right by voting Labour. Op-ed; There are a couple of growth industries in the UK right now and the list includes supporting conflict, the weapons industries, pointless polling and costly elections and referendums.
One media source reports "Cabinet office minister Mark Harper estimated that the 2010 election cost the public purse £113,255,271. This was broken down to £28,655,271 for distributing candidates’ mailings and £84.6million for carrying out the vote. This was a spending increase of almost 60per cent compared to the 2005 election." So much for austerity! Since 2010 there have been council and by elections, the General Election 2015, the Scottish Independence referendum and the 2016 EU referendum. Is there any wonder some people are not politically engaged? Of course disenfranchised voters suits the British Conservative Party. You can bet the Tory faithful will be ready, willing and able to vote. Political parties are busy raising funds to help their current election campaigns. The Labour Party could be outspent again as its supporters sometimes have limited funds. Even if there is nothing in allegations regarding the Tory party in effect stealing the 2015 General Election with overspending make no mistake the Tories have a well-stuffed election chest available. If you still wonder why Thatcher was determined to hit the unions and any Labour Party support they gave what planet are you on? It was always about weakening the Labour Party and the opposition; removing party donations and ensuring there is no level playing field. But in 2017 the Lib Dems election funding chest is now also fit to burst. Just who is financially helping the Lib Dems out and why?
But what will Farron do if voters still vote to leave the EU? For some this election is all Labour BRexit. For this voter it is about securing a strong, fairer government that will not leave whole sections of society behind. For this voter that is a Labour government with Jeremy Corbyn as Prime Minister and John McDonnell Chancellor. Do I trust them? Yes I do. I am proud to be supporting Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell. Below are a few images, memes and cartoons. Feel free to share. The Lib Dems, Tories and UKip and possibly the SNP have big money backing them-fat cats will work hard to prevent a Labour government becoming reality. Do you really think they are doing this for your best interests? We have people power on our side and have it all to win. Previous Tory fund raising; Op-ed; Unelected Tory PM Theresa May announced on Monday that a snap General Election would take place June 8 if a majority of MPs agreed.
Some MPs were quick to announce they would not stand in the general election but contrary to some reports that is not unusual and it has not been a peculiar Labour Party phenomenon. Saturday Tory MP Eric Pickles announced he was stepping down at this election and we thought we would post a reminder of Mr Pickles, a true Tory through and through. Tory Eric Pickles £500,000 luxury limo spend October 2014 Larger-than-life U.K. Tory politician is an example of a fat-cat in every way. Loathe as we usually are to poke fun at any person for their physical traits, in 2014 Britain it is the norm. As things hot up in the run up to the 2015 General Election the Tory PR machine is throwing its weight behind attacking Labour and its leader Ed Miliband. The attacks are personal and include Ed's appearance but was there ever a bigger figure of fun than Pickles? His name is the stuff of jokes but then there is his extremely rotund appearance. News Monday that Pickles, 62, "spent £247,775 on two ministerial cars in 2012, £185,935 in 2013, and £103,091 in the first six months of this year" should shock the electorate to the core. As a representative and member of the Nasty Party of the U.K., the Tories, Pickles is adept at espousing about austerity and welfare benefit scroungers but once again he is a minister proving to be a big scrounger in every sense of the word. For 2014 the cost, number crunched by Labour and the Daily Mirror, represents an 11% increase on the previous costs of Pickles' luxury limos. According to the Mirror, "Shadow Cabinet Office minister Jon Ashworth said: “This looks like seriously wasteful activity. “Mr Pickles should be cutting costs, not driving around in luxury courtesy of the taxpayer.”" They point out that "Westminster is only two stops on the London underground from Mr Pickles’ Whitehall office in Victoria. A return ticket costs £4.40 - and £536,801 would pay for 122,000 of them. He could buy an annual travelcard for £1,256 - and the money he spent on limos would pay for 427 of those." Tories trying to defend the use of costly luxury limos have tried to turn the tables on Labour claiming the number of limos used by ministers has reduced from six to two and saying Labour is hypocritical. No matter what the truth about the figures the Tory led coalition are operating in supposedly tough austere times and they expect the people of Britain to tighten their belts to within an inch of being able to breathe. Pickles, as Community Minister, told authorities around the U.K. to slash travel spending to save money. If that does not make him one big fat hypocrite I don't know what does. Pickles would benefit from leading by example and getting off his butt instead of swanning around in limos paid for by the hard-pressed electorate of the U.K. No argument justifies his hypocrisy. If the fact that he is one minister who could never blend into a crowd is part of the problem then he must know what he needs to do, and it is not sit in luxury limos while telling the people of Britain to suck up austerity. The current wave of spin, propaganda and Labour bashing is more hypocrisy. Have they never heard of "let he who is without sin cast the first stone" or "look no further than the nearest mirror"? Part of the campaign is continuing to use UKIP as a threat to Labour when, if needed, the Tories and Ukip will simply unite after the 2015 election as a right-wing Tory or Ukip led government of the U.K. Currently it is all about putting Labour out of the picture. So tell me again--who are the hypocrites? NOTE: And in 2017 why the hell would you vote Tory? Will Sir Eric Pickles be shuffling off to the House of Lords and more money for old rope? Sources: Business Insider Daily Mirror http://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/795089/Tory-Sir-Eric-Pickles-stand-down-MP-General-Election-Theresa-May http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/eric-pickles-tea-biscuits-bill-3062584 More re Mr Pickles here http://www.tekjournalismuk.com/only-in-the-uk/eric-pickles-belt-tightening-transparency-hypocrisy-and-gagging Op-ed; With 47 days left on the clock ticking down to the General Election 2017 now may be a good time to consider the NHS, its future and your health. Having worked for the NHS for around 13 years ahead of retirement this blogger has seen the good, the bad and the ugly side of the NHS and that includes from its users. But when we fall ill the NHS is there for us ALL; it provides our care often under extreme circumstances and never forget that NHS staff face a seemingly continuous merry-go-round of changes which sometimes reset the clock again and again. In fact we used to say work here long enough and you see every change come around again. What a waste of money and how demoralising for staff! However we are now into new uncharted Tory territory. Take a look at the letter shown below; So on April Fool's Day 2017 a part of the NHS was handed over to Tory fat cat Richard Branson.
A man who already makes money out of previously nationalised services such as British Rail. Tory PM Theresa May and her health Minister Jeremy Hunt have been working hard to undermine the NHS. Using tried and tested Tory tactics it is game on. With privatisation end game NHS the aim. Vague claims of money pouring into the NHS, real reports of restricted pay for staff, morale hitting rock bottom and the wait for some services extended beyond what is acceptable the Tories are working hard to destroy the NHS before dismantling it. Tory PM Thatcher sold off water, electricity, gas and some social housing. That is one reason we have increased homelessness and sky high bills for utilities. Mrs May and Mr Hunt take the general public for fools. And they are raking it along the way. Just how many more reasons do you need to #VoteLabour? Should Richard Branson's company have access to your health records and your care? http://www.newtekjournalismukworld.com/latest/who-is-jeremy-hunt-and-what-qualifies-him-as-health-minister Op-ed; We are just a few days into General Election mode and a few things are already clear.
Theresa May will not tour the country in quite the way some would expect. Instead she will appear at carefully stage managed events where her massively overstaffed spin team will make sure she gets an easy ride and the mainstream media will help her along. She has refused to take part in televised political debates. David Cameron initially refused in 2010 but finally made limited performances. But his spin team were allowed in the spin rooms and got first spot on TV screens post debate. If the TV debates go ahead without Mrs May this must not be allowed to happen again. As a sitting PM Mrs May has it all to lose in TV debates but you do need to bear in mind she has no mandate as she was not elected by her party members to lead the Tories nor the country to be Prime Minister. Theresa May is many things including a liar. Within a short time of denying the Scottish people an independence referendum, stating now is not the time, and saying she would not call a general election before 2020 she did just that. On Monday she said she was calling a snap general election to be held June 8. The timescale is short. Other parties could have refused to play ball and let Mrs May stew but instead the majority agreed to a general election and why wouldn't they? This Tory government is crippling communities around the country and needs removing. Mrs May also claims to be a Christian regularly attending church services but that means nothing. As someone raised in the Christian faith this blogger as a child would watch the backstabbing and nasty comments which often followed a church service; some members of the congregation seemed to think being a good Christian was simply about attending church services missing the message of Christ entirely. So why did May call an election? There could be many reasons including;
The Tories always manage to hold their divisions close to their chests. They know loose lips sink ships and that showing a united front to the electorate works. That may be phoney and hypocritical but the Tory government is morally bankrupt so what do they care? In 2010 the Conservative / Liberal Democrat coalition government pushed through the fixed term parliament act. The act means that no Prime Minister can force through an election on a whim. There would be no early election. It was no longer every four years either but FIVE. But when it suits the Tory Party this week they rush through a general election. MPs of course have a final say but it highlights how the Conservatives use democracy and the political process to suit. With council elections in May political parties will struggle to campaign with limited funds. The uber wealthy Tory Party with their fat-cat establishment friends will have no such financial worries. Memes and cartoons are overused these days but the one below picked up on Facebook for me says it all I will just add #VoteLabour for a fairer country with a government that works for us all not just the few. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/how-labour-selecting-candidates-2017-10265227 #BringItOn Op-ed; Jeremy Corbyn publicly launched the Labour Party's 2017 General Election campaign Thursday morning around 10.30am.. Mr Corbyn stayed true to his political beliefs refusing to spin the truth to suit. Instead he talked about rebalancing the country and working for an inclusive society. An honest decent man; a rarity in British politics. There had been an event in Croyden Wednesday night to kick of the campaign but Thursday's event was streamed online and televised. Unlike Theresa May who opted for a sheltered environment to launch the Tory campaign Jeremy Corbyn took questions from the media. Laura Kunnesberg BBC was first up when it came to taking questions. She and an ITV and Channel 5 reporter stuck to the tried and tested questions including a stab about the Islington elite, Jeremy Corbyn's constituency, but Jeremy batted all away with sensible but light-hearted responses. Reporters stay focused on polls which damn Mr Corbyn but selective polls were wrong when it came to the 2015 General Election. We were drip fed negative polls ahead of GE2015 until polls closed at 2015 when exit polls suddenly painted a clear picture that the Tories had won. Who is Jeremy Corbyn? In December 2015 I thought I would take a brief look online to see what I could learn about Jeremy Corbyn. Certainly since he was first elected Labour Party leader on September 12, 2015, there had been more than a fair share of bad press about the man, his supporters and his team. This is what I wrote following a quick scout around the Internet: LABOUR PARTY LEADER JEREMY CORBYN HAS A HUGE GRASSROOTS FOLLOWING, IS BOTH POPULAR AND YET CALLED A CLOWN BY SOME MEMBERS OF THE ELECTORATE AND HIS OWN PARTY, IS A PRINCIPLED MAN AND A VETERAN CAMPAIGNER. THRUST INTO THE MEDIA SPOTLIGHT THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA CONTINUE TO CRITICISE CORBYN AND TRY TO UNDERMINE HIM AS PARTY LEADER, HELPED ON AT TIMES BY SOME PARTY MEMBERS AND EVEN MPS. YOU COULD SAY THAT IS DEMOCRACY BUT IT IS NOT HOW PARTY POLITICS SHOULD WORK. CORBYN WAS PUT ON THE BALLOT AND ALTHOUGH SOME OF HIS SUPPORTERS NEVER BELIEVED HE WOULD BECOME PARTY LEADER THAT IS WHAT HAPPENED. THE REST NOW NEED TO GET OVER IT, AND THEMSELVES, AND HELP UNITE THE PARTY IN ORDER TO GAIN ELECTION SUCCESS. BUT WHO IS JEREMY CORBYN? EVEN IF YOU ARE A LONG STANDING LABOUR SUPPORTER MR CORBYN MAY HAVE ESCAPED YOUR POLITICAL RADAR. JEREMY IS THE ESTABLISHED MP FOR ISLINGTON NORTH, IN LONDON; HE HAS HELD THE SEAT SINCE 1983 SHOWING THAT HIS CONSTITUENTS ARE CONTENT WITH HIM AS THEIR POLITICAL REPRESENTATIVE LOOKING AT THEY WORK FOR YOU MR CORBYN'S TRACK RECORD IS NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED OF, ALTHOUGH IT MAY IN PART EXPLAIN WHY THE SO-CALLED "BLAIRITES" WOULD PREFER HE WAS NOT PARTY LEADER: JEREMY CORBYN CONSISTENTLY VOTED AGAINST INTRODUCING FOUNDATION HOSPITALS, WHILE MOST LABOUR MPS GENERALLY VOTED FOR. JEREMY CORBYN ALMOST ALWAYS VOTED AGAINST LABOUR'S ANTI-TERRORISM LAWS, WHILE MOST LABOUR MPS ALMOST ALWAYS VOTED FOR. JEREMY CORBYN GENERALLY VOTED FOR AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE IRAQ WAR, WHILE MOST LABOUR MPS ALMOST ALWAYS VOTED AGAINST.JEREMY CORBYN CONSISTENTLY VOTED AGAINST THE IRAQ WAR, WHILE MOST LABOUR MPS GENERALLY VOTED FOR. JEREMY CORBYN ALMOST ALWAYS VOTED AGAINST REQUIRING THE MASS RETENTION OF INFORMATION ABOUT COMMUNICATIONS, WHILE MOST LABOUR MPS GENERALLY VOTED FOR. JEREMY CORBYN GENERALLY VOTED AGAINST INTRODUCING ID CARDS, WHILE MOST LABOUR MPS ALMOST ALWAYS VOTED FOR. JEREMY CORBYN GENERALLY VOTED AGAINST ALLOWING MINISTERS TO INTERVENE IN INQUESTS, WHILE MOST LABOUR MPS ALMOST ALWAYS VOTED FOR. JEREMY CORBYN GENERALLY VOTED FOR A TRANSPARENT PARLIAMENT, WHILE MOST LABOUR MPS GENERALLY VOTED AGAINST. JEREMY CORBYN GENERALLY VOTED AGAINST REPLACING TRIDENT WITH A NEW NUCLEAR WEAPONS SYSTEM, WHILE MOST LABOUR MPS GENERALLY VOTED FOR. As I said in December "Personally I see nothing above to cause concern. On the contrary many people in 2015 would agree with all of the above except for possibly the renewal of our nuclear deterrent Trident which remains a divisive issue. Born in 1946 age is against Mr Corbyn and I say that as one of his contemporaries. He has the benefit of experience and is a wise man but by the 2020 general election he will be aged around 71. Of course we are being expected to work into older age and the House of Lords is packed to the rafters with the country's law-makers and many are extremely aged. But in spite or perhaps because of his age Corbyn has inspired a generation to become politically active, vote and take an interest in current affairs. Corbyn's register of interests is fairly meagre compared to other politicians. For instance - he received £150 for a lecture on December 16, 2014. Hours: 1 hr - compared to David Cameron - his page shows donations such as - name of donor: Mrs Marjorie Glasgow, Address of donor: private, amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: £5,000. Mr Corbyn lives by his own admission a fairly frugal life, is a vegetarian [reportedly following a stint working on a pig farm], has been married a couple of times, has children, does not have a car, still rides a bicycle, speaks fluent Spanish and is an ardent Arsenal supporter. Even in football he manages to campaign - this time for the Arsenal football club to pay its staff a living wage. There are many many more reasons why Corbyn should be applauded and welcomed rather than attacked and undermined such as "in 2013, Corbyn was awarded the Gandhi International Peace Award for his "consistent efforts over a 30-year parliamentary career to uphold the Gandhian values of social justice and non‐violence." Monday the Daily Telegraph prefers to try having a laugh at Corbyn's expense with a report that dates back to 2006 -"Jeremy Corbyn dresses as Father Christmas on live television. Footage emerges of the Labour leader dressed as a 'Secret Santa' on the BBC's Daily Politics show handing mince pies out. The Telegraph tries to make him sound the fool saying "Jeremy Corbyn's perfect role has emerged – not as Labour leader – but as none other than Father Christmas." However Corbyn spent Saturday December 5 collecting donations for refugees while wearing a Santa hat and what is so wrong with that? He joined his local Labour group to sing Carols and shake the collection tin - and it was not a fake publicity stunt. Again he shows his human and common touch which appeals to many of us. Corbyn has a 'momentum' of support behind him that other politicians can only yearn to achieve. He has caught the 'mood' of many. He may have disagreed with the party on some issues but looking at the list of some of those disagreements above you have to say - Kudos to Corbyn. You can check out Mr Corbyn further here P April 20, 2017 A vote for the Labour Party is a vote for a fairer, better society in the U.K. and I look forward to voting. |
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