Op-ed: "Assem Allam is an Egyptian-born British businessman, based since 1968 in the East Riding of Yorkshire. He is the owner of Allam Marine, an industrial generator manufacturer, and owner of Premier League club Hull City Wikipedia."
He is a very wealthy man and lives in a wealthy suburb of Kingston-upon-Hull, Kirkella. Thursday evening he appeared on Yorkshire television's regional news but the story was nothing new. In an interview Allam confirmed he is certain that the Labour Party will split if Jeremy Corbyn wins the 2016 party leadership election. He also said he is prepared to fund a new political party by investing millions and has already spoken with senior Labour politicians. Was one of those MPs Hull Hessle and West's Alan Johnson? Or does he mean the old new Labour guard and the likes of Peter Mandleson, Tony Blair and a couple of well-known spin doctors? Allam surely has more pressing business sorting out Hull City football club's ongoing issues? In 2014 he threatened to sell the football club if he was not allowed to officially change the club's name; his plans failed and his big money merchandising ideas were put on hold. More recently he has threatened to sell Hull City football club more than once; manager Steve Bruce left the club following a row this summer. Perhaps Mr Allam thinks he can buy and manage a political party to suit like a football club? He has donated more than £500,000 to the Labour Party helping fund the gap left by falling Union donations. Jeremy Corbyn was elected Labour Party leader September 12, 2016, and we posted the following report six days later, September 18. Mr Allam was already publicly talking about funding another political party and pulling the plug on Corbyn, the party, its members and its traditional voters. So it is September 18, 2015: "Assem Allam is a local businessman, originally from Egypt. He is owner of the local Football League Championship team, Hull City. This week Allam has been in the news following the election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the Labour party. Often business and the big money it makes do not go hand in hand with the Labour party, a political party of socialist origins. But in this case it does, or rather it did; multi-millionaire Allam has been one of Labour's top donors but that could be about to change. He is not happy that Corbyn was elected party leader but it was a democratic election when all is said and done. Whether Corbyn fans would have supported the party had one of the other candidates won the leadership election is not known; probably not in some cases but that is immaterial. Corbyn is party leader and we all have to work with what we have and that means giving the people's choice a fair chance. As always Mr Allam is prepared to put his money where his mouth is and has said he will fund Labour MP's who want to break away from the party and either form a new more left of centre party of even swing over and join the Liberal Democrats. New Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron believes his party could be onto a winner following Corbyn's victory. He has hinted at conversations with disenfranchised Labour MPs who may make the jump to the Lib Dems. Division has been done before though and it did not work. A so-called 'gang of four' split to form the Social Democratic party in 1981. Four senior Labour Party 'moderates' broke to form the SDP; they were Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams. They also believed that Labour had become too left-wing for its own good much like some Corbyn doubters in September 2015. For the two general elections that followed they joined forces in an alliance with the Liberal Party and in 1988 formed the Social and Liberal Democrats. The Liberal Democrats were formed in the late 80's. All the breakaway from Labour achieved was to help the Tories and Thatcher to political success, rip apart Labour and setback Labour's political success for years. Surely current Labour party representatives should take a lesson from history? Labour must know that 'together we are stronger' as after all the right-wing live by a very different adage 'divide and conquer'? The gang of four proved they were not worthy Labour party representatives when they caused a huge rift for their own ends. So let those not worthy in 2015 go their own way but do not let them try to con you that it is for the good of all. Mr Allam is used to getting his own way for a price. He has already been defeated in his quest to change the name of Hull City to the Tigers which is the team’s nickname locally. Allam wants the change as he believes it will bring financial success by way of marketing. He may be right that "rebranding the club is the only way to bring in new investment from overseas" but the FA and fans do not agree. With the help of people power Hull City remains Hull City. Can people power save Labour from his attack? Opinion: I voted for Andy Burnham in the leadership race. I am happy he was man enough to accept a job in the cabinet and respect the vote. Corbyn is party leader and unless he does something dreadful he has my support. Does he have yours?" July 2016 as the pathetic Labour coup rumbled on the Canary has reported on Assem Allam Also July 2016 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/05/top-labour-donor-offers-rebels-millions-to-defect-and-start-new/ And here we are September 1, 2016, and Allam is back in the news with the same old song. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3738698/Hull-City-staff-clean-Allam-graffiti-KCOM-Stadium-walls-ahead-Premier-League-return-protests-against-ownership-grows.html http://www.newtekjournalismukworld.com/eileen-kersey/time-for-labour-to-get-behind-jeremy-corbyn “For the first time in 14 years we have the leader of the Labour Party unequivocally committing the party to reversing the legislation which has created in England a broken down, market-based healthcare system. Statement issued by the Rt Hon Lord Owen following Jeremy Corbyn’s announcement that he would ‘remove’ private provision within the NHS as part of plans to renationalise the health service. “For the first time in 14 years we have the leader of the Labour Party today unequivocally committing the party to reversing the legislation which has created in England a broken down, market-based healthcare system: one which is unrecognisable from that which was introduced in 1948 and which still exists in the rest of the UK. “Surely now the whole Labour movement can combine together, left, right and centre to make this official party policy at this year’s autumn conference.” Background: “Jeremy Corbyn’s statement means that the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003 and the Health and Social Care Act 2012 under these proposals are, in effect, rejected and will be replaced. This surely must end all Labour’s troubled equivocation over a marketised NHS and provide a political route on which party members and supporters can campaign together. Already in Scotland this is in effect government policy. “The Campaign for the NHS Reinstatement Bill has been campaigning on a cross party basis for this outcome through successive Private Member’s Bills in both the Lords and the Commons ever since I presented the first National Health Service (Amended Duties and Powers) Bill [HL] in January 2013. “It is a triumph for learning together, with cross party grassroots organisations working closely with health and legal professionals with persistence and dedication.” http://labourlist.org/2016/08/money-will-go-to-patients-not-contractors-corbyn-pledges-to-renationalise-nhs/ http://www.lorddavidowen.co.uk Owen served as British Foreign Secretary from 1977 to 1979, the youngest person in over forty years to hold the post. In 1981, Owen was one of the "Gang of Four" who left the Labour Party to found the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Owen led the SDP from 1983 to 1987, and the continuing SDPfrom 1988 to 1990. He sat in the House of Lords as a crossbencher until March 2014, and now sits as an "independent social democrat - Wikipedia |
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