Like many MPs he has interests outside of politics. Unlike some MPs his outside interests are not about personal greed. In recent weeks Burgon was mercilessly trolled on Twitter by a few Labour Party MPs from the right-wing of the party. The tweet below explains what happened. The fact The Sun has chosen this Easter weekend to launch a ridiculous attack on Mr Burgon is many things. Saturday was the anniversary of the Hillsborough football tragedy-The Sun posted lies in the wake of Hillsborough and many people have never forgiven them. The man behind that Hillsborough Sun report Kelvin MacKenzie has been making headlines again this weekend for all the wrong reasons. "Sun under pressure to sack Kelvin MacKenzie - Club bans newspaper’s reporters in wake of columnist’s slurs against player Ross Barkley and the city of Liverpool" reports the Guardian. That report continues;
Distraction tactics from The Sun then? The fact they have chosen to slur Richard Burgon MP highlights the people who work at The Sun have learned nothing from their many past mistakes. As Mr Burgon tweeted Saturday "Far from top of Sun's long list of shame but today they ran some real rubbish about me and my friends" adding a link to his response shown above. As one person responded though "If you've been rubished by the Sun, you are on the right track! Keep it up." True to form the Daily Mail, popularly called the Daily Fail, went with this non-news smear story against Richard Burgon Easter Sunday. Oh the irony! Solidarity Richard Burgon https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/apr/15/sun-pressure-sack-kelvin-mackenzie-ross-barkley RIchard Burgon writes Sunday "Yesterday, true to form, 'The Sun' printed some real rubbish about me and mates in Leeds I've known since we were all teenagers. Today, true to form, 'The Mail On Sunday' runs an attempted smear 'story' - complete with inaccuracies and insinuations - on the basis of them getting hold of a holiday snap of me and my partner on a short break in Berlin last year. The Mail On Sunday reveals that we are both socialists. They seem angry about that. The Mail On Sunday reveals that she has spoken out against attacks on Muslims. They seem angry about that. The Mail On Sunday reveals that we went to a St. Patrick's Day party and there was an Irish flag on the wall. There's anger about that. Here's the holiday photo that The Mail On Sunday got their hands on. It's the kind of holiday snap familiar to so many thousands of people from Leeds and elsewhere who go to Berlin. I think it's a nice photo but does anyone really think this is genuinely newsworthy? There's so much going on here in Britain and around the world that needs reporting."
Dear Maureen Henry
You came a little unstuck on Twitter Monday after posting the message above. It is not that we Jeremy Corbyn supporters are a cult, yes I said CULT, or that we mindlessly follow the Labour Party leader but rather that we have political loyalty seriously lacking in some sections of our party. Just why you are campaigning on the doorstep ahead of elections is not clear. If you seriously want the Labour Party to win elections why would you post such a tweet? They used to say loose lips sink ships and the same applies to elections. From Tom Watson being ashamed of what he calls "MY party" rather than our party last week to the various councillors, MPs and old new Labour supporters who have opposed Corbyn from the day they realised he might just win a leadership election a great deal of work has been done to undermine him, in other words the party and its members. People such as Tony Blair, Lord Mandelson and Alastair Campbell have used each and every opportunity to undermine us all. They have the money and the ear of the mainstream media and have used it for their own ends. What do they care if the Tories stay in power? In truth they are such wealthy establishment figures now they have little if anything in common with traditional Labour Party voters. But Ms Henry with less than a month before a by-election and some local council elections what is your game? If you are truly campaigning and hoping for a Labour victory nationally or even locally why go public with such subjective negativity? You may as well save yourself some shoe leather and time. In one tweet you have destroyed the good work done by others. And you know it was wrong as the offending tweet was quickly deleted. Ordinary party members have been suspended and or expelled from the party for less. Sadly it is all too easy to imagine your response to negativity on the doorstep. What you choose to privately message your friends or say in private conversations is up to you but social media and on the doorstep? Will Ms Henry's social media activity result in action by the Labour party compliance unit and the party's general secretary Mr Iain McNicol? If you want to contact Ms Henry https://www.eastdunbarton.gov.uk/councillor/councillor-maureen-henry https://www.change.org/p/jeremy-corbyn-mp-apply-fairness-in-the-labour-party-treating-senior-members-and-ordinary-members-equitably http://www.thejeremycorbyneffect.com/jeremy-corbyn-blog/open-letter-reply-and-reply-back-to-dear-tom-watson Op-ed; Google The Labour Party Wednesday morning and expect a wave of negative news reports including many opinion pieces like this one.
But of course THEY get full prominence as so many are courtesy of the usual anti Corbyn suspects within the Labour Party and via the well-funded mainstream media. With a by-election and local elections a few weeks away now is not really the time for a torrent of negative Labour Party news. We have political opposites who are perfectly able to damage the party's reputation without high-fliers linked to and part of the Labour Party leading the charge. The latest furore centres around former London Mayor and Labour Party veteran Ken Livingstone and comments made last year during what looked to be a carefully crafted set up. Labour MP John Mann was on hand last year with convenient camera crew to challenge Ken Livingstone over comments made and viewed as anti Semitic. Tuesday following an NCC ruling on the affair Wes Streeting, Tom Watson, Michael Dugher, John Mann, David Miliband and a few others have opted once again to publicly attack a political party they claim to love. Watching a Newsnight clip of Wes Streeting saying his piece on their offering Tuesday night I was struck by his well polished appearance and words. There was no passion just well rehearsed words. Presumably these usual suspects had been rehearsing their next moves ahead of Tuesday's NCC ruling. Big boy of the Labour Party Deputy Leader Tom Watson according to BBC News Wednesday is 'ashamed' Livingstone still in party. Of course many Labour Party members suspended from the party last year may have similar feelings toward people like Mr Watson. Watson has also been busy on social media however as this blogger is one of many party members blocked by him online I can only quote, if I wanted to, via resources such as the BBC. Failed former Labour leadership contender David Miliband has also been quoted as he apparently "grieves for state of Labour Party." He does this from a distance as he turned tail and quit the U.K. moving over to the U.S.A. following his leadership defeat. If he cares so much about the party one has to wonder why he did not stick around and actively work to help the party win elections. Still he could not even help his brother Ed win the general election so why would he help Jeremy Corbyn who is a socialist? The Labour Party elects ruling bodies and cannot cherry pick decisions it likes. A ruling has been made. That is it end of story. As supporters of Ken Livingstone and those who would prefer him hung out to dry fill the Internet with news and views they guarantee election losses in May. The anti Corbyn brigade will somehow make any losses all about him and his supporters but negative news from fat cats within the party will cause untold damage The NCC has made a ruling and we either respect that decision or give up. The other alternative and one that looks increasingly the only way forward is the party splits. But hey I am no one just a retired woman who has voted Labour all her life, only joined the party during Ed's time, talked up the party at each and every opportunity, consistently criticised the Tory Party and who wonders why new young things in the PLP feel it is fine to disrespect and bully veteran politicians within their own party. Is it more to do with who donates the most to the party? Who has bought their way in? He who pays the piper calls the tune and all that. Final thoughts? Good luck to Afzal Khan the excellent Labour Party candidate standing in the Gorton by-election. Good luck to all the excellent Labour Party candidates standing in local elections around the country. We have our work cut out particularly with Article 50 in mind and political opportunism from the Tory party and the Liberal Democrats and now our candidates have public party division thrown in for good measure. If we fail in the May elections there may be many reasons including KenGate. And if we fail we fail some of the most vulnerable and poorest people of our country. Related reading and more; https://www.change.org/p/jeremy-corbyn-mp-apply-fairness-in-the-labour-party-treating-senior-members-and-ordinary-members-equitably http://www.thejeremycorbyneffect.com/jeremy-corbyn-blog/the-dear-tom-watson-emails-and-a-quest-for-fair-and-equitable-treatment Op-ed; Pollsters GfK claim that a new poll shows Jeremy Corbyn is as unpopular as Donald Trump in the U.K. Another polling organisation so let's look at them first. The man behind that poll is Keiran Pedley. Who the hell is he you may wonder? This blogger certainly did. There are just so many of these anti Corbyn pollsters who know that such polling grabs headlines, makes money and more. "Keiran Pedley is an Associate Director/ UK elections and polling expert at GfK NOP and presenter of the podcast ‘Polling Matters’. He tweets about politics and polling at @keiranpedley." Now the poll which is being repeated in various publications in the U.K. as a cast in stone poll worthy of note. "GfK surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,938 GB adults between March 1st and March 15th, 2017" wow so many and over such a long period of time says she with heavy sarcasm. That massive representation of the British electorate apparently shows that;
The first two points have resulted in wild headlines such as this one at SkyNews "Corbyn 'almost as unpopular as Trump' in Britain, according to poll." That post has a bad image of Corbyn too for good measure. And of course Brexit is still a big issue with some of the electorate in the UK. There is more on Pollsters GfK website with this note toward the end "Note: Figures may sum to more than 100% due to rounding.." Rounded up then and not down also for good measure definitely not for fair play. There is more waffle on the pollsters website along with;
What that fails to say is 17% of GB adults POLLED. It reads as an assessment of the electorate as a whole.
So what is the point of that poll? There could be many reasons for such a poll but none are really valid. Such polls;
Never forget that some people fill in polls for money or just for the hell of it. This blogger was a mixture of surprised and amused when she saw that Jamie Reed when he was an MP was avidly filling in YouGov polls. (See image below report) Readers of this blog are usually fairly clued up and bright as buttons but readers of other publications repeating the poll results as a news story may be more easily persuaded. We all know that perception is key. If you say something often enough it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Be under no illusions. #JC4PM Op-ed: According to political pundits Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell wrote the Labour briefing piece reproduced on our website a week before it was published.
He has since retracted the article. It transpires it was written ahead of the two by-elections and on the back of tired old wealthy Labour Party grandees spouting divisive drivel and receiving a great deal of mainstream media air time. The timing of publishing the Labour Briefing piece was not good but many party members will know there is at least a ring of truth to it. Watching the BBC Daily politics Monday it was same trash different day as Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party was put under the spotlight and trashed. Mr McDonnell is being portrayed as creating division when Corbyn has asked for unity due to the timing of the Labour Briefing post. But ahead of the by-elections we had Tony Blair asking people to rise up, Lord Peter Mandelson saying he is working every day to undermine Corbyn and old Bitterite spin doctors John McTernan and Alastair Campbell stirring the pot. They received positive media attention yet Mr McDonnell has one article published and all hell is let loose. Methinks they protesteth a little too much. There have been enemies within the Labour Party working against Corbyn, the party, the membership and the electorate for some time. That is not fake news but fact. After all fat cat Mandelson put himself on record as an enemy within. Is there any wonder Mr McDonnell felt it was time to vent his frustration in an article? Perhaps he was taking a leaf out of so-called Bitterites books? http://www.onewomansomanyblogs.com/news/tony-blair-stirs-pot-and-hands-round-begging-bowl http://www.thejeremycorbyneffect.com/jeremy-corbyn-press-releases-and-guest-post The old man and I popped into Hull City Centre Monday evening to attend an event hastily organised by Momentum. Kingston-upon-Hull is the UK City of Culture 2017 and is situated on the north bank of the River Humber in Yorkshire. It was an anti Trump protest, Hull Demo Against Trump Muslim Ban, and it was a good-natured but rather chilly event. Still at least it was dry as we tend to say here in Yorkshire. It was held from 5pm and around 200 people turned up. Not a bad turn out when you consider it was an "emergency demo." Some people would have been unable to attend that early due to work commitments. Yes it was not a gang of layabouts gathering as one person allegedly said in a text message to the BBC. Young and old, white and non-white, British and out-of-towners gathered to say no to Trump. We met in Victoria Square, a pedestrianised area with the Maritime museum, Ferens Art Gallery and the City Hall close by. The huge temporary Siemens wind turbine blade art installation towering above us. There was even at least one dog; the one we encountered was called Henry, aged 18 and with dementia but he was a big sweetie unlike Trump. Hull is by and large a 'white' town. That is not meant offensively but simply an observation. So it was good to see some ethnic diversity Monday. A couple of Trump supporters staged their own sort of protest and one was the son of an immigrant. But it remained a peaceful protest. Donald Trump has been President of the USA for just over a week and it was not been plain sailing. Some of his executive orders were expected but that does not make them any better. And some are payback to those who supported his presidential campaign such as the gun lobby in the USA? One speaker highlighted how Americans are far more likely to get run over by a vehicle than killed in a terrorist attack. Of course they are also more likely to get their brains blown out by a home-grown gun toting American. With little time to organise Monday's event it was a few speakers, a bit of music and a bit of crowd shouting but it was an important event. Staged in Hull, second only to London when it comes to WWII bomb damage, the message was say not to fascists and fascism. And with elections in many European countries in 2017 it is an important message. As they say the writing is on the wall. The star of the night was a young lad who opted to dance on the steps of Victoria Square; he was probably aged around 5 or six more or less. So enough of my drivel and onto some images of the event. Note: The images were taken on my old camera. As usual I had left my specs at home so could not see to alter flash etc. So the images will not win any prizes but will give a glimpse of the event. Op-ed: Two by-elections are upcoming. Both are the Labour Party's to lose and other political parties to win. Both by-elections are a result of resignations. Before Christmas 2016 Jamie Reed announced he was quitting for a plum job and on January 13, 2017, Tristram Hunt followed suit. Both elections will be held February 23. Both are in areas that voted by a majority for BRexit, Copeland and Stoke. In the case of Stoke new UKip leader Paul Nuttall is the UKip candidate. As Stoke was the top BRexit area of the UK he may feel he is in with a good chance. Labour have yet to select their candidate. Thursday Gillian Troughton was selected as Labour Party candidate for Copeland. That is roughly the state of play Saturday. First thoughts Saturday "come on Labour and get a candidate for Stoke selected." UKip are already campaigning hard in Stoke for Nuttall. The Labour Party needs to hang on to both of these constituencies. Rumour has it that Tristram Hunt was not popular with his CLP, Constituency Labour Party, and that they were looking to oust him. Was he a good MP or did he let Labour down locally? If he did how will that impact on the vote? One big cause for concern is the time-frame of these elections. Campaigning will not be easy with two by-elections on the same day and in such a short time. You may think "well it will be the same for other political parties" but as stated above it is Labour Party seats which could be lost and others have it all to gain. My thoughts? It could be that the Tories will throw all they have at Copeland and UKip concentrate on Stoke. UKip and the Conservative Party are after all both on the right-wing of politics and in some ways one and the same. UKip has one seat in the HoC and it is occupied by a Tory who jumped ship. They have more seats in the Welsh assembly with at least two occupied by Tories who also jumped ship. The Labour Party endured a divisive year in 2016. Jamie Reed and Tristram Hunt were hostile to party leader Jeremy Corbyn from the day he was elected in September 2015; in truth hostile from the moment his name appeared in the leadership race. That will leave many questioning the timing of these by elections. Collusion springs to mind. With mainstream media reports, from unnamed sources as usual, that more Labour MPS are set to quit if and when they can get plum jobs it could be another bumpy year. 2016 self-servatives in the Labour Party launched a coup. The coup failed but it damaged Labour's reputation and left deep divisions. In some cases decent Labour Party members were given kangaroo court treatment and purged from the party. None of it was a good look for the electorate as it played out with the media lapping it all up greedily. But make no mistake. There is only one political party that will truly serve the people of Copeland and Stoke and that is the Labour Party. If you value the NHS Labour must surely get your vote? There are other issues but both UKip and the Conservative Party have their sights set on a privatised health service. With narcissistic loud mouth Donald Trump in the White House and the UK leaving the EU we are living in very uncertain times. If you need a reminder of how many Tory MPs stand to win big with NHS privatisation follow this link. More: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/ukip-leader-paul-nuttall-words-9351835 http://www.newtekjournalismukworld.com/latest/dear-all-time-the-labour-party-split-for-all-our-sakes http://www.newtekjournalismukworld.com/your-voice/are-the-tories-privatising-the-nhs-bit-by-bit http://www.newtekjournalismukworld.com/latest/paul-nuttall-new-ukip-leader-eyes-labour-voters-and-vows-to-put-great-back-in-britain http://www.newtekjournalismukworld.com/eileen-kersey/ukip-crackpots-remembered-manifesto-day January 7, 2017, the Guardian was just one publication reporting; "An Israeli embassy official has been caught on camera in an undercover sting plotting to “take down” MPs regarded as hostile, including foreign office minister Sir Alan Duncan, an outspoken supporter of a Palestinian state.In an extraordinary breach of diplomatic protocol, Shai Masot, who describes himself as an officer in the Israel Defence Forces and is serving as a senior political officer at the London embassy, was recorded by an undercover reporter from al-Jazeera’s investigative unit speaking about a number of British MPs. The Israeli ambassador, Mark Regev, apologised to Duncan on Friday. An Israeli spokesman said Regev made clear that “the embassy considered the remarks completely unacceptable”. The Israeli embassy said Masot “will be ending his term of employment with the embassy shortly”. Masot declined to comment or to elaborate on what he meant when he said he wanted to “take down” a number of MPs." Unelected PM Theresa May and her Tory government have tried to shut down the story this week. Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn made his letter to Mrs May public Friday in an attempt to get the issue debated and any breaches addressed; http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/01/uk-mp-urges-probe-alleged-israeli-interference-170108132151019.html
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/uk-parliament-head-israel-embassy-questions-take-down-alan-duncan-467848985 http://www.newtekjournalismukworld.com/eileen-kersey/labour-and-tory-friends-of-britain-real-or-imaginary http://www.newtekjournalismukworld.com/latest/mr-watson-goes-to-israel-labour-dl-tom-watson-that-is Len McCluskey has allegedly "suggested" that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn may take a step back to make way for a new party leader closer to the next General Election in the UK scheduled for 2020.
Now how does that make big news January 2, 2017, and why? Mr McCluskey is standing for re-election as Unite union boss. He has been a firm supporter of Jeremy Corbyn. The man standing against McCluskey is not a fan of Corbyn. He is standing on that anti Corbyn platform. Gerard Coyne also standing for election has seized on today's convenient news being spun to death by the mainstream media. According to BBC News Len McCluskey has said that "'Awful' polling could derail Corbyn" but that word awful is more spin. That report continues "Len McCluskey, head of the Unite union, described the party's standing in the opinion polls as "awful" but as we all know opinion polls are meaningless. If they were truly independent and had any credibility Hillary Clinton would be looking forward to moving back into the White House, David Cameron would not have won the UK General Election in 2015 and the UK voting population would have voted for the country to stay in the European Union. It highlights how lose lips sink ships though even in 2017. The Guardian opts for this headline "Len McCluskey: Corbyn should consider his position if polls don't improve" highlighting how news is spun and soun again. The slightest slither of Corbyn related news, however vague, is seized upon as long as it is negative news of course. Theresa May the country's unelected PM is left to go on her merry clueless way as Tory Party infighting and allegations of election overspending in 2015 go unreported. Those of us who support Jeremy Corbyn have been watching, waiting and seeing the signs. Jamie Reed's untimely though welcome resignation as MP for Copeland appears to have fired the starting pistol. In Labour Party Corbyn based forums and groups Keir Starmer's name is being bandied about as a possible and natural successor to Mr Corbyn. Age is definitely not on Corbyn's side which makes the despicable way some Labour MPs have treat him as even more despicable. The Labour Party needs unity and it needs Jeremy Corbyn. If campaigners in the party had given Jeremy's first year as Party leader a better shot at success we would maybe in a better position now. We will never know. But if and when Jeremy Corbyn decides it is time to quit, the Labour Party will not easily come together. What happens and is sometimes maliciously reported as news continues to impact on the Labour Party, its members and supporters. People desperately need a change of government yet self-serving destructive people within the party seem to prefer election defeat to success wth Jeremy as Prime Minister. Highlighting that the Labour Party is allegedly still in the hands of big unions is all part of the long Tory and mainstream media game. Whether it is true or not is immaterial to them. So comrades what do you make of today's big non-news story? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38487571 https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/jan/02/len-mccluskey-corbyn-should-consider-his-position-if-polls-dont-improve Note from six days earlier http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/len-mccluskey-jeremy-corbyn-unite-document-election-campaign-a7497916.html On September 12, 2015, Jeremy Corbyn was elected leader of the Labour Party and that should have been the end of the story but it was not.
Even before he won, with a huge mandate, enemies within the Labour Party were trying to stop his leadership campaign in its tracks. With friends like some of them who needs enemies? But he won and there was a flurry of shadow cabinet resignations as inflated egos tootled off to the backbenches of the Labour Party in the House of Commons. They did not resign their well paid jobs, with all the associated perks, but took to the ranks in some cases began to spread their poison. This led to an orchestrated coup with the main players opting to humiliate Jeremy Corbyn by any means available. Resignation letters followed at a fast and furious pace, pinned to Twitter timelines for maximum impact. Those of us who had been watching from day one were not surprised. It was rather shocking though to see Corbyn isolated in the House of Commons as some Labour MPs sat behind him and chanted resign and "sit down man you are a disgrace." Months of social media interactions that may as well have been by Tory MPs had hinted at what was now unfolding. It was the Labour Party at its most petulant. Jeremy Corbyn is not just any party leader. He is a man of harmony but when parliamentary enemies attacked he stepped up to the mark and some. While Labour Party plotters enjoyed a summer of relaxation Jeremy took a "road trip" mostly by train around the UK. Corbyn spoke at packed rallies in cities and towns across the UK. He was and is an inspiration. He undertook a schedule that would have floored many younger men and he did so with good grace and time for others. When he addressed a packed rally in the Northern City of Kingston-Upon-Hull the sun shone and those who turned up to listen were not disappointed. Imagine if the Labour Party had accepted Corbyn as party leader in September 2015 and worked together toward election success. But even as Corbyn worked his socks off addressing rallies in Leeds, Cornwall, Brighton, Hull, York, Liverpool and more enemies in the party were undermining his leadership. Leaked stories by anonymous sources dominated news headlines as the mainstream media eagerly grabbed what was on offer and spun the story to within an inch of its life. Unlike Mr Corbyn plotters work to various agendas which rarely include ordinary working and middle class voters struggling to make ends meet. The Labour Party has an identity crisis but Mr Corbyn can restore old new Labour to true Labour values if his MPs will let him. 2016 could have been a successful year for the Labour Party but it was not. In order to try and remove Corbyn there was a challenge but no challenger. Finally, when pushed Angela Eagle launched a challenge but she was quickly pushed back as Owen Smith stepped into the fray. His dismal attempt at relaunching old new Labour failed miserably. As soon as it was clear he would not win people were purged from the Labour Party for various reasons; from real abuse to pure nonsense. Plotters in the party were determined Corbyn would not win. They made themselves and the party look ridiculous and unelectable in the eyes of many and for nothing. Jeremy Corbyn was re-elected leader with 62% of the vote. But once again the story does not end here. Some people will never accept Jeremy Corbyn as Labour Party leader and too many of them are IN the party. Can the Labour Party get back to business or will 2017 be squandered too?
Fake news perpetuated by publications such as the Telegraph, The Daily Mirror, The Independent and the Daily Mail.
The jungle drums have spoken so it must be true. But once again the so-called 'real news' is lies. Where did the story start? Was it the Daily Mail fondly called the Daily Fail? "The Opposition leader left the party as MPs insulted him at the noisy booze-up, the Mail on Sunday reported" reports the Daily Mirror playing that childhood Christmas party game pass the parcel. Certainly some played their boozy best at the PLP Christmas Party Tuesday but back to Ms Philips who "later told the Mirror Mr Corbyn left the Christmas do long before MPs sang the Blair anthem, had his coat on for ages and "nobody was annoyed"." Sadly though it plays into the hands of the opposition. If the Labour Party is on an election footing it needs to be careful how it acts even at in-house Christmas parties. Remember fake news sources are watching and waiting and there will always be some pathetic enemy within looking for a divisive opportunity. So Sunday, five days after the event, the mainstream media run the story presumably as stories relating to Mr Corbyn, be they real, or fake, sell papers. Jeremy Corbyn had a packed events diary Tuesday and the "office juniors Christmas Party" was just one event. Daily Mirror - http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/jeremy-corbyn-walks-out-karaoke-9477514 Their title says REPORT CLAIMS meaning it is probably fake but we will run with it anyways. (With rght wingers from the Labour Party maliciously editing our letter, what do they have to fear, we have moved it onto this website. When all signatures are collected a hard copy will be hand delivered. Dear Leader of the Parliamentary Labour Party Please find below a request from members of the Corbyn 50+Supporters Group, who are deeply concerned at the level of negative media coverage last weekend by certain Labour MPs. A small sample of support is shown in those signatories, see below, we have collected since Monday 12th December 2016. This group was formed a year ago and we now have over 9,000 members nationally; members are meeting in cities to work out plans to support the General Election campaign with the 10 Pledges. Other like minded facebook groups are sharing this letter. Call for Unity letter We’ve been put on a general election footing and yet some members of the Parliamentary Labour Party are still working to a divisive and destructive agenda. This was plain to see in Chris Leslie's guaranteed election losing performance on the BBC Sunday Politics Show December 11, which undermined the Party, its membership and its Leader. MPs should rather be appearing in the media to attack the Government and to talk about Labour's solutions to the country's problems. That would be unity. We now hear in the Huffington Post about a supposed ‘work to rule’ by some MPs! Socialism in Britain is now under threat - Enough is Enough This is a Call for Unity to all the Labour Party MPs right NOW 1. As members of the Labour Party we are very discouraged to see a continuous stream of certain MPs publicly criticising the Labour Party Leader and Shadow Chancellor in the media. 2. Jeremy Corbyn won both Leadership Elections with a huge mandate, calling for “unity and communities working together”. As members who responded to that call, we do not see that this principle is being adhered to within the ranks of Labour MPs. 3. We members are the ones campaigning strongly at grassroots and national levels for our Party’s return to government. When engaging with the public on doorsteps and in High Streets, we are finding that these MPs’ public declarations, showing lack of loyalty to both the leadership and to socialism are confusing and alienating the electorate. 4. We strongly request that the Leadership now ensures a declaration of support to the 10 Labour pledges, to publicising them, and to implementing them, and support to the leadership from each MP. We need unity and a solid, unambiguous foundation for our electioneering work. MPs unable to commit to this should be asked to resign or stand for re-selection. 5. We fully endorse freedom of speech. However, we believe that the public actions of the MPs in question are causing such significant damage, they simply cannot remain unchallenged. Their actions will ensure the Party is never elected to government despite our huge membership base and its overwhelming endorsement of our party leader. In fact, we believe that this is their intended purpose. 6. We are united in our overwhelming desire to see an end to this Conservative government with its cruel and divisive policies; and it's toxic budget cuts to local authorities which are jeopardizing even basic services. Our Party, Labour under Jeremy Corbyn, is our one hope for a decent, fairer future for our country. We believe that these deeply unsettling times require a strong, proactive declaration of unity from elected Labour MPs, councillors and other officials that reflects the will of the members. Only then will we, the Labour Party, re-engage the public and move forward to government. John Taylor recommends you bring in two very able media personnel Chris Williamson and Eoin Clarke May we thank-you for your enduring patience and the tremendous grace you continuously demonstrate. Yours sincerely Anya Darr, Eileen Kersey, Susan Dellet, Coilla Drake Signatories Name CLP or Union
Heard of Peter Tatchell? What's that you say "I have Saturday." Today Jeremy Corbyn was scheduled to make a speech to mark the anniversary of the United Nations general assembly signing of the universal declaration of human rights in 1948. It was held at Methodist Central Hall in London. But only one person is grabbing the headlines and it is veteran campaigner Peter Tatchell who disrupted the event. As a lifelong, some would say serial activist and campaigner, Jeremy Corbyn took Peter Tatchell's interruption on the chin but perhaps Mr Tatchell would do better lobbying at Tory events. They after all are the government of the day. Maybe Mr Tatchell would be unable to get through security systems at Tory events? So what he did was use a worthy event to push a different agenda. The Guardian reports "As the protesters stood silently in front of Corbyn, the Labour leader said: “It’s all right, it’s OK.” Tatchell then said: “What is happening in Aleppo is a modern-day Guernica. We haven’t heard the leader of the Labour party speak out enough to demand UK air drops to besieged civilians who are dying in their thousands.” While his words on Syria may be valid his timing stunk to high heaven. It means Tatchell is Saturday's big story not human rights or Syria or Corbyn or the Labour Party. I hope Mr Tatchell enjoyed his 15 minutes of fame which will do nothing to unite the Labour Party and may even play into the hands of plotters actively seeking to remove Corbyn as party leader. The problem is Mr Tatchell that a divided Labour Party will not win elections; will not remove the Tories from office; will not secure the NHS, stop benefit sanctions, home the homeless in the UK, halt the need for foodbanks and more. And in guaranteeing a Labour fail you Mr Tatchell will not help the people of Syria, not one iota. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/dec/10/peter-tatchell-disrupts-jeremy-corbyn-speech-with-syria-protest http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/jeremy-corbyn-makes-embarrassing-mic-9428975 Political pundits, experts, analysts and politicians have been chewing over Thursday's Sleaford by-election result but for what it is worth this is what this voter thinks. Sleaford is safe Tory ground; why escapes me. There is little doubt BRexit is the current election tool. It is being used to get your vote. Immigration fears are also high on the right-wing election agenda. Tapping into people's fears led to the election of Donald J Trump across the Pond. Conservative Press Office trolled Labour MPS and more on Twitter Thursday pushing out their message that Labour MPs will not respect the referendum result claiming Labour are out of touch with ordinary people. It was a shameful misuse of social media. It used false allegations. But we are talking about unelected Theresa May's Nasty Tory Party. Little wonder then that voters in Sleaford voted thus; "Sleaford & North Hykeham result: Dr Caroline Johnson (Conservative) 17,570 (53.51%, -2.68%) Victoria Ayling (UKIP) 4,426 (13.48%, -2.21%) Ross Pepper (Liberal Democrat) 3,606 (10.98%, +5.33%) Jim Clarke (Labour) 3,363 (10.24%, -7.02%) Marianne Overton (Lincs Ind) 2,892 (8.81%, +3.59%) Sarah Stock (Ind) 462 (1.41%) The Iconic Arty-Pole (Loony) 200 (0.61%) Paul Coyne (ND) 186 (0.57%) Mark Suffield (ND) 74 (0.23%) David Bishop (BP Elvis) 55 (0.17%) Electorate 88,712; Turnout 32,834 (37.01%, -33.23%) But although the Conservative candidate won their share of the vote was down; so was Labour's and UKip's. Look at the low turn out too. Floating voters have short memories and so the real winner in some ways is the Liberal Democrat candidate. That flies in the face of BRexit as the Lib Dems are promising a second money spinning referendum. It also means the party's Tory years cuddling up in a coalition government have been forgiven or forgotten. But then it is a safe Tory seat. That could explain a shift from Tory to Lib Dem though there is no doubt some Labour voter's swapped sides. The Tories winning candidate is an NHS doctor; again a mixed bag. The Labour candidate was "Refuse driver and former postman Jim Clarke [who] was selected as Labour Party candidate at a meeting on Wednesday, November 9." This is what he told the Lincolnshire reporter on November 10; This is my home and it will be a great honour to represent Sleaford and North Hykeham. An ordinary working man and a good candidate.
So why did he fail to win enough votes? The Labour Party has spent more than a year in-fighting and grabbing headlines for all the wrong reasons. Selfish elements within the party would rather wreck Jeremy Corbyn's chances of ever forming a government than support the party leader and remove the Tories from power. Public resignations by MPs, with resignation letters pinned to Twitter timelines look bad; a very public purge of members and other devious methods to remove Corbyn supporters is not a good look either; neither is convenient leaks to the mainstream media and shambolic politics; if Labour MPs do not support the party in its current form why the hell would voters? The Tory party is probably in a worse place right now but you will not see any evidence of that unless you are part of the inner workings of that party. They have always held their cards close to the chest and carried out dirty business behind closed doors. What next for the Labour Party? You tell me. Jim Clarke is an ordinary working guy who was never going to win Sleaford but he should have polled better. The fact he did not is not down to him. More; http://lincolnshirereporter.co.uk/2016/11/first-three-candidates-come-forward-sleaford-north-hykeham-election/ http://www.rightsandwrongs.co.uk/quick-links/136-politics-britain/28271-dr-caroline-johnson-a-sleaford-north-hykeham-tory-story http://www.newtekjournalismukworld.com/latest/dear-all-time-the-labour-party-split-for-all-our-sakes http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/sleaford-and-north-hykeham-by-election-results-in-full-conservative-labour-ukip-lib-dems-a7464916.html "The widow’s pension, awarded to widows over age 45, was replaced by the bereavement allowance in 2001. The bereavement allowance is given to widows, widowers or surviving civil partners over age 45 until they reach state pension age. It is paid for up to 52 weeks." In 1969 I was aged 17 and still at school studying for A Level examinations when my father was diagnosed with cancer and died within a matter of weeks. He was aged 55 and Mum was 52. She had not worked for some years but that was fairly normal in ordinary working class households back then. She was not a well woman though. It was a tough time in many ways, not least financially. Dad was never out of work, served his WWII years over in Burma and the far-east, and always played by the book. Unrecognised PTSD was simply classed as mental health issues back in the 1950's and the label that was attached to Dad during those post war years stuck tight. This meant his cancer was diagnosed late as his stomach problems were assumed to be more mental than physical. After weeks gradually becoming more physically ill the local mental hospital where he had been admitted decided investigations were needed. An X Ray quickly showed the extent of the cancer. Extensive surgery followed but it was too late. Dad was discharged home and died in less than two weeks. We lived in a cheap rented property that lacked some basic amenities, by 21st Century standards, but it was home. Dad had worked for the building section of our local council, City Engineers, and faithfully paid into what was called superannuation back then. Mum was given a "golden handshake" which helped but it was still tough. She received a very small pension from the council and a state widow's pension. The widow's pension was £2.50 a week and she received an extra £2.50 as I was still at school. But it was 1969 and bear in mind our rent was around £4 a month. Even so it was difficult. But imagine it was 2016 and there was no proper widow's pension available. Mum would presumably have had to apply for JSA or ESA or whatever benefit she would be eligible for. She would have been forced to jump through DWP hoops and she would have failed. Three years after Dad died Mum had a massive brain haemorrhage and was left severely disabled. Three years later she died. There is no need to go into the painful details of those difficult years. But they would have been so much worse in 2016. Back to the current Bereavement Allowance; It also depends on your age when your partner dies. The younger you are, the less you’ll get. The rates in 2016/17 are as follows: But remember that is only paid for up to 52 weeks. Take into account the increasing state pension age also. Depending on your year of birth you could not be eligible for a state pension until very old age. Original plans to phase in higher retirement ages have been tweaked and will no doubt be tweaked again. The age at which women qualify for the state pension is in the process of rising from 60 to 65 by November 2018, with the exact date depending on the month you were born. That last sentence means that age will continue to rise. Having rebranded Social Security as a welfare handout expect to see more older people struggling to make ends meet in later life. For now the state pension is protected by a triple lock but that will not last forever. The Measure of a Civilization By Alexander Atkins "Our society must make it right and possible for old people not to fear the young or be deserted by them, for the test of a civilization is the way that it cares for its helpless members." http://www.nadinemuller.org.uk/research/the-widow-and-the-law/ Which http://pensionsandsavings.com/annutiies-and-income-drawdown/annuity-providers-keep-1billion-a-year-as-widows-left-penniless/ |
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