Month: December 2019

The message for Jeremy Corbyn on the other doorsteps

/ davesrebellion / 4 Comments

Two nights ago, I put up a post on Facebook that said:

“Such a warm and friendly informal gathering organised by Islington North Labour Party to show our appreciation to Jeremy for everything he has done in advancing a socialist challenge to the most hard right Tory Government we have faced, through the election campaign, and against the wave of hatred he and his family have experienced from the media. He was, as always, relaxed and affectionate but determined and ready for the struggles ahead. He was nicely dressed in his pin stripe ‘for the many’ jacket made and donated by a tailor in Bradford, and his Pablo Neruda t-shirt given to him by a comrade in Scotland!”

I added four photos to that post. A  couple of them are here:

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The post was inundated with “likes” (more than 1,200) and several hundred comments, from people I have never met.

There were many reasons why Labour lost the election, which included the failure to communicate in the simplest, repeated messaging, the core pledges of an excellent manifesto; over-estimating the challenge from the Lib-Dems; under-estimating the depth of alienation and sense of betrayal felt among Labour-voters in the Midlands and North-East who also voted leave in the referendum, which even the vision and promises in the manifesto failed to assuage. But ranking equally high, I believe higher still, was the effect of the most hateful campaign of character assassination and demonisation of Labour’s leader, which canvassers were confronted with on many doorsteps.

Despite that venomous, very-well-funded campaign, more than 10 million still people voted Labour on 12th December, more than the numbers who voted Labour in 2005, 2010 and 2015. The voices of those who were inspired and energised and whose values and desires were amplified  by Jeremy Corbyn deserve to be recorded. Here are some of their comments (anonymised). I hope they are a sign that the fight for a better world will continue in 2020 and beyond:

“I’m still reeling from whats happened. Everyone would have been so much happier with their lives had JC been elected.”

“I will never forget meeting this man in my life. My daughter was homeless at the time. He had just become leader and I told him that I finally had hope for he future. He was amazing. He still is.”

“What that man has been put through is a stain on our country. I’m so happy to see him amongst friends and still valued by the best of people.”

“We owe him so much, not least for always being true to his principles.“

“I absolutely adore everything this man stands for. He brings love and hope”

“A very genuine, caring, loving man who is hated because of smears and lies.”

“Thank you JC for protecting our interest, for helping those in need, for standing on the right side humanity all your working life, you are amazing and we love your honesty, passion, humanity please do not leave us we still need you, now more than ever, love to you the Peoples Hero.”

“I would love to get the chance to meet JC, give him a big squish and thank him so much for getting me interested in politics and opening my eyes to how important my vote is.”

“I hope he knows how highly regarded he is and how emotionally attached so many of us are to him personally for withstanding so much for the hope of so many”

“Thanks to you for your relentless passionate hard work. Your goodness and selflessness did shine on us giving hope. Your light exposed betrayal, lies, greed,and the darkness won. I was lucky to meet you and will always remember even though busy, you took time to talk to me. Thank you dear man.”

“I absolutely adore everything this man stands for. He brings love and hope”

“I have nothing but disdain for the vile propaganda machine that vilified an Honest man, a Great Statesman, who fought his whole life for the underdog, against racism and inequality.”

“I feel like I know him. When people are awful to him it hurts me personally. He truly is a gem amongst humans.”

“The greatest Prime Minister we never had and one of the nicest men I ever met during his original leadership campaign in Nottingham. I will never forget him. keep fighting.

“My hero, for many different reasons.”

“The truth will out but not before a man of courage and peace will have been trashed by the few because he stood up for the many. I am disgusted by the way J.C. has been vilified by the tories and their troll media.”

“Love and respect to Jeremy Corbyn. He turned our whole family red.”

“A great man of the people. I am in my seventies and have never known any Labour leader so in tune with my thoughts!”

“A great man and a truly wonderful human being. he has given the party back its identity and socialist roots and for that I for one will be forever grateful.”

“I am a libdem and have great loving respect for Jeremy who was crucified by the media inc BBC. His honesty and compassion put Tories to shame.”

“Good luck Jeremy. How you have stood up to the lies, smears and hatred is beyond belief.”

“Love you JC, very sad that you must go, but you have definitely earned the peace and quiet with your family after the media hounding. Don’t ever stop fighting, you’re a great man who I will always remember as the leader of our generation. I would have been proud to call you my prime minister.”

“Amazing and awesome, genuine, humble man.”

“Why is it that every time I see him I want to cry. I admire this honourable man so much. I can’t bear that he will not be our leader for much longer. A cruel blow. I really want to tear the media apart.”

“I would love to meet this man, he’s my hero, I am devastated by what happened at the election, the way they have vilified Corbyn, and continue to do so, he must know there are people that care, and voted for him, his family must know we are proud of him, he did not let us down, the establishment did, good luck Jeremy in whatever you choose for your future, I’m sure you will still be keeping up the fight, and we will be right there beside you, you of all people didn’t deserve this!”

“Lovely to see him surrounded by love. Glad he’s still wearing that suit! I think he looks great in it. Love you Jeremy.”

“So honoured to have had the opportunity to talk to him on 25 Nov about Labour’s fantastic offer to us Waspi women. He will always be the best PM we never had. Wonderful man. We must carry on in his honour.”

“It’s just heartbreaking to see and hear how he’s been treated! I’ve cried…many times.”

“Our one chance of decency, honesty offered by a man of such kindness & integrity has been wrenched from.our hands! As a family we are bereft, but we remain loyal, because Mr.Corbyn is loyal. I am so ashamed of the Labour MPs who betrayed him, they know who they are as we do. They will NEVER reach HIS HEIGHTS. My greatest respect to you Mr.Corbyn for being such a wonderful human being”

“A great man vilified by the terrified rich.”

“I just don’t know how he has remained so cool despite the disgusting gutter attacks on him. Inspirational.”

You Sir, are a legend. You gave us hope and compassion! Enjoy your Christmas with your lovely family.”

“He may have stepped down but the movement continues. They can take out a man but they can never silence the message.”

“He did us proud putting up with the shit from the media for the last 4 years and stood up to the Tories and their bashing of those on social security and immigrants. He brought me into the party and gave me HOPE that no one or party have ever done in my life and despite being beaten by the Tories I am not ready to give up I want to continue and resist.”

When Labour led by Jeremy Corbyn lost the election, we all lost. Those who believed the lies and were celebrating last week, will be sold out by a government of the rich, by the rich, for the rich. In time, they too will find that they lost as well.

I don’t know any of the people who wrote these words on my facebook page that I have quoted here – but now I feel I know them all! Let’s take a break over Chanukah/Christmas/Winter Solstice/ Kwaanza and New Year but come back fired up for the struggles where I know we will find Jeremy Corbyn at our side.

 

 

Seize the moment!

/ davesrebellion / 2 Comments

In the final week of the dirtiest British election campaign I can remember, the moment that Labour has been looking for has arrived. The Prime Minister, whose lies have flowed constantly, whose mass deceptions have been faithfully promoted rather than challenged by a supposedly independent mainstream media who have conspired to protect Johnson from scrutiny as much as possible, was finally exposed by one journalist not prepared to obediently toe the line.

Johnson’s completely amoral attitude on the NHS – the key issue that Labour has been pushing on most strongly through the campaign – was revealed to millions when he disgracefully pocketed the journalist’s phone after refusing to look at the image of a four-year-old boy from Leeds with suspected pneumonia forced to sleep on the floor of the local hospital due to a lack of beds.

The utter venality of the Tories’ relationship with the most senior political journalists such as Laura Kuenssberg and Robert Peston was laid bare in the aftermath. The intellectually challenged Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, made an unscheduled trip to the hospital and was confronted verbally by a few protesters. Kuenssberg and Peston quickly put out reports that they claimed came to them from “senior Tory sources”, that a member of Hancock’s team had been punched by Labour supporters.

No checking, no questioning of whether this might be simply an attempt to distract from Johnson’s earlier appalling behaviour, just instant and blatant repetition of a lie – a lie that enabled a wider set of right wing journalists to spread a completely false narrative of paid Labour protesters displaying thuggery.

Video evidence forced Kuenssberg and Peston into embarrassing apologies. By late last night, more than 7 million people (hopefully many of them voters) had viewed that video, and as one tweeter commented – more than the numbers nationally who regularly watch the Queen’s Christmas speech!

In 2017 Labour’s surge in support owed much to its bold and distinctive manifesto but that was helped to a considerable extent by the mainstream media actually heeding the legal demands on them for formal political impartiality in the election period. Of course, that “impartiality” didn’t magically replace the fundamental anti-socialist ideological framing that had become the standard setting over many years, but in 2017, Labour’s efforts during the election period were widely reported on. And, maybe because of media workers’ utter exasperation with the pathetic and robotic campaign by Theresa May, Labour’s key spokespeople were given many opportunities to express themselves without constant interruptions.

This time round there has been no pretence at implementing impartiality rules. The broadcasting corporations are clearly hoping they will get no more than a slap on the wrist after they help to achieve the result they clearly desire. The negative, accusatory,  attitude of interviewers of Labour politicians has been plain to see. Labour clearly has to take interview opportunities when it can, in the full knowledge that they will be interrupted and diverted from their main points, and challenged with irrelevancies and issues deliberately misunderstood and blown out of all proportion – not least by what is described completely falsely  as “Labour’s antisemitism crisis”.

There is no crisis of antisemitism in the Labour Party. There are incidents, usually OTT social media comments re Palestine/Zionism which consciously or unconsciously use antisemitic tropes. They involve a tiny number of Labour members, and a wider set of individuals who are not Labour members, some of whom self-identify as supporters of  Jeremy Corbyn. Labour has a responsibility to deal with those members, however small their numbers, who have made antisemitic comments. In the first instance that must be  through education.

But there is definitely a huge crisis of racism and tolerance of racism in our country. The people  paying the highest price for that at street level are Muslim and refugee communities. Those paying the price of racism at an institutional level are principally Caribbean-born members of the Windrush Generation and their families, as well young black people seeking work, or wishing simply to be treated fairly by the police. Those paying the price for the menacing activities of a splintered but emboldened far right certainly include the Jewish community, as antisemitic attacks rise and far right antisemitic tropes spread virally through social media.

All of these different forms of racism have been massively aided by a Tory Government that has lurched to the right not only in recent months under Johnson who has made little attempt to hide his personal racism but under the arrogant upper-class racism of Cameron and the petty vengeful racism of Theresa “Hostile Environment” May. Reports from many areas suggest that Islamophobia is commonplace in Tory parlance. And a number of Tory candidates are under investigation right now for antisemitism.

While any antisemitism stands in complete contradiction to Labour Party values and Labour’s record of campaigning for equality and non-discrimination, Tory antisemitism fits well within its long tradition of bigotry on class and ethnic lines, its decades-long resistance to equality legislation as “political correctness gone mad”. Added to this are its alliances today with populist right wing antisemitic and Islamophobic governments and parties in Europe (especially in Poland and Hungary) and Donald Trump, and Johnson’s open links with the white supremacist and antisemite Steve Bannon.

If Labour fails to prevent a Tory majority on Thursday, one factor will be the complicity of individuals, mostly non-Jewish, in key positions across the media. They have been aided by the right wing of the Labour Party, including leaders of the Jewish Labour Movement, alongside the right wing of the Jewish community, who know better but have decided that a victory for the racist Johnson and his far right friends is preferable to a radical left-wing Jeremy Corbyn-led Labour Government.

Labour knows the situation with the mainstream media and has directed huge resources to its social media campaigning, which will be particularly influential with younger voters whose ranks have been swollen very considerably just before the deadline for voter registration. The establishment war on Corbyn has been unremitting but it cannot prevent key Labour messages getting through. The assumption by the Tories that they would be able to make this an election purely about Brexit was successfully punctured by Labour in the first few days of the campaign. Sky TV’s insistence on branding all its election coverage since the day the election was announced with the banner headline “The Brexit Election” daily looks more ridiculous.

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Labour must seize the moment and the momentum it has with its central campaign focus on the NHS and other key themes such as the Climate Emergency/Green Industrial Revolution and the ending of austerity. In these final days it is absolutely imperative that these are communicated not simply as strong, well-reasoned arguments but with as much passion and anger as possible. It must reprise its powerful arguments about the rigged system, whose interests the Tories are trying to protect, and must continue to proclaim that Labour is on the side of the 99% who have everything to gain from a Labour  victory.