Sadiq Khan: London Mayoral Election 2020

Sadiq Khan: London Mayoral Election 2020

Despite what happened in the rest of the country and in the Labour Party in particular, I don't think there is a natural challenger that could unseat Sadiq Khan as London Mayor. 

Whoever aspires to defeat Sadiq Khan will have to have enough political weight to have any chance of winning against a London Mayor that built his own political profile regardless of the troubles of the Labour Party led by Jeremy Corbyn.

Regardless of his stances on Brexit and his statements on foreign affairs i.e. his war of words with President Donald Trump, I reckon Sadiq Khan could even benefit from his stances and statements because London is a completely different cup of tea when compared to the rest of the United Kingdom.
Who are the other contenders? Well, Shaun Bailey will be standing as Conservative Party Mayoral Candidate. The Liberal Democrats have Siobhan Benita who previously stood in 2012 as Independent. Siän Berry will stand for the Green Party. Sue Black will stand for the Women's Equality Party, Rosalind Readhead would be standing as Independent, and Rory Stewart, former Conservative MP would be standing as Independent Candidate.

Despite the fact that opinion polls indicate that Sadiq Kahn went from 62% down to 44%  (December 2018 until November 2019), none of the contenders seem to have the charisma and the experience Sadiq Khan has. So unless there is a last minute change with a bigger hat being thrown into the ring I reckon the Sadiq Khan's mandate will be extended for another four years. 

Greens and Labour will be fighting for predominance in the London Assembly. As it was stated in a husting in London before the 2019 General Election, the Green Party is a serious challenger and would do well on the London Wide List. The credibility of the Lib Dems was seriusly damaged with the loss of many MPs - including those who defected from the Labour Party and the Conservative Party and their leader Jo Swinson but they could do well enough to get Siobhan Benita elected as London Assembly Member if they play their cards right.

With regards to UKIP and Brexit Party and other political contenders, they were routed or not even stood in December 2019. Therefore, I believe that they wouldn't stand a chance. They would lose not just the election but also all their deposits.

The Fall of the BNP and the rise of National Action

The Fall of the BNP and the rise of National Action

There is no coincidence that groups like National Action appeared in the United Kingdom. The demise of the British National Party under a disastrous leadership led directly to the rise of extremist groups and National Action is one of them but there are many more and their numbers are being fulled by a very myopic approach that enriches the rhetoric of the violent against the principles of democratic coexistence.

Liberalism and Marxism have become the new intolerance. Marxism has always being intolerant but now has joined forces with Liberalism in a struggle that is destroying the foundation of a democratic way of life.

The designs and ulterior motives of Liberals and Marxists matter more than the will of the Electorate. We have been here before. The Weimar Republic comes to mind for the Weimar Republic was described as a democracy without democrats.

By putting obstacles along the way, Liberals and Marxists and the drivers of political correctness are destroying our democratic way of life. When people are banned from organizing political parties to take part in lawful democratic activities, Liberals and Marxists are creating the recipe for the destruction of our democratic way of life. Whether you like or dislike what people stand for, all political views should be present on the ballot for the Electorate to decide.

The then Home Secretary Amber Rudd banned National Action. What did she achieve? If I said 'Absolutely nothing,' I would be generous. She achieved something. She managed to increase radicalisation because the ideas of National Action have spread under other names and the myopic actions of the Electoral Commission are now being used as a recruitment tool.

When political ideas cannot be expressed within a democratic framework, radicalisation grows and spreads. If political fights do not take place by using ballots, we end up in a situation in which ballots will be replaced with guns.

Liberals and Marxists like to talk about the Good Friday Agreement that put an end to the troubles in the Republic of Ireland and in Northern Ireland. What was the idea of the Good Friday Agreement? To allow both Unionists and Republicans to engage in a democratic process as a meas to put an end to violence.

Using the same logic then, the Electoral Commission shouldn't use its powers to prevent the participation of political groups in democratic elections because by using its powers in such a manner the Electoral Commission is going against the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement. Democratic participation is the way to prevent violence. If the Electoral Commision prevents democratic participation then the Electoral Commission is promoting violence and I don't think that the Electoral Commision should be promoting violence because this is not what the Electoral Commission shoul.d be about.

We need as much democratic participation as possible. We need everybody involved in the democratic process. 

 

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Brexit: Johnson, Hunt or Farage?

Brexit: Johnson, Hunt or Farage?

Having heard the three of them, I say that my first choice is Nigel Farage but since he cannot be Conservative Party Leader and Prime Minister then we are left with Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt. 

Jeremy Hunt is neither tea nor coffee. He doesn't have a leg to stand on. I feel he is the kind of Leader that chooses to be lead instead of leading and that he will succumb to both internal and external pressure.

Boris Johnson appears to be the strongest of the two but I feel he is a bit of a school boy trying to please everybody.

We need a gut cutter. We need the beast that will cut the troat of Parliament if there is the need to do so to implement Brexit for real.

If need be, the struggle will have to be taken to the streets.Just a few day ago, a group of guys set EU flags on fire using a blowtorch and went against a BBC crew standing on the green near the Houses of Parliament.

Turncoats need to be shown that when things really matter there are those ready to reach for the sword to send a clear message. We know where the BBC and other segments of mass media stand. They have actively promoted fear telling the public that if Britain becomes independent the world as we know it will come to an end. They care more about what the EU mandarins want and are willing to do their dirty work.

Brexit Party and SNP: A picture that speaks volumes

Brexit Party and SNP: A picture that speaks volumes

Rory Stewart: Deluded about pact with Brexit Party?

Rory Stewart: Deluded about pact with Brexit Party?

Rory Stewart

The  2019 local elections proved to be an absolute disaster for the Conservative Party that was punished for Theresa May's loss of public face. This was followed by the European Parliament Elections in which the Conservative Party was practically wiped out. As if this wasn't enough, in the Peterborough By Election, the Conservative Party was third behind the Brexit Party. The news that Rory Stewart contacted Nigel Farage to seek an agreement is the act of a desperate man that got barely 19 votes in the first round of the Conservative Party Leadership Election. Matt Hancock who got 20 votes walked away. But Rory Stewart went as a far as confirming that he is willing to destroy the Conservative Party following the path established by Philip Hammond. The fact that he was looking for a deal with the Brexit Party merely serves to confirm what Dominic Raab stated: If the Conservative Party doesn't deliver Brexit, the Conservative Party is finished.

Rumours that Boris Johnson could be confirmed even before two candidates are chosen to allow the Conservative Party Membership is given the opportunity to vote indicate that there is an awareness that should a leader be chosen that is not strong enough, not decisive enough, not enough of a believer in Brexit, this would be catastrophic for the Conservative Party. October 31st is the chosen date, the deadline. October 31st 2019 is the date to prove if the Conservative Party is a political force worth voting for. A new failure would not only condemn the new leader to a disgraceful departure. It would sink the Conservative Party. The Brexit Party is watching. Any hesitation in the Conservative Party will be a gigantic boost for the Brexit Party. Conservatives like Jacob Rees Mogg have spoken about including Nigel Farage in any future possible negotiation with the European Union.

In the meantime, in a desperate attempt to hold the Labour Party together, Jeremy Corbyn would be forced to offer a vote to Labour Party members so that any decision is not seen as Jeremy Corbyn's decision but as the Labour Party's decision. The Labour Party has already lost several Members of Parliament without an election being fought - Chuka Umunna joined the Lib Dems as Treasure and Business Spokesman. Not long ago, A high Profile Jewish MP resigned and accused the Labour Party of Anti-Semitism, accusation that was backed up by other Labour MPs who left to become independent. This happened after several MPs had become independent facing the certain danger of being deselected by their local constituencies.

Both Conservatives and Labour are in a state of flux. People are being asked who they will vote for if there was a General Election tomorrow. Lib Dems and Brexit Party come on top in terms of preferences. Some commentators who are politically aligned with the Labour Party have said that should Boris Johnson become leader the next step would be a general election but, perhaps, they are not taking into account the desperate state of both political parties and that in such general election the Conservative Party and the Labour Party risk coming third and fourth.

Confronting the possibility of Parliament being suspended to ensure that no one can prevent Brexit, Rory Stewart talked about using the Central Hall located not far from the Houses of Parliament to organise an alternative Parliament that would challenge the government but this looks very much like a political crisis of gigantic proportions not seen in Britain since the days of Oliver Cromwell and Charles I. Moreover, a motion put forward by the Labour Party aimed at preventing No Deal was defeated just days ago. 

On Tuesday, June 18th 2019, the Second Round in the Conservative Party Leadership Election will take place. There are six candidates left in the struggle. Remainers like Rory Stewart will have to have enough support to survive because facing a Conservative Party Membership vote with grassroots that are mainly for Leave.

 

Rory Stewart publicly declares that he would usher the destruction of the Conservative Party

Rory Stewart publicly declares that he would usher the destruction of the Conservative Party

Rory Stewart

Rory Stewart, like Philip Hammond, is the voice of surrender to the European Union and he has publicly stated - like Philip Hammond - that he is willing to destroy the Conservative Party in the process if he doesn't get things his way.

Philip Hammond

Rory Stewart stated unequivocally to destroy Boris Johnson, the man that represents real Brexit and he is without a shadow of a doubt the spearhead of the Remainers in the Conservative Party.

Rory Stewart will be voicing the fears spread by some in the Labour Party, in the Lib Dem Party and in other political organisations including the Conservative Party that led to the downfall of Theresa May. Next week, we will see a regrouping of contenders in the leadership contest and both camps in the Conservative Party will be struggling for control. Remainers will be plotting against Boris Johnson that they see as the embodiment of Leave.

In the meantime, the Brexit Party that came second in the Peterborough By-Election effectively relegated the Conservative Party in the local elections and in the European Parliament Elections is now sending a clear message to the Conservative Party: "Get Brexit done or face political catastrophe." The Conservative Party of 1997 lost the election mainly because of internal divisions. The Conservative Party lost the local elections and the European Parliament Elections of 2019 and was relegated to third place in Peterborough. In this context, Rory Stewart could be seen as a political suicide not just for Rory Stewart but a political suicide for the Conservative Party if people like Rory Stewart get their way.

Emmanuel Macron's threats are playing into the hands of those who want to breakaway with a deal or without a deal. Treating Britain like a province of the EU or even a province of France, Macron - much more than other EU mandarins - is weakening the Remain camp factions that cannot even agree with each other as the Remain camp becomes ever more fragmented.

Is this the future of UK/USA relationship?

Is this the future of UK/USA relationship?

Jeremy Corbyn vs Donald Trump

The way things are going, this could be a real possibility. For the Leader of Her Majesty's Opposition to boycott the visit of the President of the United States of America is a very serious matter. Direct attacks like the ones launched by Emily Thornberry against President Trump and none other than the Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow is no laughing matter. We are talking about very serious issues involved the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the emphasis on foreign policy.

This is not merely an issue of liking or not liking President Donald Trump. This is about the British Nuclear Deterrent and the whole Defence Strategy in Europe. One has to think that Emmanuel Macron's rush to lead the way towards the establishment of EU Armed Forces and an Independent EU Foreign Policy has a lot to do with the concerns generated by Jeremy Corbyn's ideological stances.

While the attention is focused on Brexit, President Trump's visit to the United Kingdom is undoubtedly about reassurances regarding Britain's position facing the possibility of Jeremy Corbyn becoming Prime Minister. It is expected that a new Conservative Prime Minister will be in place by mid-year and a clear cut solution will be found to prevent the rise of Jeremy Corbyn. 

The Labour Party's Leadership is again under fire and the rise of both the Lib Dems on the Remain side and of the Brexit Party on the Leave side must have given some hope to the American Administration. President Trump has used warm words to describe his rapport with Boris Johnson as a potential Prime Minister and with Nigel Farage as Leader of the Brexit Party. 

Alastair Campbell has expressed the view that without a clear definition the Labour Party would be doomed in a General Election. Much has been said about Chancellor Philip Hammond talking about bringing down the Conservative government in case of No Deal but do those oppose to Jeremy Corbyn really want the Labour Party to win knowing that Jeremy Corbyn would be the next Primer Minister.

A very advantageous Trade Agreement between the USA and Britain would favour a No Deal option and could prevent the rise of Jeremy Corbyn. A No Confidence Vote against the Conservative government would be a geopolitical disaster. 

They say EU is Environmental Champion. Not really.

They say EU is Environmental Champion. Is it?

Those standing for the EU say that Britain would be worse off and talk about seeking guarantees that once Britain is out of the EU environmental policies will be maintained and promoted. Well, research shows that EU has not been helping the environment but hampering the efforts to protect the environment. In fact, the European Commission has been blocking climate action and making things more difficult for those trying to promote environmental policies.

Fact: Most electricity produced in countries like Germany and Poland is produced with coal. After the nuclear accident in Japan, Germany turned even more to electricity produced using coal. This is the reality, the rest is ill informed political hypocrisy. France, instead, trusts nuclear power and meets most of its needs using nuclear power instead of resorting to gimmicks. 

All countries need a reliable supply of energy and speeches won't do but things can be a lot worse when the EU Commission itself is acting against alternatives to protect the environment.

UK Political Tsunami?

UK Political Tsunami?

The Guardian: Jewish Brexit Party Candidate and Swastika

The Guardian: Jewish Brexit Party Candidate and Swastika

How many times the UAF, Hope Not Hate, politicians and mass media have called those supporting Brexit Nazi, Fascist, Racist et cetera, et cetera?

But... and it is a big BUT, oh surprise, Jewish people are standing as candidates for the Brexit Party and therefore the UAF, Hope Not Hate, politicians and mass media are calling Jewish people Nazi, Facist, Racist et cetera et cetera.

Now, none other than The Guardian is publicly stating that those who are are campaigning for Brexit are not Nazi, are not Fascist, are not Racist and that all crap spread by UAF, Hope Not Hate, politicians and mass media against those who stand in favour of leaving the European Union is crap. 

The constant labelling of politicians because of their positions regarding the relationship with the European Union is precisely what led to a Jewish candidate being called Nazi. I say that not only those who painted the Swastika should be investigated. The UAF should be investigated. Hope Not Hate should be investigated. UNITE should be investigated. All those who call British politicians whose only crime is to stand for what they believe in a Democratic society should be investigated because every time somebody is called a Nazi is the equivalent of painting a Swastika on the face of the said individual.

British Politics: When the two main political forces combined can barely manage to get 58% of votes cast the situation is pretty serious

British Politics: When the two main political forces combined can barely manage to get 58% of votes cast the situation is pretty serious

In times past, when the Conservatives were going under there was Labour waiting in the wings. When Labour was going under, the Conservatives were waiting in the rings. Now, we are facing a completely new scenario with both major political forces extremely divided and lacking the trust of the Electorate. In the end, everything depends on Leadership. Neither Jeremy Corbyn nor Theresa May have the support of the political parties they are supposed to lead and this makes both Labour and Conservatives unfit to govern.

The debacle in the local elections could be followed by an even bigger debacle in the European Parliament Elections. Some keep asking for a second Referendum when in fact the European Parliament Elections could be both the equivalent of a Referendum and of a General Election with two major alternatives based on the fundamental choices concerning the European Union. 

I have never experienced in Britain such a political scenario in which so called mainstream parties have appeared so dramatically downgraded. The Liberal Democrats fared well because there was a very low turnout. What will happen when other political forces namely the Brexit Party and the Change Party enter the political arena. Those wanting to Leave will have a clear choice called the Brexit Party. Those wanting to Remain will have a clear choice called the Change Party.

Since the whole process is going to be about Leaving or Remaining, voters will not be limited by the usual party political choices. The European Parliament Elections will not be about Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrats or Greens. Those wanting to ensure that their choice regarding the European Union is the winning ticket will put aside their usual allegiances. 

In years past, people did not have to go to the Polling Stations twice in the same month: Local Elections on May 2nd 2019 and European Parliament Elections on May 23rd 2019. 

One understands that at this very minute in the Labour Party and in the Conservative Party major efforts are being made to reach an agreement that could be approved by Parliament to prevent having to have European Parliament Elections. But I very much doubt that any agreement between the Leaders will have the necessary support in the House of Commons.

Is this the preamble of the creation of new political forces to replace the ailing Labour and Conservatives?

British National Party - Police playing politics

British National Party - Police Playing Politics

It is not the role of Police Forces in the United Kingdom to be a political party. Unfortunately, the Police in this country behave like a political party. We experience this when Police authorities say that somebody cannot be a police officer or play any role in Police forces if the said person is a member or has been a member of the British National Party, of EDL or of a range of other organisations that happen to be political organisations. What is more such depraved attitudes of Police authorities is shared by politicians of other political organisations and those running the mass media in the United Kingdom. Entire segments of British public opinion have been excluded, discriminated against, persecuted, harassed, excluded from jobs in many sectors of the British economy.

When you hear voices talking against extremism, including representatives of Police Officers, you know that they don't have a clue about what they are talking about. If you systematically exclude people from engaging in lawful activities, you will push people towards extremism. 

Jack Renshaw and others that are in British jails were young people who had political ambitions and who wanted to engage in the political process lawfully via elections. They were not about violence. They were not about threatening to kill people. They were systematically discriminated against and their turned against a system that excluded them. For this we have to blame Police Forces, the Political Establishment and the Mass Media and their messages and their messages that demonised ordinary human beings. When they saw that there was no political outlet, they went off the rail and started planning to kill fellow human beings to vent their frustration.

Jo Cox was not a victim and she is usually depicted by the Political Establishment and the Mass Media. She was a victimiser. She was actively campaigning to reinforce the trends towards exclusion and demonising and she fell on her own sword when an individual went out of his way to get her out.

Today, Members of Parliament  complain that they don't feel safe. Well, Members of Parliament of all sides of the political spectrum represented in Parliament feel unsafe. The time was well overdue for Members of Parliament to be made to feel unsafe because we as ordinary people have been feeling unsafe for a very long time because of the policies of a Parliament that lives most of the time in cuckooland. Do ordinary people feel safe? You can ask the relatives of those who have lost their lives or suffered because of the climate of insecurity created by the Political Establishment. They talk a  lot about gang crime but they do close to nothing to deal with the realities that lead to gang crime and knife crime. For ages ordinary people have been forced to live in subhuman conditions and the said subhuman conditions lead to crime.

Zero Hour contracts, sub-employment and other ills of hour time, what do the Political Establishment and the Mass Media think that badly paid unsafe jobs generate? They talk about school exclusions. Well, where do most of those excluded come from? They come from households that live on the edge in a permanent struggle for survival.

Look at the membership criteria of political parties. When they justify exclusions, they are justifying social exclusion and violence. They talk about having a national debate. Well, a real national debate should include all segments of the political spectrum including those they classify as extremist. 

Let me give an example. Before the Good Friday Agreement, the Provisional IRA and others were classified as terrorist organisations and Sinn Fein - the political side of the Provisional IRA - was excluded. Was there peace? When did Peace finally arrive? When there were talks between people who hated each other to death. 

The Far Right and those called Far Right have a genuine right to be part of the national debate for the debate to be national. Until everyone is included and until Police Authorities are forced to stop talking political rubbish, there will not be peace and more and more people will be going off the rail and engaging in violence as the only way of making their views known.

A useless Parliament opens the door to a political revolution

A useless Parliament opens the door to a political revolution. Democracy is overdue for renewal. Without renewal there will be violence and we are already seeing the seeds of violence. Britain needs Democratic renewal to avoid bloodshed.

June 30 or else?

June 30 or else?

The first deadline was March 29th 2019. Then came two conditional deadlines: April 12th 2019 and May 22nd 2019. Today, the House of Commons voted to establish that June 30th 2019 is the limit and that whatever is negotiated by Prime Minister Theresa May has to fit it in a period from today until June 30th 2019.

If the European Union decides tomorrow to have an extension that doesn't go beyond June 30th 2019 then such deadline would be viable. If the European Union decides that it was deadline that is beyond June 30th 2019 then what?

As tensions rise within the Conservative Party several avenues are possible:

1) The potential to force Theresa May's resignation - this would require that Theresa May accepts to resign voluntarily for the sake of the Conservative Party or a Vote of No Confidence in the Conservative Government that would lead to the fall of the Conservative Government. At this point, Her Majesty the Queen could decide to call Jeremy Corbyn and asked him to form a new government.

2) Theresa May might call a General Election which in these uncertain times would neither benefit the Conservative Party not the Labour Party and would encourage voters to choose candidates either pro-Brexit or anti-Brexit regardless of any other consideration.

3) A Referendum could take place as a pre-condition for Parliament to accept Theresa May's original deal. In such a Referendum there could be three choices: 1) To accept Theresa May's Deal 2) To reject Theresa May's Deal and go out without a Deal and 3) To cancel Brexit altogether. 

Since neither of the three options are very popular putting the decision in the hands of the Electorate would seem to be the obvious choice but there is a big BUT. If the number of people voting in the Referendum is lower than the number of people voting in the original Referendum the outcome would be seriously undermined. A lower turnout would lead to serious consequences.

Another pending issue is the European Parliament Election. If the deadline chosen goes beyond May 22nd 2019, Britain would take part in the European Parliament Elections that if Britain were to decide to leave would be rendered meaningless. At this point, the European Union could decide to prolong the mandate of present Members of the European Parliament thus altering the date of the European Parliament Elections. This doesn't seem to be a practical solution. Allowing Britain to take part in the said European Parliament Elections wouldn't be a practical solution either. President Macron has expressed his concerns that the European Parliament Elections could be used to get a higher number of anti-EU Members of the European Parliament that could block his plans for closer European Union political integration.

Brexit: Trust in Democracy can only be restored when politicians deliver on what they promise

Brexit: Trust in Democracy can only be restored when politicians deliver on what they promise

Anna Soubry was called Nazi by a protester in front of the Houses of Parliament. That was a wrong thing to do because she isn't a Nazi. 

Having said that there is one claim that can be made. She has failed to deliver what she promised to her voters and to the Nation..The same has happened with other Members of Parliament. After the Expenses Scandal and several other shortcomings, Brexit would have been the golden opportunity for Parliament to redeem itself. Instead, trust in Parliament is at an all time low. But trust in Parliament is not the only one issue. There has been a loss of faith in Democracy.

Five days before a crucial deadline to leave the European Union, nobody knows with certainty what it is going to happen. There is a power struggle between the Executive namely the Prime Minister and the British government and Parliament. Parliament has been wrestling control away from the Executive and this poses questions about the foundations of Democracy that stands on Division of Powers - Executive, Legislative and Judiciary.

The authority of the British Government has been eroded but also the authority of the leaders of political parties has been eroded with renewed accusations of Anti-Semitism made against Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party and of Islamophobia against the Conservative Party as a whole. This is happening when unity within the two main political parties should exist to ensure sustainable governance.

Since the General Election of 2017, there has been a hang Parliament in which the Conservative Party had to negotiate an alliance with the Democratic Unionist Party of Northern Ireland. There have been so many conflicts that several key members of both the Conservative Party and of the Labour party decided to resign their membership of their political parties and even a Liberal Democrat MP resigned the whip of his party because of disagreement with regards to his political party's position concerning Brexit.

To the already complex political situation, where do the British Armed Forces stand? Apart from a scandal created by the revelation that active members of the Armed Forces have joined a now banned organisation called National Action, a video was published showing members of the Armed Forces doing shooting exercises using a poster with the image of Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Opposition, as a target.

Fears regarding an European Parliament Election that Britain might have to take part in have encouraged political parties that the mass media have classified as Far Right to participate in the said European Parliament Election at a time when in Continental Europe there is a mood that would produce great political gains for political forces opposed to the European Union Project.

In France, where last time around Emmanuel Macron was offered as an alternative to the then Front National and now Rassemblement National, President Emmanuel Macron is not just the least popular President in the history of France. For the first time, the French people hate a French President. This puts Rassemblement National in pole position to obtain a vast number of seats in the European Parliament.

In Italy with a political alliance of Right and Left and in Germany there is the possibility of getting many anti-EU Members of the European Parliament Elected. In recent elections in Germany, Alternative für Deutschland entered every single one of the sixteen state Parliaments and is the official opposition in the Federal Parliament.

With this in mind, will the present authorities of the European Union agree to an extension that would allow a massive number of anti-EU Members of Parliament to be elected and make decisions regarding the European Commission and the long term budget of the European Union? 

The coming week promises to be even more crucial not just for Britain but also for the future of the European Union.

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