Slow, a Labour authority, went bankrupt

 

When the Labour Party talks about doing this and doing that, people should ask themselves about how they are going to do it. This is not news. A loophole of £100 million Pound in the finances of the Council in Slow? We are not anti-Labour. We are anti-mismanagement. With a 300 votes the Labour Party managed to keep the seat in Batley and Spen. Has anybody asked about the local authority in Batley and Spen that the Labour Party lost control of? 

When you listen to Labour politicians they are all very quick to blame the government because things are not done, but where are the resources to do what they want to do going to come from? Imagine Britain being managed by the Labour Party in the same way that they managed the Council in Slow. It wouldn't be just a case of a Labour authority going backrupt. It would the country as a whole going bankrupt. Have we been here before? 

We know that Britain has to go back to work full blast to recover from the consequences of the pandemic and of the measures that had to be implemented to deal with the pandemic.Hopefully, from July 19th 2021 onwards, Britain will be going back to work full blast. Hopefully, as the economy gets back on its feet local authorities will once again start getting the resources that they need not to go bankrupt, but we need sound management of public finances.

So some foreign countries would not allow free transit of British citizens. So what? Have you looked at the state of internal British tourism? If you cannot go abroad, move around Britain. Get to know your own country and support local British tourism keeping and promoting employment in the United Kingdom. I look at pricing when it comes to public transport in Britain. We need to lower down railway travelling fares. We need to lower down airlines travelling fares inside the Unite Kingdom to allow people in Britain to travel more inside Britain and re-activate the economy in Britain to produce the tax monies that we need to help local authorities to deliver services in Britain that people desperately need. 

Keir Starmer: Keeping your eye on the ball

 

While you can be critical or supportive of what happens in terms of governance of the United Kingdom, you cannot fail to pay attention to what happening in the Opposition that very much affects developments in the United Kingdom.

Keir Starmer is literally struggling to keep the Labour Party together and by many account he is not succeding. The expressions anti-Semitim and Islmophobia should ring a bell. 

In spite of the fact that Keir Starmer was the man the Labour Party chose to deal with the crisis generated concerning accusations of anti-Semitism in the Labour Party and the fact that as a direct consequence of the crisis the previous leader was deposed and is no longer a Labour Party member, a series of reshuffles following electoral defeats tell you that all is not well in the Labour Party. 

What is more, there is a new acquired fear in the Labour Party that is affecting Labour Party policies and relationships between its members as Muslims are increasingly discontent with the stances of the Labour Party regarding Palestine, Labour Party officials are running around in fear that any criticism of the Labour Party regarding what is happening in Palestine might be seen as anti-Semitism.

Any reshuffle in the present circumstances increases discontent and lowers the popularity ratings of the leader both internally and externally. Some polls indicate that Keir Starmer's popularity ratings are pretty low so he himself would not be an asset should there be an General Election.

We are hours away from a by-election in Batley and Spen and people inside and outside the Labour Party await the outcome of the election that could strengthen existing doubts about the leadership of the Labour Party. But there is more. There have been incidents during the campaign for the by-election that are extremely worrying. A well-known Muslim female Labour Party politician was seen laughing when the standing candidate Kim Leadbeater was accosted by a group of angry Muslims who were questioning Kim Leadbeater about her stances on LGBT issues. To what extent can the Labour Party trust its Muslim members and supporters? If what happened regarding Jewish voters happens again but this time involving Muslim voters there are areas and not just Batley and Spen but somewhere else in the country where the Labour vote could collapse. 

We then see that added to already existing ideological differences between Labour politicians and Labour Party voters we have two new divides regarding issues that happen outside the country that can seriously undermine the Labour Party. Palestine and the debate about anti-Semitism and Islmamophobia are key issues for the present Labour Party. 

A regional official in the UK's Labour Party has prevented local party members from debating a motion on Thursday calling for sanctions on Israel over human rights violations against Palestinians saying it would trigger 'anti-Semitic behaviour'. 

Kim Bolton - chair of Hove and Portslade Constituency Labour Party in southern England - ordered that members are prohibited from discussing the motion calling for Israel to 'end its violations of the human rights of Palestinians'.

The motion had urged the UK to 'impose legal sanctions on Israel', such as a ban of arms sales and trade with illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

Bolton reportedly acted on advice from Scott Horner, the south east regional officer for Labour. Horner is said to have cautioned her that the discussions 'would undermine the party's ability to provide a safe and welcoming place for all members, in particular Jewish members'.

Bolton said she supported that view and believed that a debate on sanctions against Israel, key demand of the non-violent BDS movement backed by large swathes of Labour Party members, could 'stir up internal conflict'.

What are the alternatives for the Labour Party after July 1st, 2021, day of the by-election in Batley and Spen? If the Labour vote is divided and Labour loses the by-election, will this be the last straw for Keir Starmer's leadership. What will he do? Will he carry out yet another reshuffle as it happend after events in Hartlepool and event in Chesham and Amersham? If the Labour Party is in favour of another leadership challenge, who is there to replace Keir Starmer?

Because of the pandemic, the Labour Party has been desperately trying to capitalize on any criticism made concerning the governing party, whether it is about Dominic Cummings or the actions of Matt Hancock or the fabricated loss of documents pertaining to the Ministry of Defense. But this cannot make up for the general lack of direction and ineffectiveness of the Labour Party.

Keir Starmer very well knows that there are two fundamental divisions in the Labour Party - apart from other divisions - the Parliamentary Labour Party and the grass roots of the Labour Party - never mind the University warriors on social media that do not represent the real Labour Party.

Hartlepool was lost because many Labour supporters chose to abstain. In Chesham and Amersham, Labour barely managed to gather a few hundred votes coming after the Green Party. Somebody talked about tactical votes that gave the Liberal Democrats a win in Chesham and Amersham. What if this wasn't a tactical vote, but something more permanent? The Liberal Democrats seem to believe that the outcome was due to a lot more than just a tactical vote. 

We await the outcome in Batley and Spen. Let's see if the Muslim vote for Labour holds or if George Galloway manages to attract both Muslim voters discontent with the stances of the present Labour Party on Palestine and/or Jeremy Corbyn's supporters in general and/or any disaffected Labour voter that does not agree with Keir Starmer's leadership.

 

Labour Party: Lessons to be learned to prevent tragedies

 

On June 16th, 2016, Jo Cox MP (right) was killed in plain daylight being shot and stabbed several times when walking to conduct a surgery at her constituency.

Undoubtedly, the Labour Party has sought to capitalize on emotional elements when Kid Leadbeater - sister of Jo Cox - was chosen as Labour Party candidate in the by-election in Batley and Spen due to take place on July 1st 2021.

The assumption is that Labour voters will seek to elect Kim Leadbeater who, like Jo Cox, is the only local candidate of a slate of candidates. The selection of Kim Leadbeater hasn't come without criticism. Kim Leadbeater was not a Labour Party member. She joined the Labour Party and was selected by-passing Labour Party rules in terms of membership and selection of candidates due to stand for election.

The Labour MP who held the seat had to resign the seat because she was recently chosen to be the Mayor of West Yorkshire. Tracy Brabin was elected in May 2021 and resigned because she could not hold the two posts - Member of Parliament and Mayor of West Yorkshire - at the same time.

The by-election in Batley and Spen comes after a remarkable defeat for Labour in Hartlepool and the losss in Chesham and Amersham were the Labour Party barely got a few hundreds of votes being place behind the Green Party. This comes during very difficult times for the Labour Party. Events in the United Kingdom and outside the United Kingdom. 

Events in the United Kingdom led to the removal of Jeremy Corbyn as Labour Party Leader following a series of scandals involving accusations of anti-Semitism. Jeremy Corbyn did not only lose his position as Labour Party Leader, but he is also out of the Labour Party standing now as an Independent MP. Since then, Keir Starmer has been Labour Party Leader and from day one the briefing was to uproot any kind of behaviour in the Labour Party that could be identified as anti-Semitism. This has come at a cost. In recent days, Muslim supporters complained that Keir Starmer is literally ignoring them and there were public statements by Labour Party supporters in Batley and Spen who refuse to support the Labour Party in the Batley and Spen by-election because of Keir Starmer's stance regarding events in Palestine.

There was a turn for the worse when the issue was a debate about proposed sanctions against the Jewish State of Israel and this is reflect by attitudes inside the Labour Party at regional level.

This was reported by the mass media:

A regional official in the UK's Labour Party has prevented local party members from debating a motion on Thursday calling for sanctions on Israel over human rights violations against Palestinians saying it would trigger 'anti-Semitic behaviour'. 

Kim Bolton - chair of Hove and Portslade Constituency Labour Party in southern England - ordered that members are prohibited from discussing the motion calling for Israel to 'end its violations of the human rights of Palestinians'.

The motion had urged the UK to 'impose legal sanctions on Israel', such as a ban of arms sales and trade with illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

Bolton reportedly acted on advice from Scott Horner, the south east regional officer for Labour. Horner is said to have cautioned her that the discussions 'would undermine the party's ability to provide a safe and welcoming place for all members, in particular Jewish members'.

Bolton said she supported that view and believed that a debate on sanctions against Israel, key demand of the non-violent BDS movement backed by large swathes of Labour Party members, could 'stir up internal conflict'.

I contacted Helen Hayes MP and wrote the following:

'I saw Kim Leadbeater alone on the streets being chased by angry individuals and the thought crossed my mind. What if.... The events on June 16th, 2016 came to me with a bang. Whatever is going on in the Labour Party, you need to take care of your own people. I copy this message to the Labour Party and to the Home Secretary. If certain individuals take an issue with Kim Leadbeater and go out to target her because of very public actions of the Labour Party regarding Palestine, Kim Leadbeater will be a sitting duck.

Kim Bolton, Scott Horner and other Labour Party officials should be made aware of the sensitivities in Batley and Spen. Muslim members/supporters of the Labour Party have already made their views regarding the attitudes within the Labour Party and in particular of the Leadership of the Labour Party. There is an important presence of people of Asian descent who are mostly Muslims in Batley and Spen.

I am afraid that whatever is going on in the Labour Party has made too many people in positions of authority absolutely blind to what is happening on the ground. You are dealing with very dangerous individuals. If on top of being targetted for LGBT issues she is also targetted because of what is happening in the Labour Party with regards to Palestine, she would be the ideal target to focus peoples' minds. Individuals who might be interested in targetting her know perfectly well that the entire country will be watching developments in Batley and Spen because of the implications of the outcome of the election for the Labour Party Leadership. They know that should anything happen, it will be reported nationally and internationally and therefore it will have enormous propaganda value.

George Galloway has made very clear that his participation in Batley and Spen has one fundamental aim and we know what the position of those bound to support George Galloway is on issues regarding Palestine.

I would't be surprised if a major incident takes place before or after the vote. We hope that nothing of the kind ever happens, but you need to be prepared to prevent it from happening. 

I beg you to take this situation extremely seriously. Do not leave her unprotected.

The message was sent to other political operators including Labour Party authorities in Brighton and in Batley and Spen.

This came after video images in which Kim Leadbeater was seen having to deal on her won with a hostile crowd being targetted about her views on LGBT.  She was seen completely vulnerable trying to get into a car parked on the side of the road. We do remember what happend to Jo Cox in June 2016. It would not have been impossible for something very similar to happen to Kim Leadbeater when she is campaigning for the Batley and Spen by-Election.

It is not difficult to understand what is happening within the Labour Party. The article that publishes the decision made by the Labour Party regarding a motion about sanctions on Israel indicates that such if the fear of the Leadership of the Labour Party about the issue of Anti-Semitism that the Labour Party is very much willing to ignore violations of human rights and the killing of men, women and children as long as there are no more accusations about Anti-Semitism. The article also indicates that a vast number of Labour Party supporters (the non-violent BDS (Boycot Divest and Sanctions) movement backed by large swathes of Labour members) do not agree with the stances of Keir Starmer on the issue of Palestine and violation of human rights.

https://bdsmovement.net/  The BDS movement works to end international support for Israel's oppression of Palestinians and pressure Israel to comply with International Law.

Keir Starmer as Labour Party Leader has sought to salvage the Labour Party and after each electoral defeat he has produced yet another reshuffle. With each reshuffle his power base is shrinking. He is not only not listening to voters. He is not listening to members of his own party. Not only that. He is preventing members of his own political party from expressing valid points of view. It might come the time when his popularity ratings with voters in general will be at the same level of his popularity within the Labour Party.

Two questions arise about his own political survival: how long will he be Labour Party Leader? Will he be Labour Party Leader at the time of the next General Election? I do believe that the next General Election will take place in 2024. Speculation about an advanced General Election seem to have come to an end with events linked to the departure of Matt Hancock as Health Secretary.

What is certain is that the image of the Labour Party as defender of Human Rights has been wiped out by Keir Starmer. He, the man who used to be a star Director of Public Prosecutions, is now under scrutiny. 

Andrew Rawnsley writing on The Guardian says: Starmer's enthusiasm while DPP for using mundane news events to feed the press with rightwing talking points is a possible concern for Labour members. If such a leader was faced with news of an injustice in the future - the consequence of a change to immigration rules,say, or of a strike in public services - Starmer's approach to the press as DPP might raise worries that he would not give a principled defence of the victims but would tell the press whatever it wanted to hear.

The description made by Andrew Rawnsley clearly explains the fact that Keir Starmer instead of choosing the hard way of standing against violations of Human Rights has chosen the easy way of opting for what is convenient instead of opting for what is proper and difficult. Little consideration has been given to the predicament Kim Leadbeater could face in Batley and Spen.

 

 
 

Batley and Spen: George Galloway launches a crusade against Keir Starmer

 

While Keir Starmer is busy in a game of chairs to maintain control of the Labour Party after a series of electoral defeats including Hartlepool and Chesham and Amersham where the Labour Party was put behing the Greens with a few hundred votes, the chase is on.

It was Diane Abbott, a close associate of Jeremy Corbyn - former Labour Party Leader thrown out of the Labour Party and now standing as an Independent in the House of Commons -, who said that defeat in Batley and Spen would be the end of the leadership of Keir Starmer.

George Galloway is another former Labour MP involved in a crusade to defeat the Labour Party in Batley and Spen - the seat that used to be represented by Jo Cox where none other than Kim Leadbeater sister of Jo Cox is standing for election.

Who can Keir Starmer trust inside the Labour Party shadow cabinet? Who can he count on should there be another leadership challenge? Every reshuffle is a bruising experience. Could there be a Labour Dominic Cummings in waiting?

As previously reported, the gap between Labour and Conservative has been getting smaller since the seat went to Labour in 1997. Now, Muslim voters that constitute a sizeable minority in Batley and Spen and other disaffected Labour voters most of whom voted for Brexit see little in the present Labour Party. If we take this into account then Batley and Spen is a very marginal Labour seat and ready for the taking.

The margin in 2019 was 3,525. Given what has been happening since the demise of Jeremy Corbyn, it is not unthinkable that such a reduced majority could be wiped out by those who choose to support George Galloway and those who choose to abstain. In this particular scenario, since the two main contenders are Labour and Conservative, there would be no strategic voting that could save the Labour Party from certain defeat because the Lib Dems are two far below to make up for the difference. It must also be said that the Lib Dems got 4.7% of the share of the vote compared to the previous election in 2017 and that another change of leadership in the Labour Party would signal that the choices made by Labour voters in Chesham and Amersham where voters chose to vote Lib Dem were right. 

In May 20201, Labour kept control of 44 Council having lost 8, while the Conservatives gained 13 reaching 63 local authorities. Yet another rebuff in Batley and Spen, a seat held by Labour and that has an important meaning for Labour as it was represented by Jo Cox, the Member of Parliament killed on June 16th 2016.

At 12:53 pm, Britsh Summer Time, on Thursday, June 16th 2016, Jo Cox (born Helen Joanne Leadbeater) was shot and stabbed outside a librery in Birstall, West Yorkshire. Witnesses indicated that she was shot three times - once near the head - and stabbed multiple times.

Not surprising then that the Labour Party decided to put aside its own party rules regarding membership and candidates for election and decided to allow Kim Leadbeater to stand for election, a move that didn't happen without criticism from within the Labour Party itself. Whether emotional elements have any weight with voters remains to be seen. In any case, Kim Leadbeater has stated that she is the only candidate standing that has actual links with Batley and Spen.

Could George Galloway win in Batley and Spen?

 

July 2021 - Batley and Spen By Election

Could George Galloway win in Batley and Spen?

The present Labour Candidate Kim Leadbeater, sister of Jo Cox, joined the Labour Party with few days to spare, to be able to stand as Labour Candidate in a seat that has been Labour since 1997.

Having said that, Batley and Spen is a very special Labour Party seat. In Batley and Spen, 60 per cent of voters voted for Brexit and about 30% of the population is of Asian descent and mostly Muslim.

With Jeremy Corbyn ousted from the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn's associates stated that should the Labour Party lose the election in Batley and Spen then it would Keir Starmer turn to leave his post as Labour Party Leader. 

It has been reported that the official Labour Party is concerned about the arrival of George Galloway in Batley and Spen and should be worried for several reasons. Apart from the fact the 60% of voters supported Brexit and 30% of the population is of Asian descent and most Muslim is enough to be worried. George Galloway's arrival could be used to oust Keir Starmer as Leader.

The gap between Labour and Conservatives has been getting smaller and smaller in favour of the Conservative Party. If George Galloway takes away just enough votes away from Labour to breach that gap, this would open the door to the Conservative Party. And what if George Galloway actually wins in Batley and Spen? He would return to the House of Commons and be there until the next General Election and there will at least the temptation for several Labour Party MPs to join him thus hurting the official Labour Party very badly.

Kim Leadbeater has already complained about 'external forces taking part in the Batley and Spen by-election. It is a by-election. Voters know that this would not change the present compositioin of the House of Commons and that at the end of the day the Conservative Party would still be in power. After what happened in Hartlepool and what happened in Chesham and Amersham where votes for the Labour Party were counted as hundreds behind the Green Party, voters might decide to give Keir Starmer a bloody nose. For supporters of Jeremy Corbyn, Keir Starmer - more than Boris Johnson - is the real Enemy Number One. 

The official Labour Party has used Kim Leadbeater to play the emotional card since she is the sister of Jo Cox, but in doing so Labour Party rules were bent to allow Kim Leadbeater to stand as she has not been a Labour Party member long enough to stand as a candidate for Member of Parliament. 

For those supporting Keir Starmer, this is about the survival of his leadership. For those supporting Jeremy Corbyn this is about getting rid of Keir Starmer and George Galloway despite being outside the Labour Party is a Labour Party man. For all the aforementioned, Batley and Spen could be a very interesting by-election to watch.

Candidates standing for election in July 2021

• Paul Bickerdike, Christian Peoples Alliance
• Mike Davies, Alliance for Green Socialism
• Jayda Fransen, Independent
• George Galloway, Workers Party
• Tom Gordon, Liberal Democrats
• Therese Hirst, English Democrats
• Howling Laud Hope, Official Monster Raving Loony Party
• Susan Laird, Heritage Party
• Kim Leadbeater, Labour Party
• Ollie Purser, Social Democratic Party
• Corey Robinson, Yorkshire Party
• Andrew Smith, Rejoin EU
• Ryan Stephenson, Conservative Party
• Jack Thomson, UK Independence Party
• Jonathan Tilt, Freedom Alliance
• Anne Marie Waters, The For Britain Movement

Note: Jayda Fransen will be standing as Independent because the so called British Freedom Party has never been registered as a political party in the United Kingdom.

 

Dominic Cummings: Whistleblower or Spiteful man seeking revenge no matter what?

 

For months on end, the Opposition targetted Dominic Cummings identifying him as the source of all evil in the British government. Mr. Cummings was pictured and depicted in the most negative manner, harassed by journalists and lots of ink was spread about him being the worst of the worst. They even laughed when he presumably was infected with Covid-19.

Months passed and one day Dominic Cummings was fired by the Conservative goverment. The Opposition celebrated. Finally, they had got their man and he was out of government. Such an evil influence he had been! Now, months later after he was fired, he has now been made the centre of attention because he is saying exactly what the Opposition wants him to say to attack the Conservative government.

But wait a minute! Mr. Cummings is saying that he knew that lives were being put at risk and chose to stay in government, keeping his mouth shut while thousands were dying? So here comes the fact. If what he says is true, then Mr Cummings is guilty as hell for being part of a lethal cover up and criminal charges should be raised against him for being an accomplice of serious crimes. He says that he knew that lives were being put in danger and chose to remain silent until when? Until he was fired. Only months after he was fired he calculated that it was then the time to talk and reveal all. This stinks as the cold blooded maneuvers of a political manipulator that knows which buttons to press to get things his way.

The Opposition has been a disgrace, failing to carry out proper opposition, focusing on scandals instead of promoting viable alternatives and now the Opposition - once again - is not offering the kind of choices that ordinary voters want to hear about. What is the reality of it all? Britain is coming out of Lockdown. The economy is starting to pick up speed and moving in the right direction. The country is once again open for business and business is what Britain is about. 

Do I trust the present Opposition? The previous Shadow Cabinet was a shambles with various examples of sheer incompetence and then came yet another reshuffle very much like a game of chairs. The grass roots of the Labour Party, elected representatives of the Labour Party, are publicly saying that they don't know what the Labour Party stands for, that they don't have a clue about what the Labour Party stands for. People were joking about the demotion of the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party that was given so many attributions as compensation for her demotion that she might have become a risk for the Labour Party Leader Keir Starmer.

Things are so bad, the Labour MPs who are still loyal to the previous Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn even with that the Labour Party does badly in the Batley and Spen by-election due to take place in July as a way to get rid of Keir Starmer. Is using what Mr Cummings is saying - regardless of it being true or false - a way to divert attention from the miserable state the Opposition is in?

The disconnect between the Labour Party and its supporters is plainly obvious. In Batley and Spen, a community with a vast presence of people of Pakistani and Indian descent (16.9% Pakistani and 15.9% Indian) where Labour has had a majority since 1997, 60% per cent of voters voted for Brexit. The London centric Labour Party seems to be ignoring the will of its supporters all along. They ignored the will of voters in Hartlepool and were routed by the Conservative Party. Wil they seek to ignore the will of voters once again in Batley and Spen? 

I understand why the Opposition is trying to find some alternative narrative to motivate voters to come out and vote for them. If Kim Leadbeater really want to win the seat in Batley and Spen she might be well advised to put some distance between herself and the Parliamentary Labour Party, between herself and the leadership of the Labour Party, and to choose to fight the election on purely local issues. Keir Starmer position on geopolitical issues might not carry the favour of people who are predominantly Muslim. Some die-hard Remain stances might not be very favourable either. 

 

Kim Leadbeater: In a first past the post election, we should think more about the qualities of the candidate than about the qualities of the leader of a political party

 

Whether Kim Leadbeater is or isn't the sister of Jo Cox that used to represent Batley and Spen - there will be a by-election next July - is for some people a relevant issue and some think that she was selected to stand because she is the sister of Jo Cox.

For me, personally, it is about the qualities of the candidate and it should not matter who is the Leader of the Labour Party. It is a first-past-the-post election. We should focus on the candidate and not on who is the Leader of the party.

By the same token, people in Manchester voted for Andy Burnham because Andy Burnham was the man standing, I am sure that many of those voting for Andy Burnham do not agree with the way Keir Starmer is leading the Labour Party, but they still voted for Andy Burnham because they like the way he runs Manchester as Mayor of Manchester. The same should apply to Batley and Spen.

Some Labour MPs have publicly said that if the Labour Party loses the by-election in a seat that they have held since 1997 (the year when Tony Blair came to power as Prime Minister), it will be curtains for Keir Starmer's leadership. For some, this is about the Labour Party. I think this is about the person that the people of Batley and Spen want to represent them in Westminster.

Trying to equate Hartlepool with Batley and Spen is wrong for various reasons. Firstly, the by-election in Hartlepool was called because the local Labour MP resigned because of an ongoing investigation into sexual abuses. The situation is Batley and Spen is radically different. The by-election in Batley and Spen was called because Tracy Brabin - the local Labour MP - was elected Mayor of West Yorkshire. 

There is a significant factor. In the EU Membership Referendum, 60 per cent of those who voted voted for Brexit. Therefore, some in the Labour Party should tone down their anti-Brexit rhetoric and at least try to respect the will of the voters of Batley and Spen.

Kim Leadbeater has spoken with wisdom. She has reminded the official Labour Party that far too many Labour MPs have no experience of the real world and that this contributes to their detachment from ordinary voters.