In 2008, Britain faced a gigantic crise and billions were 'invested' to save the financial sector

Native Americans have an expression: keeping an ear on the ground. This literally means keeping an year on the ground to hear galloping horses. Looking at the pages of The Guardian and at postings on Internet from well known Labour Party operators it is easy to see that all is not well on Planet Starmer.

No more taxes and no more Austerity? North of the border, in Scotland, the SNP has been collecting taxes by imposing taxes on property transactions. South of the border, in England, the Labour Party is planning to charge taxes on property transacttions. This means that property owners are going to get a lot less than they now get for selling their properties.

If a property is worth 1000 and property transactions are for 1000, then the selling amount minus the cost of the ititial acquisition will be taxed 40%. Sellers will have to recoup the 40% the government is planning to take away. Selling prices will rise or sales will come to a hault altogether.

If the idea is to lower the cost of housing, imposing a tax on transactions will push prices up or will stop sales thus compromising, once again, the financial sector. We know that the properties market is what keeps the British economy afloat. Paralizing the properties market will send the British economy in a downwards spiral.

If the financial sector is compromised, the state cannot rescue the financial sector and it would be meaningless to try to rescue the financial sector if the rules that promove the crise are not changed. 

So Keir Starmer stated that he is out to fight against what he calls 'far right extremists'. In fact, a gigantic financial crise will do exactly the opposite. 

Alexander Gauland, from Alternative für Deutschland wrote: Wie schlimm kann es Deutschland gehen? Wie viel können wir provozieren? Es sei demnach im Interesse der Partei, dass noch mehr Migranten nach Deutschland kommen, denn gann gehe es der AfD wesser. 

What applies to immigration in Germany, applies to financial crise in the United Kingdom. If in less than a year the Labour Party bankrupts the British economy, the malaise generated by a financial crise will motivate people to move in the opposite direction and support so called right wing policies. 

Since the act passed by David Cameron and Nick Clegg regarding fixed terms is no more, it is more than likely that Labour MPs will start moving against Keir Starmer and if Keir Starmer were to introduce rules that only allow MPs to select Prime Ministerial Candidates and prevent Labour Party members from voting then Keir Starmer will have yet another crise to contend with.

Let us remember that thanks to Jeremy Corbyn and many other MPs that either left the Labour Party or were thrown out of the Labour Party membership grew exponentially. Getting rid of voting rights for members could send Labour Party membership numbers downwards.

The situation will then be critical for both the Labour Party and the 'middle-ground Conservatives' and will be a net benefit for those to the left of the Labour Party and for those to the right of the Conservative Party. With meltdown in the middle, the extremes will gain millions of supporters.

Labour Party: Keir Starmer cannot have the cake and eat it?

So Keir Starmer says that Jeremy Corbyn is not anti-Semitic. Well, why did he suspend Jeremy Corbyn in the first place? Has this statement have something to do with MPs talking about leaving the Labour Party and becoming independents? He wanted the Leadership and used the anti-Semitism argument to push Jeremy Corbyn aside. Now, he realises that he could become the Leader of a political party that could have less MPs than the SNP. The Labour Party lost MPs because of the Brexit argument. After that, the Labour Party lost much of its heartland MPs. If Keir Starmer cannot bring the Labour Party together, the next General Election would be a walkover. It is not the first time the Labour Party finds itself facing a political divorce and the outcome could be very similar.

If after the verdict of the verdict on anti-Semitism blaming the office of Jeremy Corbyn, Keir Starmer states that 'Jeremy Corbyn is not anti-Semitic' then the charges fall on the shoulders of those who supported Jeremy Corbyn. This is like stating that Jeremy Corbyn was a bad leader that was completely unaware of what was being done by those close to him.

If after stating the Jeremy Corbyn is not anti-Semitic Jeremy Corbyn remains suspended, then who is a bad leader? It would mean that Keir Starmer is ready and willing to sacrify innocent people. If Jeremy Corbyn's suspension is annuled then other heads would have to roll to fit the ruling according to the charges made against the office of Jeremy Corbyn. Jeremy Corbyn might not be willing to shoot himself in the foot by destroying his power base. Either way, it would mean admitting that his political career is over because this is exactly the outcome that awaits him if he turns against his own supporters.

This is a lose-lose situation for both Jeremy Corbyn and Keir Starmer. A Leadership Election would have to be called to bring in other alternatives and this includes somebody with a profile high enough to stand up in a General Election and to solve the Labour Party's internal problems.

Labour Party: Factional struggle Starmer/Corbyn

 

The fact that Jeremy Corbyn is no longer Labour Party Leader doesn't the problem of factions within the Labour Party go away. Curiously enough, the problem becamse a lot worse with the creation of the London Assembly, Devolution and the existence of City Mayors.

Keir Starmer was a star member of Jeremy Corbyn's Shadow Cabinet up to the point when an investigation into Anti-Semitism within the Labour Party started. 

Keir Starmer, married to a Rabbi's daugher and with children raised in the Jewish tradition became the obvious contender to conter Anti-Semitism within the Labour Party and it was also pretty obvious that Jeremy Corbyn who had invested much of his political career supporting the Palestinian movement was a self-made target.

Sadiq Khan thought that becoming Mayor of London would give him the public exposure necessary to rise within the ranks of the Labour Party, but his association with Muslims involved in terrorism doesn't help. Andy Burham as Mayor of Greater Manchester is presently involved in a struggle battling with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and has relatively a higher profile, adding to the fact that he is not part of London's circles. Andy Burham can claim has he is more relevant because he cannot possibly be associated with London's Labor Party nor with developments involving Anti-Semitism.

The Kinnock brand was damaged when the heir of Neil Kinnock was chastised for having criticized the policies of Israel in Palestine and this happens at a time when the Labour Party leadership is trying to distance itself of any possible charges involving Anti-Semitism or bias against Israel.

Putting aside personalities, divisions within the Labour Party have not gone away and cannot be attributed merely to personality feuds and under Lockdown the chances of organising a popular resistance movement are very limited. This means that this is a window of opportunity for Keir Starmer to counter divisions that could bring him down before the next General Election. Having said that, the fact that Keir Starmer is going after the man that he very publicly supported does not fare well for the Labour Party.

Being accused by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is no minor issue: The charges are:

- Political interference in Anti-Semitism complaints

- Failure to provide adequate training to those handling anti-Semitism complaints

- harassment, including the use of anti-Semitic tropes and suggesting that complaints of anti-Semitism were fake of smears

If the office of Jeremey Corbyn was involved, there is no way to separate Jeremy Corbyn from the charges being made. The first stage was to depose Jeremy Corbyn. The second stage is to put Jeremy Corbyn on notice. We could end up hearing about expulsion from the Labour Party, but this could prove to be a step too far. Jeremy Corbyn was supported by Labour Party activists against the will of the Parliament Labour Party that was wacked in the recent General Election where heartland Labour seats were lost to the Conservative Party. If factional differences lead to a break up of the Labour Party, any hopes of electoral success will go up in smoke.

Keir Starmer himself is under siege. Andy Burham has not been involved in the struggle between Keir Starmer and Jeremy Corbyn. Therefore, Andy Burnham appears to be the obvious challenger.

Brexit: The man that never met the IRA

Brexit: The man that never met the IRA

Whatever your views on Catalonian independence, widespread brutality is not the answer

Whatever your views on Catalonian independence, widespread brutality is not the answer

Fourteen year jail sentences for elected Catalonian representatives and widespread brutality is not something that should be happening in Spain and this is happening under a Socialist Spanish Prime Minister.

Condenas a 14 años de prisión para representantes electos Catalanes y brutalidad generalizada no es algo que debería estar ocurriendo en España y esto está pasando bajo un Primer Ministro socialista.

The scenes we see in Catalonia are the kind of scenes that we would usually see under the rule of totalitarian regime and not under democratic rule. The official position of the British government is "it is not our business". It is the business of the Spanish government'. This position is diametrically different when we talk about events happening in other countries where people are severely mistrated by the authorities.

Las escenas que vemos en Catalunia son el tipo de escenas que usualmente veriamos bajo el gobierno de un régimen totalitario y no bajo un gobierno democrático. La postura oficial del gobierno británico es 'no un tema que nos concierna'. Es un asunto que concierne el gobierno español. Esta postura es diametralmente diferente cuando hablamos sobre acontecimientos que ocurren en otros países en que la gente es severamente maltratada por las autoridades. 

Spain is an European Union member country and elected Catalonian MEPs are not allowed to sit in the newly elected European Parliament. One imagines that the European Union wants to build new understandings based on consensus but this is not consensus. This is purely and simply repression.

España es país miembro de la Unión Europea y a MEPs catalanes no se les permite integrarse al Parlamento Europeo recientemente electo. Uno imagina que la Unión Europea desea generar nuevos entendimientos basados en consenso pero esto no es consenso. Esto es lisa y llanamente represión.

Even for those who are highly criticial with regards to the actions of the pro-independence movement, the way fellow Spaniards are treated should be a reason to be extremely concerned. When looking for examples of brutality, ordinary Spaniards are usually told about the Guerra Civil (Spanish Civil War) and what happened soonafter the Guerra Civil but in this particular case this is happening under a Socialist government.

Inclusive para aquellos critican severamente las acciones del movimiento pro-independencia, la manera en que compatriotas españoles son tratados debería ser una razón para estar extremadamente preocupados. Cuando recordamos ejemplos de brutalidad, a los españoles se les habla sobre l.a Guerra Civil Española y lo que ocurrió después de la Guerra Civil Española pero en este caso particular esto está ocurriendo bajo un gobierno socialista.  

For Catalonian seeking to escape, there is no safety across national borders. In the days of General Franco, they could go to France like many did including a famous and celebrated poet idealized by Joan Manuel Serrat. With the existence of the so called European Arrest Warrant, for political reasons Catalonians are being arrested and sent back to Spain where they face an uncertain future.

Para los catalanes que quieren escapar, no hay sitios seguros al otro lado de las fronteras nacionales. En los días del General Franco, podían ir a Francia como muchos fueron incluído un famoso y celebrado poeta idealizado por Joan Manuel Serrat. Con la existencia del denominado European Arrest Warrant, por razones políticas los catalanes están siendo arrestados y enviados a España donde afrontan un futuro incierto. 

Jeremy Corbyn doesn't want any deal

Jeremy Corbyn doesn't want any deal

The strategy is pretty simple: he wants to use Brexit to created enough instability in the belief that should there be a future election he will be able to win such election by destroying the Conservative Party.

The statement indicates that the Labour Party cares about Britain is the real and biggest lie. They don't give a damn about Britain. All they are doing is to try and score party political points keeping Britain hostage.

Margaret Beckett was pretty clear: she will not vote for any deal. This is Opposition for Opposition sake. She will not vote for a deal that benefits Britain. She will create as many obstacles as possible for the sake of ideological struggle.

This is not about Parliamentary rights. This is about using Parliament to keep Britain hostage of a foreign power. Even the head of the Supreme Court has been found out and exposed for what she really is and for what she is really trying to do. And what about John Major, the former Prime Minister. He is supporting the interests of a foreign investment company that pays his salary. He is not standing for Britain either.

The present situation is absolutely shambolic. But if Parliament forces the Prime Minister's hand the big loser will be the European Union. Do you fancy Nigel Farage as British EU Commissioner and every single action of the European Union vetoed by Britain? If the EU wants war, then let's have war.

Alastair Campbell: Labour's end of the road

After a lifetime in the Labour Party and of being automatically linked to the Labour Party, it must have been a very hard decision to make but finally Alastair Campbell send his letter of resignation having decided to end his relationship with the Labour Party.

Slowly but surely, the wheel has turned back to the times before Tony Blair or even before John Smith. Some might blame Brexit but this is a lot more profound than that. I do remember the days when Jeremy Corbyn was a very marginal backbencher that was often at odds with the Labour Party's maintream group. Near him you could see the likes of Ken Livingstone and George Galloway. Outspoken, vociferous but with little influence. The situation has changed dramatically and people like Alastair Campbell find themselves at odds with this new Old Labour Party.

Vince Cable as Liberal Democrat Leader spoke about the need to forge a new political force but his leadership came to an end without having achieved his objective. Having said that, it is self-evident that new political forces would surge out of the demise of the old political parties. 

Many will mention Brexit as the trigger for changes in the political spectrum but such changes have been long overdued. New names and new political groupings are coming of age. Changes are badly needed to keep Democracy in Britain alive.

Jo Brand and the BBC: One too many in what constitutes incitement to violence

Jo Brand and the BBC: One too many in what constitutes incitement to violence

Jo Brand and the BBC

Speaking on Radio 4, Jo Brand made a comment that constitutes incitement to violence. We are not going to mention the comment she made because what she suggested is basically promoting criminal violence for political purposes.

Telling jokes is one thing. Using the BBC to promote violence is quite another and nowhere in the BBC Charter it is suggested that the public broadcaster can or should engage giving a platform to individuals to promote criminal activities.

Sooner than later, laughing at the act of throwing milkshakes against people merely because of not sharing their views was bound to lead to what Jo Brand laughed about. We have seen elderly people thrown out to the ground by angry mobs shouting expletives and being insulting.

An NHS nurse lost her job looking after people with mental health problems because she lost the plot right in front of the Houses of Parliament and ended up apologising for what she had done. She had the excuse of being driven by crowd madness but Jo Brand had no excuse whatsoever to say what she said. She knew exactly what she said and the potential repercussion of what she said.

When Jeremy Corbyn's supporters shouted at this young black man holding an Israeli flag and supporting President Trump saying that his black man is racist, Nazi, Fascist and the like, something is very wrong. Who encourages people to engage in such behaviour? We should ask journalists and activist like Owen Jones about it, as one the most vociferous individuals on print, on television and on the streets. His ideological stances go all over the top and this has consequences in an increasingly tense political environment in which unstable individuals can easily get carried away by the messages he is sending out. The careless attitude in terms of what they say and do is something that Jo Brand shares with Owen Jones. They are agitators that don't seem to care about the consequences and especially when other people can get hurt. 

Owen Jones

Prime Minister Theresa May on the way out. What next?

Prime Minister Theresa May on the way out. What next?

As Prime Minister Theresa May announces that she will be leaving as Prime Minister on June 7th 2019, the clock is ticking for President Donald Trump to unequivocally offer the United Kingdom a Trade Deal that will be so magnificent that it will prevent the rise of Marxist Prime Minister in the United Kingdom. 

I am sure that neither Republicans nor Democrats want to take the risk of Britain falling on the wrong side of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) at a time when both Germany and France favour the creation of a new arrangement that would make NATO redundant. If things go the way things are going, USA could find itself as minority of one in the United Nations Security Council and so much talked about Special Relationship could turn into something else.

A new Labour Government would have an agenda that it would be exactly the opposite of the USA agenda in many areas including Iran, Syria, Venezuela and the Middle East. As troubling as the situation is for Britain, it would be a lot more troubling for the USA.  

Jeremy Corbyn's video: Infiltration within the British Armed Forces

Jeremy Corbyn's video: Infiltration within the British Armed Forces

We must always following the line of un-intended consequences. There is no coincidence that British soldiers appeared to be shooting at Jeremy Corbyn. The British Armed Forces know than when it counted Jeremy Corbyn was on the side of the Provisional IRA and those memories are deeply rooted Jeremy Corbyn is the ideological enemy and they know it and this is playing into the hands of groups that have long abandoned the political way and are bent on getting results the hard way. 

Funnily enough, the usual idiots are so dedicated to demonising what they call Far Right that when people from the so called Far Right try to raise the alert about impending doom their calls are purely and simply ignored.

Therefore, we can only watch developments knowing that those in charge will ignore the dangers and do nothing. In the meantime all we can do is to continue working with grassroots to be ready for the onslaught.

When the onslaught comes, Hope Not Hate, Searchlight and others will be sitting ducks. . 

Brexit: Wednesday could prove to be a key day

Brexit: Wednesday could prove to be a key day

As Alice Weidel from Alternative für Deutschland confirmed, Brexit brings home in Germany the realities that the BBC and other mass media have been hiding from the British people: Germany vulnerability to Brexit. 

Germany is the only one country in Western Europe that cannot withstand a protracted financial crisis created by job losses. In an attempt to reduce pollution, Germany has been taking significant decisions to rein it its automotive industry by trying to rely less and less on diesel. As a consequence of it, a crucial branch of German manufacturing has been suffering and thousands of jobs have been lost. Add to this the announcements made by President Donald Trump about wanting a fairer deal when it comes to exporting American made cars to the European Union.

A British withdrawal from the EU and most importantly the disappearance of British funding for the European Union means that German taxpayers would have to be asked for more money to continue funding the EU Project.

Recent electoral gains made by Alternative für Deutschland that is now represented not only in the Bundestag but in every single State Parliament in Germany worries the Establishment that is using every single dirty tactic to counter Alternative für Deutschland's electoral gains.

Alternative für Deutschland cares about political gains but it cares more about the well-being of the German People and this is why Alice Weidel severely criticise the approach of the ruling coalitions of CDU/CSU and SPD when dealing with the United Kingdom. She asked for fairer treatment for the United Kingdom. Britain is Germany's main business partner in Europe.

The Conservative Party is falling apart not just in the House of Commons but also outside the House of Commons. For some time, local party associations in London have been campaign for a London Conservative Party that would break links with Conservative Central Office.

The Labour Party is in no better position. Massive fragmentation has lead to losses of Members of Parliament both in the Conservative Party and in the Labour Party and even the minute Liberal Democrats face the fact of rising discontent regarding Brexit within their own ranks.

The announcement that Theresa May is willing to ask for a longer extension and to get into talks with Jeremy Corbyn doesn't surprise. After attacking the Labour Party led by Jeremy Corbyn both in terms of its political programme and in terms of its approach towards Israel that has been masked as Anti-Semitism, when the battle rages both against May and against Corbyn the two embattled leaders are desperate for an agreement that would save them both from more public hatred and internal divisions.

The announcement that there is an ongoing campaign to replace John Bercow as Speaker of the House of Commons doesn't surprise either. His pronouncement against putting Theresa May's Deal to the vote for a fourth time could mean that John Bercow could be used as sacrificial lamb. If Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn reach an agreement, John Bercow would be an obvious obstacle but there is always the possibility that in agreement with Jeremy Corbyn, Theresa May could disguise her Deal as a new Deal to be able to ask Parliament to vote again.

Having said that, despite the fact that Theresa May could ask for a longer delay such delay couldn't go beyond May 22nd if the intention is to avoid taking part in European Parliament Elections that could be crucial for Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron's plans regarding deeper political, economic and military integration in the European Union.

A General Election and a new Referendum were offered by the European Union as justification for a longer delay and to presumably help process legislation that the British Parliament hasn't had the time to integrate into British Law before the date of formal withdrawal from the European Union.

What will happen when the House of Commons starts proceedings tomorrow? Nobody knows. Could Theresa May's strategy to get a Deal definitely sink the Conservative Cabinet and destroy any sense of unity left in the Conservative Party?

The Conservative Party, after losing its majority in the 2017 General Election, has depended on the DUP to have enough votes to pass legislation in the House of Commons. How many Conservative MPs have resigned? It could be the case that even with the DUP on-board, there are not enough Conservative MPs to pass legislation through Parliament. In America there is what is known as a Lame Duck President. Could we end up with a Lame Duck Prime Minister unable to push legislation in the House of Commons. The next General Election is supposed to take place in 2022. Can the United Kingdom spend more than three years with a Lame Duck Government?

Plot to destroy Jeremy Corbyn

Plot to destroy Jeremy Corbyn

Zionists are out to destroy Jeremy Corbyn and this coincides with their agenda to prevent any criticism against the expansionist and colonialist policies of Benjamin Netanyahu who - incidentally - is wanted in Israel on corruption charges. But there is more.

Jeremy Corbyn has been instrumental for several decades to put a stop to policies of aggression that include the illegal invasion of Iraq that created Islamic State and completely destabilised the Middle East to the advantage of one country - namely Israel or the Jewish State of Israel as it is now called.

As if this was not enough to mobilise the Huns, Jeremy Corbyn has also called for a moderate and rational approach in Venezuela and this makes the America for the American Huns very angry since as they wanted to seize Iraqi oil they also want to seize Venezuela's oil and every single resource they can get their hands on by plotting against democratic governments, destabilising countries, creating violence to then justify putting in place an useful idiots that will allow them to do whatever they want with the resources of the conquered countries.

There is no coincidence. Looking at what has been happening in the Middle East and Asia Minor and now happening in Latin America the intention is self-evident. The warmongers don't want anybody to stand on their way. This is the geopolitical angle. Not, let's look at the national angle. For an embattled Conservative Party under Theresa May, this comes like hand in glove. Instead of talking about contract for ferry services provide by companies that have no ferry or about the messy business of the Home Office that might be about to produce yet another Windrush Scandal that could fatally wound Britain's reputation and literally destroy lives - the issue of the rights of EU citizens and the processing of applications that could lead to deportations from Britain with the rest of the EU replying in kind when it comes of UK citizens living in the EU.

The rights of UK and EU citizens is by far the most important issue because of the implications for both national and geopolitical reasons in terms of creating animosity between European countries. This is quickly brushed aside when convenience and short-termism are much of a priority.

If they cannot destroy the Labour Party in the polling stations, they will try and destroy the Labour Party in the courts in the very same manner that they have sought to destroy individuals and organisations that do not sing their tune. The struggle is not about Anti-Semitism. It has nothing to do with Anti-Semitism. This is about geopolitics, expansionism and colonialism and about silencing any kind of criticism.   

Brexit: I have a plan, a plan that cannot possibly fail

Brexit: I have a plan, a plan that cannot possibly fail

L'Inspecteur May de la Sûreté Conservative

Plan B, as it followed, was Plan A under another letter mmm... name. You cannot have a Customs Union and be members of the Common Market without Freedom of Movement that incidentally was explicitly rejected. If you had Freedom of Movement it would amount to ignoring the outcome of the Referendum on EU Membership.

The SNP doesn't want Brexit. SNP wants to get out of the United Kingdom to then join the EU. Now, this amounts to selling out Scottish Independence. The Scottish Parliament would then surrender Scottish fisheries to the EU and would also surrender many of the powers given to the Scottish Parliament by the Devolution Act. Scottish Independence to then become an EU province? 

For all the talk about the Good Friday Agreement as a great achievement, the Northern Ireland Assembly has not been working for more than two years because the Sinn Fein/IRA walked away from it and asked for conditions that they perfectly know the Protestant Community will never accept. It the Sinn Fein/IRA's way of ensuring that there couldn't be proper Home Rule in Northern Ireland. They did the same in Westminster by getting elected MPs but never taking their seats in the House of Commons. The difference is that without them there still is a working Parliament of the United Kingdom as a whole while in Northern Ireland Devolution has been frozen.

This means that the Catholic Community of Northern Ireland, because of Sinn Fein/IRA, has no representation in Westminster and has no representation in the Northern Ireland Assembly. The Good Friday Agreement was violated by Sinn Fein/IRA and is no longer valid.

Most of the trade of Northern Ireland is not with the Republic of Ireland. Most of the trade of Northern Ireland is with the rest of the United Kingdom and with the rest of the World and the ports of the Republic of Ireland are merely transit ways. Even for the Republic of Ireland the United Kingdom is a major partner.

 

 

Brexit: The closer the date of withdrawal, the muddier the waters

Brexit: The closer the date of withdrawal, the muddier the waters...

The official date for British withdrawal from the EU is set but the closer we get to the date the muddier the waters get with a political establishment that is in a state of flux. There are different agendas and according to a particular agenda the scene changes. One particular actor in the said agenda has been Vince Cable - former Liberal Democrat MP - that lost his seat after a very much criticised coalition with the Conservative Party. The Coalition only lasted five years but the consequences for the Liberal Democrats have been long lasting. From being the third party of British politics, the Liberal Democrats are now fourth behind a political party - the Scottish National Party - that is neither British nor Scottish given its political goal of surrendering more and more powers to the European Union.

In 1997, Tony Blair as Prime Minister proceeded to implement Devolution. The idea was to keep Scotland on board after by promising to re-instant the Scottish Parliament. Under John Major as Conservative Party Leader and Prime Minister, the Conservatives had been practically wiped out and Scotland was being run by a Labour/Liberal Democrat Coalition but the threatening presence of SNP was on the horizon. Devolution was an appeasement attempt that went badly wrong. Soon after Devolution, the Labour Party paid a very high price and the SNP took the reins of politics in Scotland pushing ever farther towards Scottish Independence.

During a Conservative government, David Cameron was forced to make promises to keep Scotland in the United Kingdom but it was barely enough to convince Scottish voters not to vote for secession in the Scottish Independence Referendum. The SNP didn't get what it wanted but it became the third party in British politics, pushing Liberal Democrats into fourth place.

The 2017 General Election, a failed attempt by Prime Minister Theresa May to gain an absolute majority made a bad situation worse. The Conservative Party lost its majority and a weakened SNP still had a sizeable representation in Westminster.

Brexit has polarised political parties and both Labour and Conservative became several parties in one. Political fragmentation is all too evident. Labour is divided and Conservatives are divided and what is more nobody could hide what is happening even if they tried to hide what is happening.

This is what led Vince Cable - a party leader without a seat in the House of Commons - to propose the creation of what he calls a new centre party in British politics. Whether this is his way to try to rebrand the Liberal Democrats or a genuine intention to create a new political force remains to be seen. Labour is either pro-Corbyn or anti-Corbyn. The Conservatives are many things. There are those who are openly pro-May, those who are openly anti-May and those who prefer not to show any allegiance while they await developments that will allow them to keep their real intentions under wraps.

March 2019 is not just relevant because it is the month and year when Britain will come out of the EU. For many politicians whose political lives depend on EU membership this means having to think about plan B and plan B effectively means coming back to national politics and having to struggle to remain relevant. The will be competing with those already involved in national politics and competition will be fierce. There is British politics before Brexit and there will be British politics after Brexit.

What Vince Cable talks about - the creation of another political force - could happen naturally as a direct consequence of British politics after Brexit. Both Labour and Conservatives will have to deal with their inconsistencies to remain viable political forces because as things stand it is difficult to see what Labour and Conservatives really stand for.

The grass roots of both Labour and Conservatives are not forgiving. Some MPs might decide to jump out before being pushed. What we know as Deselection is already happening and the partition of so called mainstream political parties is now a real possibility.

Personally, I want Members of Parliament that really mean what they say and political parties who have a clear and demonstrable agenda. A radical change in British politics is long overdue for the sake of having a viable Democracy.




 

Time for Principled Politics regardless of Ideology

You might agree or disagree with what Jeremy Corby stands for. Personally, what matters to me is Principled Politics regardless of ideological labels.

I am fed up to the back of my teeth of all the talk about Middle Ground. I am fed up of Middle Ground. I want politicians that stand for what they believe and tell things as they are.

For decades there has been the discussion about occupying the Middle Ground. What is the Middle Ground? A figure of speech, an invention to try and please everybody even if people don't have a clue about what is being promised. Get rid of Middle Grounds and give us the real McCoy. What do you stand for Sir/Madam? I look at the record of votes in the House of Commons of the last 25 years and I see a very disappointing reality with politicians pleasing their public and then doing exactly the opposite of what was promised.

They say that the new generations don't care about politics. Wrong. The new generations care about politics but they don't want demagogues. They want the real thing. The don't want scaremongers that tell them that the world is going to come to an end if the vote for this or for that. They want and they entitled to make their own mistakes, follow their own paths wherever those paths can take them to.

The British political system has been suffering from paralysis. The system has been clogged with professional politicians that stand for what is convenient for their own personal interests and their kind of politics has become a bit of the same wherever you look. Whether it is Conservative, Labour of Liberal Democrat, you know that they represent exactly the same interest groups and they are very comfortable switching chairs every four or five years to try and maintain the status quo, a status quo that has been a recipe for disaster.

Here comes a new face of politics. A man that challenged his own political party more than 500 times voting in the House of Commons and on the streets, talking about what he cares about and about what he believes. Once again, you might agree or disagree with Jeremy Corby but he is on record as being somebody who truly stands for what he believes.-

Karl Hohenstauffen