Winning an election is a feat, but winning an election with a 300 votes margin when you had a 3,000 vote margin before is not 'excellent'.

 After 11 years in Opposition, the Labour Party should be making inroads and it isn't. What happened in the so called Red Wall, what happened in Hartlepool, what happened in Chesham and Amersham and to an extent what happened in Batley and Spen, tell yous that all is not well.

Despite the celebratory mood of Keir Starmer that saw the writing on the wall had the Labour Party been defeated in Batley and Spen - a seat that it holds since 1997, the knives were getting ready to strike. I am focused on my work and I am not thinking about any Leadership challenges, stated Angela Rayner now Deputy Leader. It was the kind of denial that much more of denial is a reminder: I am here. I am ready.

The Labour Party can blame George Galloway for their tiny majority in Batley and Spen, but what happened in Hartlepool happened because Labour voters chose not to vote. It was said again and again that in Batley and Spen there is an Asian majority that is increasingly discontent with Keir Starmer stance on Palestine. And there is more. We must remember that the Labour Party no longer has control of the local authority due to several local issues.

What next? There are still about three years before the next General Election. This should be the time that Keir Starmer should use to put the Labour Party back on track. He is lucky to have the support of Andy Burnham and even the support of Ken Livingstone that speaking today on GB News said that Keir Starmer is a genuine Labour man, that as soon as Keir Starmer went to ask him for advice as soon as he became Labour Party Leader.

Ken Livingstone didn't have kind words for George Galloway, but the fact that George Galloway was a complete outsider in Batley and Spen and still managed to get more than 8,000 votes, coming in third place, is a message that cannot be ignored. How many people in the Labour Party were secretely wishing that George Galloway's participation could allow them to challenge Keir Starmer and retoute the Labour Party?

Andy Burnham, the man that many want as Labour Party Leader, came out in support of Keir Starmer and said that he had the intention of keeping his word to remain as Mayor of Manchester for a full term.

Yes, the Labour Party has serious internal issues to deal with, but for some the present circumstances are not the best environment to launch a leadership challenge. Andy Burnham cannot be Labour Party Leader without being an MP. The next General Election should take place in 2024. So unless there was a by-election that he could possibly win, throwing away his seat as Mayor of Manchester where he has a much greater political profile both locally and nationally would be a very poor choice.

Going back to Ken Livingstone, could Ken Livingstone have any aspirations to be allowed to rejoin the Labour Party? His comments about World War Two events and the episode with a Jewish journalist that he compaired to 'a German Concentration Camp Guard' would stand on the way of this return when many in the Labour Party are terrified about how the Jewish Community could react. 

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.

 

 
 

Matt Hancock: The Secretary of State had an affair. And what?

 

Matt Hancock: The Secretary of State had an affair. And what? Huge scandal mounted by the unnatural brigade that would become furious if a man posing as a woman would not be allowed to compete as a woman in an Olympic weight lifting competition for real biological women.

When they are not defending homosexual relationships that most of the time are absolutely promiscuous, they give themselves the moral high ground to criticize politicians because of lack of moral values.

The champions of promiscuity are now the champions of moral values. Really?

Just to report to the unnatural brigade that also supports abortions by the millions, Matt Hancock is a human being and human being from time to time succumb to the callings of nature.

Nothing surprises when the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby says that God is neither man nor woman. Could it be that, according to Justin Welby, God is transsexual or pansexual as a celebrated Liberal Democrat MP?

Well, whether a man or a woman or somebody who poses as a woman and is actually a man or a woman pretending to be man engages in relationships of whatever kind, provided it is about consenting adults it is nothing that concerns me. The legislation is very clear. It is something between consenting adults and it is not something that should concern us. If Matt Hancock has or had an affair with Gina Colangelo is not my business and it should be nobody else's business because it is a matter between Matt Hancock, Gina Colangelo and the affected party that is Mr. Hancock's wife. Nobody forced the Secretary of State to get into an affir and nobody forced Gina Colangelo to get involved with the Secretary of State. 

It would be my business and a very public business if the Labour MP for Hartlepool, accused of sexual abuses, was still the Member of Parliament for Hartlepool. What the now formerLabour MP for Hartlepool stands accused of doing was not consensual. The unnatural brigade does not seem concerned at all about what happened in Hartlepool that led to a by-election, but they very quickly jump on the bandwagon to criticize somebody who got into a consensual relationship that in this country is not a crime.

But wait a minute. The unnatural brigade kept very quiet while for more than 16 years boys and girls were drugged, raped and subjected to all kinds of sexual abuse. The unnatural brigade kept quiet and promoted a cover-up while vulnerable children were being abused or even killed.

Do you want to talk about sexual misconduct? Let's talk about sexual misconduct. The now Opposition parties promoted the cover up and accused anybody who raised the alarm about crimes being committed against children of being racist. Yes, we do remember that.

In a few days time, in Batley and Spen there could be surprises. The unnatural brigade stands for election and had a quick reminder issued by local communities that say that they don't like the values of the unnatural brigade. The unnatural brigade even stood in Parliament to oppose a debate about atrocities being committed in Palestine. I don't think that the position of the unnatural brigade on Palestine will go down well with communities where Muslims are the biggest minority. 

 

 

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.

 

George Galloway: Another straw to the pile

The fall of Lutfur Rahman, now former Mayor of Tower Hamlets, accused of illegal practices including violations of Electoral Law, vote rigging, intimidation and defamation of political opponents, was certainly a blow for George Galloway, one of Luftur Rahman's main supporters and now former Respect Party MP.

The loss of his seat in the House of Commons as Member of Parliament representing Bradford was not directly affected by events in Tower Hamlets but by public expressions that alienated many of his supporters in the Respect Party and led many Muslim voters to walk away from him. His views on sexuality and particularly concerning the rapport between men and women seem to have cost him his seat. George Galloway re-entered the House of Commons with Muslim support but this time the Asian Community, including Muslims, chose to support the Labour Party.

As always, nothing is clear cut. Every coin has two sides. There are several George Galloways. There is also the George Galloway that is dead against interventionism in the Arab World and in the Muslim World and the George Galloway that opposes warmongers in Europe, warmongers that seek confrontation with the Russian Federation.

George Galloway is a controversial and confrontational individual but it must be said that being passionate about what he does is what defines the man.