Labour MPs revolt against Corbyn
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So, a court has rejected the challenge to the Labour Party NEC's decision to allow Jeremy Corbyn to automatically stand for re-election as leader.Labour donor and ex-parliamentary candidate Michael Foster had challenged Corbyn's inclusion in the ballot without having to get the requisite number of nominations from MPs and MEPs.All that remains now, considering the unlikely event that Corbyn will be unseated as Labour's leader, is just how many anti-Corbynistas, including the 172 Labour MPs who voted in favour of the no-confidence motion, will exit the party and set up an SDP MKll.One of Corbyn’s key allies (Clive Lewis – shadow defence secretary) has made the suggestion that Labour could form progressive alliances or electoral pacts with other parties across the 'left' including the Greens, Liberal Democrats and SNP.
I attended the Corbyn rally last night in Liverpool described by Jeremy as "the largest so far". The weather was chilly and drizzly throughout but it didn't seem to put people off attending. They said there was ten thousand there but I'd estimate no more than five thousand. This was in the centre of Liverpool and the police had to close roads off to make enough space. "Socialist Party of England and Wales (SPEW)" were plentiful in attendance with a stall there. They were leafleting and selling the paper which had a rebranded masthead reading 'Formerly Miltant'. I guess they are proud of the Militant history now – or at least not entryist. I asked SPEW about any pamphlets, but they had none on their stall. They reluctantly offered the 200th issue of Socialism Today (est. 1995) but it looked rubbish when I leafed through. Why were they so keen to dumb down the level of politics? RCG were there selling FRFI too – strange for Labour party opponents. Lots of trade unions, a few home made banners, one TV broadcast, no SWP or anyone else.I also attended the Owen Smith rally on Saturday. By contrast the sun was shining, the temperature nicely baking but only a hundred at most turned up although later claims were two to three hundred. Maybe it was because it coincided with Pride (although the march had finished), maybe it was because the venue was moved at the last minute from the original out of town trendy warehouse bar to a patch of wasteground (similarly out of town) following "pressure on social media" applied to the bar.There were two or three photographers taking careful photos of the crowd, lots of professionally produced and approved campaign placards and two free standing banner stands. Most were party functionaries, wannabes, an MP or two (who Owen arrived late with), members, the naive and the deluded. One lady wore a Jeremy Corbyn t-shirt. There were planted questions from hangers on. Some were bussed in, one person declared when asking a question that they were from Stoke-on-Trent. One heckler was dismissed rudely and unkindly by Smith as 'you're not a member, what's your card number?' The warm up act encouraged attendees to crowd the stage more closely. Owen Smith explicitly said there are free ice creams and sandwiches from the vans behind. People got bored, some were having conversations, some on their phones, some looked asleep at a picnic table. Owen talked left but also about the need for a Labour government. All in all, pretty pathetic by comparison.There is a good picture going round summing it up;http://indy100.independent.co.uk/article/people-are-laughing-at-how-small-the-crowd-was-for-an-owen-smith-rally-in-liverpool–Z1c7moC5IZ
Interesting report. I don't think most of Corbyn's supporters will be Trotskyists if only because there aren't that many of them. Two of my relatives joined Labour to vote for him. One of them asked me who Trotsky was. I think most of his supporters were be more Green-types. After all, a lot of his policies and that of the Green Party are the same.
Was any party literature sold or given away? If not I don't see any purpose attending rallies and meetings of our opponents.
Nope, no party literature was sold or given away. It did cross my mind getting copies of August issue for the Corbyn rally but didn't think there would have been time and I only found about it the day before.
jondwhite wrote:Nope, no party literature was sold or given away. It did cross my mind getting copies of August issue for the Corbyn rally but didn't think there would have been time and I only found about it the day before.So you're actually saying that you didn't have any previous editions of the Standard, leaflets or pamphlets in your possession? Here were ideal opportunities to publicise genuine socialism and to reinvigorate the Liverpool Discussion Group which, after a single foray last January, now appears dead in the water. We've got to do much better than this.
Quote:Was any party literature sold or given away? If not I don't see any purpose attending rallies and meetings of our opponents….We've got to do much better than this.Acquiring information and gaining an insight into our opponents first hand may well be reason enough to go to such gatherings.I have been known in the past to try and lecture comrades on upcoming events and make suggestions that we arrange a presence at them, occasionally to the annoyance of some since i place the onus upon others to act.It is not the first time i have come across events where we as members and as a party were Johnny-come-latelys, finding out the details too late in the day to mount any organised coordinated presence. Once reason is that i don't believe we follow what's happening on the Left very efficiently and it is also a sad sign of how distant we are from the actual political scene in the UK that we are often left out of the loop in whats taking place.
Quote:Owen Smith explicitly said there are free ice creams and sandwiches from the vans behind.One up on our complementary cuppa and bikkies
Here's Owen Smith's upcoming eventshttp://www.owen2016.com/eventshere's Momentum / Corbyn's upcoming eventshttp://www.peoplesmomentum.com/calendar
Quote:Was any party literature sold or given away? If not I don't see any purpose attending rallies and meetings of our opponents.Providing intel. report back to ourselves at least.
gnome wrote:jondwhite wrote:Nope, no party literature was sold or given away. It did cross my mind getting copies of August issue for the Corbyn rally but didn't think there would have been time and I only found about it the day before.So you're actually saying that you didn't have any previous editions of the Standard, leaflets or pamphlets in your possession? Here were ideal opportunities to publicise genuine socialism and to reinvigorate the Liverpool Discussion Group which, after a single foray last January, now appears dead in the water. We've got to do much better than this.
Labour Conference is in ACC Liverpool at Liverpool Echo Arena from Sunday 25 September to Wednesday 28 September 2016 and there is talk of doing something for that. However my limited experience of Labour events is many members who turn up are barely interested in politics, so much as social justice (the Corbynistas), 'getting the Tories out' (the unions) or self-interest (the PLP), let alone socialism.
One for Brighton section of Kent & Sussex Branch here:https://m.facebook.com/events/660596360754487/?ti=cl
https://www.juicebrighton.com/news/brighton-news/2057164/corbyn-rally-trains-poverty-and-unity/Did we have anyone at this Corbyn rally?
alanjjohnstone wrote:https://www.juicebrighton.com/news/brighton-news/2057164/corbyn-rally-trains-poverty-and-unity/Did we have anyone at this Corbyn rally?Unfortunately, nobody was able to make it. However, it is hoped that the Corbyn Rally in Lewes this coming Saturday (6 August) will be covered, not simply as some pointless "intel" exercise, but with the express purpose of selling and distributing party literature.https://m.facebook.com/events/660596360754487/?ti=cl
Impos1904 has drawn attention to this blog item about the relationship between the Far Left and the Labour Party. It makes some good points about their tactics and illusions:https://hatfulofhistory.wordpress.com/2016/08/01/corbyn-labour-and-the-limits-of-the-british-far-left/I have to confess to liking Roy Hattersley's cruel description of the far left as being composed of
Quote:Trotskyists, one-subject campaigners, Marxists who had never read Marx, Maoists, pathological dissidentsWould it not be a good idea to set up a forum section on activity!A different topic for each area of activity, for example "SWP meeting in Mugsborough 15th Julember, anyone interesting in attending"In that way active members could communicate about opportunities for activity, keep each other informed about opportunities that are spotted in different parts of the country and arrange for things like the availability of literature, etc. at short notice.We seem to do well in theoretical discussions, especially ones about the existence of reality. Perhaps if this forum was seen as a hub of Socialist Activity, rather than the director's cut of The Matrix, we might achieve some better results. (Just a suggestion)
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