Is this the end for the socialist left?
Update: John McDonnell has withdrawn. Full statement
Public support for Diane Abbott so far: David Miliband, Chris Bryant and Denis Macshane.
Breaking 12:10pm: James Macintyre reporting that Diane Abbott has the 33 required.
12:55pm: The Labour Party website updated with the list of names. One short, but the Milibands put her over the top.
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Even before a left-winger chucked their hat into the ring, the Socialist Campaign Group faced a big reduction in their numbers thanks to retirement and the expenses scandal.
I’m not a socialist but I argued earlier that having someone from the group on the leadership ticket would be good for internal Labour debate.
If neither John McDonnel nor Diane Abbott get on the leadership ballot by the end of today – then what does it say about the power of the socialist left?
continue reading… »
How Compassionate Conservatism writes off the poor
As secretary of state for work and pensions, Iain Duncan Smith will oversee the application of those “savage”, “momentous”, “way-of-life disrupting” cuts to some of those at the very bottom of the social heap.
His late metamorphosis into the Tory party’s social conscience was one of the more endearing curiousities of the Conservatives’ wilderness years.
Sure, the assumptions from which IDS’s Centre For Social Justice worked were often numbingly traditionalist.
continue reading… »
Labour chair calls for a diverse leader election
The Labour party NEC chair Ann Black sent a letter last night to Tony Lloyd, chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party.
The letter says the party needed a wider contest, “in terms of gender, race, [and] political perspective” and needed to avoid looking like it was a contest simply between “three or four white male ex-ministers in their 40s”.
The letter
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Dear Tony
I am writing to pass on widespread concern among party members that this leadership election should allow the broadest possible debate. This is not just about choosing an individual. It is about the flavour of the contest, and the opportunity to debate the full range of ideas, policies and directions for the future, before thousands of members and millions of affiliated trade unionists cast their votes.
If the choice is between three or four white male ex-ministers in their 40s, however able, it will be seen as lacking the full range of diversity which Labour seeks to reflect. If, however, it is extended in terms of gender, race, political perspective, the hustings through the summer will generate greater interest and engagement from party members, supporters and voters.
And whoever emerges as the winner will have a far stronger mandate to lead than if the system can be portrayed as rigged in their favour.
My correspondents are not from any particular “camp” and many are likely in fact to vote for one of the current front-runners. They are mainly interested in the health of the party as a whole, and in avoiding the difficulties which followed 2007, where many believe that the leader’s position would have been reinforced if he had taken on opposing arguments in an open contest and won through in a ballot.
I have explained the rules to all of them. I do not think the threshold of one-eighth of all Labour MPs is unreasonable, and in 2007 the same threshold produced a deputy leadership election with six validly nominated candidates. In any case it is for Conference, not the NEC, to change the party rulebook.
So the decision on who goes forward to the hustings and the ballot is now entirely in the hands of Labour MPs. It has been made clear that MPs who nominate a particular candidate are not bound to vote for that candidate in the second stage, and I hope that you will all give serious consideration to the groundswell of feeling from members and affiliates in the country in deciding whether to extend or to limit their choice.
Yours sincerely
Ann Black
Chair, National Executive Committee
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[hat-tip Left Futures]
We need a woman’s voice in the Labour leadership tomorrow
We may be about to see the first policy reversal of the new government on plans to give anonymity to men accused of rape. As a barrister I worked on cases involving rape and understand the enormous stigma involved and the barrier that it presents to achieving convictions.
This would be a backward step in an area that is already a real worry.
If David Cameron accepts it was a mistake we should give him some credit: being able to admit that you are wrong is a sign of strength not weakness. But there are also wider lessons that we should draw from this episode too.
continue reading… »
Who will step down? Labour lefties six short
The combined nominations of Diane Abbott and John McDonnell are still 6 short of the 33 required, according to the Labour party website.
John McDonnell tonight stands at 16 nominations:
Ronnie Campbell
Martin Caton
Katy Clark
Jeremy Corbyn
John Cryer
Ian Davidson
Jim Dowd
Frank Field
Dai Havard
Kate Hoey
Ian Lavery
John McDonnell
Graeme Morrice
Linda Riordan
Dennis Skinner
Mike Wood
Diane Abbott stands at 11 nominations:
Diane Abbott
Jon Cruddas
Nia Griffith
Harriet Harman
Kelvin Hopkins
David Lammy
Fiona MacTaggart
Chinyelu Onwurah
Gavin Shuker
Jon Trickett
Keith Vaz
It is practically impossible for both the candidates to be nominated now.
One will have to step down by tomorrow morning and persuade their MPs to support the other. They will also have to attract 6 more names.
Jon Lansman at Left Futures blog makes this point:
John McDonnell’s campaign team, much more visible than Diane’s, has undoubtedly fought an effective campaign if one judges it by the widespread support across the party for having all six candidates on the ballot paper – although some of that was much easier to obtain because of the argument against a white-men-only contest. He is ahead but, of his 15, only 3 were clearly not from the “usual Left suspects”.
Diane’s support has been slow to materialise and gain momentum, but, proportionately at least, has reached more into the centre and right of the PLP, and will benefit from Harman’s support if it happens. There are now hardly any more of the “usual Left suspects” available.
So who do you think should step aside? What if Diane’s nominees do no endorse John or vice versa?
Earlier today, Ed Balls, who already has 33 nominations, said anyone else who wanted to nominate him should support Ms Abbott instead to help her get on to the ballot paper.
Littlejohn apologises; admits not researching
Last week Richard Littlejohn covered one of his favourite themes ‘elf n safety’ in a column:
Just in time for the start of the World Cup in south Africa, a primary school in Essex has banned playground football. You guessed – elf ‘n’ safety.
Marion smith, headmistress of Thomas Willingale primary, in Debden, said she was worried about young children getting hit in the face by heavy leather footballs. There have also been complaints about balls bouncing into the road and hitting cars.
One parent said: ‘It’s appalling. How are we meant to have a World Cup-winning team in the future if they won’t let kids play football?’ Debden is only a few miles from the school where David Beckham learned his skills.
Talk about an own goal.
Did Littlejohn’s team do any research? Where did they find that “appalled” parent?
Because Littlejohn himself admits today it was rubbish:
On Friday, I reported that parents of children at a primary school in Essex were angry that playground football had been banned during the World Cup.
I’ve since heard from Marion Smith, the head of Thomas Willingale Primary, in Debden, who tells me she has only ever suspended playground football for a week to punish bad behaviour. She has asked parents to give children lightweight balls to prevent injury, but was devastated by claims that she had banned it completely.
Ofsted has commended the school for its outstanding commitment to all sports, including football. My comments were based on emails from parents and a report in the local newspaper, but the responsibility is all mine. I owe Mrs Smith and her staff an unqualified apology.
Not only admitting the story was rubbish but that his team didn’t actually doing their research before ranting about it. Surely a world’s first?
(via Tabloid Watch)
A new approach to help first-time home buyers
How many young people today would like to buy a home but are hopelessly priced out?
As Mayor, Boris Johnson has tried to champion first time home buyers but he hasn’t really made much difference.
It’s time he made a radical switch to co-operative home ownership.
continue reading… »
Watch: Michael Gove slips!
via @SimonNRicketts)
Help save Refugee and Migrant Justice @RMJUK
Refugee and Migrant Justice is a legal service which provides assistance to asylum seekers and other migrants coming to the UK.
The threat of closure is putting than 10,000 asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants at risk without legal assistance. Victims of trafficking, torture and armed conflict and nearly a thousand unaccompanied children would be affected if RMJ had to close.
RMJ were once paid on a monthly basis for the work they did. Rule changes mean that payments now always arrive late for asylum and immigration work. The Legal Services Commission is now making them wait until the case is concluded to process payment, sometimes as long as two years. As a charity this is making it almost impossible for them to continue their work.
RMJ do not need extra money, they just need paying in a time frame which realistically allows them to continue their work. The new coalition is committed to reviewing legal aid. Altering the way asylum cases are paid for could improve countless lives and ensure asylum cases are dealt with quickly so we do see the return of the large backlogs and blighted past systems.
Below the fold you will find a standard letter which you can edit, print and post (or e-mail to marked FAO Rt Hon Kenneth Clarke QC MP) to show your support.
Please also copy this letter to The Minister for Immigration, Damian Green MP by writing to . You may also like to send a copy of the letter to your local MP: Find out who they are here. Richard Benyon will be getting a letter from me.
There is also a facebook group and a twitter page.
Refugee and Migrant Justice do fantastic work for refugees and migrants and deserve your support, please take 5 minutes out of your day to help.
Rt Hon Kenneth Clarke QC MP
Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor
Ministry of Justice
102 Petty France
SW1H 0AL
7th June 2010
Dear Mr Clarke,
I have recently learnt from Left Outside Blog about the possible closure of Refugee and Migrant Justice due to bureaucratic rules that result in late payment by the Legal Services Commission.
No charity can be expected to wait many months, even years for payment. Refugee and Migrant Justice provides an excellent service to asylum seekers and other vulnerable migrants with the greatest needs and this is putting that service under threat.
If RMJ has to close, I understand this will lead to more than 10,000 people being left without legal representation and this could cause chaos in the asylum system. Lives will be put at risk and there are likely to be many more miscarriages of justice, which are already common.
With that in mind I beg you to consider urgently paying this very important charity what it is due or to make interest free loans available to make up the difference. I appreciate that public finances are under pressure but understand the Government is committed to a fundamental review of legal aid. This is the perfect opportunity to cut out inefficiency and pay providers like RMJ fairly and promptly.
I hope you will take this matter seriously and I look forward to hearing of your immediate actions.
Your Sincerely,
The debate on immigration continues
It is rather amusing to watch right-wingers accuse Ed Balls of bigotry for talking about immigration, given they’ve said nothing about years of tabloid lies on immigration. Even P. Staines is outraged. Oh please.
I want to carry on from yesterday because I think some points need to be unpacked about this issue.
Here are some basic points to be made about immigration and the current Labour leadership election:
continue reading… »
Child asylum seekers deported to Afghanistan
The UK Border Agency is to set up a £4m “reintegration centre” in Afghanistan so that it can start deporting unaccompanied child asylum seekers to Kabul from Britain, the Guardian can disclose.
The terms of the official tender for the centre show that immigration officials initially hope to forcibly return 12 boys a month aged under 18 to Afghanistan and provide “reintegration assistance” for 120 adults a month.
Home Office figures show there are more than 4,200 unaccompanied child asylum seekers in Britain, with most being supported in local authority social services homes. Those from Afghanistan are the largest group. Of the 400 minors claiming asylum in the first three months of this year, almost half were Afghans.
A decision to start deporting Afghan child asylum seekers who arrive in Britain alone would amount to a major shift in policy. Up until now, child protection issues and an undertaking that failed child asylum seekers would be returned only if adequate reception and care arrangements were in place for them on arrival have blocked returns.
…more at the Guardian
Defend the urban fox!
There’s a mini-tabloid storm brewing against urban foxes because, apparently, a fox wandered into someone’s home bit a couple of kids for kicks and then wandered off again.
The papers do not record whether the fox’s friends filmed the incident on their mobile phones, or whether the fox had arrived in London from Poland in a secret compartment in a lorry.
Whatever the ins and outs of the case, and let’s assume it’s all true, this would make it an extremely rare occurrence.
continue reading… »
McDonnell jokes about Thatcher; Tories angry!
John McDonnell, one of the Labour leadership contenders, joked today that he wished he could go back in time to the 1980s and “assassinate Thatcher”.
The MP for Hayes and Harlington, who was Ken Livingstone’s deputy at the Greater London council in the early 1980s, insisted later that his comment about Lady Thatcher, the former Conservative prime minister, was made as a “joke and it went down as a joke”.
…reports the Guardian.
Rather predictably, the Tories are already spinning their mock-outrage machines and calling for other Labourites to “condemn” him.
Jonathan Isaby at ConservativeHome:
McDonnell’s statement is utterly despicable and I hope that his rivals will condemn him for it.
Tory blogger Guido Fawkes in mock-outrage: ‘McDonnell’s Thatcher Killing Fantasy‘.
Oh dear.
Well, it was a better joke than Daniel Hannan, darling of the loony right, calling the NHS a 60 year mistake.
Oh wait…that wasn’t a joke?
Update: John has apologised to anyone who might find if offensive.
Why Cameron is wrong about the 8m “economically inactive”
contribution by Richard Exell
Mr Cameron’s Milton Keynes speech about deficit reduction repeats a line that has become a common theme of speeches by Coalition politicians: one of the sins of the last government was “accepting as a fact of life the eight million people who are economically inactive.”
The implication is usually that this is a new low and always that it marks a tremendous failure of the last government. Where do we stand at the present?
continue reading… »
‘Blunkett’s sight is to blame for immigration’
Here is the columnist Melanie McDonagh in the Telegraph today:
Benedict Brogan’s admirable article in this paper last week describing mass immigration as Labour’s real legacy came to mind. He observed, correctly, that one reason Gordon Brown lost it on immigration was that, with his ethnically homogenous Scottish constituency and rarefied London social circles, he never really encountered its effects.
Mr Brogan was too kind to say, so let me do it, that one reason why much of the influx took place when David Blunkett was home secretary is that he was blind; he couldn’t actually see what was happening.
Erm….?
I suppose it had nothing to do with the enlargement of the EU in 2004 then.
Melanie McDonagh’s real beef is that there were these “bearded men in white robes” who were daring to demonstrate against Israel in London over the weekend. Why couldn’t Londonders be more like the “amiable women over 60 with printed skirts, white hair and sandals” that she saw earlier?
The problem is “mass immigration from the Muslim world” – except that most immigration during David Blunkett’s reign was from Eastern Europe.
There never has been “mass immigration from the Muslim world” in the UK.
Blogger Left Outside says:
Of course it doesn’t stop merely with wilful ignorance or accusation of bizarre theories that if Blunkett could see he would have been more racist. She also accuses immigrants of hurting the quality of Religious Education in the UK. The Ofted report she mentions doesn’t discuss migration, because it hasn’t had an effect on religious education, but she crowbars it in somehow.
When it comes to education policy she informs us she “met a really nice Pakistani Catholic last week.” She asks us to take a lesson on how to do education from Pakistan. This woman really doesn’t do subtlety (some of my best friends are brown, she informs us) or deep thinking (Pakistan has a religious atmosphere conducive to a free society!). Bilge.
Bilge indeed.
Pupils are getting thrown to the lions over Christian education
Only 50% of Britons describe themselves as Christian, while 43% say they have no religion. Some people wonder if there shouldn’t be a way of making this ostensibly Christian country a bit more, well, Christian.
And so, when Ofsted releases a report criticising the provision of religious education in UK schools, traditionalist voices like the Telegraph are ready to jump all over it and blame “misplaced enthusiasm for multiculturalism” and the “ignorance” of teachers for the limited treatment of Christianity.
continue reading… »
Israel sorry for video poking fun at Gaza dead
This is very shocking and callous:
The Israeli government has been forced to apologise for circulating a spoof video mocking activists aboard the Gaza flotilla, nine of who were shot dead by Israeli forces last week.
The YouTube clip, set to the tune of the 1985 charity single We Are the World, features Israelis dressed as Arabs and activists, waving weapons while singing: “We con the world, we con the people. We’ll make them all believe the IDF (Israel Defence Force) is Jack the Ripper.”
Here’s the video
It features a group led by the Jerusalem Post’s deputy managing editor Caroline Glick (so much for journalistic balance) and includes the lyrics: “There’s no people dying, so the best that we can do is create the biggest bluff of all“.
There’s also: “We must go on, pretending day by day, that there is in Gaza, crisis hunger and plague“.
Israeli spokesperson Mark Regev tells the Guardian: “I called my kids in to watch it because I thought it was funny.”
I’m sure those imaginary dead people from the Flotilla appreciate the humour.
Why I’m defending Ed Balls over immigration
In August 2005 several hundred Asian women in West London went on strike because their employer – BA caterer Gate Gourmet – decided to sack them enmasse and replace them with Eastern European labour. I was reminded of that incident when I read Ed Balls’ article for the Observer yesterday on immigration.
I won’t disagree with the view that the New Labour government had been utterly craven and scared about making a strong and positive case for immigration. Or even for the policies that they had in place. They completely lost the public debate and their disgusting stances (child detention, denying an Amnesty) drove me to vote Libdem. So I don’t come from a position of sympathy.
But I still think Ed Balls has to be defended over his stance.
continue reading… »
Our comments policy: updated
I’ve added a slight philosophical edge* to our comments policy. Broadly however, it remains the same.
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These points govern the Liberal Conspiracy comments policy.
1. The right to free speech and having the space to exercise that is a fundamentally important part of a free society and should be protected by law.
2. In public discourse however it is also a different concept to the idea of civility: which is a defining feature of a civil society. Point one incorporates our political beliefs, the second governs our comments policy.
3. This is a private not a public space. We have the right to set our own rules and codes of conduct.
4. Our aim is to open the discussion to the widest range of people and not restrict it to a narrow group. People who write hostile comments or hate-speech end up shutting out others who may have also wanted to join in. We want to avoid that.
5. Laws against free speech deny people the opportunity to exercise their mental muscles to be civil to each other; they try and encourage civility by law. We would prefer to encourage people to exercise those mental muscles.
6. Therefore: abusive, highly sarcastic and xenophobic comments will be deleted without notification. Potentially libellous comments may be edited or deleted without notification too.
7. The editor, Sunny Hundal, and a select group of editors have the right to delete comments across the site. We may not always get the balance right but you are welcome to get in touch for further explanation or if you think you have been treated unfairly. We may get back to you but we are under no obligation to.
Do you think the balance is right? Do you have any complaints about the comments policy? Let us know below.
The comments policy will eventually be part of a broader ‘code of conduct’ I’m writing up for LC.
——————-
* with thanks to Timothy Garton-Ash
The coming war on affordable housing
contribution by Imran Ahmed
Vincent Moss at The Sunday Mirror has revealed government plans to scrap rules insisting that new housing estates are built with a minimum density of homes and that at least 25% of homes are affordable.
This would wreck communities across Britain.
As a resident of Hammersmith this came as a particularly horrifying surprise. Cameron has been closely tracking the radical Conservative initiatives being tried out in their flagship London council, Hammersmith & Fulham.
continue reading… »
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