tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312853715123370916.post8368624853664175215..comments2024-03-17T00:10:44.022+00:00Comments on From Arse To Elbow: Anger ManagementDavid Timoneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03568348438980023320noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312853715123370916.post-79410355414242226372016-05-03T23:30:10.697+01:002016-05-03T23:30:10.697+01:00Or we could ask Keith Vaz to do the decent thing.Or we could ask Keith Vaz to do the decent thing.David Timoneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03568348438980023320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312853715123370916.post-67829548828023470522016-05-03T23:26:41.858+01:002016-05-03T23:26:41.858+01:00Is there a possible football angle to the Labour l...Is there a possible football angle to the Labour leadership debate? <br /><br />A new Labour leader would have to bind together a group of no-hopers to work as an efficient team and deliver an unlikely victory against steep odds. Step forward Claudio Ranieri.<br /><br />Of course we need to get Claudio into parliament as soon as possible a Labour MP would have to stand down to allow the by-elction. The obvious candidate would be Liz Kendall MP for Leicester West. Even without a focus group or a poll from YouGov I expect Claudio to improve on Liz Kendall's 7,000 odd majority.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312853715123370916.post-64804523129326843292016-05-03T20:31:11.625+01:002016-05-03T20:31:11.625+01:00عدالةعدالةHerbie Kills Chldrennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312853715123370916.post-10435524236850813372016-05-03T20:26:33.082+01:002016-05-03T20:26:33.082+01:00Oy vey ...Oy vey ...David Timoneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03568348438980023320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312853715123370916.post-75132492280206599552016-05-03T19:55:04.873+01:002016-05-03T19:55:04.873+01:00To be fair to Burnham, he hasn't been opportun...To be fair to Burnham, he hasn't been opportunistic with regard to Hillsborough. In fact, it looks like he was something of an irritant to Blair and Straw over the issue. He might have displayed a backbone of jelly on other occasions, but in this case he appears to have acted with integrity.<br /><br />Of course, the "unsung hero" of this tale is actually Gordon Brown, who gave the go-ahead for the independent panel review. I think it is reasonable to assume that both he and Burnham were motivated more by being pro-fan than anti-Blair.<br /><br />As you say, there's plenty that Israel can be criticised for without mentioning Hitler, so perhaps we can skip the whole Nazi parallel stuff altogether.David Timoneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03568348438980023320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312853715123370916.post-10092443463136110092016-05-03T18:28:48.101+01:002016-05-03T18:28:48.101+01:00There is another common factor between Hillsboroug...There is another common factor between Hillsborough and the bogus claims of anti Semitism.<br /><br />I speak of that opportunistic, ambitious twat Andy Burnham.<br /><br />There is enough to condemn Israel without the need to refer to Hitler. What Israel have done to the Palestinians, while on occasions reminiscent of Nazi policy, is horrific enough to stand on its own 2 feet.Herbie Kills Childrennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312853715123370916.post-33997282207909630382016-05-02T14:48:38.094+01:002016-05-02T14:48:38.094+01:00On the topic of political correctness, I think you...On the topic of political correctness, I think you're quite right to point out its right-wing roots, and its effects have been very debilitating for the Left.<br /><br />When various people on the Left demanded that the likes of Griffin or Farage be banned, silenced or imprisoned (in Griffin's case) after outrageous statements, I always argued that it was counter-productive. Such campaigns gave those characters more publicity, made it look like there was something in their arguments that needed hiding, and provided them with an aura of martyrdom. In addition, those types of method could be used against the Left.<br /><br />Griffin and Farage have always revelled in victimhood (like Johnson's mythical Scousers), but in this recent crisis many figures on the Left have responded in a completely different vein. Corbyn, McDonnell and Owen Jones have been quick to urge apologies and welcome inquiries, giving the impression that there is a lot more truth in the allegations than is actually the case. Thus the affair has forced the Left very much on the defensive and encouraged the party to seek to police and subdue opinion a lot more.<br /><br />I'm not expecting Labour to go all Charlie Hebdo, but there could be the case for saying that a party that depends on going against establishment institutions and established wisdom needs to developed a more robust and clear position on freedom of speech and making a clear distinction about the need to stress criticism rather than suppression as the means to responding to controversial opinions. Igor Belanovnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312853715123370916.post-7260913610143702892016-05-02T14:04:59.838+01:002016-05-02T14:04:59.838+01:00I agree regarding Milne. I was surprised that the ...I agree regarding Milne. I was surprised that the job should go to someone with a reputation as lacking diplomacy and with a record of controversial views on foreign policy such as the Middle East, which would be a sitting duck for critics. Not a lot different to Livingstone I suppose!Igor Belanovnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312853715123370916.post-35257280554490923092016-05-02T13:50:42.644+01:002016-05-02T13:50:42.644+01:00I agree with your analysis. The bitterness of Blai...I agree with your analysis. The bitterness of Blairites and the instrumental use of antisemitism all point to an unwillingness by an entitled executive elite to accommodate democracy. I also think that every attempt at compromise that Corbyn has made has either been rejected with contempt or turned against him.<br /><br />Ironically, the reason he hasn't been more confrontational is that it isn't in his nature, which the right of the party knew only too well. In retrospect, the homilies about "a new kind of politics" were a signal of this and an open invitation to the right. Corbyn was never going to get the media onside, but he could have done more to set the agenda and thereby disrupt the haters (I think he made a strategic error in appointing <a href="http://fromarsetoelbow.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/the-man-who-fell-to-earth.html" rel="nofollow">Seamus Milne</a> as his head of comms).<br /><br />It's hard to avoid the conclusion that the Blairites are deliberately sabotaging Labour's electoral chances (and have been since Oldham West) with a view to using it as evidence that the party membership do not represent Labour voters. The implication is not just that these members should quit (or be purged), but that democracy can no more be tolerated than the influence of the unions, on the grounds that it can be manipulated by extremists. I imagine something like the US Democrats' "super-delegates" will be proposed instead.David Timoneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03568348438980023320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312853715123370916.post-24048328808196822162016-05-02T13:12:04.762+01:002016-05-02T13:12:04.762+01:00I think your concerns about the Mayoral election d...I think your concerns about the Mayoral election demonstrate some of the problems that Corbyn's victory created in perceptions within the party, and the often unrealistic hopes that were raised. (I know your analysis is more sober.) <br /><br />Corbyn's leadership victory basically left the party split between the vast majority of professional politicians and the vast majority of the membership and 'supporters'. Unfortunately, if short-term electoral popularity and media approval are the main aims, then you have to defer to the MPs and their hangers on. They have the media profile and media connections, the PR 'skills', and the obsession with cod psephology and opinion polls.<br /><br />If your aim is a 'membership-led' party, then this inevitably leads to division within the party and media hostility. In the short-term this will lead to some difficulties in elections, but at least allow you to get your message across.<br /><br />Corbyn has been determined to seek a compromise than would harness the advantages of all sections of the party. All he has been offered is the cold shoulder. Given this level of hostility, his demise is almost certain to come sooner rather than later, probably due to him stepping down himself 'for the good of the party' after poor election results. This will take Labour back to square one. The membership will be demoralised and leave in droves, the party elite will be desperately trying to appease the media, and Labour will lose the next election anyway.<br /><br />I'm reluctant to criticise Corbyn too much because he has had a hell of a job. However, I think he and his supporters needed to take a more hard-headed approach last autumn. Given the strength of opposition to them, I think it was vital that they provoke a split through the means of party democracy. This would have enabled them to take the moral high ground and allowed them to campaign on their own agenda. As it is, after Corbyn is forced out the Left will be worse off than before, demoralised and forced to support people they loathe if they want to get rid of the Tories.<br /><br />It's all very depressing.<br />Igor Belanovnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312853715123370916.post-14559876368296803262016-05-01T22:51:04.660+01:002016-05-01T22:51:04.660+01:00I'm not suggesting that Livingstone "has ...I'm not suggesting that Livingstone "has ruined Labour's chances". We don't know how close the vote will be, but for that reason it makes sense to be prudent.<br /><br />Labour's chances will depend on turnout, so the Tory strategy is not to sway Jewish or other voters, but to impede momentum generally through distraction, which is why John Mann is at least as much to blame as Ken.<br /><br />Without Ken's amplification, the Naz Shah fuss would probably have died away by now, allowing Khan to regain the initiative in London over the last 3 days.<br /><br />You're probably right that Ken's contribution won't be material, certainly not relative to the last 8 months of bias, but why take the chance?David Timoneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03568348438980023320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312853715123370916.post-53537357762951053202016-05-01T22:13:03.816+01:002016-05-01T22:13:03.816+01:00The idea that it is Livingstone that has ruined La...The idea that it is Livingstone that has ruined Labour's chances of a good result in Thursday's elections is somewhat deluded. The cat was well out of the bag over the Naz Shah controversy, and the Labour right was already taking advantage of that. Livingstone really doesn't represent anyone except himself at the moment, I suspect the general public as a whole is somewhat unimpressed by the whole affair, and Labour's reputation as disunited has been hammered home by the media constantly for 8 months. Livingstone's intervention is merely a drop in the ocean compared to this.Igor Belanovnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312853715123370916.post-57739175002492311262016-05-01T21:51:41.594+01:002016-05-01T21:51:41.594+01:00I agree that the Labour party should not appease t...I agree that the Labour party should not appease the media, but nor should it oblige them, which is why Ken's solipsistic intervention is irritating.<br /><br />I'm certainly not suggesting that Corbyn should be tactful, but that he should force the agenda back onto the instrumentalism of the Tories (using Muslims) and the Blairites (using Jews), rather than being deflected toward a fruitless debate about Hitler.<br /><br />At one level I'm sympathetic to Ken because I enjoy a good windup, but now is not the time for that tactic nor for Ken to grab the limelight. If this affects the London vote on Thursday he will not be forgiven.David Timoneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03568348438980023320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5312853715123370916.post-77914681174851336502016-05-01T21:00:09.707+01:002016-05-01T21:00:09.707+01:00Maybe the Hillsborough campaign is a lesson to us ...Maybe the Hillsborough campaign is a lesson to us on the Left. It might be worth pursuing a constant determined and dignified struggle for truth and justice for 27 years rather than resort to appeasing our enemies in a futile attempt to achieve intra-party compromise and media approval that will enable an election victory in 2020.<br /><br />I think you're somewhat unfair on Livingstone too, however clumsy his intervention was. Saying nothing and being 'tactful' does nothing to challenge the current establishment narrative and the kind of dirty tricks that hey pull. Coming out onto the offensive will win Corbyn a lot more support than caving in to his enemies and seeming to confirm the truth of their attacks. Igor Belanovnoreply@blogger.com