POLITICS CORNER

[Stanley]

The controversy in the Labour Party rumbles on.... See THIS BBC report....
Labour will act to block people not fit to be MPs, shadow defence secretary John Healey has pledged, as the party struggles to deal with an ongoing row about comments made by its candidates. He insisted the party was diligent when picking candidates to be MPs but added: "You can't see everything, everywhere." The Jewish Labour Movement said it had not been Labour's "finest hour". Chair Mike Katz said members who failed to call out offensive language should also be suspended. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has defended himself against criticism, saying he "acted decisively".
It would help in selecting MPs if there was a clear definition of what constitutes anti-Semitism. In my book criticising the Israelis for their anti-Palestinian actions is not anti-Semitic.
See THIS report. The infection is spreading....
A councillor has been kicked out of the Conservative Party over alleged antisemitic remarks, the BBC understands.
The Salisbury Conservative Association said it had received a formal complaint about "offensive and inappropriate comments" by Salisbury mayor Atiqul Hoque on social media and WhatsApp. The party said it would expel the councillor following an investigation. The BBC has approached Mr Hoque for comment. Mr Hoque is a ward councillor on Salisbury City Council and has been mayor since May 2023. "

[PanBiker]

It would help in selecting MPs if there was a clear definition of what constitutes anti-Semitism. In my book criticising the Israelis for their anti-Palestinian actions is not anti-Semitic.

Precisely Stanley. If you listen to the recording of what Azhar said in the supposedly private Labour Group meeting he did not berate the Jewish people. His remarks were only repeating what at least two well regarded newspapers had also printed about the pre known intelligence put forward by multiple security agencies before the attack.

There is another sound bite where he mentions "certain Jewish factions". This is also only repeating known fact and he was referring to some members of the Jewish Labour Movement who actively promote their ethnicity within British politics. As such they should be open to criticism. You can't have your cake and eat it, but apparently some Jewish folk think you can.

[Stanley]

News just in that Labour have won Wellingborough as well. Here are the figures....

Labour: 13,844
Conservatives: 7,408
Reform UK: 3,919
Liberal Democrats: 1,422
Marion Turner-Hawes (Independent): 1,115
Green Party: 1,020
Kevin Watts (Independent): 533
Britain First: 477
The Official Monster Raving Loony Party: 217
Andre Pyne-Bailey (Independent): 172
Ankit Love Jknpp Jay Mala Post-Mortem (Independent): 18

See THIS for more bad news for Sunak and the Tories.
People spending less, doctors' strikes and a fall in school attendance dragged the UK into recession at the end of last year, official figures show. The economy shrank by a larger than expected 0.3% between October and December, after it had already contracted between July and September. The UK is in recession if it fails to grow for two successive quarters. The figures raise questions over whether Rishi Sunak has met his pledge made last January to grow the economy. The government has never publicly said what measure should be used to assess if it had met the Prime Minister's pledge, despite repeated requests. In some private briefings to journalists, sources said it would be if the economy was bigger between October and December compared to the previous three months. But based on that measure, Mr Sunak's promise has not been fulfilled because the UK economy shrank by 0.1% in July to September. For the whole of 2023, the UK economy grew by 0.1%. Nevertheless, excluding the Covid years, that annual growth figure is the weakest since 2009 when the UK and other major economies were reeling from the global financial crisis when bank lending almost ground to a halt.
Economists are arguing as to whether we are in recession or not but they all agree that what is certain is that the UK economy is flat-lining, shows no signs of recovery and is undoubtedly being hampered by the consequences of Brexit. In a word, a damning indictment of 14 years of Tory government.

[Tizer]

Poor turnouts but Reform UK doing well. This is what I've been warning about, we're going to see a shift towards authoritarianism. A `British Trump' could motivate all those present non-voters to go along at the next general election and put a bomb under British politics.

[Tripps]

I've looked at the results of yesterday's election and I'm sure that I'll sleep better tonight, knowing that these two are now Members of Parliament.

Damien Egan MP. Link
"Egan is married to Israeli-born Yossi Felberbaum. Though raised a Catholic, Egan converted to Judaism, following his husband's faith."
All bases covered then.

Gen Kitchen MP. Link (Short for Genevieve not General).
She is 27 years old, and was a fund raiser for many charities. She also has a husband - but he's called Joe.

[Stanley]

Yes the political news is still headlined by THIS. I heard all the usual excuses trotted out yesterday and also heard Nigel saying the Tories would vote him in as Leader if he stood for the job.
Meanwhile, in the real world, see THIS report just in that Ukraine forces have evacuated a town they have defended for months.
Ukraine's military says it has withdrawn its troops from Avdiivka - the key eastern town for months besieged by Russian forces. Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said he acted "to avoid encirclement and preserve the lives and health of service personnel". He added that the troops were moved to "more favourable lines". His deputy said the Russians had a huge artillery advantage, and were advancing "on the corpses of their own soldiers". Avdiivka - a gateway to the Russian-seized city of Donetsk - has been engulfed in fierce fighting for months, and is now almost completely destroyed.
All this while luminaries like Rees Mogg assures us that by-election losses by a party in power are quite usual......

[PanBiker]

"Second biggest swing to Labour" the leader who was in charge of the biggest swing to Labour was that nasty Mr Corbyn. Bugger the media.

[Stanley]

I'd forgotten that Ian! Thanks for reminding me.
Our political news is still dominated this morning by the scale of the Tory losses at Kingswood and Wellingborough. The impression being given is that Labour winning the next election is a done deal. I don't believe this, all sorts of things can go wrong and Sunak was playing on this when he said that the Tory plan was coming together......
Sorry, but as well as being in the awkward squad on anti-Semitism I have no confidence in Starmer.
The bloke talking most sense at the moment is Farage.

[Tizer]

The bloke talking most sense at the moment is Farage.

And he's talking about taking back leadership of Reform UK. Let's not forget that Donald Trump wasn't taken seriously as a potential presidential election candidate as recently as 2015.

[Tripps]

The bloke talking most sense at the moment is Farage.

Wow. . . . Quote of the year.

The Post Office Chief Executive chap that Kemi Badenoch fired then lied about it, has got his revenge. He says the Civil Service had told him to go slow with the Post Masters' compensation so the Government could limp into the next election. They have "denied" it of course.

No one wants to make any predictions about the Rochdale byelection result. Times Radio say Azhar Ali wasn't a bad chap and had a good record, he just told his supporters what he thought they wanted to hear. I have a voice recorder for important meetings. It's about as big as ten woodbines, and produces perfect audio from your trouser pocket. Best to assume there is one at every meeting. There probably is.

[Stanley]

"Wow. . . . Quote of the year."
I watched him responding to questions on the TV David and all his answers were direct, straightforward and logical. More than you can say for most politicians.
See THIS report of how Starmer will handle the question of a Gaza cease fire. I get so angry when I see the politicians thrashing about in a net of their own making. They have allowed criticism of the actions of the Israeli government to be equated with anti-Semitism. This was first brought to bear by the Tory Right Wing press attacking Labour and in particular Jeremy Corbyn. Nobody was brave enough to challenge the concept and it was allowed to grow and Starmer swallowed it hook line and sinker because it suited his anti left wing agenda as Labour Leader.
If an Israeli government does something which is obviously a war crime it should be called out not protected on spurious grounds by attacking accusers on the grounds of anti-Semitism. I listened to Starmer tying himself in knots when he was addressing Scottish Labour. Pathetic.
The other thing that caught my attention was Cameron defending the Falklands right to choose to be governed by the UK. Well, at least he could be certain he would not come under attack for stating the bleeding obvious. Far safer than saying anything about Gaza!

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report on the dispute between Kemi Badenoch and Staunton.
A row has deepened between Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch and the Post Office chair she sacked, after he said he had been told to delay compensation payments for sub-postmasters. Henry Staunton said he had been told to stall payouts to allow the government to "limp into the election", apparently to help state finances. But Ms Badenoch said the claims were "completely false" and accused him of spreading "made-up anecdotes". Mr Staunton has stood by his comments.
Make your own choice. I believe Staunton. Why would he make it up?

[Stanley]

The Staunton affair is not going away. See THIS BBC report....
The prime minister has defended Kemi Badenoch's handling of a row with a former Post Office boss. Ex-Post Office chair Henry Staunton claimed he was told to stall compensation to sub-postmasters affected by the Horizon IT scandal. Ms Badenoch has denied the claims, calling them "completely false", but he continues to stand by them. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Farming Today, Rishi Sunak said Ms Badenoch had "made a fulsome statement". The PM was asked whether he could categorically deny Mr Staunton's claim that a senior civil servant had told him to "stall" on compensation payments, to allow the government to "limp into the election", apparently to help state finances. He did not answer the question directly, but insisted that the business secretary gave a "very clear explanation".
We are getting used to this sort of behaviour in the Commons and sometimes forget that at one time such rows were unheard of. Under this regime they are common and even the PM has been caught out telling lies.... (Remember Johnson?)
In another part of the forest The Labour Party gets very close to indulging in what it describes as anti-Semitic behaviour by calling for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza. Surely this implies criticism of the Netanyahu government and support for the Palestinians? Or have I misunderstood the arguments?
Later..... See THIS report in the Financial Times that seems to indicate that Badenoch has been lying in another quarter....
Kemi Badenoch, business and trade secretary, was on Tuesday locked in a new political row, this time over her contested claim that she was engaged in trade talks with Canada, negotiations Ottawa insists do not exist. Badenoch told MPs “explicitly” on January 29 that talks with Canada were “ongoing” to avoid a March 31 tariff cliff-edge for UK carmakers, even though she had earlier unilaterally paused wider trade talks with the Ottawa government. But the Canadian high commissioner to the UK, Ralph Goodale, has written to the House of Commons business select committee to insist Badenoch’s claimed talks, which also cover cheesemakers, have not happened.
We seem to be building a pattern!

[Tripps]

Looks as if politics in the House will be a bit lively today. Already talk of Mr Speaker being ousted, as he admits he has gone against convention, and standing orders, by allowing an amendment from both the Tory and the Labour sides. Raised voices have been heard in his office.

I guess this lady will be pleased though Olukemi Olufunto Adegoke , as it takes the spotlight off her today, but I don't think she will be a Minister for a lot longer.

[Stanley]

You were right David..... See THIS BBC report....
A Commons debate on calls for a ceasefire in Gaza descended into chaos, after the Speaker was accused of allowing it to be "hijacked" by Labour. Sir Lindsay Hoyle sparked fury from the SNP and Conservatives when he broke with convention to allow a vote on a Labour motion for an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire". The Speaker later apologised, saying he had acted "with the right intentions". But the SNP said they had been "treated with complete and utter contempt". Labour's amendment went through to loud shouts of "aye" without a formal vote, after the government said it would not take part in protest. This meant there was no vote on the SNP's motion, which called for an "immediate ceasefire", and was originally meant to be the focus of the debate.
It sounds like a complete cock-up all round and my sympathies are with Lindsay Hoyle. This chaos all stems from people trying to skate along fault lines caused by not having a clear distinction between legitimate criticism of the Israeli government's actions and anti-Semitism.
Have a look at THIS BBC report on something that is bothering me.
Veterans minister Johnny Mercer has told a public inquiry he heard "horrific" accounts from former members of Afghan special forces of the SAS killing unarmed detainees and children. Asked by the chair of the inquiry to clarify that he was describing "allegations of straight murder" by the SAS, Mr Mercer replied, "Yes." BBC Panorama reported this week that UK Special Forces had blocked Afghan special forces, known as the "Triples", from relocating to the UK after the Taliban swept back to power in 2021. Former members of the SAS told Panorama that there was a clear conflict of interest in UK Special Forces being able to veto Triples applications, because the Afghan commandos could be potential witnesses to the public inquiry. The Independent Inquiry relating to Afghanistan, launched in the wake of reporting by the BBC and other media outlets, is investigating whether British special forces killed civilians and unarmed people on night raids in Afghanistan between 2010 and 2013. The Triples - from Afghan units CF 333 and ATF 444 - accompanied the SAS on many of the raids being scrutinised.
Failing to honour pledges to allow members of the Triples to come to the UK was bad enough but if this really is the reason it opens up a whole new can of worms....

[Tripps]

I watched the chaos - not understanding much of it,and neither did many of the Members. I recall that the amendment went through 'on the nod' and I heard the Deputy Speaker - Dame Rosie Winterton - say "all in favour say aye" which resulted in uproar with many also calling"no", but I expected her to say "to the contrary no", but I don't think I heard it. She just said "the ayes have it". The member for the 19th century Sir Jacob Rees Mogg, made that exact point, saying that when there was any opposition then there had to be a division. but was ignored for his troubles. Grounds for a "stewards" I'd say.

It is plain that Labour MP's are desperate to show their muslim electorate that they have voted for a cease fire in Gaza, and went to any lengths to facilitate that. It is also a factor that a mob of pro Palestine supporters were outside the House, and many members were in real fear of their personal safety. I think a corner has been turned and we may see more of this. The elephant in the room is stirring, as it inevitably and eventually would.
I've just remembered that Lindsay Hoyle's dad is Lord Doug Hoyle one time MP for Nelson and Colne (later Warrington). I think Stanley once knew him. Seems he is 94 years old. So Linsay is in the family business so to speak.
I bet he's sweating about his peerage at the moment.

[Stanley]

I didn't know he was Doug Hoyle's son David! Yes, I met Doug once or twice and he visited the engine at Bancroft once. He was a very accessible man, Nice to know he is still alive!
See THIS BBC report which informs us that Mr Sunak is concerned.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle's decision to depart from convention during a debate on the Gaza conflict was "very concerning", Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said. The Commons Speaker is facing pressure to quit, after chaotic scenes in Parliament and acrimonious debate. Sir Lindsay has apologised for giving MPs a vote on a Labour amendment during an SNP debate on Gaza on Wednesday, but said it was to ensure MPs' safety. The SNP are calling for a vote on Sir Lindsay's future. Mr Sunak called Sir Lindsay's decision "very concerning because the usual ways in which Parliament works were changed". "We should never let extremists intimidate us in to changing the way in which parliament works," Mr Sunak said. "That is a very slippery slope and not the right way to go." But the prime minister fell short of backing calls to replace Sir Lindsay as Speaker.
He fell short of backing him too or calling for calm. It suits Sunak to see someone else getting the flak. As for his phrase "he usual ways in which Parliament works were changed", yes they have and his party are responsible for many of the ways it has deteriorated.
As for the roots of this sorry spectacle, they can be traced back to a right wing press deliberately confusing the meaning of anti-Semitism when they were attacking Jeremy Corbyn. They confused criticising the Israeli government with attacking the whole of Jewry. This is why Starmer has been tying himself in knots instead of correcting the definition. The reason he has not done anything sensible like that is because the new definition suited his campaign to move the Labour Party to the Right by side-lining the Corbynites. This poisonous ethos breeds extremism and as David notes, we are seeing it raising its ugly head both inside and outside the House.

[Tripps]

Nice to know he is still alive!

Yes agreed. I'd assumed he was dead and had to do a swift edit at a very late hour, when I discovered he was still with us.

PS Seems he resigned from the Lords only last year at the age of 93. I'm sure there was bit of scandal somewhere but it has been 'vanished' -or at least I can't find it.

Rochdale byelection just less than a week away now. The "Labour" candidate seems to have forgotten about his apology, and reverted to the original position which got him expelled from the party. Local Councillors have supported him in that view. Will Starmer throw them out as well? The betting is close between him and the narrow favourite George Galloway.

Go off piste a bit to find out what the real situation is. Don't rely on the BBC. With a low turn out, as in the other two recents byelections, and an electorate of 20% muslims, their vote will be crucial. Both the market leaders are going for it, and at the moment no one seems to know what will happen. Neither do I - but Galloway has pulled it off before, and the tenancy is only for a few months. We shall see. . . . .

[PanBiker]

A long time ago with a young Lindsay with his dad and host of others on a fund raising walk to Clarion House. Pint pots of tea waiting.

[Tripps]

Pint pots of tea waiting.

Good picture - thanks.

Did he pay for his tea, or did he "do a Portillo"?

[Stanley]

That's a good pic Ian.....

See THIS BBC report on the current political situation.
Police should get extra powers to tackle protests outside Parliament, the author of a government-commissioned review has urged. Crossbench peer Lord Walney said MPs needed protecting from "intimidation" that could influence how they vote. His comments come after Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle cited the threat to politicians in his controversial handling of a debate on Gaza. It has reignited the heightened debate in recent years over the safety of MPs. Asked about Lord Walney's recommendations, Home Secretary James Cleverly said he expected police to take action when protesters gathered outside MPs' homes with the aim of "distorting" how they voted. But he added he did not think police needed "significantly greater" powers to tackle demonstrations outside Parliament.
Cleverly seems to be acting sensibly on this. I see he is also calling for moderation in the case of Mr Speaker.
See THIS BBC report on the Rochdale election.
By-elections are often colourful and chaotic but there has never been anything quite like the contest taking place in Rochdale right now. The vote next Thursday - caused by the death of the town's widely respected Labour MP Sir Tony Lloyd - should have been relatively straightforward for Sir Keir Starmer's party, riding high on the back of a string of by-election victories around the country. But the entry into the race of maverick former MP and left-wing firebrand George Galloway - and the spectacular implosion of Labour's campaign - has thrown the contest wide open. Mr Galloway is mainly targeting Rochdale's Muslim population, who make up about 30% of the electorate, many of whom are angry about what is happening in Gaza. "The people of Gaza don't have a vote in this election, you do," reads one of his campaign leaflets. At a meeting at the town's Kashmir Youth Project, he says that, if elected, he will "enter the chamber of the House of Commons like a tornado" and "shake the walls for Gaza". He claims a victory for him in Rochdale, a small town near Manchester, will be noticed "by the people in Gaza, by the people in Tel Aviv, but most importantly by the front benches in Parliament."
It's going to be a close call but I suspect many will vote Labour regardless of the expulsion.
(Rochdale will not be pleased with the description of 'a small town near Manchester'!)

[PanBiker]

I think Lindsay is about 12 or 13 on the photo so it's about 1969 or 70.

[Tripps]

Mr Galloway is mainly targeting Rochdale's Muslim population, who make up about 30% of the electorate,

Not correct I think BBC - 30% of the population - but about 20% of the electorate / voters. With a low turnout it will still be enough to win though if they are all "whipped" to vote for the same candidate. Being a bit pedantic - there is no "Labour"candidate. Mr Ali is standing as an independent candidate, whatever it says on the ballot paper.

The winner will be Ali or Galloway, but the close betting reflects the uncertainty at the moment. Much can happen next week. Five days is a long time in politics.

[Stanley]

David, Ali's name is on the ballot paper as the Labour candidate and many will simply vote for the party. Unlikely though it seems to us, many people will not have heard that he has been disowned by the Party.

[Tizer]

Politics is in the emergency department - it's been seriously poisoned by social media. If we don't find an antidote soon we'll end up like America.