Jeremy can win

Jeremy can win a fair election.  His speech at a rally outside Parliament (on Monday) was inspiring. Besides the politics, I wholeheartedly support his way of arguing. Here’s a few sentences that supporters and opponents alike should take to heart . 

“I don’t do personal, I don’t do reaction, I don’t do abuse. Life is too short and it devalues the political process. I think we should try and enhance the democratic life of this country, not reduce it to that level”

To date, 252,000 have signed this petition to support Jeremy remaining leader of the Labour Party – and snap polls from several newspapers confirm him to be the peoples’ overwhelming choice.

So why the challenge? and why now? Craig Murray has written this convincing explanation for the timing and motivation. He argues that the impending publication of the Chilcot Report has panicked supporters of the Iraq invasion into trying to remove Jeremy before he can, on behalf of the Labour Party, apologise to Parliament on this matter.

But many other MPs who are currently supporting the coup have a genuine belief that Jeremy is an electoral liability. Each will need to be persuaded by their local party of their mistake – with the same courtesy that Jeremy advocates in his speeches.

 

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Apocalypse later

I’ve already (postal) voted “Remain” – but I certainly don’t share the apocalyptic fear of several of my friends if the vote is for “Leave”.

Whatever the result, we’ll still have cuts to (= slaughter of) welfare and living standards. Whether Cameron, Johnson or Gove is Prime Minister, the Tories will still be robbing the poor to enrich the already rich.

The scaremongering of both sides of this dispute means that neither can ‘deliver’ their promises. In contrast, Labour’s campaign to remain in Europe has been far more balanced with, in particular, Jeremy Corbyn being wholly consistent and principled (click for link).  So whatever the outcome of the referendum, it will provide us with many opportunities to remind people of Tory falsehoods.

In reality, a Brexit vote will not mean an immediate exit or that more money is available for the NHS, or that immigration stops or that MEPs return home amidst financial chaos.  Every claim made during the referendum campaigns, whether of doom or joy, will be subjected to renewed scrutiny and will be opportunity to expose the arguments (of both wings of the Conservatives) as unprincipled scaremongering.

Labour, and Jeremy in particular, can reap great political dividends from all this. Whilst I will be saddened for sure if Britain doesn’t vote to remain, I don’t see this as an “Apocalypse”.  That will come later if Labour does not win the 2020 General Election. All our efforts should be directed towards electing a progressive and anti-Tory government.

Immigration is good

This is my shortest post ever.  Today I had a life-saving heart operation – aided by overseas doctors and nurses. Nuff said.