The UK’s ruling Labour Party allegedly ordered its MPs not to attend anti-racist demonstrations on Wednesday.
According to journalist Owen Jones, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Chief Whip Alan Campbell made the order “via a virtual call” on Wednesday morning.
Jones is a former member of the party and was part of its left-wing faction before quitting because of Labour’s centrist turn under Keir Starmer.
Even though being anti-fascist is an obvious virtue, I presume it’s to avoid the appearance of prosecuting the rioters for political reasons. Starmer wants to make it purely about the lawbreaking rather than their political aims.
Politicians not making things political is rather ridiculous.
Same politicians that show up to march in pro-israel marches. Liberals will find any excuse to not do the right thing.
It’s more that it’s a tactical choice to avoid polarising people. There’s nothing material to gain by attending the protests, and much to lose in terms of pissing off the far right more and destabilising a precarious situation.
The shit-stirrers like Farage would immediately whip up some bullshit that Labour MPs attending anti-fascist protests is “proof” that the government are choosing to politically punish the far right protesters. The last thing Starmer wants is a resurgence of disorder.
Nothing to gain by showing solidarity against racism?
Appearing racist to appeal to Farage voters isn’t going to fix anthing nor win over any right wing voters. Appealing to right wingers never works they will never vote center when they can vote right.
No, they clearly aren’t trying to appear racist, or even directly court their votes. They just don’t want to actively feed into the idiotic theories that stoke tensions.
Have they shown up to Pro-Israel marches since coming into power?
Subtle bit of framing there: “centrist turn”. Not: " rightward turn". The author places the frame of reference in the center of politics rather than in the heart of the Labour party.
When you consider the rightward ratchet of Overton Window I’d argue the latter framing is more illuminating.
Given even the Daily Mail was celebrating the Wednesday anti-racist protests as a proof of unity against thugs, this feels like paranoia
It was literally just because they didn’t want their MPs to get involved in a situation that might’ve turned violent. Can you imagine if any organisation had said, ‘Yes, we want to oblige our staff to go and maybe get their heads kicked in by Nazis’?
Liberals always have a magical excuse to not do the right thing, I’m sure this was all about “safety concerns for their staff”.
It’s obviously not ‘the right thing’ to put MPs in danger. It really is not that long ago that one of these thugs murdered a Labour MP.
I’m not a liberal, incidentally, but it’s probably not the greatest idea for the left to adopt the language of American fascists. Reading the rest of your contributions to this thread, it’s clearly not the only thing you’ve decided the fascists are right about, though.
Well it would hypocritical of them to do so when they openly support Israeli racism against the Palestinians
because starmer supports fascists.
What planet are you on, exactly?
Keir Starmer the israeli plant who overthrew Jeremy Corbyn. Don’t agree with the initial commenter often but this time it’s facts. Keir Starmer is a Fascist.
Conspiracy theories. The standard refrain of a Corbynista.
Zionist propaganda the standard retort of a SStarmer
No one even mentioned Zionism or Israel…
They asked for an explanation of Starmer being a fascist.
Instating a literal coup of the UK to prevent Jeremy Corbyn from s acting against israel seems pretty fascist to me.
Oh man, I haven’t heard that one before. Bona fide quality conspiracy theory 👍
Any evidence that he’s an Israeli plant?
He blocks the weapons embargo on israel. He ousted Jeremy Corbyn with the most classic excuse used by Zionists.
I don’t think that proves he’s an Israeli plant?
Jeremy Corbyn is far too extreme for main line politics. Labour were never going to win power with him as leader. Plus he’s stance on Brexit was selfish and absolutely unhelpful.
I can see you support him but he really wasn’t good.
Plus he’s stance on Brexit was selfish and absolutely unhelpful.
The truth they hate to hear.
Except Corbyn was already growing to a position where he would be able to gain power.
Starmer can’t coup a left wing party while it has massive momentum and subsequently claim the centrist neoliberal Zionist fest is popular.
Corbyn even won his own district without the branding Starmer stole from him.
The UK is facing massive problems with housing, and a neoliberal who is in the pocket of all lobbies including the landlords is going to do absolutely nothing to fix it
Starmer is aa “human rights lawyer” who prevents an arms embargo on a Genocide. You can’t make this up.
Except Corbyn was already growing to a position where he would be able to gain power.
The rest of your comment I’ll ignore in the basis that it’s meaningless. But this first line, wow, you can just say things that are clearly not true and think that doing so is a counterpoint.
Look i can do it. “Dragons do exist and my evidence for that is that I say so. Ha, got you!” See it doesn’t work. You have to argue your case in this plain of reality and not in whatever elsewhere space you come from.
Were you hibernating in December 2019?
