The political fringe prepares for power

I thought it was quite ironic that after finally penning my resignation from the PCS union at the weekend that I arrived at work to discover an e-mail from the Trade Unionist & Socialist Coalition waiting for me. The TUSC (a front for the Socialist Party) was one of the many reasons that had led me to losing confidence in the union.

The comrade ( I forget his name) requested that our branch consider inviting him or someone else from the TUSC Socialist Party to our next Branch Executive Committee to discuss supporting their electoral campaign and even submitted a letter outlining how everything they stood for just happened to coincide with PCS policy.

Laughable nonsense, but I suppose there are reps out there who do not follow the political antics of the Grandees and might get taken in by this nonsense. The TUSC is a dead end project that won't get anywhere, shouldn't get anywhere and would only help the Tories if it did.

Like the Socialist Party this kind of ultra-leftism is a distraction from getting the current shower out of power. Besides do I really need to remind people that these people have had power (of sorts) in Liverpool Council which led to bankruptcy and redundancy notices going out by taxi and have now finally brought the largest civil service union to the brink.... having to sell off the unions assets to keep their declining union afloat!

Meanwhile there was one announcement that did make raise a smile was the announcement by the rather disingenuous Islamophobia Watch has finally called it a day. The former Workers Revolutionary Party hack Bob Pitt writes:

Islamophobia Watch was launched in early 2005. On the tenth anniversary of its foundation I have decided that the time has come to wind it up. (The site will remain online but will no longer be updated.)...

That function of IW was destroyed two years ago when I was excluded from the original islamophobia-watch.com website and had to set up the present site, minus the archives. (In the absence of anyone prepared to put the necessary effort into maintaining and updating it, the original site soon became moribund and was then abandoned.)

Yes that's right. There were two of these sites with the same name. They split. There's a surprise. A far left attempt to conflate genuine problems faced by Muslims (but only in the West!) with attacks on secularists, atheists and even reformist Muslims.

I reported an example of the sites absurdity back in December 2013.

Pitt then goes on to tell us about a "clash" at a meeting held in  University College London. Quoting Channel 4 News he writes: 

“This was the moment one academic snapped. Professor Lawrence Krauss had come to debate ‘Islam versus atheism’, but not before a segregated audience. The clash dramatised a problem that has been quietly building on campuses – Islamist students insisting on meetings that separate men and women.”.. 

The reality is that gender separation was not imposed at the meeting.  

Pitt then contradicts himself completely: 

The audience was divided into three sections – one for women who wanted to sit separately, another for men, and a third mixed-gender section at the front .People attending the debate were free to sit where they chose. 

Not sure how that doesn't count as "gender separation". And people were not "free to sit where they want" as two men were ejected for trying to do that.  

A spokesperson for iERA later explained that the two men were being ejected because they had forcibly tried to sit in the women’s section of the audience. 

The men were both atheists, by the way, but what part of "women's section" was not gender separation?

Not a website that will be missed.

Oddly things are not looking good for Pitt's mates at the Socialist Unity website. Hardly an update except to post the Sheik of Bradford's rantings about Charlie Hebdoe and a couple of related posts that are best avoided. The few remaining comrades that are allowed to post comments have been left to argue amongst themselves about who is the better socialist and has the right attitude to the religion of peace.

The General Election might have something to do with it. If the TUSC are busy sending out unsolicited e-mails to unsuspecting trade union branches then Andy Newman is also probably busying himself in his constituency. One of a couple of Labour candidates I will not be supporting come the election.

And no I'm not a member of the Labour Party so I don't have to.

The other Labour Candidate I won't support is Hugh Lanning, Chairman of the so-called Palestine Solidarity Campaign and former Deputy General Secretary of PCS who's has been selected to fight the Tunbridge Wells seat.

The latest edition of the rabid Socialist Worker appeared ton-line today (not sure anyone actually buys a paper copy any more) is also kicking off it's limited electoral election (via the TUSC) and publicises their candidate in Croydon North (presumably an SWP member as they don't normally promote anyone else). He claims:

“I want to be someone who represents the working class. Without TUSC there wouldn’t be anyone to vote for.”

Erm, actually there's the Labour Party "comrade". Still don't let reality get in the way of your spin....

Still fringe candidates like these will probably get less votes than the Pub Landlord.

Old Al might actually give Nigel Farage a shock!

One can hope!