Anti-Semitism from all sides at Labours report into err..anti-Semitism?

When I saw Jeremy Corbyns comparison of Israel to ISIS at his press conference about the Labour Party's report into anti-Semitism I was shocked.

Then I got angry.

Corbyn has no idea of what he is doing, that is so clear from his remarks. I don't that he himself is an anti-Semite but he plays into their hands.

Also shocked was Labour MP Ruth Smeeth (Stoke Trent North & Kidsgrove) who encountered a little more. She writes:

"This morning, at the launch of the Chakrabarti Inquiry into antisemitism, I was verbally attacked by a Momentum activist and Jeremy Corbyn supporter who used traditional antisemitic slurs to attack me for being part of a 'media conspiracy'. It is beyond belief that someone could come to the launch of a report on antisemitism in the Labour Party and espouse such vile conspiracy theories about Jewish people, which were ironically highlighted as such in Ms Chakrabarti's report, while the leader of my own party stood by and did absolutely nothing."

"People like this have no place in our party or our movement and must be opposed. Until today I had made no public comment about Jeremy’s ability to lead our party, but the fact that he failed to intervene is final proof for me that he is unfit to lead, and that a Labour Party under his stewardship cannot be a safe space for British Jews. I have written to the General Secretary of the Labour Party and the Chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party to formally complain about this morning’s events."

"No-one from the Leader’s office has contacted me since the event, which is itself a catastrophic failure of leadership. I call on Jeremy Corbyn to resign immediately and make way for someone with the backbone to confront racism and antisemitism in our party and in the country."

On Sunday Corbyn will be leading the annual al-Quds march, sponsored by the Iranian clerical fascist government and attended by some of the worst elements in British politics including supporters of both Hamas and Hezbollah who would inflict genocide on the Jewish people.

Corbyn should not be attending this hate march which is an affront to civilised political discourse in this country. He should go home and reconsider his position.

Then resign.

Time to organise against Corbyn & Momentum

The news that Corbyn supporters are to protest outside an MP's surgery on Friday when Neil Coyle is opening his door to help constituents thereby intimidating both his staff and members of the public seeking help is an affront to decency. This kind of "mob rule" is unacceptable.

Mr Coyle has written to John McDonnell stating that his support for this action is a disgrace and he should be ashamed of himself. However, McDonnell, a closet Trotskyist has no shame and is no doubt hoping to replace the useless Corbyn when the man finally goes one way or the other.

Labour First are calling for lapsed members to return to take on the "militants" though until a leadership contest is triggered people will have to take up full membership. This is because the "three quid" option is only open during the vote.

I for one will take up the £3 option when the contest starts and urge all those of you opposed to the far-left takeover of the Labour Party to join up to make sure the only remaining opposition party is returned to sanity.

If you are a member then Labour First has circulated the following model motion for your CLPs/party branches.

This CLP has no confidence in Jeremy Corbyn MP as Leader of the Labour Party, and calls for him to stand down from his position.

While we believe that Jeremy Corbyn is a man of great principle, we do not believe that he has the skills or capacity to effectively lead the opposition in this vital period for the future of our nation. As negotiations begin for our exit from the European Union it has never been more important for the Labour Party to hold an increasingly right-wing Conservative Party to account. With Jeremy Corbyn as a leader we are unable to do that and are not on course to form the next government.

We thank Jeremy Corbyn for his leadership during this difficult period and the many years of service he has given the Labour movement, and hope that he places the needs of that movement first at this crucial moment.

This is based on a motion to Battersea CLP which was passed 60 to 20. Please raise in your branch urgently.

This is a battle that must be won by the voices of reason. The far-left have done far too much damage. They must be beaten. Now!

Corbyn loses No Confidence vote

Photo: By Damnsoft 09

The news that Labour MP's have voted for the "No Confidence" motion in a ballot comes as no surprise. There were a few more than expected, though sadly some MPs didn't vote at all. This includes some members of Corbyns own new Shadow Cabinet members. Hedging their bets against the inevitable backlash from the far left who were represented by newcomer and former vociferous opponent of the Labour Party, Mark Serwotka, General Secretary of the unaffiliated PCS union on Sky TV.

Yesterday Corbyn addressed several hundred of his "supporters", many of whom were from outside political organisations such as the Socialist Workers Party, Socialist Party and even the quite mad Spartacist League.

The rally organised by the new Militant Tendency known as Momentum attracted the worst types of the left imaginable and is precisely the reason why the Corbyn project is dangerous and is dooming the Labour Party to failure. They will be organising on the ground to cajole and bully Constituency Labour Parties to remove dissident MP's (the bulk of the Parliamentary Labour Party) and replace them with "yes" men (and women) from the left who will be expected to toe the line of the activists rather than represent their constituents.

Corbyn remains at the time of writing unmoved and tries to reject the legitimacy of the vote putting himself and his cult of followers before the party itself. He declined to address the loss of confidence by his own MPs in a statement issued a short while after the vote was declared.

Corbyn has been an abject disaster for Labour, it is time for him to go.

The die is now cast for the fight for the future of the Labour Party which may or may not survive the current internecine warfare. 

Corbyn: The man who broke the Labour Party?

Photo: By Bundesarchiv

The crisis inside the Labour Party finally entered it's final phase today as we learnt of the sacking of Hilary Benn by Jeremy Corbyn as his "plot" to oust the leader came to light. Over the day, almost hour by hour members of the Shadow cabinet resigned. The dies is cast. The long awaited challenge will go ahead.

Margaret Hodge the MP whose motion of no confidence precipitated this battle has also come under attack, from those very types who personify what has gone wrong with Labour. The so-called "anti-Zionists" decided to run with this on Electronic Intafada:

Margaret Hodge, a pro-Israel Member of the UK Parliament launched a coup attempt against Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn on Friday.

Corbyn is the left-wing leader of the main opposition Labour Party, who supports boycotts of Israel.

In plain English read: a "Zionist plot".

With Corbynistas desperately rallying their forces on social media and with on-line petitions, moderates are calling for those members who left to return to the party. There's even an on-line petition involving Mark Serwotka, General Secretary of the non-affiliated PCS union. A man previously openly hostile to the Labour Party and supporter of Respect and the Trade Union & Socialist Coalition in previous elections.

The stakes are high. The Labour Party is losing support on the ground amongst voters at an alarming rate. Scotland is gone and with the likelihood of Independence in the not too distant future, lost forever. UKIP are targeting those areaswhere Labour voters supported Brexit and confidence in Corbyn outside the ideologically motivated left is practically non-existent.

The man at the centre of this is seemingly unmoved.

Despite his poor performance in the referendum and his seeming inability to actually take on the Tories he and his supporters in the ideological bunker that is Islington refuses to recognise what he has done to the main opposition party in the UK.

As Chris Bryant MP so eloquently put it in his letter to Corbyn:

You will go down in history as the man who broke the Labour Party.

Corbyn must go. There is still time to restore a real Labour Party and remove the far-left parasites that have wrecked it.

We have been here before. Back in the early eighties there was Foot, Benn and the Militant Tendency who took Labour to the brink. The Party was won back and Labour went on to win elections. Corbyn, McDonnell and Momentum can also be beaten.

Corbyn must go. The alternative is a decade of Tory government.

Sunday Supplement: Between the movies. Independence Day: Dark Fathom

The sequel to blockbuster film Independence day hit the screens this week and (almost) just in time Titan have released the Official Prequel to the movie. Independence Day: Dark Fathom is a graphic novel collecting the five-issue miniseries of the same name that was released in the run up to the film.

Set at the end of the first alien incursion, the action takes place entirely underwater when a city destroyer ends up at the bottom of the Atlantic. Captain Adams takes on board a team who have been sent to investigate what the aliens are up to.

 

On boarding the enemy ship a small team of US marines investigates what turns out to be a huge ship and find the aliens are drilling into the biggest fault along the ocean floor under the Atlantic. Millions of lives are at stake and their job is to stop this from happening.

An interesting take on the movie franchise which also usefully provides a time line at the back of the novel which take through what has happened on Earth in between the films. You will also find out what happened to Will Smith and why he's not in the movie. No spoilers from me though. Read  the book & see the film.



Although this is published by a British comics company the creative team is American and Brazilian. Not a criticism, just an observation. It's a real coup for Titan to get the franchise. They are a small company just breaking into the US comics market and also publish a range of Doctor Who comics amongst others.

Anyway here's a teaser for the movie if you haven't been yet.



For more about comics please try my other blog: Howie's World of Comics

An uncertain future

The country woke up to the news that the public had voted to leave the European Union. Already this morning there have been a number of developments as a result of the Brexit victory.

David Cameron resigned as Prime Minister (though won't actually go until October) and Boris Johnson (unsurprisingly) has put himself to the fore despite not formally announcing a challenge. Many people will wonder why a general election hasn't been called since this is a major defeat for the government, but there's going to be problems enough for this country without dragging more uncertainty.

Jeremy Corbyn appeared on TV looking lost and haggard with no real answers to the questions being put to him, almost throwing one of his now legendary tantrums when pressed by the host. We were told Jeremy was a basically "nice man" but from what we have seen thus far this doesn't seem to be the case.  Unless you are one of his fawning fans who dote on every word he utters.

A challenge to his leadership has been brought forward by retiring MPs Margaret Hodge and Anne Coffrey neither of whom will be concerned about deselection threats before th next election since they won't be standing.

The Labour civil war will continue unabated whilst nearly all of them will ignore the reasons for the Labour vote going against them in the referendum. Corbyn was only part of the problem. He just didn't care for the EU and it showed despite his formal adherence to the "Remain" camp and as a result despite the efforts of rank & file members the message did not only not get across. It was ignored.

The other and unsurprising outcome was the rewed call for another Scottish independence referendum. All the main parties got wiped north of the border and nationalism has grown, not abated since the SNP's last effort. Given the Scots voted to stay it's probably a foregone conclusion that Scotland would vote for independence this time round.

There is a need to address the "elephant in the room" which was responsible more than anything else for the No vote. Immigration.

If any single act finally put the nail in the coffin of Britain's membership of the EU it was Angela Merkel's decision to open Germany's borders. The sight of a million or more people marching across Europe caused not just a reaction in Eastern Europe but here as well.

Problem is no-one except the real xenophobes really addressed the problem and all attempts to discuss the issue of immigration in large numbers met with either silence or wild eyed cries of racism. However people were and are concerned. The expansion of Europe (which was too fast in my opinion) had already brought in countries and economies that clearly were not ready for membership but also fears of migrants here. Add to this the wave from the Middle East and people's concerns were met with silence from the establishment.

Labour included.

People right asked why the other Arab and Muslim countries were not doing more to help these people. Saudi Arabia had a huge ready built and working camp for thousands up thousands of pilgrims going on the Haj. But they proved to be more concerned with their political control of the Islamic pilgrimage than helping refugees. So much for the charitable nature of their Islamic religion. No different to any other "politicians".

And so control of our borders became a central issue. Rioting in Calais and elsewhere did not help matter. The Labour vote turned quite clearly in favour of ending mass immigration. 

Yet Corbyn, the left and even the "Blairites" remain in denial.

It will take time for us to leave the EU (two years apparently) and for the economic situation to stabilise but our political system has undermined itself. Cameron has gone. Corbyn should join him. The political future is uncertain but the politics of the old ways have failed us.

Time to meet that challenge.

And it's an Interlude with him....

The polls are just about to close as write this. I don't know about you but I'm fed up with this 'ere referendum lark. Brought the worst out of so many people on both sides. But whether you're a Brexiteer or Remainer we are all fond of good old fashioned British humour.

So lets laugh together with Ronnie Barker.

Corbyn and the Referendum: Letting the side down... as always

The media, especially on the TV is concentrating on just one issue. The referendum. Tomorrow voters will go to the polls in their droves (or so we are led to believe) with a high turnout possibly around the 80% level. Whether that turns out to be correct remains to be seen.

Despite the manic approach of the Brexit and Remain camps to garner peoples votes there remain more than a few undecided voters even at this late stage. The City seems to be gambling on a "Yes" vote. Perhaps they know something we don't. The race remains close, far too close for comfort.

The stakes are high and feelings running wild as poll approaches. The campaign has already cost one life, that of Jo Cox MP which shocked both sides, though the far-right attempted to take advantage of this by presenting her murderer as a martyr.

This is a disturbing trend upon which I have already commented (see post below) yesterday and yet another Labour Remain MP has received death threats. The Guardian reports:

Yvette Cooper has said that she has informed police and Twitter about a tweet in which a user threatened to kill her children and grandchildren.

The Labour MP, who has been campaigning for a remain vote in this week’s EU referendum, posted an image on Tuesday of the tweet, which was sent from an account which had been suspended on Tuesday night and accused her of issuing propaganda.

Meanwhile despite the gravity of the situation and huge risks for ordinary working people Jeremy Corby has refused to join the Prime Minister in a joint appearance to promote the Remain campaign.

Jeremy Corbyn declined to appear with David Cameron and Tim Farron at a planned eve-of-referendum rally that the Remain campaign hoped would be a display of cross-party unity in support of the EU....

Corbyn’s team insist they were merely being consistent in sticking to their publicly stated policy of not having the party leader appear on the same platform as prominent Tories during the EU referendum.

This from a man who quite happily shares platforms with Hamas and Hezbollah which are nothing more than anti-Semitic terrorists and appears on the Iranian clerical fascists propaganda channel Press TV

Corbyn does not understand the difference between democratic and anti-democratic politics.

The Times (no link£) reported yesterday that:

Jeremy Corbyn has said that he would refuse to take any blame should Britain vote to leave the European Union as he declared that he was not a lover of the bloc.

As if that's a surprise. In the past he has always opposed the EU as he has NATO or anything else that helps maintain this country's economic and military security.

Further given his propensity to throw a tantrum every time he has his ideas challenged. Corbyn has lived in a closeted little world where he's only ever interacted with those who agree with his general political direction.

Corbyn has no idea of the concept of responsibility.

Neither have his supporters.

The future of this country is at stake and at a time when we needed a strong Labour leader Corbyn has let the side down.

As he always will, weak and foolish man that he is.

Brexit supporters behaving badly despite last weeks tragedy

The shocking murder of Jo Cox MP by a far-right terrorist (let's call it what it is) resulted in the supension of campaigning over the EU referendum.  Calls for calm during the debate seem to have fallen on deaf ears as violence breaks out.

In Carlisle Cumbria Crack reports:

A 78-year-old man handing out EU referendum leaflets for the IN campaign was struck in the face causing minor injuries by a 52-year-old man following an altercation about the EU referendum .

A 52-year-old man was arrested by Police shortly after the incident. The Police investigation into this assault continues.

Remain activist Gabriella Evans reports being assaulted whilst just walking her dog by an aggressive man shouting about "F**ing foreigners when he saw her "Remain" badge. Police are currently making enquiries and calling for witnesses.

And then there was this

Amelia-Rose‏@AmeliaRoseTighe

@feedthedrummer Activist of mine punched in the stomach this morning for asking Vote Leave to remove a stake from his church yard.

According to a further tweet, the assailant has accepted a police caution.

The question we have to ask ourselves is why this is happening. Xenophobia has come to the fore in this brutish campaign and UKIP plus the far-right have latched on to it creating a quite vicious atmosphere.

There is a lot of ill-feeling amongst a large number of people though thankfully this has not in most cases resulted in actual physical violence. However there are clear dangers ahead which can be seen from the Scottish Referendum campaign.

When the SNP lost the vote for Independence there are marches on the streets claiming the vote had been "hijacked". Lots of nationalists suddenly declared themselves the "45%" despite not acknowledging the irony of that figure which meant they lost.

This resulted in the rise of aggressive Scottish Nationalism on a parliamentary scale. Can the same thing happen here with UKIP?

The far right are rising across Europe, The National Front in France, Jobbik in Hungary, the "Alternative" Party in Germany just to name a few.

The whole idea of the EU was to break down these nationalistic and antagonistic barriers to co-operation for a better future but other factors have come into play.

The biggest mistake was by Angela Merkel and is one she will live to regret no matter what view one takes on refugees. The decision to open Germany's borders brought chaos across Europe and frankly frightened a layer of poorer working class people who were already feeling the pinch. Combine that with growing Islamist terrorism and the situation became somewhat toxic.

We do not want or need political violence in our debates, ever.

Fortunately there are only a couple of days to go. Everyone must accept the outcome which frankly is quite uncertain.

If we don't then democratic politics will be under threat.

Is Tibet free? An introduction to Tibet

One of the forgotten nations of the world. Tibet.

Invaded by China over 65 years ago the struggle of the Tibetans to be free continues. This short video highlights what is happening to Tibet and its people.

A genocide ignored.

Musical Interlude and a comment: Cliff Richard

The Sunday Times reported today that there have been calls to declare Sir Cliff Richard totally innocent after the child abuse charges were dropped against him, In their usual fashion the CPS merely stated that "there was insufficient evidence to prosecute". This is not good enough.

Given the way the news of charges were broken to the public before he had even been questioned by the police when not only was his home raided but the BBC tipped off to film the whole event from a helicopter serious questions need to be raised about the way this investigation has been handled.

Having now seen the accusations in various papers you really do have to ask whether the police have gone from one extreme to the other following the quite real allegations against Jimmy Savile, Rolf Harris and Stuart Hall.

One "victim" alleged that Cliff Richard "skated into a shop assaulted him and skated out again". Words fail me. Another accusation came from a man who was a serial rapist himself and a third could not match the details of where the supposed assault took place.

Yet the police took two years to "clear" this matter in which time the man has been put under the spotlight quite unfairly.

Yes the police did get things wrong about Savile and Harris amongst others but what has happened to Cliff is surely wrong.

There have been some innocents already caught up in this, Paul Gambaccini and Jimmy Tarbuck were cleared but left with damaged lives.

I've been a fan of Cliff Richard for many years and it is clear to me all that he ever sought to "hide" (and not very well) from the public is that he is gay. In this day and age the question of his sexuality should not matter to anyone.

The way these kind of cases are dealt with must be seriously reviewed. Child abuse is the worst crime anyone can be accused of. The guilty must be punished but the innocent should not suffer because of false or malicious claims.

Meanwhile here's a song for all his fans from one of the movies I remember well from my childhood. With the Shadows of course.

The NUS President has lost the plot

With all the horror unfolding over the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox one story seemed to disappear of the medias radar. That is the latest ideological atrocity from the new President of NUS Malia Bouattia.

I read with sheer disbelief and horror her words from a debate on Wednesday reported in The Times (no link£):

 ..that young people joining terrorist groups in Syria felt "so dis-empowered they're left with no choice"

This is down to unemployment, privilege and youth centres being closed down apparently.

In other words anything but the theology behind Islamist extremism and quoted at length by ISIS from the Koran and the Haddiths (supposed sayings of their "prophet" Mohammed).

This all as part of the campaign against the governments "Prevent" campaign to try and stop the murderous radicalisation of young men (and women) reading this clerical-fascist garbage in the privacy of their "safe spaces" (or bedrooms).

That such a woman has become President of the National Union of Students is a result of the privileges of radical student activists who dominate and bully small meetings of students to ensure dissent is suppressed in favour of their ant-imperialist/trigger warning/safe space elitism.

Bouttai was elected by delegates, not members to her position which is why there have been moves to break away from NUS which has gone on to hold because of the student holidays. What they really need to do on their return is campaign for the democratisation of the NUS and have a secret ballot of members just like trade unions.

Meanwhile her words must surely be seen not just as misleading and disgusting but also as an insult to the vast majority of underprivileged young people who do not go on to murder, rape and commit genocide in the name of some false medieval faith.



But most of all Ms Bouattia owes an apology to the victims of ISIS and their ilk.

ISIS are criminal murderers and they act in the name of Islam whether she, other Muslims or anyone else tries to deny it. There is a connection between faith and fascism which she like most of the self-proclaimed "left" attempt to ignore.

The NUS leadership has lost the plot and Ms Bouattia has proved to be the worst possible representative for the politics of the supposed new generation.

The Vile World of Twitter

The murder of Jo Cox, the Labour MP shocked the nation today. Like every normal person my thoughts and sympathies are with her family tonight.

The motive behind this atrocity is not yet known and I have no intention of speculating.

However on the vile world of Twitter this disgusting man individual tweeted the following reprehensible comments for which he should immediately apologise.

 

Such remarks are beneath contempt.

I have nothing more (that's printable) to say.

Musical Interlude - Slade

Noddy Holder is 70 today! So here to help him and his fans celebrate is a little number from 1972 would ya believe it was that long ago!?!

Gudbuy T'Jane. Live.

Brexit Alert!

The Times reported that "a clear majority of voters want to quit the European Union" as they published the result of their poll. Of course after the last general election a lot of people are suspicious of polls but for once this seems to tie in with what is actually happening on the ground.

Both at work and in my neighbourhood (an inner city London council estate) this is the view of so many of those around me. Next to no-one except me seems to be in favour of remaining in the EU. Even my partner remains "undecided" as some 11% of the population found by the poll.

Those that are likely to make the final difference appear to be Labour voters, most of whom seem unclear on the party's position (which is to remain) and are oblivious to the trade union leaders who have come out in favour.

This in part can be explained by the growing civil war inside Labour which has distracted many activists and is viewed by those who bother outside political circles as simply suicidal.

Most people I know expect the Tories to win the next election. And it's not just because they see Labour as weak and divided.

Corbyn may be the darling of party activists, but he is not going down well with their traditional electorate. Ordinary working class voters differ from the left on so many basic issues.

Corbyn is seen as  anti-monarchy, anti-trident, weak on terrorism and immigration.

Exactly the opposite of so many ordinary voters who would normally be expected to vote Labour.

They do feel abandoned. 

When it comes to patriotism the white working class is clearly at odds with the middle class activist base around Corbyn. People were exasperated at Corbyn's view that he felt "uncomfortable" with a shoot to kill policy in the event of a terrorist attack.

And that's not restricted to the white working class.

Immigration has put an enormous pressure on mixed communities and both black and white inner city residents are concerned about the obvious effects on rents, overcrowding and their children's futures.

During a rebuild on my council estate there was quite obvious anger from residents when recent asylum seekers were prioritised. The result of housing policy rather than a direct favour towards new immigrants and the neighbourhood has visibly changed.

The West Indian community has declined., replaced by Middle Eastern/North African migrants, Algerian (for some odd reason) and Somalian. Leaving the EU won't change that.

The myth that the EU is the main problem for immigration is widespread.

The top groups of people give UK citizenship include Albanians, Indians and Bangladeshis apparently.

Regardless of facts the hostility to the EU is obvious and none of the political parties, and especially Labour have tackled the real issues at the heart of this.

We have a low wage, high rent economy which is strangling hard working people.

That's what needs to be addressed. leaving the EU will in my view only make matters worse. On top of that there will be a bonfire of rights in the workplace and trade unions will be further caste aside.

The EU is not perfect. It does need reform and democratisation. It also needs consolidation. The EU's current tranche of problems arise from expanding it's membership into countries not yet ready. There needs to be a moratorium on expansion for now.

Leaving the EU will damage the economy. It will leave Britain isolated. It is a step backwards.

Labour must act quickly over the next few days to persuade as many of it's supporters and voters to vote to remain in Europe. They must also look long and hard at the gap in what the activists believe and those that the people they claim to represent actually want

The alternative is an unbridled Tory nightmare.

Please vote YES to the EU.

Gays Must Die Says Speaker At Orlando Mosque

This video report speaks for itself. From April 2016, not more than a few weeks before yesterdays atrocity.

This man Hate Cleric should be barred from all civilised nations.

Orlando Gay Murders: "Nothing to do with religion" says father..

The attack on a Gay Club in Orlando, Florida has left some 50 people dead and scores injured. This is a hate crime carried out by a muslim man, Omar Mateen not long after ISIS said they would launch an attack in Florida.

And yet according to the terrorists father:

Mateen's father Mir Seddique told NBC News that the incident had nothing to do with religion, and may have been triggered by the sight of a gay couple kissing in Miami.

But NBC News reported that Mateen called the emergency services before the attack and swore allegiance to the so-called Islamic State militant group.

What nonsense. How many people, even in America walk around with an assault rifle, handgun and large amounts of explosives?

And why should the sight of two gay people kissing provoke someone into launching an indiscriminate killing spree?

Where exactly did his hate come from?

This was a planned terrorist act in the name of the religion of Islam whether liberals want to deny this or not. 

Not every Muslim is a potential terrorist, but the failure to recognise and deal with violent extremism within the Islamic community is one that both Muslims and Western countries must face up to.

The Koran (like many religious texts including the Bible) is full of quotes that promote hate against gays and in particular the Koran rails against non-believers.

The intolerance within Islam has always been there but until comparatively recently has been dormant outside Islamic societies and it's growth within non-Muslim countries due to immigration is a disturbing trend.

This attack like so many does have something to do with religion but not all followers of Islam are a danger.

The problem is that there are quite large numbers of fundamentalists who are disposed to acting on their Jihadic impulses.

Denying the religious element of these acts is dangerous and bodes ill for the future.

Sunday Supplement: Doctor Who Magazine reaches #500!

One of my earliest childhood memories was the first episode of Doctor Who where Ian and Barbara wander into the Tardis looking out for Susan who appeared to be inside. Here they meet the Doctor and in disbelief go off into time and space for adventures with a renegade Time Lord (not that we knew that for some years).

The Daleks, Cybermen, the Zarbi, Sontarans and many, many more were to scare and thrill us over the next 53 years in what is now the longest running science fiction series of all time.

It should come as no surprise that Doctor Who also has the longest running tie in Magazine to go with it. Launched in 1979 as a weekly comic by Marvel UK, Tom Baker, the current Doctor at the time enthusiastically joined in the promotion.

The first issue sold 150,000 copies but only lasted 43 issues in the weekly format before becoming the monthly magazine that we have today.

 

The eighties were hard on the British comics industry, even Marvel were having problems so a decision was made to produce the monthly which has been a success over the years and kept the TV show alive even when the Doctor disappeared off the telly for a few years.

 

 

The latest landmark issue is a joy to read. You actually get a package containing not one but two magazines, the extra journal covering the history of the magazine plus a giant poster of the current Doctor, Peter Capaldi and for younger readers there is a sheet of stickers.

The magazine has never been just articles and features. There has always been a comic strip and this issue sees the return of Dave Gibbons amongst the contributing artists for a complete 20 page story written by Scott Gray.

According to the publishers Doctor Who Magazine has sold over 14 million copies in it's lifetime.

Here's to another 500 issues!

Whilst we wait for the new series here's a clip of my favourite Doctor: Patrick Troughton.



Who was your favourite Doctor?

Musical Interlude: Carpenters

Just time for a quick musical interlude tonight. This one prompted by a friends post on Face Book, I played a few tunes by the legendary Carpenters and decided to post this song, one of my all time favourites.

Enjoy.

Momentum vs Militant

The far-left is renowned for it's squabbling and in-fighting but the latest spat between Momentum, often seen as the new "Militant Tendency" with the Socialist Party which was the original Militant is one of the more bizarre.

Originally established to promote Jeremy Corbyn's election campaign for Labour leader, Momentum has now become the main far-left organisation within the party. Surprisingly the organisation is not as large as could be expected given the numbers of activists who have turned to Labour following Corbyn's election. Estimates range around the 5,000 mark.

Some small Trotskyist organisations have re-appeared in Labour under both new and old banners. Workers Power has re-branded itself as Red Flag and Workers Liberty is the current name of the previously proscribed Socialist Organiser. Most of the other Momentum supporters are just leftists who drifted off into the wilderness during the Blair/Brown years.

However Momentum has attracted the attention of other far-left groups, primarily the Socialist Party, the remains of what was once a much larger, more influential group which published Militant before it was driven out of the Labour Party. The reason for the purge was the well known fact that Militant was in fact a completely separate organisation that had been built up inside Labour as part of what is known as "entryism".



Momentum has made a decision that only Labour supporters can belong to it's organisation. This has resulted in the Socialist Party throwing a tantrum about being "witch-hunted" and "exclusion at the recent meeting of Momentum's Youth and Students. The comrades write:

Bowing to pressure from the right wing in the Labour Party and the capitalist media, the leadership of Momentum has made a number of retreats and climb-downs. They have rejected the Socialist Party's call for a federal, democratic organisation and instead have moved to exclude various socialists and anti-austerity campaigners, including the Socialist Party.

Socialist Party members present made the point from the floor that if Momentum Youth and Students is an autonomous part of Momentum then it can and must reject these restrictions on membership...

After speaking and making clear that we were members of the Socialist Party, the Labour Party and Momentum, the room was whipped up by multiple speakers calling for our expulsion.

In attendance were two self-proclaimed Trotskyist groups - Socialist Appeal and the Alliance for Workers Liberty (AWL). Both groups have recently been targeted by the Labour Party and have received suspensions and expulsions. However neither of them spoke out against the same witch hunt against the Socialist Party in Momentum.

In fact, one member of the AWL proclaimed that he "was not and has never been a member of the Socialist Party" and that there was no place for the Socialist Party in Momentum.

These groups, by their silence, have sided with the right-wing compromisers in Momentum and are complicit in the witch hunt.

Now Momentum is an organisation that is inside the Labour Party. Labour, like all other political parties does not allow members of other organisations that organise outside their ranks and stand candidates against them.

The Socialist Party is registered as a separate political party, though when it stands in it's own right it has to call itself Socialist Alternative as the Socialist Party of Great Britain has long been registered as "The Socialist Party" for electoral purposes. The SP also organises the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) along with the Socialist Workers Party and the RMT trade union which ran large numbers of candidates in both the General and local elections.

The TUSC even got it's own Party Political Broadcast. Of course the votes it attracted were derisory to say the least, but they continue to campaign against Labour both in their press and in elections.

It's hardly surprising that Labour members, even "left-wing" ones do not want them in their ranks. It's a breach of Labours rules and could undermine their own project as a result.

The attack on Socialist Appeal is hardly a surprise either. This group is also a fragment of the old Militant Tendency, just much, much smaller and has perhaps two or three hundred members who have been hiding in the Labour party for a long time.

So there's the "new politics" for you. Just a re-run of old fashioned Trotskyist and far-left sectarianism with the participants just masquerading under new names.

The same old crap that will make Labour unelectable........

Defending Ex-Muslims: Protest for Freedom!

24 JUNE 2016: FAST DEFYING PROTEST DURING RAMADAN

On 24 June, from 17:00-19:00 hours, we will be organising an “eat-in” at the Saudi and Iranian embassies in London in solidarity with those defying fasting rules during Ramadan. This is hugely important given that there are many people across the globe who are arrested, beaten and fined for eating during the month; many others are pressured into fasting, including in Europe. Join us at the ‘eat-in’ if you can.

Alternately, you can upload photos of yourself eating during fasting times or holding signs with messages of solidarity using hashtag: #IWillNotFast #لن_اصوم #روزه خوارى #Ramadan until the end of Ramadan. Happy fast-defiance! More details here.

17 JUNE: MARKING THE 4TH ANNIVERSARY OF RAIF BADAWI’S IMPRISONMENT

CEMB is joining PEN and others in marking the 4th anniversary of Raif Badawi’s imprisonment by calling on people to show their ongoing support for him and his family by sharing a photo of themselves holding a poster of Raif or a message of solidarity. We are aiming to get 1000 images to represent the 1000 lashes to which Raif has been sentenced. Find out more details here. #FreeRaif

HATE CRIMES AGAINST EX-MUSLIMS

CEMB is gathering information on hate crimes against ex-Muslims. We will be submitting this information to a body looking into the matter so please email us any relevant details on your individual experiences as soon as you can.

CENSORSHIP BY FACEBOOK AND TWITTER

We are also gathering evidence of censorship by Facebook and Twitter of ex-Muslims, secularists and atheists so do send us any relevant information. We plan a protest at their offices in the near future.

SUPPORT US!

Please take some time to volunteer with us if you have time to spare. If you can, donate to our organisation. No amount is too small and much of what we do has been made possible with your donations. You can donate to CEMB here.

More info: ex-muslim.org.uk

The EU referendum debate is getting out of hand.

You'd have to be living in complete isolation from any kind of news or social media contact to not know that the final countdown to the "long awaited" referendum on continuing British membership of the European Union had begun.

With the fanatics throwing accusations of a renewed attempt by Germany to take over our country by the Brexiteers or the threat of a new European war if we leave from the remain camp it's all got a bit silly really.

And the problem is there's been far too much of this nonsense from both sides.

Yet on June 23rd you will be asked to go into a Polling Booth and make a reasoned decision on whether we should leave or stay.

Will the threat of "endless hordes" of European migrants frighten you into voting Brexit or will the need for dealing with Europe's growing problems collectively motivate your vote for a brighter future?

Frankly I despair at the nonsense that abounds in the news, the leaflets beginning to pop through my door, the endless Memes on Face Book and the rantings of the "green-ink brigade whenever I go on-line.

It's not just in the UK. It's not just the "Little Englanders". Most countries have their "nay-sayers" in the form of "Little Danes" and "Little Frenchies" as the far right comes to the fore in European politics.

There is little time left for reason and until now except for one short article a couple of years or so ago I've kept out of the debate. But the time has come to make a stand and say how I think we should vote.

History tells us that heading backwards is never a good idea. Nor is speeding ahead with ideas far ahead of what most people are ready for. We need a steady hand.

The European Union is far from perfect. No country, no institution is perfect either. I'm proud to call myself British and rally to the flag in international competitions.

But Britain is no longer a super-power. We can no longer "go it alone". We need allies, political, economic and military in this ever changing, ever dangerous world we live in.

At the same time we need to protect our hard won rights, our human rights and our workplace rights. These are under threat from the Brexit supporters who would turn against ordinary working people and trade unionists the moment we leave.

With this is mind I welcome the mainstream Trade Unions coming out in favour of the EU, those that don't undermine everything we value. And for what?

Life outside Europe would be tough. On all levels.

The EU isn't perfect but inside surely we can reform and slow down it's expansion that has moved far too quickly.

Outside Britain would be isolated, with perhaps the union itself at risk.

But at the end of the day it's your choice. I hope you join me in voting for the right choice which is to stay in Europe.

But whatever you choose to do, please vote.

Momentum: "Crying Wolf"

The battle for the heart and soul of the Labour Party continues unabated as the internal National Executive Committee elections approach. The local constituency of the far-left's replacement for Ken Livingstone Rhea Wolfson decided not to nominate her at their democratically convened meeting.

Enter an apoplectic Momentum.

The organisation founded on the principle that any and all of the non-Corbynite MP's must be purged de-selected  along with any Red Tories Labour members that didn't agree with their road to undemocratic socialism is "outraged".

In an attempt to present themselves in a good light following the exposure of so much anti-Semitism disguised in so many as "anti-Zionism" they shout "foul" as Ms Wolfson is "the only Jewish candidate for the NEC" as if that had anything to do with her rejection.

This is the woman who wrote a now taken down from the Internet peice in which she proudly proclaimed that it "doesn't matter" if Labour loses the election.

Yeah right, like us ordinary working class folk can afford to wait decades for Godot-like socialism while the comrades keep their unbreakable, unbending and uncompromising principles intact. We're the one's that suffer.

we need the Tories out at the next election. It's the likes of Momentum, Rhea Wolfson and the totally useless Jeremy Corbyn that will prevent this from happening because they just have no idea about the reality of politics.

As for being Jewish, that's so irrelevant. As an (albeit atheist) Jew I would never vote for her, far too bloody left-wing.

The reign of the "three pounders" is destroying the only credible opposition to Cameron.

Their subs will run out in due course. How many will re-new or become full members?

Meanwhile Scottish Labour is discussing becoming a separate party. The Herald reports:

KEZIA Dugdale has launched a consultation on whether to create an independent Scottish Labour party in the wake of last month’s crushing Holyrood election defeat.

Going it alone is one of the “options for reform” contained in a document circulated to members last week.

Watch this space for further developments.

How to beat your wife -Saudi Style

The rights of women are virtually non-existent in Saudi Arabia. They are not allowed to drive or go out without a male guardian. The list of restrictions is almost endless. The Wahhabian strain of Islam is so close to the kind of Islam that is imposed by the criminals of ISIS.

Saudi Arabia is truly an Apartheid state, not that the anti-imperialist left will ever admit to it. They are too busy berating the Middle East's only democracy where the only Pride events can take place in the region. Makes you wonder about their motives let alone their degenerate politics.

If you criticise Islam you become an instant Islamophobe just listen that moron who recently became President of the NUS.

If any evidence was needed to expose the violent misogynist basis of Islam just see this video.

Saudi Clerics are Hate Preachers, even when they pretend to be "family doctors".

I did post the to Face Book last night but felt it deserved a wider viewing.

One word for this "man" which is unprintable. 

Germany recognises Armenian Genocide

Around 1.5 Armenians were murdered during World War One by the Ottoman Empire, a crime that introduced the notion of Holocausts to the twentieth century. The modern Turkish state was founded on genocide as the old order collapsed.

Turkey has not only refused to admit to this crime but has made it a punishable offence to refer to the Armenian genocide.

The Turks have reacted with fury RT reports:

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim condemned the German parliament vote and said in a speech in the Turkish capital that a “racist Armenian lobby” was responsible for the decision.

He added that these were, “Ordinary events that could take place in any society or any country… in 1915, under conditions of World War I,” the Anadolu Agency reported.

The Islamist Turkish government as usual misses the point. The Germans have faced up to their cruel actions in the second world war and are a far better people and country as a result. The Turks could learn a lot except there's a problem.

Erdogan is currently on a crusade against another minority in it's lands, the Kurds.

The world must remember the Armenians and before we forget the Greeks of Turkey lest this all happens again.

Just look at ISIS. Islamists are capable of the worst crimes against humanity.