Labour's Lurch to the Authoritarian Left

As I write the Labour Party NEC is meeting with protests from both the Jewish Community and the the intolerant left outside. Health prevents me from joining my Jewish friends. Meanwhile the Labour NEC results were announced yesterday with the Momentum 9 or 8 depending on how one looks at it sweeping the board.

The only surprise was that Anne Black didn't replace the awful Pete Willsman, but the it seems 80% of the ballots were cast before the infamous speech he made at the NEC and before he was dropped by Momentum.

Labour moderates including the independent Eddie Izzard failed in their bid to reclaim the party. Hardly surprising given the substantial numbers of people who joined Labour to support Corbyn. However the figures demonstrate that the majority of members couldn't be bothered to vote.

With 550,000 members just 16.7% of them voted, and the hard left's core vote came out at just 10%, much lower than one would expect. Exactly why would all these "members" not bother voting? It exposes the lie that the left's strategy to "democratise" the Labour Party is a sham. Decisions will be made by small groups of activists.

Momentum is however in firm control of the party machine. There are some areas where the moderates still hold sway but the trend is there for all to see. Labour will take a turn to the authoritarian left.



The anti-IHRA lobby attracted party outsiders, the SWP  and wandering around was Andy Brooks General Secretary of the pro-North Korean New Communist Party that split from the CPGB back in the late seventies as the CP wasn't "Stalinist" enough for them. Interestingly the NCP participate in the "Labour Representation Committee" (LRC) allowed because the NCP do not stand candidates against Labour.



The fact is the organised left cannot rely on the bulk of Labour's members who couldn't be bothered to vote. How difficult is it to vote on-line, I mean really. The membership is passive and the activists  have the car.

The future of Labour still hangs in the balance. A major split seems unlikely as much as it desirable though a minor split remains a distinct possibility. Even if the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism is passed the argument will continue. Corbyn has shown his bias and his weakness over this and other issues. He is not fit to be a leader.

John McDonnell the "Healyite" trained  Deputy Leader is waiting in the wings. His opportunity will come.

Labour NEC Lobby defends Left-Wing Anti-Semitism

A number of left wing organisations are to picket the Labour Party's National Executive Committee meeting. The usual suspects will be there in the form of Jewish Voice for Labour a tiny and totally unrepresentative group of mainly communist-orientated Jews,Labour Against the witch hunt a front for the Labour Party Marxist, themselves a front for even smaller Communist Party of Great Britain and some Momentum groups.

LAW have printed the following leaflet for tomorrows picket:


Given the alleged size of Momentum the turnout of 110 people at Camden Momentums joined up meeting with 16 other Momentum groups shows something is amiss.  The comrades adopted the following resolution:

On 20 August, over 110 people turned up for an emergency meeting called by Camden Momentum and attended by 16 other Momentum groups from London and the South East. They were responding to the latest attacks on the Labour Party leadership and the movement it has called forth which has made Labour the biggest party in Europe. 

Mounting pressure from the pro-Israel lobby, including right wing Labour MPs, backed by the corporate media and the BBC urges Jeremy Corbyn to agree that the party adopts the IHRA examples equating criticism of Israel with antisemitism. 

People were outraged that the implications for Palestinians are hardly considered when it is their lives, their land, their whole society which are in the balance. People also felt strongly that decisions about the future direction of the party and of Momentum were being negotiated over the heads of the members.

The meeting agreed overwhelmingly: 

To call A MASS LOBBY OF THE NEC on 4th September when it is expected to vote on this issue.
And to demand:

“The members elected Jeremy Corbyn. The IHRA definition would return the party to the right which we voted down by a large majority – twice. Therefore, the members, not the NEC, nor the PLP, must decide whether or not to adopt the IHRA examples. WE DEMAND THAT THE DECISION BE PUT TO A VOTE OF ALL LABOUR PARTY MEMBERS.”

One left-wing group the Alliance for Workers Liberty calls on the rest of the left to behave, but their call is likely to fall on deaf ears. They issued a statement of which the following is an excerpt:

The adoption of the IHRA by the Labour Party does not, as its opposers have said, mean the National Executive has to junk the code it has already put together. A code of conduct serves a different purpose to a definition and they are not mutually exclusive.

Hostility to the IHRA is completely disproportionate to the effect the definition will actually have. The constant refrain from its opponents that it can be used to stop legitimate criticism of Israel is completely unfounded.

It is tied closely with the dominant left orientation to criticism of Israel to the exclusion of all else is required above all else. These “leftists” believe the most pressing issue for Corbyn’s Labour must be its ability to champion the Palestinian cause. Of course IHRA critics ignore that Corbyn opposes a blanket boycott of Israel and stands explicitly for two states, two of the most important tenets of a programme for lasting peace.

The purpose of the Camden Momentum lobby can only be to defend a licence to make calls for the “smashing of Israel” and worse, make the kind of antisemitic remarks that have appeared in the comments on the Facebook event, including talk of a powerful “Jewish lobby” and the “use of the Holocaust to guilt trip the world”.

Whatever the best intentions of anyone who supports this action, antisemitism lurks barely beneath the surface.

Momentum and Labour members should oppose the lobby and support the Labour National Executive’s in both adopting the IHRA and refining its existing code of conduct.

John Mann MP: Letter to Jewish Labour Movement Conference

Following on from yesterday's post about the continuing internecine warfare inside the Labour Party I am publishing a letter from John Mann MP giving the reasons he could not attend the Jewish Labour Movement Conference held yesterday.

This illustrates the sad state of affairs inside Labour.

Labour's Internecine Warfare

Image:By Source, Fair use,

Labour has been in the news all day and not in a good way. Starting with the Andrew Marr Show where Former Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks was interviewed about the rise of anti-Semitism in the Labour Party. This discussion has been raging for months and at the moment Corbyn is nowhere to be seen and it was down to his deputy and replacement in waiting John McDonnell MP to answer the charges.

McDonnell is certainly the more intelligent of the two and (formally at least) recognises the fact Labour is a broad church and wants to retain the moderates. For now at least. A split he thinks will only damage the Labour Party and help the Tories.

The problem is however trust has been Corbyn's Labour and the Jewish community at large. Anti-SEmitism in the form of conspiracy theory remains at the heart of the Corbynista brigade. Frank Field's resigning the Labour whip attracted some rather disturbing comments. The Daily Mail reports:

Now the 76-year-old social reformer has been targeted by an outpouring of bile on the internet, with militant Left-wingers describing him as a ‘Tory rent boy’ who should ‘f*** off and die’.

Other messages accused Mr Field of being part of the Israel Zionist lobby’ and described him as an ‘evil b******’.

The anti-Semitic bigotry expressed as so called "anti-Zionism" was prevalent in a number of tweets highlighted by the Mail. One charming individual who took pride in telling the world he was 66 tweeted that " anti-Semitism accusations were bogus" but Israel was the purest evil in the world". Really? Has he looked at North Korea, China, especially in Tibet, Iran, Pakistan and oh there's real rather than imagined genocide in Myanmar (Burma). 

Have the left organised a demo? Where is the Stop the War Campaign. Oh wait it's not the US, Britain or Israel so the comrades ain't interested as usual. Same applies to to the cultural genocide of Tibetan culture. The left is never anywhere to be seen.

Actually the list is endless and the surrounding Arab countries have appalling human rights records but Israel is the only country singled out despite being (a) a democracy and has (b) an independent Judiciary. The left don't like democracies because they don't believe in such "bourgeois" niceties as tolerance and the right to differ.

Those that don't toe the line end  up in the gulag.

Meanwhile Gordon Brown was in fine form as he spoke out against anti-Semitism at the Jewish Labour Movement conference earlier today. The mood at the JLM was upbeat but enemies abound. The JLM is an affiliate of Labour which is why I have not joined it. Their work is vital but I cannot vote Labour in the current climate.

Labour harbours too many anti-Semites and other extremists for my liking. Even my local candidate, one Alan D'eath (unfortunate name I have to say) is a rabid anti-Zionist and told by my partner that there would be no vote for Labour whilst Corbyn was leader.

Even if Labour's NEC adopts the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism both Corbyn and a substantial section of his followers remain hostile to my community.

The establishment of a new centre party remains a difficult if nigh on impossible task though if 200 MPs grew a pair and left there would be thousands of people, myself included who would sign up.

If only.

To be continued..........

Ska on a Sunday!

I've always been a big fan of Ska music, it's great fun. Yesterday I was appalled to hear that Clara Byrne of Dakka Skanks was hospitalised after being beaten up by a group of men after she intervened to help a girl they were hassling. Let's hope Clara has a full recovery.

The first video shows a live performance of the Brighton based band.



More information on Dakka Skanks can be found on their Facebook page Dakka Official

Next up is the German group Skameleon. I don't know anything about this band but rather liked their version of Wonderwall an Oasis song.



For more info go to: www.skameleon.de

And finally saved what I consider the best until last. The Melbourne Ska Orchestra with their version of the theme tune to Get Smart. (Oldies will remember that spy spoof from the sixties!)



More information here: www.melbourneskaorchestra.com

Greens suspend child abusers daughter

Photo: By Sunflower

Last week it emerged that Aimee Challenor, one of the Green Party's candidates and favourite for Deputy leader had used her father as an election agent despite him facing charges of torturing and raping a 10 year old child. Subsequently when convicted the case came into public view and serious questions remained unanswered  (see here).

A few days ago the Coventry Telegraph reported:

An aspiring politician has stood down in her bid to be deputy leader of the Green Party after her father was jailed for despicable sex crimes against children.

Aimee Challenor, from Coventry, had hoped to gain a senior position in the political party but has now put her hopes on hold after her father's crimes came to light.


David Challenor was jailed for 22 years last week after being found guilty of holding a 10-year-old girl captive and sexually abusing her in his ‘torture den’.

His daughter, who stood for election to Coventry City Council earlier this year, says she is "horrified, saddened, disgusted and devastated" by her father's actions.

He was her election agent in the 2017 General Election and the local elections in May this year - after he had been arrested.

In a heartfelt statement, Aimee said: "I do not want the deputy leadership election to be dominated by what my father has done."

Coventry Green Party issued the following statement:

27th August 2018

Aimee Challenor has today stepped aside in the Green Party leadership elections, following the conviction of her father, David Challenor, for abhorrent sexual crimes involving a minor which include him committing some of the gravest human rights violations that face women and girls across the world

No disclosure was made of Mr Challenor’s arrest or any of the charges against him as part of formal nomination or selection processes. The party is urgently reviewing its disclosure and safeguarding policies and procedures and will learn from any lessons that process reveals.

We apologise unreservedly that Mr Challenor was able to act as an election agent for Aimee Challenor in the 2017 General Election and the local elections in May this year despite the nature of the charges brought against him. A full investigation into how this was able to happen is taking place. His membership was terminated with immediate effect as soon as the information was brought to the attention of decision makers.

Aimee will not be undertaking any official Green Party roles while the party urgently looks into the circumstances which allowed this situation to arise.

According to The Times (no link£) the Green Party has now suspended Aimee Challenor.

The national Green Party has confirmed this in statement issued yesterday (31st August):

Aimee Challenor has today been suspended on a no fault basis from the Green Party of England and Wales, following consideration by the relevant internal bodies of a number of complaints that have been made against her. In line with our procedures, the suspension will remain in place until the next meeting of the Green Party Regional Council, when it will be reviewed. An investigation will be conducted by an external agency into the circumstances and disclosures surrounding Aimee's father being able to act as her election agent, while facing charges for serious sexual assault against a minor.

The ‘no fault’ basis means that, at the time of suspension, no fault is assumed or should be inferred. Any assertion of fault or otherwise could be prejudicial to due process.

The Green Party takes its safeguarding responsibilities and duties of care extremely seriously and is committed to learning any difficult lessons needed. As soon as the Terms of Reference for the independent investigation are agreed and the investigator appointed we will announce both publicly. Once the investigation is complete we will announce its conclusions and recommendations. Other than this, no further comment on the investigation will be made while it is active.

Editorial: Onward & Upwards!

The first full month of this blogs return was interrupted by a technical problem which left Howie's Corner off-line for  around three days. However posts have been furiously forthcoming as both guest posts and campaigns have been added to the original content.

It is my intention to not just blog my opinion but to promote campaigns that I am passionate about. Free Tibet, LabourStart and the Campaign Against Anti Semitism will be amongst my priorities plus others as they come to my attention.

This is only a small blog and the long break has reduced readership. August saw just short of 10,000 hits which is lower than before but I am patient and will continue. The most read posts were about the split in the Socialist Party by leading member PCS President Janice Godrich who has founded Socialist View. Currently this group is confined to the PCS.

As readers know I rather like sharing music (and occasionally comedy) on this blog. These posts don't attract large numbers of hits though an old one I was Kaiser Bills Batman by Whistling Jack Smith published back in  October 2013 still attracts readers.

Another perennial post (if that's the right expression) is Anne Marie Waters leaves the Labour Party also from October 2013. When she quit UKIP the hits went up and now she has founded For Britain the article attracted a bit of attention. Someone is bound to tell me off for publishing that link which brings me to neatly to my next point.

Freedom of speech and expression is under attack from all corners in the modern age. Religious objectors (mainly from the Islamic tradition) and the far-left, particularly the Corbynista tendency are the main culprit. Islam doesn't allow for criticism. Blasphemy and apostasy are two "crimes" against their made up faith. "Blasphemy" is misused to the extreme in Pakistan. Iran doesn't really bother with legal niceties they just throw opponents of all sorts into prisons and hang gays.

In Saudi Arabia Atheism has been defined as terrorism so afraid of non-believers the Wahabbians are. It attracts the death penalty. Bloggers in Bangladesh face constant death threats and murder. This is unacceptable.

Whatever happened to the Korans "There shall be no compulsion in religion". 

Superseded by Imams and regimes who use Islamic law to oppress and murder.

Howie's Corner is unashamedly Atheist, Secularist and Freethinking, unbound by any ideology or theology and will remain that way.

I will also continue to post music and comedy as a break from politics. Readers can also pop over to Howie's World of Comics which was relaunched in August. Posts are occasional rather than daily. I also publish public posts on Facebook so you can join me there. (I do not accept "friends" who do not use their real names or create pages just to spam!).

There's plenty more to come on this blog though. Nuff said?

Here's some music. Yes it's an oldie!