Rebecca Long Bailey sacked by Keir Starmer

I read that restraint by the knee was standard approved practice in the American police force so it doesn't matter where they got the idea from. I really don't understand where all this left wing animosity for the Jews and Israel comes from. Those of the Jewish faith have generally lived peacefully and productively in other countries for centuries and I would rather have Israel, as a nation, on my side than a lot of other countries.

Callistemon

I do not think the way to combat right wing extremism is by fighting it with left-wing extremism. Those who think that the actor Peake being vilified should take a look at her beliefs. Because they are so extreme, there is not much chance that reasonable, moderate people would agree with her.
For Rebecca L-B to align herself online with her was very foolish.

That is not the way forward to bring Labour back to a steady, moderate left of centre course which is the only way they will ever regain power.

That message need to be hammered in again and again, until
Labour MP’s and members and voters all get it!

Maxine Peake is NOT anti semitic like many millions around the world she is anti the Israeli government and with good cause .The very fact they are allowed to treat the Palestinian people in the way they do and have done for decades is shameful and disgusting .I've marched FOR the Palestinian people and I've marched side by side with Jews at the marches .Try telling them they're ant semitic !!

There isn’t a single shred of evidence that you can produce trisher that suggests that Starmer is becoming right wing. If you can point to a policy that suggests this I would be interested to see it.

I think Keir Starmer will do what it takes to be PM. I hope so.
And I’ve voted Conservative all my life but never again.

And yet the only challenge to right wing extremism is from the far left because Keir Starmer has shown he is prepared to roll over and pander to the opinions of those right wing extremists rather than question or discuss them. And you may say "Oh he's treading a centre line." A centre line doesn't veer to the right when challenged, it allows proper debate.

I do not think the way to combat right wing extremism is by fighting it with left-wing extremism. Those who think that the actor Peake being vilified should take a look at her beliefs. Because they are so extreme, there is not much chance that reasonable, moderate people would agree with her.
For Rebecca L-B to align herself online with her was very foolish.

That is not the way forward to bring Labour back to a steady, moderate left of centre course which is the only way they will ever regain power.

Anniebach

I to wonder if it was planned by the far left,

I believe that for once we are somewhat in agreement anniebach. I do not feel that there was any organised left-wing thinking behind Rebecca Long-Baileys action, but I also cannot believe that Long-Bailey in carrying out what she did, could not realise the repercussions that would come about.

My thoughts are that she did it as an attempted "wake up call" to the lay member activists on the left in the Labour movement who have their minds at this time on the problems of their workplaces and branches. For the major work of those activists at present is concentrating on members with returning to work furlough problems and the large-scale redundancies being announced on a daily basis.

If the above was Long-Baileys plan then I believe it will not have much affect as there simply is not the interest in the Labour Party at present within those activists.

I feel that the above affiliated members believe that all the problems of the Labour Party are self inflicted, so it is the Parliamentary Labour Party who will have to sort it out.

Of course, we all are aware that the whole movement will have to become involved if the Labour Party is to be maintained as a credible working major political body.

As I watch the rise of real right wing extremism all over the world and see this stupid labelling of people as anti-semitic who are no such thing I despair for democracy because believe me the people to be frightened of are not the Maxine Peaks or the Long-Baileys of this world who are simply trying to prevent oppression and highlight what is actually happening . They are the right wing governments who are establishing systems of control and sharing expertise on how to do it best. Today it's Israel controlling and oppressing the Palestinian people, and very successfully managing to suppress any criticism of their actions. Tomorrow who knows? I think Kier Starmer has made a judgement that he thinks will ingratiate him and make him appeal to some sections of the British public. the problem is it will alienate just as many.

I to wonder if it was planned by the far left,

I feel that it is the physical loss of Jennie Formby as General Secretary and now Rebbeca Long-Bailey from the front bench that is the real significance.

Both of those persons had deep links into the Broader Labour Movement, and the loss of those links may not play well for the Parliamentary Labour Party in the troubled days to come.

Lucky I agree with you but I can’t help wondering if she was spoiling for a fight? I increasingly believe so

The woman surely knew that this was a sensitive subject for the Labour party and the problems that it had caused for them in the the recent past. If she was cabinet material she would have seen the wisdom of keeping her thoughts to herself.

Whitewavemark2 in regard to your post @09:09 today, at this point in time it is very much what has happened in the past that will determine if the Labour Party as it is recognised now, even exists in the future.

I know it is boring for some to have to think of finance and structures etc, but that at this point in time that has to be the first and highest priority.

The next General Election is in all probability four years away. However, it will be if and how the Labour Party survives into the future NOW, and then in that how it sets itself up once again that will decide if the Labour Party has any chance of winning that election.

As stated, all the above may be boring stuff for all who are only interested in the political side of the Labour movement, but it will be those addressing the nuts and bolts issues the party that will decide if there is to be any political future.

As British Jew - I detest with my whole being what has happened in Israel which has turned it into a racist and extreme right wing state. Does that make me anti-semetic? Of course not - I agree I am totally anti Israel in its current state.

No way was Starmer going to tolerate this lady in his shadow government - a constant reminder of how many votes she recieved against him in the leadership contest.

As I Labour Party member I am very disappointed in his behavior - I had hope better from him.

Is he also telling us that he actually supports the current right wing government in Israel and what they are doing with regard to the Palestinian people?

Rosalyn I think that the truth is that most people only see the headlines, and the Anti-Semitic issue was a real problem for Corbyn, particularly as he didn’t show strong leadership.

Now they are seeing the Starmer is nipping the issue in the bud and sacking the culprits. That’s all that will register with most voters.

They will see Starmer as a strong leader.

Rosalyn69

Good for Keir. Clearing out the Corbynistas.

Yes, what a shame it will be when Starmer with begging bowl in hand has to go to those very same people to save his party for him. ??

Good for Keir. Clearing out the Corbynistas.

There is still to be released the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) report into anti-Semitism in the Labour Party. That report is long overdue as it was expected to released initially in April.

However, it may well be that after rejecting including evidence from the internal leaked Labour anti-Semitism report the EHRC may now be looking a second time at those documents.

However, whatever the outcome of the above, on release of both the EHRC report and the internal investigation on the actions of staff and others in the Parliamentary Labour Party Central Office, the whole organisation will be subject to claims by the staff of that office in regard to failures in employers duty of care. Those claims, without doubt, will send the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) into bankruptcy.

So, despite some in this thread still seeing rediculas Momentum and other left-wing plots, it will have been the actions of the right within Labours Central Office that will bring the PLP to the edge of oblivion.

Should it survive then it will be through wholesale reorganisation of the PLP in conjunction with the whole broader Labour movement, for in that there will be no other alternative.

Thank you WWMk2 25th June 18.14.

I must admit, until I read that explanation, I was unclear what the continuing narrative of anti semitism in the LP was all about.

I now feel better informed.

grany read the long post I put on about why it is anti-Semitic.

Anti-Semitic canards have been around since early Christianity, falsely blaming Jews collectively for the death of Jesus, or later things like the Black Death. The result of these conspiracy theories was often expulsion or death.
The term * anti-Semitic conspiracy theory* is a term developed by the Nazis to show how Jews were attempting to undermineGerman society, and is now often used by both the far right and far left to falsely describe Jewish involvement in stuff.
Interestingly it is a term I have heard used used by the Attorney General.

The latest daft one in Covid19.

The witch hunt is going after Maxine Peake for highlighting the role of Israeli forces in training US cops.
This is fact, not “antisemitic conspiracy theory"

So sorry GG. I obviously missed your posts and those of the other Tory supporters criticising Jenrick. I do so wonder how?

I saw RLB at the Hustings with Lisa Nandy and Keir Starmer. RLB was very disappointing. I was surprised she got the shadow education job but accepted Starmer's desire to unite the party meant that was possibly a good thing. She's not been an effective shadow and KS had no choice but to ask her to go.
I've seen some conspiracy theories suggesting this is a Momentum plot to cause a split and diminish KS as leader. If so, it won't work. I also dismiss the conspiracy theory. Sadly its my view that RLB is perfectly capable of getting it so very wrong.

I was surprised when Rebecca Long-Bailey joined the shadow cabinet, and even more surprised that she has remained there until this point in time.

There is no doubt that Kier Starmer wishes to drive the Labour Party to the right. The problem in that is for the Parliamentary Labour Party to survive the oncoming insolvency it is facing, Starmer will require the very large financial assistance of the wider Labour Movement in which the left has its powerbase.

However, in that wider movement the trade unions who have financed the Parliamentary Labour Party for well over one hundred years, may well now have their own financial problems due to the huge number of oncoming redundancies, and through that loss of membership, due to the Covid-19 crisis.

Kier Starmer may well try to gain donations to the Parliamentary Party from private and corporate sources. However, Tony Blair carried out that policy by selling the Labour Party to the Banks, and we all know how that ended.

I feel that the Long-Bailey resignation will be seen in the coming months as a minor event in what will be the largest crisis the whole Labour movement has faced in its history.

As for me, some have asked what has happened to my allegiance to the left in recent weeks/months. That allegiance for me and very many others remains. I with other affiliated members wish to witness a successful movement and Party in the image of Clement Atlee, but, above that, first and foremost we wish to see an independent successful movement survive into the future as a first priority.