Starmer to Expel Thousands of Socialists while Readmitting Islamaphobe Trevor Phillips
It is
clear from reports in the yellow press that Starmer is embarking on a purge of
socialists and anti-racists in the Labour Party. This comes after Trevor
Phillips quietly had his suspension lifted
about a month ago. Phillips was suspended in March 2020 after a series of
racist comments such as Muslims were ‘a nation within a nation’.
Phillips
was also quoted
in the Guardian as saying that it was correct for Muslims to be judged
collectively: “You keep saying that I
make these generalisations,” he said. “But
the truth is, if you do belong to a group, whether it is a church, or a
football club, you identify with a particular set of values, and you stand for
it. And frankly you are judged by that.”
It is accepted by all that blaming all Jews for the actions of an individual is racist, yet when it comes to Muslims this is perfectly acceptable to Starmer and Evans. If ever there were proof that Starmer’s commitment to ‘rooting out anti-Semitism’ was a vicious anti-Palestinian hoax this is it.
And then
there was the call by far-right Labour MP Neil Coyle for Jewish Voices for
Labour should be expelled too. There is a word for those who call for the
expulsion of Jews from the Labour Party – ah yes, anti-Semitism. However I suspect it was not the same ‘anti-Semitism’
that Starmer pledged to get rid of.
Four
groups are going to be proscribed – Labour Against the Witchhunt
(LAW), Labour
in Exile Network (LIEN), Socialist
Appeal and Chris Williamson’s Resist.
These
measures only affect the aforementioned 3 groups. LAW is a longstanding group first formed in
the 1980s when Jeremy Corbyn was its Secretary.
It was refounded in 2017 to fight back against the bogus ‘anti-Semitism’
witchhunt which Corbyn succumbed to.
LIEN was
formed in the wake of Corbyn’s suspension last October. Despite being reinstated
to the Party Sturmer refused to reinstate the Whip forcing him to sit as an
independent MP. Over a hundred
Constituency Labour Parties passed motions of no confidence in Sturmer and his glove
puppet Evans and demanded the reinstatement of Corbyn.
Keir Starmer has none of the above three!
Starmer
and the unelected Evans reacted in the way we have come to expect of the Labour
Right. Evans declared that CLPs were ‘not competent’ to discuss such resolutions.
This Stalinist approach to democracy will be warmly applauded by the capitalist
press, not least the Mirror and Guardian.
Those CLPs
and officers that refused to be intimidated were suspended and their officers
either suspended or expelled if they refused to accept the dictate of Starmer
and his big business buddies.
Starmer was
elected leader on a pledge of being the ‘unity’ candidate who would take
forward the manifesto pledges of Corbyn. These were lies as was his reason ‘anti-Semitic
conspiracy theories’ for sacking
Rebecca Long-Bailey as Education Shadow and then Corbyn himself.
Starmer
was funded
in his leadership campaign by a bevy of wealthy individuals – Bob Latham
(£100K), Waheed Ali (£100K), Martin Taylor, a hedge fund manager (£95K), Clive
Hollick (£50K), Trevor Chinn, a long-time Zionist & owner of Kwik Fit
(£50K), Peter Coates, owner of Bet365 (£25K), Martin Clarke, former AA finance
director (£25K) and a former funder of
the defunct Change UK/Independent Group. One of the few examples of a rat
joining a sinking ship and Paul Myners (£10K). Just 8 rich individuals
contributed nearly half a million pounds yet Starmer used various legal
stratagems to hide the fact from Labour members that it was wealthy businessmen
who were funding his campaign until the election was over. It might have given
the game away if members had been aware that he was funded by a ratbag of
Blairite entrepreneurs.
Sir Keir
is repaying
the debt he owes Chinn and the Israel Lobby by expelling and purging
socialists from the Labour Party. He intend to complete what Blair started. To remake Labour into a second party of
capitalism and to purge it of any trace of socialism.
Except
that when Blair began his campaign to repeal Clause IV he was riding high in
the polls as was Kinnock before him.
Starmer by contrast is in a dire position electorally. He lost
one by-election in Hartlepool, a seat Labour had never before lost, nearly lost
another by-election and in a third
by-election Labour got the worst
ever election result in its history, 1.6%.
Starmer
is taking Labour down to what will be a historic political defeat at the next
election. Why Because he has nothing to
say. As the Tories introduce a new
NHS reform bill Labour sits silent because under Starmer Labour does not
oppose private companies taking over more and more of the NHS. The same is true for the Labour Party on the
Police and Crime Bill. Starmer has no
concept of what opposition is because he and the Labour Right have no
fundamental differences with the Tories.
It is time
for the Campaign Group of MPs to get off their knees and start fighting back. If
Sir Keir is successful socialism inside the Labour Party will be dead. It is regrettable
that Jeremy Corbyn has taken the legal route in fighting back rather than
campaigning for the removal of Starmer.
We also
have to be honest and say that much of the Labour Left under Lansman, Corbyn and
McDonnell helped bring this situation about when they introduced the ‘fast
track’ system of expulsions. It should be a lesson to all that when you appease
Labour’s Right they only demand more. It
is also highly unlikely, given he has already had one legal setback,
that Corbyn will be victorious.
Last night representatives of LAW, LIEN, LRC, LLA,
Socialist Appeal and JVL met to plan the
fightback which will start with the Lobby this Tuesday July 20th
outside the Labour Party headquarters at
105 Victoria St, London SW1E 6QT.
Unfortunately despite Socialist
Appeal making it clear that they wanted to fight the purge politically, by calling for
Starmer to go, the majority in the meeting did not agree.
The Right are proposing to revive the McCarthyist list
of proscribed organisations that was abandoned in 1973. Anyone who is a member or
supporter of the four groups will be automatically expelled.
Membership of the above groups will be held to be “incompatible with membership of the Labour Party”, as they have
their own programme, membership, and structures. Three of the four organisations on the list do not do that whereas the
right-wing factions Progress, Labour First and the Jewish Labour Movement do
qualify. Indeed the JLM is affiliated internationally to the World Zionist
Organisation and is the overseas wing of the Israeli Labor Party. All 3 of the
above right-wing organisations openly campaigned against Labour under
Corbyn’s leadership and the JLM went so far as to refuse to support Labour
candidates at the 2019 general election.
We were informed at the meeting that Momentum’s National Coordinating
Group will be issuing a statement tomorrow opposing Starmer’s proposals. Apparently the man who did more than anyone to weaken the Labour Left,
Jon Lansman, has also made clear his opposition to what is being proposed by
the Right.
When Keir Starmer promised
to ‘root out antisemitism’ in the Labour Party what he was really saying was
that he was going to root out the left. Unfortunately the present Momentum
leadership still hasn’t come to terms with this despite dozens of Jewish members
being suspended.
False charges of ‘antisemitism’
have been used to prevent any discussion or expression of solidarity with
Palestinians of which the ruling
out of order of a motion to Hove Labour Party on the advice of Labour’s
racist and anti-Semitic South-East Regional Organiser Scott Horner is but the
latest example.
The position of LAW and LIEN is quite clear. There
should be no automatic expulsions.
Everyone is entitled to a fair hearing and due process. The National
Constitutional Committee, an elected body, which is there to hear disciplinary cases
has been totally sidelined.
If
you have been suspended or expelled you or they are trying to silence your
local party then you should come to this protest-lobby of the NEC at 12 noon this
Tuesday 20 July and tell your story. Email Norman on info@labour-in-exile.org to let
us know.
Norman Thomas, who founded LIEN said in a statement:
“There
is wide agreement Starmer is pretty pathetic at fighting the Tories, but he’s
in overdrive when it comes to attacking his own members. He has destroyed
democracy in Labour to get rid of the thousands of people who joined after
Jeremy Corbyn became leader.”
Thomas said there would be more action to come – including at the
conference in September.
“This is just the beginning of the fightback.
We are fighting for the future of the Labour party,” he said.
The whole left must stand in solidarity with these
four organisations and oppose this latest purge. If Starmer succeeds on Tuesday
then other groups will be added to the list.
