Friday, 11 September 2015

Democracy, Media and the Pressure Groups

Voting in Labour Leadership Elections closed at mid day yesterday. This has been an historic election in many ways. First of all it is the first leadership election with no block vote for the Trade Unions or the MPs. A truly democratic system of one member one vote is not only open to the Labour Party members but also to the wider electorate who could sign up to be party supporters. This revolutionary idea allows party to test the popularity of the elected leader. This election is also historic as it is likely to break from party’s recent past and allow it to reconnect with the masses and the democratic principles of “Government of the people by the people, for the people”. Furthermore, hopefully it will revive the founding principles of the welfare state and equality for all. Whatever the result on Saturday, the Labour party will have to change from a mare reflection of the Tory party, to a radical force with alternative ideas.

These leadership elections will also be remembered for the dirty tricks, not only of the establishment, the Tory party members, Blair and Blairites and the media. Everyone who took part in the dirty campaign has their own reasons. Recent labour leadership is worried about the scrutiny of their actions/ inactions during their reign. The establishment is worried about loosening of their stranglehold on power. The Tory party is worried about having a proper opposition, questioning their ideological policies of austerity, failure to invest for growth and using the same old trick of selling public assets to balance the books. The elections will also be remembered for excessive column inches and air time used to smear attack and undermine one candidate. However, they could not find anything in Jeremy Corbyn’s personal life or 30 year of public service to attack him. They were forced to admit that he is a nice and principled man. However, their attempts to attack him on various policy discussion papers and economic proposals were scuppered when number of economists including Noble Prize winner supported his plans.   

When all else, including Jeremy Corbyn’s vest and dress sense and all the jibes of Trotskyite, etc failed, dirty tricks were deployed. Some people latched onto his support for the Palestinian cause and desire for a dialogue to end the conflict and suffering of Palestinians. Allegations of Anti-Semitism, racism and bigotry started to fly. This attack was started by the Jewish Chronicle and was immediately picked up by the cabal of “literati”, “journalists”, think tanks”; the so called “liberal left”. Soon there were blogs, articles, tweets and media repeated the same allegations. One ex Tory minister and the Sun columnist, Louise devoted a good part of a month on this propaganda. When she and her colleagues at sister newspaper the Times couldn’t find a shred of evidence against Jeremy Corbyn to support their allegations, they resorted to attacking his supporters. They abused their positions as “journalists” to malign the unsuspecting public for supporting a principled man.   

This shows the depth of depravity some people will go to protect their interests. The unholy alliance between so called liberal left and Tories and suspect nationalist and racist groups isn’t new. They don’t have any principled position and they would forge alliances with anyone to achieve their goals of creating disorder. They support disorder around the world and at home by promoting views of interventionist policies and attacking migrant communities at home and in the West. They would support Tory government and Blairites in return for support of their views. In other words they are not Liberals, leftists or even Tories, they are just a pressure group with their own aims. They aim to silent people by insinuations, harassment, often bare faced lies and bullying.

The result hasn’t been declared but these people including media pundits are developing new narratives to attack Jeremy Corbyn. One of the common question is that can he be a Prime Minister. They did the same to Ed Milliband and attacked his personality. They forced him, a Jewish man, to eat a bacon sandwich and then ridiculed it. They succeeded in persuading him to hide his stated left leaning policies to develop rhetoric similar to the Tories. The result, public was left confused which resulted in a massive defeat for the Labour. We are now left with unprecedented austerity cuts with lasting effects on our lives. The Tories have always cut the essential services and sold public assets to balance the books. For example they cut youth services and then sold school playgrounds leaving our youth nowhere to go.

It is the Left which always had vision of welfare of the masses and investment for growth. They created National Health Service to make it available to all. They invested in the Education to give everyone chance to improve their lives. They cleared the slums and improved living conditions by investing in Public Housing and duties on Councils to house homeless and those in need. They brought rent controls and minimum standards for housing. They brought equality legislations to include all minority groups. They introduced welfare state and benefits for those in need including growing families, unemployed, infirm and disabled. They invested in industries including ship building, mining, aeronautical, steel, etc. They invested in the defence industries and the defence forces and introduced nuclear technology. On the other hand the Tory governments, instead of investing and modernising to make it competitive, sold or closed these industries and helped to diminish the manufacturing industries. 

Whatever happens on Saturday, Jeremy Corbyn has already started a debate and conversation with the masses to present an alternative to the same old same old. If he wins he will need our support to succeed in his mission. Don’t be distracted by the questions such as whether Jeremy Corbyn is Prime Minister material or whether he wants to be the Prime Minister, as the general elections are years away. What is important is the need to help him develop alternative policies to that of austerity, diminishing public services and welfare state. We need someone to take us away from the tried and failed interventionist and military adventures and to advocate diplomacy and dialogue to resolve conflicts at home and abroad.

Finally, a plea to the Journalists, I know you love spin and analysis but wont it be refreshing to see a politician with straight answers to straight questions. So please don’t resort to usual dirty tricks respect democratic choice for public good. Public is yearning for change from the same old deceptive rhetoric, you know it makes sense. There is no point making the same plea to the liberal left and other pressure groups as they are hell bent on peomoting disorder.

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