We’re Left Wing, We’re calling it. Corbyn Is Finished

In over two years there has been no substantial evidence whatsoever that the dream of getting Jeremy Corbyn elected at the next general election is even remotely possible.

Before every modern left winger sends the hate mail, let me just make this point. We know it’s largely down to the PLP and we know the bias MSM have played their part in this too. The fact remains we have gone backwards not forwards. 

Join the debate. Share your thoughts on the way forward for the left at Solutions for the Left on Facebook.

At the turn of the year we were told Corbyn was to relaunch himself and the party. However if someone can point out where the relaunch disappeared to that would be great. It’s almost March. Almost three months since the relaunch and all we have had is several car crash interviews from Dianne Abbott, mixed messages over immigration from different Labour MP’s, a mixed message on Brexit and importantly, an unclear message. We have lost Copeland, (no, there are no excuses, the public don’t care if the candidate likes Corbyn or not) and now a ‘soft coup’ has started, out of the public eye. So the public won’t really care what’s going on that much behind closed doors. 

It also comes to something when a Tory MP becomes the first vocal opponent of the government’s PIP cuts.. this should be Corbyn’s bread and butter, and Labours. The messages are being lost. Yes Labour are opposing them, we know that, but who else knew? 

It doesn’t matter why Corbyn has not succeeded, he simply has not cracked this particular nut. The PLP remains (which was a huge mistake, they should have gone at the start), the old Blairites remain in the shadows, the public is no nearer backing Corbyn evidenced by Copeland and the 18 point gap in the polls. Yes, I know, polls don’t mean anything. But seeing as they were usually accurate prior to the last 12 months it appears it’s convenient for us to dismiss them all together now. So I am guessing that in truth Corbyn is the most popular leader around and Labour are going to swoop to power in 2020? No. Didn’t think so. 

There are some who insist in fighting on and fair play to them, you can’t criticise people for trying but sadly I still feel that no matter what happens here on in, Corbyn’s dream is dead in the water. Some people are behaving like a puppy lying by the side of their dead mother dog, pining for them and nudging them in the hope that they will stand up and play with them. Only for those on the outside to see it’s just a sad, sorry sight. 

When Corbyn has gone, some within Labour’s membership will vote for whoever comes to the leadership table, as they say “better Labour than the Conservatives”. Some will move to the Greens, some may back Labour under a fairly left wing candidate like Angela Rayner, some will move back to places like Left Unity, some ‘won’t bother to vote’ again. This will result in two things, the true left and their cause will have been set back several years at the same time as a probable centre left Labour Party re-emerges. Resulting in the original status quo of the Lib Lab Con. The Neocons will have returned. 

We think the long term solution (it won’t happen over night) is for the left to reconvene in one smaller fringe party, propelling it from obscurity into the limelight as what would surely be one of the largest socialist parties in Europe, taking over Labour perhaps? Any injection of membership fees means candidates can stand almost immediately and the battle for the true left begins. The disadvantage is that it will take time to build up MP’s, the advantage is that it will be a wholly left wing party built on truly socialist policies with the mechanism to ensure a left wing candidate goes all the way without any hindrance. The alternative is to keep fighting the PLP on their own turf. 

Even during protests today the flags that can be seen flying are ones promoting the likes of the Socialist Party, you don’t see Labour flags. That has to speak volumes for what the answer should be, Socialist Party or any other party.
Some say that Labour was not theirs (the PLP) to start with. Perhaps not. It was once the party of the left, but the tentacles of the Neocons have reached far into the mechanism like a Cancer merging with the hosts organs. The damage is done. 

If you want to discuss the way forward for the left, both here in the UK and abroad and you want to share your ideas about what should happen next then join the debate and discussion over at the group Solutions for the Left on Facebook.

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Corbyn & Labour: Home Truth’s From The Left

Labours explosion of new members making it the largest left wing party in Europe is down almost entirely to Jeremy Corbyn’s personal views on things such as Nuclear disarmament. 

When Corbyn first came to power it was policies like these that made the headlines and the fact he had rebelled consistently against the likes of the Iraq war when Tony Blair was in power. Here was a man that was truthful, honest and had radical ideas that some on the left held dear. They were policies that would otherwise never have a chance of seeing the light of day in any fringe party. This was their chance to force these issues into the public consciousness. This is how Corbyn came to power and this is why he is popular with many on the left.

The trouble is that those people who support radical or far left policies are not necessarily the same people who would support the traditional working class left in all their guises. 

Sure, the far left would support an end to war and the interference in international affairs and so would the traditional working class but the two would have very different outlooks. The far left would support an end to all forms of military intervention and the abolishment of many aspects of the armed forces. They view the army and its personnel as a spent force in a modern new world. The traditional working class left do not share that opinion. They are actually patriotic in nature and even if it’s not out and out patriotism they do none-the-less believe in their armed forces and the protection they afford the nation. They want a nuclear detterant. They value their armed forces. The differences are slight but significant. 

There are several examples along these lines but perhaps one of the most stark of recent times is the EU referendum. 

The working class traditional left have often been anti EU whilst the Conservative crowd has by and large despite the splits, been in favour of the EU. Cue then the anti establishment anti EU Jeremy Corbyn and surely this was a recipe for success? The Working classes must have been reeling when Corbyn decided to back remain in the EU referendum sparking immediate questions around how honest Corbyn was being with himself let alone the public. No sooner had Vote Leave won the EU referendum and Corbyn was calling for the triggering of Article 50. What was the pro Corbyn crowd going to do with this news? 

In many forums on the Internet if you dared suggest that Corbyn was actually pro Leave but had to campaign for remain due to political internal issues you were told that you were barking mad and that Corbyn was always for remain. Now he backs leaving the EU (with caveats) and that same crowd will tell you that he still believes in the EU and he just accepts the “will of the people”. To them, it’s that simple, unable or unwilling to read between the lines. This is the perfect scenario for him. Back remain and keep the PLP on side and now having lost the EU vote, vehemently back leaving the EU. The truth is, he doesn’t care if we are out of the EU because, actually, it suits him. If he were vehemently for remain he would do an Owen Smith.. after all, surely he wouldn’t lose votes because the Pro Corbyn crowd have always vowed to stick by Corbyn no matter what and then of course they wouldn’t leak votes to the Lib Dems as has been proved in recent by-elections as the Lib Dem share of both votes in Stoke and Copeland increased.  

This goes hand in hand with the mixed messages from various Labour MP’s including those close to Corbyn. Even on Immigration there have been repeat car crash interviews given by Dianne Abbott where she is unable to give a straight answer, contradicting other MP’s like Kier Starmers. We, those close to politics, understand full well the detail behind Corbyn’s immigration policy but the problem as has so often proved to be the case is the message. 

Corbyn supporters are often oblivious to the fact that most people still get their news from mainstream media at 10pm on a weekday night. The message matters and if you cant get it across in two sentences then don’t expect the general public to ‘get it’ . Some will exclaim that people should read Corbyn’s Facebook page or the Labour Party website yet this completely dismisses the issue around political engagement in the country. Here’s the bottom line… 

..most people don’t care enough to bother! 

That’s why they still primarily base their opinions on the 10pm News. Social media serves a purpose up to a point. It didn’t work for Bernie Sanders in the US and it’s not working for Jeremy CORBYN here in the UK. 

There is a good reason why Donald Trump won in the US. There were several long winded reasons but perhaps the one thing that has so often proved to be missing both from Bernie Sanders campaign and indeed Jeremy Corbyn’s campaign is soundbites. Trump is the expert in that regard and he got his message across quickly and effectivley. There is little doubt that his message got across to the disenfranchised and the people most affected by mainstream elite politics. It was this that inspired millions to vote for him. In troubled times people do want change, but they want change they can relate to and understand. It’s this that is missing from Corbyn’s insurgency. It’s this that could eventually wipe him out. 

It’s worth quickly mentioning here that many of the traditional working class won’t care one bit if Trump comes to the UK. It’s not on their list of concerns yet the far left or the new modern left turned out in their hundreds of thousands to protest his visit yet they have not afforded that turnout to any other issue since 2015 during the Union anti austerity protest. It remains to be seen if that many turn out on March 4th. If the new left are not addressing every day concerns here in the UK like this then why should the working class relate to it? 

Do the working classes with all their issues really care about Trump visiting the UK?

It’s no good door knocking, you’re never going to reach enough people to make a difference. Momentum split and that has just watered down the grass roots efforts. The Morning star and the Word newspapers don’t reach enough people to make a difference. What is left to reach the people? Mainstream media? They work with soundbites. Labour needs soundbites to reach the masses and it needs Corbyn to make his positions clear and understandable. 

Very few people, including Corbyn’s detractors, have anything bad to say about the man himself. He is always billed as honest and a man with integrity. It’s not Corbyn himself that is the problem, if people voted based on honesty then Corbyn would win hands down.. That’s got to be an unequivocal fact that can be disputed by no person and if that’s true then you have to ask yourself “why won’t people vote for him?”. If you don’t know the answer, read this blog post from the beginning.

It really doesn’t matter who’s fault it is that Corbyn is in this position, you can blame the PLP, the media, even Corbyn himself, something isn’t working and until those issue are addressed or until we accept the inevitable then this mess will continue. The damage is done and the game is up. Barring a miracle of sorts there is no coming back from this. 
Corbyn perhaps should carry on until there is no juice left in the tank, but what good will that do? 

What the left, working class and modern far left alike, should do is come to a consensus on the way forward. Addressing all the concerns of the working classes and then move forward and if that can’t be done then the far left needs to find and build up a party in its own image. Leave the Labour Party to rot, as it should now do. The Labour Party is without a shadow of a doubt for the centre left ground. It will never be radical nor far left. 

We, the left, should take a fringe party to the next level and make it big, stop avoiding the elephant in the room that Labour is not fit for purpose and focus on forming a new ‘largest socialist party in Europe’ that’s the way to go about this. Some on the far left jumped on a bandwagon at the start but they joined it when it was still in full flow. Now they have weighed the float down and it’s grinding to a halt because the float we find ourselves on wasn’t built for this. 

Forget the Greens, they were not built for this either. If we were honest with ourselves we should know that many of the new Labour members never even supported Labour of modern times, they only support the man at the top and so it needs to be asked, if they like his policies but not the party why did the left never en mass join a fringe left party and turn that into a force instead?

The left needs to regroup and regroup fast. Right now, some are clinging on to the float like that cliff edge isn’t really coming towards them. It is. 

The Effect Of Trump And Brexit on the Left

Trump hates the media right now. He slates them at any given opportunity and oddly perhaps this is where the hypocrisy and a clear split in the left of politics is evident and it’s a clear simulation of what has happened with Brexit in the UK.

For many a year the left has seemingly been unified across the board with social justice, the fight against the elite and 1% and the campaign against mainstream media in favour or independent or alternative media being the order of the day. 

Yet when push has come to shove the left has split in two causing perhaps untold and permanent damage to the foregoing unity. 

When Brexit was on the menu many on the left decided to back remain in the EU for mainly two reasons. One reason was because Jeremy Corbyn said to and the second reason being that some genuinely felt that staying in the EU protected rights and jobs in the UK along with environmental protections. 

On the other side the traditional working class, often seen as the traditional left, voted to leave the EU based in large part on concerns over jobs and this then manifested in concerns over immigration but backing these large numbers up was another large chunk of the left, known during the EU vote as Lexiters (Left Exit), they believed that immigration had little to do with the issues and instead focused their concerns on what the left had usually been united on, the fall of the 1% and the attack on the elite. They also believed that by leaving the EU it would stop foreign workers being paid below the national UK minimum wage and also in turn protect jobs in the UK. By leaving the EU it would help curtail at least the European super state forming and make it harder for the elite and 1% to operate. With the loss of pan European finance legislations it would indeed make life much harder for the banks and corporations. 

The difference between Lexit voters and the pro-EU left was principal. Lexit voters would vote against what they had always campaigned against even if it meant harder times for those in the UK (and there has so far been little evidence of that) whereas Pro-EU left voters voted on the fear that a Tory government would slash and burn workers rights and become entirely anti-immigration even if it meant backing the elite and 1%…something they too had campaigned for over the years. What they perhaps failed to see was the long term solution that a Tory government would not always be in power and that even Jeremy Corbyn spoke of a different Europe based on Socialist values if the UK came out of the current EU and a Left government came to power.

Regardless of all that though, it meant the left had split and a new dividing line had formed. 

What then is the link between this and Trump? Principle. 

The left has for a long time campaigned against the mainstream media as corrupt and bias with around 6 corporations in control of much of the world’s mainstream media. The tycoon ‘Murdoch’ perhaps being the most hated figure within the media spectrum.

Now though the same split as Brexit is appearing around Trump’s dealing with the media. Much of the left is rounding on Trump for not taking questions from the media, shutting down the conversation and ultimately berating the media and sometimes even insulting it. This section of the left is demanding that he deal with the media properly, like Obama did and citing Trump’s attitude as evidence of his Incompetence and unprofessionalism. 

Yet those on the other side of the left divide recognise that Trump’s behaviour toward the media is exactly what the left has in some ways been campaigning for. To put the media in its place, to reject it. To call it out for what they often are, hyperbolic liars incapable of true journalism. 

Perhaps in some ways the stand off between Trump and the media will galvanise journalists to finally do some real investigative journalism but when it comes to principle, the left has split irrevocably on a number of issues including Brexit and Trump. 

Some may argue that those on the left that support Trump’s stance with the media and support Brexit are also in turn supporting the right. However when it comes to principle you are not meant to change your views based on what others are doing or want. You stick to them, regardless. Only if something truly horrifying is happening should you consider altering your values and so far, with just a few days under his belt and just a few months after the Brexit vote, neither Trump nor Brexit have come close to be truly horrifying… yet. What it does show is that some on the left are so focused on their label as social justice protectors that anything else pails and such a one track mind can be as dangerous as a right wing supporter also with a one track mind. It takes little intelligence and little forethought to stand for something without having given it some long term analysis.

I can’t let the article finish without mentioning the violence and destruction that some on the left are committing. The only violence or destruction that ever need be committed is when it matters and only then against the actual target of the anger, that being, usually, government or corporate property or persons. Targeting your own communities or fellow citizens is most often cowardly and ineffectual and very stupid. 

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Why Corbyn isn’t the answer but you are

Jeremy Corbyn is not the answer. Jeremy Corbyn is not the solution. His win in 2020 will be just the start, a minor victory, a million miles from the resounding success everyone thinks it will be.  

A victory will be the start of something potentially huge but if the Corbyn voters think that will be ‘it’ then they are sadly mistaken. Of course they will say that they are more than aware of that fact but how far down the track are they focusing? 

One of the biggest obstacles to change is Parliament itself. Also known as ‘the system’. 

When Corbyn decides to put a bill through parliament it will, at one point or another, be considered a big change. Perhaps a change to military engagement or a huge tax change to the wealthy or perhaps a change to domestic law. Maybe even a change to the democratic process itself. At that point there will be vested interests for those bills not to see the light of day. There is a long process for a bill to come to pass including a couple of times round parliament and then the House of Lords. Plenty of scope for change never to come to pass. 

When that happens, and it likely will, what then? Where is the democratic process left? 

Sure, as things stand now the likes of the House of Lords can and do block bills such as recently the reduction in Tax credits introduced by the Conservatives. The potential for Corbyn to have multiple bills blocked is stark. The people in charge will not want there to be such huge change. 

Of course Corbyn doesn’t have to go all out guns blazing ripping up the rule book but that won’t wash with the people who vote him in. They will want change, they will want results and if it doesn’t come then it may be seen as a false dawn for the traditional left and an excuse for blue Labour to return the party to what will be a resurgent centre ground or even centre right. 

Labour voters and especially Corbyn supporters will need to not just campaign for a Labour victory but be out in voice and show genuine passion at wanting the changes that Corbyn will try to implement and if parliament manages to block several bills in succession then Labour voters must go out in force, because this wouldn’t be just a blip, a one off, an exception to the rule, this will most likely be a concentrated effort to knock Corbyn from power. At any cost. 

The point is that at some point it will all come to an end. Either Corbyn will be ousted, or he will step down after one or two unsuccessful terms or he will lead the charge to glory and win back-to -back terms but at some point, as sure as night follows day, there will be another Labour leader and they likely won’t be of the ilk of Corbyn, or indeed as is just as likely, the Conservatives will return to power and if nothing has been achieved by Corbyn to effect democratic change then all of this will have been for nothing. 

Corbyn is the best chance the traditional left and indeed human kind within Britain has had at redressing certain balances within our democracy for many many years. It really is an all or nothing moment. Failure to deliver means returning to the politics of old where the people are ignored and politicians talk double speak at the drop of a hat. No one like Corbyn is going to be given the chance again after this, not unless he is such a resounding success that everyone in the country suddenly sits up and realises what they have been previously voting for all these years.  

Whether you’re an anarchist, a communist a social democrat or just a plain old Labour voter or simply a nice human being 2020 will be the time to start the fight against the establishment, to take back parts of our true democracy lost to us decades and decades ago. Some may say it never existed but this is a chance to make a significant incremental change. If this can be done, it’s a step closer to our ideals than we have ever been before. 

After that, we can all return to our own versions of our ideology in the knowledge that we did something practical and beneficial for the majority of the country and that’s a damn sight more than had been achieved by many, if any, before us. 

The system is indeed rigged against us. The system is broken, but change can come. We just need to believe that it can happen and fight for that because doing nothing just because we don’t believe in that particular ideology is setting ourselves up to fail. 

A start is better than no start at all. 

The battle against the establishment hasn’t even begun. 

  

Coup engulfs Facebook’s largest Corbyn group

According to some reports, last Sunday saw the beginning of a virtual coup of Facebook’s largest Jeremy Corbyn supporters group entitled ‘I’m backing Jeremy Corbyn‘.

I’m backing Jeremy Corbyn group, cover photo missing.

Today, Thursday, saw that virtual coup take hold to its fullest, at just before midnight the groups membership had plummeted from over 15,000 members to less than 8,000. (5,000 by 1.30am Friday morning)

An account, presumably fake, by the name of ‘Artem Kalita‘ had allegedly posed as a representative of the Labour Party and convinced the original administration team to allow him onto the admin panel. In the world of Facebook groups any administrator of a Facebook group can kick anyone out of the group including the groups creator. 

Artem Kalita, Fake account

This is exactly what happened leaving Artem the sole administrator of the group. Since then the group has been changed from a public group, where anyone can find the group, to a secret group, meaning no one can find the group via a Facebook search. 

Group changed from Open to Secret making the group inaccessible to outsiders

In addition to that the groups cover photo was removed, anti-Corbyn posts were put up within the group and as mentioned earlier members are now being removed from that group and it is expected that by some time on Friday the group will be down to zero members. 

In the meantime there has been a drive to warn members of the group and provide alternative groups to join to keep abreast of Labour news. (Details below) 

Whilst the actions of the individual in question poses no threat to users of Facebook or the group in question it will cause an inconvenience as they seek out other sources of information and means the core 15,000 members will now be spread more thinly across other groups, this though is likely to be easily overcome rendering the attackers efforts useless and pointless. 

In a similar attack just a few days ago the Facebook page ‘Red Labour‘ which also had several thousand members was also taken over. It is unclear if it was the same person behind the attacks but according to some reports the creator of Red Labour was the same as the creator of the I’m backing Jeremy Corbyn group meaning if the creator was duped for one, then it will have been easier to have been duped for the second. 

It appears dozens if not hundreds of people have reported the Facebook profile of the attacker to Facebook and according to some people his account was briefly taken off line, however his account was later re-established. 

Artems Facebook profile has one key pointer as to his agenda as shown by the image below, some have speculated that aside from just being a Conservative Party supporter the profile may be what is known as a professional troll. 

David.Cameron email address

This is someone who is paid to conduct actions like that has been described in this article, the only question that would remain is by whom? Conservative Party action groups? Official or unofficial Conservative groups? Some have suggested it could be the work of Britain First (although let’s not give them the credit for this, they can barely muster a meeting, let alone the downing of an established page and group). 

The idea of paid trolls is not outlandish to suggest. Israel have admitted they use paid military personnel to influence online debate in favour of their circumstances and the British Government have also admitted to the possibility of using military personnel to conduct similar actions against ‘online extremism’, and we all know David Cameron’s thoughts on Corbyn and his supporters. 

Ex members of the group who follow old links to the group are now met with this

 

Below are all the details you need to catch up and get back in touch with Corbyn Supporters.

We support Jeremy Corbyn was set up as an alternative group and people are being re-directed here where possible 

For the latest on what’s happening, this group was set up at the link

Other Corbyn groups that are established include Jeremy Corbyn leads us to 2020 and Jeremy Corbyn will be prime minister

If you find that you need to visit the new Red Labour page then click this new link here

As usual please support our blog by following us and also visiting our own group at Extreme Resistance 

Spread the word about this incident to not only inform others so they know where to find other Corbyn supporters but also to provide a much needed warning about trusting new administrators into groups.