[Philip Marlow]

Shaheen may well have thrown one of the most egregious and despicable Tories around a completely undeserved lifeline. And for what? Basically, for the sake of vanity.

Zoe Williams interview at the Graun.


https://amp.theguardian.com/politics/ar ... ndependent

It was on that canvass that one of the volunteers noticed the Labour party’s campaigning app wasn’t working, which was because Shaheen had already lost access to it. Her phone was pinging with messages because news of her candidacy getting blocked had been briefed to journalists, before she had even seen an email from the NEC asking her to appear before the panel just five hours later.

I’m honestly not sure what I’d do if I were her, but I’ve seen a fair bit of discourse - not on here, to be fair - to the effect that her actions since the announcement are proof that the party was right to get rid, and that I don’t much like. She’s been denigrated via anonymous briefings as a crank and a racist so that a winnable seat can be made available for one of Luke Akehurst’s mates. I don’t think she’ll win as an independent candidate, but neither do I believe her disinclination to eat shit with a smile on her face makes her unworthy to stand for Labour.

[The Weeping Angel]

She tried to dox a Labour canvasser not to mention Shama Tatler the Labour candidate's office was vandalised

[Youngian]

Norman Tebbit’s cricket test is getting out of hand in Chingford.

[Bones McCoy]

She tried to dox a Labour canvasser not to mention Shama Tatler the Labour candidate's office was vandalised

It's written in EDL speak.
Anybody know what it means.

[Oboogie]

Is Shama Tatler Jewish? She looks to be of Asian heritage to me.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I’m honestly not sure what I’d do if I were her, but I’ve seen a fair bit of discourse - not on here, to be fair - to the effect that her actions since the announcement are proof that the party was right to get rid, and that I don’t much like. She’s been denigrated via anonymous briefings as a crank and a racist so that a winnable seat can be made available for one of Luke Akehurst’s mates. I don’t think she’ll win as an independent candidate, but neither do I believe her disinclination to eat shit with a smile on her face makes her unworthy to stand for Labour.

She's been treated very badly, and hard to see a reasonable explanation why. I'm pretty chilled with fixing against Stop The War liabilities, but she doesn't seem to be like that. The worst I've seen her accused of his some ill-advised support for Corbyn over the wreath, 6 years ago. Per Jonathan Portes she's a very good economist and pretty mainstream. She'd complement Torsten Bell, by the sound of it.

As someone with an IDS-like MP myself, I'm pretty annoyed with her standing, and I hope it doesn't matter. I'm not sure whether she really thinks she can win or come second. Certainly it's easy for people in politics to get exaggerated ideas about the political engagement of voters generally, or their personal support. But maybe she's just trying to build a profile with regards to future employment, having been unfairly deprived of the well-paid job she thought she'd have till about a week ago? I'm actually more sympathetic to that than the idea she's filling some massive gap in the debate- the Greens are standing.

[Philip Marlow]

I think this is what you’d call the last throw of the dice (or would do, if I didn’t know a wee bit about the behaviour of abusers) and I hope the sorry bastard gets absolutely done.

Unfortunately, I also suspect the next few weeks of campaigning are going to be deeply unpleasant for Begum.

https://leftfootforward.org/2024/06/exc ... til%202022.

The ex-husband of Labour MP Apsana Begum is hoping to run against her as an independent in Tower Hamlets, he has confirmed to LFF.

[Tubby Isaacs]

There's also a particularly bad Galloway candidate in that constituency.

[Philip Marlow]

What a lovely man.

Apparently Keith Vaz is back as well. Running for his old seat as an independent.

[Youngian]

Funtime Keith will clear up with the old raver vote.

[mattomac]

He can fix washing machines too…

Or was that Rent boy?

[Philip Marlow]

An expert on Jewish history and culture speaks.

https://bylinetimes.com/2024/06/07/labo ... xist-jews/

A Labour candidate and director of the lobby group We Believe in Israel faces a complaint of antisemitism after footage emerged of him suggesting that Marxist Jews had “abandoned very much of their Jewish identity” and saw Judaism as “a purely cultural thing around a bowl of chicken soup”.

[Abernathy]

I wouldn't categorise Luke's remarks as anti-semitic. They are more anti-Marxist crank, which is of course the reason why the Trots are attempting to pin the anti-semitic label on Luke. It's not going to go anywhere.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

I know a number of people who see their Judaism as “a purely cultural thing around a bowl of chicken soup”. Or jokes...

[Philip Marlow]

I wouldn't categorise Luke's remarks as anti-semitic. They are more anti-Marxist crank, which is of course the reason why the Trots are attempting to pin the anti-semitic label on Luke. It's not going to go anywhere.

I hope you’re not suggesting that politically motivated accusations of antisemitism are being thrown about in order to nobble someone whose politics are inimical to the accuser’s own. I recall a dim view being taken to that sort of thing in the recent past, although I may have missed a few alterations to the unwritten rule book since then.

As far as the remarks themselves being antisemitic…I’m not sure I’d class them that way myself to be honest. There is, however, a long history of Jewish radicalism with an extensive intellectual hinterland attached to it (those nerdy enough to take an actual interest in such things could do worse than have a gander at Alain Brossat and Sylvia Klingberg’s Revolutionary Yiddishland; the prose is a little dry, but it contains priceless oral testimony from people sadly long gone) and a self-satisfied goyish little pisser like Luke Nukem could treat it with more care. And that’s without the suggestion that the present day adherents to some version of that tradition are ‘cranks’, or not really proper Jews at all. Which is what he’s doing.

[Youngian]

Making a list of Jewish thinkers and activists entwined in the development of Western secular thought whether liberalism or socialism is an extremely long one. And if that’s your culture, you have a built in aversion to ethno-nationalism whether you’re Jewish or not.
Akhurst sounds like a snide prick akin to Farage or Tebbit telling you your views are unBritish.

[The Weeping Angel]

[Andy McDandy]

Turns out that she was heckled by someone saying her politics wouldn't be out of place in the BNP. She shot back that the heckler had views more common in Iran.

Looks like she and the heckler are made for each other.

[Philip Marlow]

I may be misreading/underestimating the man out of dislike (I know he was a Hackney councillor for a while) but I’m struggling to picture Akehurst as an MP. He’s a backroom knife man, a ratfucker of the left and, latterly, a professional Israel lobbyist. The idea of him taking an enduring interest in the humdrum day-to-day affairs of the people of North Durham just doesn’t fit somehow.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Not a particularly unusual move, is it? Lots of people who’ve been powerful organisers want to become MPs, and the Ministers etc. I’d guess that he won’t find getting promoted too difficult.