"The only thing I know about Trotsky is that he was killed with an ice pick."
It’s funny, I joined the Labour Party straight after the General Election, mainly because I wanted to get involved with electing a new leader, because I never wanted another Ed Miliband (sorry, Ed, I’m sure you’re a nice bloke and everything…)
I nearly didn’t vote Labour because Labour didn’t speak to me or for me, in fact I couldn’t work out who the hell they were speaking to and for. I’d been out of politics so long, I had no idea who any of the contenders were, but I was predisposed to like Andy Burnham, because I’d heard a few nice things about him.
The last political thing I took part in was an Anti-Apartheid demo, which dates me, but I look younger than my years, so I don’t care
Everything changed that first televised debate, because for the first time, someone was saying out loud what I was thinking and had been thinking for a while.
That man was Jeremy Corbyn.
I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, but with each speech, I found myself actually let go of my general cynicism towards politicians and began to hope that we may have actually found the equivalent of a political unicorn, an honest man with principles (which actually aligned with my principles).
I consider myself working class, others consider me middle class, because I taught at a boarding school.
I don’t like violence, I like a good (sometimes even heated) debate, but I don’t believe in personal slurs. I only swear when swearing is called for, I don’t believe in swearing at other people. I do believe in treating others the way you want to be treated.
I was, until recently, a Modern Languages teacher, and lived for many years in Germany.
I am a black woman.
The only thing I know about Trotsky is that he was killed with an ice pick.
I have read Das Kapital in English, German and French, in fact I have a lovely leather-bound volume, bought in East Berlin, when it was still in the DDR. It cost me about £2.50. I enjoy politics and thought it was an interesting read. I also have biographies of Gorbachev, Clinton, Obama, Mandela and Reagan and I enjoyed them all.
I not only eat croissants, I’ve made them from scratch (https://amurphy44blog.wordpress.com/food-pride/im-getting-croissant/) and I also make gorgeous Brioche!
I consider myself a thoughtful, occasionally considered person.
I’m trying to become a kinder, nicer more considerate person.
I hate the fact that our society has become such a toxic, dark and negative place to live.
I hate walking past homeless people when I don’t have enough money to give to them and I don’t understand why we have so many people who have to use foodbanks to survive when we are one of the richest countries on this earth.
I don’t understand how the country’s wealth is so unequally divided that in the north people are having to choose between heating and eating, while in the South (east) people are choosing between the gold plated Jaguar or the Ferrari.
And
I am a member of Momentum.
I have been to one meeting, at which I found out about the history of the Labour Party, I had the very confusing organisational structure of the party explained to me. I was encouraged to go off and read the Labour Party rule book. I was informed of how I could get involved in the party, what the rules are if you want to stand for election and how the process works. I was given the opportunity to ask questions about the party. A very nice man explained to us what all the acronyms (NEC, PLP etc) meant and how they worked. My local MP talked about what an MP does. Plus I met some thoroughly nice people from all walks of life and we all had a drink and got to know each other.
Can someone please explain to me how this sort of thing is ‘destroying’ the Labour Party? And why this organisation should be expelled from the Labour Party?
Can someone please tell me why every anti-Corbyn Labour MP and all those Ex-Labour leaders and ex-Ministers are going to the press to call me names and question my motives? Why, with every nasty interview, they are so intent on smearing a party they say they are trying to save?
I just don’t understand…