After The Treachery: The Appeasement Must End

The resignation of nine labour MP's last week was an indication that the faction of the establishment, committed to the prevention of a Corbyn led Labour government at all costs, had momentarily got the upper hand. Fearful that a general election could be called as a consequence of the parliamentary logjam over Brexit and fearful that careers were in jeopardy it was decided that now was the time to make the move.

The plans of the more far sighted strategists of capital and their allies in the Labour movement, to allow a Corbyn led Labour government to take the reins and the odour of the fallout of a hard Brexit, was not a view that prevailed.

This despite the insurance policy of a sizable fifth column in the parliamentary labour party, that could bring such a labour government down from within. It would appear that the group of self seeking careerists who have flounced out of the party, and their handlers, were not prepared to allow things to go that far. As a result, and despite the hysterical intervention of Tom Watson, pleading with the Blairites and their right wing allies to stay in the party, the splitters have taken their leave...

Either scenario, to prevent a Corbyn led government in the first place, or to bring such a government down from within, was a certainty as long as a sizeable section of the parliamentary labour party was allowed to act with impunity as a fifth column.

Constantly plotting and colluding to undermine and bring down the leadership and squash the anti austerity movement that it represents.

The breakaway of these nine traitors, with more waiting in the wings, is the latest move, to bring Jeremy down as the leader of the Labour party and prevent him from ever becoming prime minister.

The instigators and perpetrators of this despicable act of treachery have been allowed to get away with their outrageous behaviour in the party for three and a half years unchallenged because of the ridiculous response to it of appeasement, apology and unity at all costs.

Unity of the graveyard, unity with those who are ruthlessly committed to undermining you and bringing you down. It is difficult to understand the prime motivating factor behind such a strategy, wilful delusion or political cowardice

The constant ‘antisemitism’ campaign against Corbyn has been the most effective weapon the Blairite faction and their allies have used against Jeremy and his supporters. The claim that he is in any way antisemitic is complete and utter nonsense. Corbyn hasn't a racist bone in his body and has spent his entire life fighting racism. The Labour Party is not ‘a cesspit of antisemitism’, as the recent report from the general secretary proved beyond all doubt. The reason for its success has been the disastrous response to it of the party leadership.

Instead of challenging and exposing it for the exaggeration that it is Jeremy, and to a greater extent John, have consistently apologised for a problem that hardly exists and has been grotesquely exaggerated for political ends. Good comrades have been effectively thrown to the wolves when they have been falsely accused of antisemitism, or, when that fails, the catch all phrase of bringing the party into disrepute.

If anyone is guilty of bringing the party into disrepute it is those who are making false and malicious allegations in the first place. However no charges or disciplinary action are ever brought against the real guilty parties.

The figures released by the general secretary Jenny Formby recently showed that antisemitism is a tiny problem in the Labour party and yet John McDonnell was telling a caller on a radio phone in programme that there was no smear campaign. Both positions cannot be right.

In addition to this we have had the embarrassing statement from John following the first wave of departures, echoing the words of Tom Watson, telling us we have to listen long and hard to the concerns of those who have been dedicated to his and Jeremy's downfall for the past three and a half years.

No doubt John, and those who are prone to hero worship, will think that he is being very clever and is out flanking the enemy within. Nothing could be further from the truth. The reality is that this duplicitous campaign of appeasement is demoralising and is undermining the support that thrust him and Jeremy into their leadership positions in the first place. It has sustained them there for three and a half years in the face of the most hostile opposition from every part of the British establishment and their allies.

However these pitiful examples are more than individual mistakes. It is a reflection of a fatally flawed strategy of appeasement and trying to face both ways at once. It is a strategy that will destroy Corbyn and the anti austerity movement. It needs to be reversed immediately.

The mistaken policy of appease, apologize and unity of the graveyard has blighted and undermined the whole anti austerity project that Corbyn's election as leader has represented since day one.

The failure to acknowledge the role of the extreme right wing unions and their placeman Iain McNicol culminated in the failed chicken coup. Jeremy narrowly survived that as the result of the solid support that he received by Unite the union’s delegation on the National Executive Committee. He survived the machinations that would have brought about his downfall by fourteen votes to twelve. As we know he went on to win the leadership election for a second time and his position was strengthened. Not before large numbers of his supporters were suspended from the party on entirely trumped up and spurious charges.

This failed attempt to oust Corbyn was an abject failure but a close call. The relentless attacks continued and decent people became the victims of this process. The suspension of the likes of Jackie Walker and the expulsion of Marc Wadsworth were two high profile cases that the leadership effectively turned a blind eye to. That Ken Livingstone was pressurised into resigning from the party was yet another example of the spineless appeasement approach that has seen loyal comrades thrown to the wolves. When Peter Willsman, a prominent NEC member was forced to apologize for having the audacity to ask for evidence from those making claims that antisemitism was rife in the Labour party, a new low had been reached.

However this was not the height of the cowardly and dishonest approach of appeasement and apology. That occurred in September of 2018. First at the NEC meeting of the 4th September when the full IHRA definition of anti Semitism was unanimously accepted by the Labour party.

The detailed planning and collusion that went into that with unelected and barely elected trade union general secretaries and their delegates on the NEC, and the millionaire property developer and owner of momentum and his supporters was a most pitiful display of surrender.

This was followed a fortnight later at the Labour party national conference when bureaucrat stitch ups, once again with trade union leaders and the owner of momentum and his acolytes, ensured that open selection wasn't debated.

Both acts of absolute treachery in pursuit of appeasement and unity with the devil.

The triggering of what is effectively the third coup with the splintering away of Umunna, Berger, the racist et al, with more waiting in the wings to leave, unless they heed Watsons advice to stay, with a view of moving against Corbyn at a later stage, is crushing confirmation of the total failure of the strategy advocated and practised by John McDonnell.

The anti austerity movement isn't about replacing an unaccountable out of touch right wing leadership with an unaccountable out of touch left wing leadership. It is about devolving power to the membership of the entire Labour movement, which means the party and the unions who both have to become truly membership led.

It is time for a new generation to start taking over the reins. It is time for the membership to really start asserting some control by taking power into its own hands.

The nine constituencies where traitorous MP's have abandoned the Labour party must get prospective parliamentary candidates in place at the earliest opportunity. The campaign to win those seats back can start almost immediately with the demand that a byelection is called.

The demand for open selection in the labour party must become unstoppable. Resolutions through constituencies to the National Executive and above all conference should be flooding in.

Labour party meetings must start being attended by members, who have been passive and happy for others to do the work up until now. It is time to come out of the comfort zone, take responsibility and take up positions at every level in the party.

The only thing that is more important is the task of taking back our unions, starting by rebuilding at a branch and workplace level. Rebuilding our unions and the rebirth of the shop stewards movement will be the only way of holding the bureaucracy to account in the first instance and then replacing the ageing general secretaries and national officers, on their six figure salaries, whose actions have failed the movement so badly. The individuals who have bled our unions dry and sat back and fiddled while our public services have been decimated and wages and conditions have plummeted to poverty level.

In what little time the appeasers and apologizers have left, all genuine socialists and trade unionists must campaign to end the negative effects of their disastrous approach of trying to face both ways at once. Only by confronting and overcoming those who have been and are trying to destroy our movement from within for the past three and a half years will we ever have a realistic chance of ever seeing a socialist Labour government.

Continuing the policy of appeasement instead of fighting back will destroy our movement