Jamie Driscoll – Guardian journalist calls out Labour bullying
Published
by
Leah Levane
JVL Introduction
Aditya Chakrabortty outlines dangers in the Labour Party’s turn to McCarthyism as Jamie Driscoll is declared unable to stand for the role of North East Mayor.
It is also, of course, a further example of “guilt by association” as his misdemeanour has been taken to be sharing a platform with renowned, award-winning, film maker Ken Loach.
LL
This article was originally published by The Guardian - Comment Is Free on Thu 8 Jun 2023. Read the original here.
Notes on a scandal: this is how Starmer’s bullies took out Jamie Driscoll – and why it matters
Having examined how the North of Tyne mayor was barred from standing again, I see something akin to McCarthyism
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A wonderful article by Aditya Chakrabortty.
I’m slightly more hopeful about Jamie Driscoll’s chances of fending off the Starmerites because he’s being supported by a number of different groups, each with clout independent of Labour HQ.
Several of the unions are supporting him – Unite and the FBU (maybe more). Northern Labour Mayors are too (Sadiq Khan has said nothing so far but maybe he will). Driscoll as a native Geordie unfairly shafted by Southerners from London can count on local sympathy and support. The local Labour party understands – if London doesn’t – that Driscoll’s political and economic achievements, political stance and local network mean he’s Labour’s best hope of winning the mayoralty and a candidate parachuted in by Starmer will lose.
Also quite clearly the Shadow Front Bench aren’t signing from the same hymn sheet about why Labour HQ has treated Driscoll the way they have … which must mean they weren’t consulted beforehand and Starmer can’t now count on their backing.
It’s easy to work out who may be ‘the rather bumptious young man’ by looking at the photos of NEC members. Choice of two!
You say your column about the Driscoll case is not the place to discuss Ken Loach, then immediately contradict yourself by doing so, making it clear you disagree with him. This, not being discussed, is a neat way of showing that you’re in line with Guardianthought on Loach, Corbyn and antisemitism ( in other words Starmerthought) without spoiling your usually unimpeachable credentials as a man of the Left. As a fan, I feel.cheated.
Apart from Chakrabortty’s: “A column about Driscoll is not the place to litigate Ken Loach’s views, even if I disagree with much of what he says about Labour’s treatment of antisemitism”, he is pretty much spot-on. What Loach has had to say about the ‘witch-hunt’ is also pretty much spot-on.
It’s a positive fall-out from the treatment meted out to Jamie Driscoll that MSM is at last taking a bit of interest in the Stalinist approach KS is taking to dissent from anyone in the party to the ‘true path’. Let’s hope Al Jazeera’s “The Labour Files” and the “Forde Report” are at last subjected to some scrutiny by MSM, or is that too much to ask?
In addition to his salary as an MP, Keir Starmer is paid a substantial sum as leader of the opposition in parliament. Under the Ministers of the Crown Act of 1937 he is paid to “oppose” because that is thought to be an important and valuable part of our democracy.
What an irony, then, that the present leader of the opposition is so intolerant of people who hold views opposed to his own that he even denies them the right to stand for election.
Discussing the meaning of “freedom” in their book, “The Western Intellectual Tradition”, Jacob Bronowski and Bruce Mazlich wrote: “There is one freedom …. which can be an end in itself: this is freedom of thought and speech – the right to dissent.”
The authors went on to argue that societies remain vigorous and creative only so long as they safeguard the expression of new – and sometimes unpleasant – ideas. That being the case, a government led by Keir Starmer is a grim prospect indeed.
Starmer and those who support him must be booted out of the labour party! They have lied, betrayed, sowed division, poisoned and poluted the Parliamentary party for way too long! Their lies, deceit, fraud, their slandering and defaming of decent MPs, shows that Starmer and his nest of snakes are not fit to be MPs, let alone be members of the labour party!
Does Chakrabortty seriously believe that allegations of antisemitism have not been politically motivated? None of them?
Where do we go next? We no longer have a party which represents socialist views. Starmer is beginning to demonstrate an autocracy. We desperately need a new beginning with a party that truly represents the socialistic thinkers among us.
IS THE G suddenly understanding its part in the A/S scam I wonder. Freedland has not said very much so far. Yet he has allowed Aditya one of the better opinion writers in the G.
Typically limp Guardian piece.
Doesn’t even mention the trampling of LP members democratic rights.
It’s not about cliques and politiking, it’s about politics. It’s about the Labour leadership having Tory instincts, beliefs and Tory disregard for democracy.
A very shoddy business altogether. The Labour Party under Starmer is sick. It is so obviously unfit for government. The way in which the right-wing ‘Labour’ nerds spout on about the big lie of widespread antisemitism as if it is factual is grotesque. Where indeed is any consideration of the people of our country, or of the world, within the overbearing self-serving establishment controllers?
“A column about Driscoll is not the place to litigate Ken Loach’s views, even if I disagree with much of what he says about Labour’s treatment of antisemitism.” I’m wondering if you were encouraged to include this? You were lucky you’d already met Jamie Driscoll… you couldn’t avoid seeing the McCarthyism. If you’d met the other victims, perhaps you’d understand that Ken Loach’s views of Labour’s treatment of antisemitism are perfectly reasonable. There are so many victims of this heartless and unwarranted purge you could write a similar article every week for a long time, and the dimwitted bully boys now running things are very similar to how those on the video. seem. I wish the Guardian would allow you to investigate and expose the truth about how and why this labour crisis was created. The people who took advantage of the weaponisation in the Party will probably be among those running the country. i find that a very depressing and frightening possibility. But it seems clear that’s the last thing the paper would ever allow. But thank you so much for getting this story into the mainstream. It’s time these serial injustices were known about, and the perpetrators shamed.
Chakrabortty says he has seen the NEC panel meeting that interviewed Driscoll. This would be dynamite if it were to be posted on YouTube. Presumably Driscoll recorded it and that will probably result in his explusion from the party but the signs are that he may well stand as an independent anyway.
As for: “A column about Driscoll is not the place to litigate Ken Loach’s views, even if I disagree with much of what he says about Labour’s treatment of antisemitism.” This is shameful by Chakrabortty, who in that one sentence did “litigate Ken Loach’s views” probably because this is the Guardian.
I was mildly encouraged by this article from someone who is probably the Guardian’s best columnist.
But last year I read an article in the same newspaper which I found rather disturbing.
On 23 March 2022, Chris Mullin wrote an article that is still available online:
“I had to keep my sources secret, or the Birmingham Six might still be in jail”
This is how Mullin begins the article:
“My friend Peter Chippindale, a Guardian journalist, first drew my attention to the Birmingham pub bombings. He had reported on the trial in 1975 and remarked that he thought the men were innocent. He had come to that conclusion from his attendance at court and from talking to the relatives of the convicted men.”
I was not aware of this but I was aware that Mullin reported on the possible innocence of the men in question in, I think, 1984.
The logical conclusion that I came to is that Peter Chippindale only took the matter to Mullin because his own paper refused to investigate. How much earlier might they have been released if the Guardian had reported on the issue?
Have you seen in “Labour Hub” the splendiferous Open Letter in support of Jaimie Driscoll signed by 12 Jewish people from the different Newcastle-on-Tyne communities?
What made this letter so useful, in my view, was the fact it was copied to all the key media in the North-East as well, the principal representatives of the Jewish community (JVL being one!) and to the key players in the Labour party. NONE of the letter’s recipients can be left in any doubt that Labour HQ’s banning of Driscoll from standing is resented and rejected by a cross-section of the same Jewish communities which Labour HQ claims are in favour of it.
Geordie media generally is more independent of London influence than most and more “collectivist” in its thinking. Maybe the Open Letter will be enough to start a revolt against the HQ putsch. I hope so.
I do agree with Martin Meachan, the only thing I would like to add is, members seem to have forgotten that Starmer, who had only been a MP for a short time, he had watched the massive increase in membership, causing millions across the Country to show interest in Lanbour’s policies, yet this novice MP, decided to join Owen Smith’s tiny campaign team in his attempt to oust Corbyn as leader. Why would he do that, is it because he became an MP, to stop a Socialist Party from becoming the Government?