Labour Against the Witch Hunt: A Merger followed by a split.

 

The internal civil war between the really unsavoury hard left tyes around Labour Against the Witch Hunt (LAW) and Labour In Exile (LIE) has become a fascinating example of the hopelessness and navel gazing hatreds of the far left.

As previously reported there has been trouble inside these organisations as an ideological and personality fallout took place between the followers of Tony Greenstein and those around the Labour Party Marxists (LPM) (a front for the Communist Party of Great Britain/Weekly Worker) crowd. 

It seems most members of both these organisations are now outside the Labour Party having recently been joined by a number of activists from the fake Jewish Voice for Labour (JVL) hate group likewise.. being expelled.

Greenstein & his charming ally Esther Giles proposed that LAW & LIE merge which even caused Tina Werkman to initially oppose what she saw even as an ex-member of the CPGB a "hostile takeover"

This causes a dilemma for the LAW Steering Committee majority dominated by the LPM (CPGB) who in advance of the vote wrote:

There are a number of problems with this proposal.

The most serious is that, despite the claim to have a “focus” on fighting the witch-hunt, that is precisely what will be ended - fighting the witch-hunt in the Labour Party. To produce a combined organisation for general political activity out of LAW and LIEN is to accept that there is no longer a need for a campaign focused on that priority. Remember that LAW is already committed to fighting to transform the Labour Party into a united front of a special kind - of all trade unions, working class partisans, socialist groups and parties. For unity to be worthwhile, for unity to be a net good, it would have to be on a serious basis that would supersede the otherwise separate existence of its components. That seriousness is partly a matter of immediate practicality and partly of principle.

Now we go to the practicalities of the squabble as the mass organisations of the Labour hard Left met to do battle. The two groups had to meet on separate days as some of their members belong to both groups which should be taken into account when examining g the derisory voting fidgures at their respective meetings.

First up LIE met on Friday and voted 31 to 8 in favour of a merger. A total of just 39 particpants from a group that once threatened to set up "Shadow CLP's". They would have indeed been a very small shaow in a dark comer not even noticeable to any adult.

Then came Saturday and the massed ranks of LAW voted 47 to 27 in favour of the merger (the 27 being presumably the entire membership of the CPGB which has only around that number of members). There were 12 abstentions. A grand total of 86.

That was not the end of it as the infamous Jackie Walker, Stan Keable, Tina Werkman and Kevin Bean resign from LAW.

One assumes they will now rename themselves Left Out of Labour. (LOL).

Peter & the Wolf -Viv Stanshall with Various Artists (Cherry Red Records)

 

Those of us from a certain generation will be familiar with Peter and the Wolf from our schooldays. This classical work was originally written by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) in 1936 and uses a story to introduce listeners to the whole range of the orchestra. A wonderful piece still performed to this day by orchestras.

It should come as no surprise that it was adapted by "prog rockers" in  1975 and features a whole range of great musicians from that wonderful period of music including Manfred Mann (who "plays" Peter), Gary Brooker as "Bird", Gary Spedding the "duck", Gary Moore as "Duck" and Stephane Grapelli, Wolf.

Other musicians include Eno, Jack Lancaster, Julie Tippet, Bill Bruford, Phil Colllis, Cozy Powell. Aklvin Lee and many more. They are joined by the English Chorale.

Topped off with narration from the wonderful Vivian Stanshall this is certainly a "must have" for any record collection!*

*Yes I know it's a CD but I speak in an old fashioned way!

This was released yesterday (Friday 26th November). I pre-ordered a copy but it seems it's out of stock already. In case they do a second pressing here is the link: www.cherryred.co.uk

There's trouble in Labour Against the Witch Hunt and Williamson to set up a new party.

 

It seems that the deranged and duplicitous leftists in and around the hard left of the Labour Party are all starting to fall out with each other and even indulging in some of the strangest accusations against anti-racist campaigners that have been heard since the hey days of Gerry Healy's rantings in the pages of The News Line.

According to Chris Williamson the organisation Hope Not Hate (well known for it's anti-racist work over the years in everything from the media to football) is now accused of being racist for reasons best known to the nefarious  one himself.

Talking of Jokers the various activists of Labour Against the Witch Hunt (LAW), Labour In Exile (LIE) and the Labour Left Alliance (LLA) have suddenly discovered antisemitism in the Labour Party probably at the behest of the treacherous Jewish Voice for Labour (JVL) that at least one of the signatories of the letter below. It seems it's only antisemitic to expel left wing Jews despite the Greenstiens of this world having spent years to proscribe the mainstream Jewish Labour Movement. 

These schmucks who consider everybody but themselves the "wrong type of Jew" are lashing out as they are expelled for their various misdemeanours and extremist politcs which include covering for and excusing antisemitism within the Corbynite and Marxist left.

Chris Williamson is now turning his Resist groupscule into yet another "Socialist" Party. So many groups now competing for an ever declining audience. Even the Young Communist League is doing better than these sectarian wasters it seems.

Various individuals (all in "personal capacity" of course) are calling for LAW and LIE to merge into one group so that they only have to pay membership for one organisation. Their venom at the moment is aimed at their former allies in the Labour Party Marxists or Communist Party of Great Britain (Weekly Worker) as they have been known for years.

Their slanging match conference is tomorrow. Oh to be a fly on the wall or not...its gonna be a cold day the hot air generated should at least keep them warm!

Free Tibet: Prime Minister, will you say NO to genocide?

 

This could be HUGE: Last week, reports emerged that US President Joe Biden was preparing an announcement, committing the US to a boycott of the Beijing 2022 Winter Games. Days later, and after mounting pressure in the UK, Boris Johnson is reportedly considering the same option.

This is the news that we have been waiting for, but we need your help to make sure it happens.

Can you contact Prime Minister Boris Johnson, urging him to announce that he will not be attending Beijing’s bloody Winter Games? If you use Twitter, you can send a tweet with a few clicks. If you don’t, you can adapt our text and use the Number 10 contact form.

 

Tweet the Prime Minister

Contact the Prime Minister

None of this would have happened without the tireless campaigning by Free Tibet, its friends around the world and you.

Together we have confronted governments, Olympic associations and sponsors with the facts about the CCP’s torture, mass imprisonment and genocide, demanding that they say no to Beijing 2022. In the UK, we even saw parliament vote in favour of a boycott in June this year.

We have already achieved so much, but now is the time to ramp up the pressure.

We need to fill Twitter and the Prime Minister’s inbox with messages to Boris Johnson, demanding that he acts NOW.

More info: freetibet.org

Deap Vally - Marriage (Cooking Vinyl)

One of the benefits of You Tube is the ability to explore and discover music. Over the years I have come across quite a lot of bands and artists (especially from Europe and Japan) that otherwise I may never had heard of. These bands ranging from Battle Beast in Finland to Lovebites from Japan have have expanded my appreciation of music as their records enter my collection.

Of course I can't buy everything (who can) but there are bands whose music is worth picking up and Deap Valley who I came across by accident are one of them. The ladies have been around since 201l originating in Los Angeles, their music  being best described as "Alternative/Garage Rock". 

The two members Lindsey Troy and of Julie Edwards released their first single back in 2012 and have released four albums of which Marriage is the latest having been released on 19th November 2021. I have chosen two tracks from their new album to illustrate their sound. 

Website: www.deapvally.com

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Raise The Roof (Warner Music)

The latest album collaboration by Robert Plant and Alison Strauss hit the stores today and was well worth both the wait and the the price of entry. This collection of songs is a cross between rock and country music which makes pleasant listening for a quiet afternoon or late night as the mood takes you.

Robert Plant of course needs no introduction having been in the public eye since the late sixties as the lead singer of one of the greatest rock bands of all time Led Zeppelin and his hard hitting vocals have mellowed on this album to deliver something qualitatively quite different.

However  I was not not familiar  with Alison Krauss as the country music scene is not normally to my taste but her influence and vocals on this album make this a worthy addition to any music collection. Around since the mid eighties her music is described as "bluegrass-country" a term with which I am not familiar but seems worth exploring at a later date. You Tube does have it's uses!

Although I missed their live performance of their new single, Can't Let Go on The One Show it has been posted for posterity and is re-posted here to entertain. 

Tell the UK government: Stop funding repression in Tibet!

 

Did you know that the UK government is funding Chinese-state surveillance? We must put a stop to this.

Hikvision is the biggest manufacturer of CCTV in the world and it is controlled by the Chinese government. Its cameras are used to support the surveillance of Tibetans and Uyghurs in their own occupied lands.

An investigation by Free Tibet has found that several government departments have bought and use Hikvision security cameras. Unbelievably, UK taxpayer money is being given to a company that supports Chinese government repression in Tibet, the least free place in the world.

Your taxes go from your pocket, to the government, to Hikvision and potentially on to the Chinese government.

Many people are also worried that Hikvision cameras could be accessed by the Chinese government and used to spy on Western nations. Hikvision is already banned by the US government and the UK’s Ministry of Defence told us it advises other departments not to use the company.

The UK government must stop purchasing Hikvision equipment and ban their sales in the UK.

With your help, we can strike a significant blow against a company that is instrumental in the oppression of Tibetan people.

Please sign our petition to Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss MP, to ban Hikvision and stop funding genocide.

Sign the petition

 

ABBA - Voyage (Polar)

I was still at school when Abba won the Eurovision Song Contest with their famous song Waterloo. They went on to become one of the worlds most successful bands and were an important part of Sweden's economy at one point! Of course like all the other schoolboys I fancied Agnetha.....

Abba's music hit the charts for near on a decade of number ones and top ten hits plus several studio albums and countless collections (of which I have one) and then in 1982 as the shine inevitably began to fade and their records didn't hit the top ten they retired as a group.

Their music however is timeless and has remained being played on untold numbers of radio stations around the world so the advent of a new album, Voyage is to be welcomed. It is a highly entertaining and polished piece of pure pop music. 

The copy I am listening to belongs to the missus but I couldn't resist blogging about it. A five star recommendation from both of us. 

Here's a couple of tracks:

Website: abbasite.com

Mary's Blood - Mary's Blood (JPU Records)

The latest self-titled album from all-girl metal band Mary's Blood has just been released in the UK by JPU Records (see below). and is well worth the long wait. This is their sixth studio album of which this is my third having purchased their previous releases Fate (2016) and Confessions (2019). 

Mary's Blood consist of Eye (vocals), Mari (drums),  Rio (bass), Saki (guitar) plus support from Yashira on guitar. They are a highly skilled group who produce a pure metal sound and are influenced by the eighties. This band is one of several all-girl groups currently emanating from the Japan.

Also worth trying out are Aldious, Lovebites, Bandmaid and Scandal though the latter has become a bit more mainstream of late but are still a great band who introduced me to the Japanese music scene. All these groups have albums released in the UK by JPU records.

If you haven't heard them before their music is readily availbale on You Tube though currently only Starlight from the bands latest offering. 

Available from: jpurecords.com 

Website: marysblood.futureartist.net

Sexual Harrassment and Stalin worship in the Young Communist League

Photo: By Young Communist League of Britain

The Young Communist league is not an organisation that comes readily to mind in the 21st century. Indeed if it wasn't for The Morning Star I doubt the official Communist Party of Britain would attract all that attention since they are a pale shadow of even their former selves with around just 800 members. In contrast their youth organisation has reportedly tripled in size to around 1.200 members though this has come with some serious problems.

There is a group of very unpleasant hard-line Stalinists who up until recently had been know as Red London. They were best avoided. Apparently they changed their name to Red Tek which is where this story ties into the Young Communist League. This group have entered en-mass into the YCL.

The conduct of these individuals has been raised not just inside the Communist Party itself but even publicly in letters column of The Morning Star. As a result the leadership of the CPB has issued the following protocols in order to try and bring the situation under control. 

From Unity the CPB Members Bulletin:

“We do not construct or promote ‘Conspiracy theories’ “Our class enemy is the ruling capitalist class, not some secretive sinister cabal of Freemasons, Zionists, the Illuminati or the Bill Gates Foundation..”

The CPB also lays down a timely call to the more enthusiastic ‘anti-Zionist’ recruits, “Posting anything on line which “normalises” anti-Semitic conspiracy theories including holocaust denial in any form – is incompatible with Party membership.”

That alone should send warning bells about the internal goings on inside the Young Communist League. However of more concer is the departure of a number of (mainly) women members who have complained about the sexual harassment that is taking place inside the organisation.

The following video is from a brave woman prepared to speak out.

It goes without saying that the allegation of sexual assault should not be dealt with in house as the Socialist Workers Party tried to to do with "Comrade Delta". In these cases the police should be involved. No political party is above the law.

The nature of Red London leadership and antics over the years have been outlined in a comment published under the above video. I have not published the name for legal reasons as these are all allegations untested in a court of law and I remain unsure of the legal position.

...... the lead figure in Redtek, has a long history of this kind of thing. For folks that are unaware, he was chased out of every anarchist space around ~10-15yrs ago amid a long list of alleged sexual assaults and instances of violence against anyone speaking out against him. He reinvented himself as a syndacalist, which led to the official disbanding of Liberty & Solidarity in the wake of allegations of sexual assault by him there. He then reinvented himself as a Lenninist under the name Red London and was alledlgedly involved in sexual assaults, grooming minors, and violent attacks (including invading the home of a trans woman). The last rumour of his whereabouts that made it to me were that he and his cronies were under investigation for misconduct at events connected to Momentum/The Labour Party and there were allegations of misconduct by him in connection with CPGB party organ The Morning Star, however I'm not really as connected with those than the earlier activities. Hearing the same issues again is heartbreaking, as no matter the professed ideals or political affiliation, their reported actions have remained the same. When chucked out they just move to somewhere folks are unaware of their past.

I came into the world of blogging a decade ago following amongst other things the antics of the SWP in dealing with a similar affair and watched them implode. Despite their supposedly progressive agendas the hard left has a long history of such abuse in it's ranks the best known of which was the Gerry Healy Affair in the Workers Revolutionary Party. 

These organisations have transformed from political parties into cults and as such are prone to abusing their memberships on every level.