Livingstone’s comments about Jones are immaterial. Labour right-wingers want him out because he opposes Trident

Last Updated: November 19, 2015By

When this story broke (yesterday), one of the first thoughts This Writer had was to consider whether Kevan Jones had made his public criticism of Ken Livingstone’s appointment in the hope that Livingstone would say something untoward (as he did).

I rejected the thought in short order – that’s the sort of shifty Tory tactic that has no place in the Labour Party, after all.

However, it seems Mr Jones and other right-wingers are determined to play on Livingstone’s unfortunate remark for all they are worth, now that he has made it – and that’s another shifty Tory tactic that has no place in the Labour Party!

Especially since Kevan Jones had no business voicing any concerns about Ken Livingstone in public in the first place.

So, let’s get our priorities straight.

If Ken Livingstone is forced off this defence review, it will be because he made an out-of-line comment about Mr Jones – not because of any opinions he may hold that don’t correspond with those of the Labour right-wingers. Right?

Wrong.

People like David Blunkett will happily say they want Livingstone out because of that comment, but the real reason is to remove someone who supports the scrapping of Trident. That is very clear.

Kevan Jones deserves to be disciplined for speaking in public about Ken Livingstone when any doubts he had should have been voiced in private to his party leader. Why did he not do that? Because he wanted exactly the kind of publicity we have seen.

I think Kevan Jones is another snake-in-the-grass, and the only productive conclusion to come from this sorry story is that he has been rooted out.

Ken Livingstone should step down as co-convenor of Labour’s defence review after he suggested the shadow defence minister Kevan Jones “might need psychiatric help”, the former home secretary David Blunkett has said.

Livingstone tweeted an apology to Jones, who has spoken publicly about experiencing depression, but later reignited the row when he appeared to water down the apology.

Blunkett told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme he was glad Livingstone had “unreservedly apologised to a longstanding colleague”. Asked whether he thought Livingstone should step down from the defence review, Blunkett replied: “Yes, I do.”

He said: “There comes a time – and I’ve come to that point – where you have to be really circumspect about your past, including your failures … One of the lessons I’ve learned is that if you’ve made mistakes, you don’t continue making them. Ken lost the mayorship of London twice. I think he should be circumspect about why.”

Source: David Blunkett calls for Ken Livingstone to quit Labour defence review post | Politics | The Guardian

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6 Comments

  1. Gary Aronsson November 19, 2015 at 2:25 pm - Reply

    Let us be perfectly honest just for once.Nuclear weapons exist,they can’t be un-invented.They are truly horrible things and creating the damn things was an act of complete lunacy.

    But they DO exist,and the world is just as crappy now as it was in 1945,or 1066 if you want to be honest because PEOPLE have not changed,they are as sneaky,greedy and underhand now as they ever were.And in a world in which Nuclear Weapons DO exist Britain is safer having them than not having them as none of the countries which has them would treat us the same if we didn’t have them BECAUSE they wouldn’t HAVE to!

    In recent years we have seen both Iraq and Libya destroyed by countries which HAVE Nuclear weapons on the grounds that both Iraq and Libya MIGHT have them BUT shouldn’t because WE say they shouldn’t.In both cases it was later found that NEITHER of them had the so called WMD that we said they had and the possession of which was our excuse for destroying them.Syria has survived because it is being protected by RUSSIA and not by any WMD that Syria has been accused of having.

    If either Iraq or Libya had truly possessed Nuclear Weapons then it is beyond belief that we would have ever contemplated bothering them let alone invading them!North Korea is openly despised but NOBODY bothers them because they DO have WMD and make no secret of being happy to use them.

    Any politician who wishes to put his own infantile view of the world ahead of the only guarantee we have of being left alone,the ability to turn large swathes of the planet into radioactive glass,is a complete moron.The survival of Britain is more important than ANY politicians conscience.The Job Description for being Britain’s Prime Minister is built around the willingness to butcher our nations enemies before they butcher us,anyone unwilling to wade through the blood of other nations so as to protect this one is not only temperamentally unsuited to the job but also on the same moral plane as a traitor.

    Any British politician who thinks the survival of Britain would be made more likely by our being easily blackmailed by the likes of Israel, France, America, Russia, China, Pakistan, India and North Korea is dangerously stupid.

  2. bevchat November 19, 2015 at 2:27 pm - Reply

    Labour right wingers do not belong in the Labour party..and would be well advised to keep their views and opinions to themselves…Britain cannot afford Trident…yet more and more cuts are being made to local services..What use is a nuclear submarine compared to peoples health and welfare? I would sooner see that money used to pay for front line police officers than some stupid submarine that will become a white Elephant!

  3. AndyH November 19, 2015 at 5:48 pm - Reply

    I’ve had anxiety and depression since childhood, but I don’t care what Livingstone said – and at the same time I think Jones should stay in the party – his voting record on welfare is just what we need: http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/11003/kevan_jones/north_durham/votes

  4. ian725 November 20, 2015 at 1:37 am - Reply

    That is most probably the current reason for it all Mike . personally I like Ken.

  5. Vasco Pereira November 20, 2015 at 3:15 pm - Reply

    My personal opinion is that although Ken Livingstone’s remarks were misjudged, Kevan James is cynically using his experience with depression as a get out of jail free card. And rather hypocritically considering the following remarks he made in Parliament in 2010:

    “Any idiot in opposition who argues that Government legislation can somehow be got through without programme motions should be taken out to the nearest lunatic asylum.”

    • Mike Sivier November 20, 2015 at 3:30 pm - Reply

      I’m having that for an article.

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