Sour grapes? Corbyn critic ensured Corbyn lost his majority on Labour NEC – after she was voted off it herself

Last Updated: September 29, 2016By
Two-faced: Johanna Baxter is pictured applauding Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn during a speech in Brighton - before embarking on a series of backstabbing plots[Image: Ben Pruchnie via Getty Images].

Two-faced: Johanna Baxter is pictured applauding Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn during a speech in Brighton – before embarking on a series of backstabbing plots [Image: Ben Pruchnie via Getty Images].

So it was Johanna Baxter who proposed the rule change that put Corbyn critic Kezia Dugdale and a nominee of Corbyn critic Carwyn Jones on Labour’s National Executive Committee, removing Mr Corbyn’s majority support there.

Johanna Baxter, who was voted off the NEC earlier this year when party members overwhelmingly supported the six candidates of the Centre Left Grassroots Alliance over Labour First, of which she was a member.

Johanna Baxter, who then ran the panel of NEC members who adjudicated on complaints that other members had acted inappropriately – policing the rule change retrospectively so that comments made many years before members even became members were used against them, as was previous support or membership of other political parties, in one famous case, support for a rock band, and – of course – support for Jeremy Corbyn.

Johanna Baxter who, while still an NEC member, released her contact details to the public, calling for opinions on whether Mr Corbyn should be allowed onto the leadership ballot paper without nominations from the Parliamentary Labour Party – and then cried crocodile tears while falsely claiming bullies had published her details online as part of a campaign of intimidation against her and other NEC members, to make them support Mr Corbyn’s case.

And now she is saying people who want to reverse the undemocratic decision to put unelected opponents of Mr Corbyn onto the NEC are putting internal politics ahead of the Labour Party’s interests.

No, Ms Baxter. That is what you have been doing – for many months. Once again, we see that the accuser is guilty of the abuse she identifies.

Perhaps somebody should make a complaint to the party’s ‘Compliance Unit’ – of which, having been removed from the NEC, she should no longer be a member.

The architect of the Labour rule change that saw Jeremy Corbyn lose his majority support on the party’s national executive committee has said it would be “deeply unhealthy” if critics of the leader were silenced.

Johanna Baxter, who served on the party’s executive for six years before losing her bid for re-election over the summer, said opponents of her decision to give Scotland and Wales dedicated seats on the ruling body had tried to put internal politics ahead of the national interests of the party.

The change, which Baxter said she had pushed for her entire time on the committee, was voted through this week at party conference after an angry debate on the conference floor where Corbyn supporters accused the NEC of a “stitch-up” and “gerrymandering”.

The Scottish Labour leader, Kezia Dugdale, will now join the committee as a full member and the Welsh first minister, Carwyn Jones, chose a representative, Alun Davies. Dugdale and Jones are prominent critics of the Labour leader and as well as securing better regional representation, the seats are a huge boost to the anti-Corbyn faction in the party.

Source: Labour activist: it would be deeply unhealthy to silence Corbyn critics | Politics | The Guardian

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20 Comments

  1. Jill Jervis September 29, 2016 at 11:40 am - Reply

    If she was my local MP I would be making a complaint to her and then voting against her in local elections for being undemocratic.

    • Mike Sivier September 29, 2016 at 11:47 am - Reply

      She was a CLP representative on the NEC and had not been elected for anything else, to the best of my knowledge.

  2. autismandate September 29, 2016 at 11:41 am - Reply

    I don’t understand the mechanics of this. I understood that the recent election of the new (pro Corbyn) NEC members would take effect after the Labour conference. So that would mark the start of the New elected NEC committee. I would therefore suggest that these latest un represented members nominated by the old outgoing committee will not be valid from the date the new elected committee commences.

  3. Mad for Jezza September 29, 2016 at 11:42 am - Reply

    This dreadful traitor should obviously be shot at dawn or should be sent to the colonies for her crimes and treason… if we still had any colonies of course! Clap her in irons and send her to the Tower before ducking her as the witch she so obviously is.

    • Mike Sivier September 29, 2016 at 11:44 am - Reply

      Sarcasm ill-suits you.

      • June Knight September 29, 2016 at 12:37 pm - Reply

        I don’t think it was sarcasm. Its the way our true feelings are expressed using old world analogies and examples.

        We used to be able to use old world well worn references and analogies, nothing really meant or intended – nobody is going to drive up, pull a sack over head, put her in the boot and feed her to the fishes.

        Why are we becoming like Americans. that anything said if jest or sarcasm is taken literally now?

        So Sad.

        Hung Drawn and Quatered has been my suggestion while heads and innards hung from spikes on traitors gates. (lol)

        Only kidding, see the “lol” at the end

        ….where’s my hook for pulling the entrails from the lower bellies? and four horses to send the bits to the four corners of our kingdom.

        Life’s not Fun any more.

        • Mike Sivier September 29, 2016 at 1:35 pm - Reply

          It was sarcasm – he’s posted another such comment. You seem confused in your argument, as you bemoan the possibility that “anything said if [sic] jest or sarcasm is taken literally now” while trying to argue against the claim that sarcasm was being employed.
          Also, did you consider that it might be best not to try to be too clever at the moment, as you might end up facing accusations of being abusive?

  4. serge September 29, 2016 at 12:13 pm - Reply

    pure poison who roams in the background , reminds me of a flower though : The Laburnum , yellow and poisonous ! Good -luck unison .

  5. Roland Laycock September 29, 2016 at 12:21 pm - Reply

    This just goes to show the sick state the Labour Party is in, it is now a job for the local party to sort out

  6. Rusty September 29, 2016 at 12:26 pm - Reply

    The dark arts of politics! You can try and complain but if they are ignoring the democratic process then how do you change what’s been put in place?

  7. Sven Wraight September 29, 2016 at 1:18 pm - Reply

    Why isn’t there a rule that says once an NEC member has been voted out, they should have no more power?

    • Mike Sivier September 29, 2016 at 1:27 pm - Reply

      It’s like US presidential elections – the vote takes place a couple of months before the current President ends his term in office. Perhaps it is to effect a smooth handover, when necessary. I don’t recall hearing of any US president creating problems for the next one in that period – although it’s not me field of expertise.

      • Sven Wraight September 29, 2016 at 1:56 pm - Reply

        Thank-you

  8. Jane Owens September 29, 2016 at 6:14 pm - Reply

    This could signal the eventual demise of Carwyn Jones. Can barely wait for him to knock on my door come voting time and I certainly won’t be granting permission for his ‘Vote Carwyn’ placards to be attached to my garden fence. Very disappointing.

    • skwalker1964 September 30, 2016 at 12:28 am - Reply

      Ha, but then they’ll blame Corbyn for Jones’ poor performance.

  9. skwalker1964 September 30, 2016 at 12:27 am - Reply

    I *knew* it was Baxter. She tried to blame the unions. Cowards and traitors indeed.

  10. crazytrucker1951 October 1, 2016 at 3:56 pm - Reply

    No lengths to what the treacherous scabs will go to get rid of JC, not just the vile scabs in the PLP but within the Party hierarchy also, time JC to hand out some P45’s starting with the biggest traitor of all Iain McNicol!

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