Why isn’t Tom Watson howling about RIGHT-wing entryism into Labour?
![Tom Watson: hammering the Left; soft on the Right? [Image: Ben Pruchnie/Getty Images].](https://voxpoliticalonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/160810-Tom-Watson.png)
Tom Watson: hammering the Left; soft on the Right? [Image: Ben Pruchnie/Getty Images].
The email described in the article quoted below is from three Lambeth Labour councillors – Jack Hopkins, Jane Edbrooke and Claire Holland. The fact that they are named should make them quite easy to find, so we should expect them to be reprimanded swiftly.
Will Mr Watson demand that they receive the same treatment as the Reds-under-the-bed he’s been preaching about? Or will they just get a slap on the wrist and be told not to do it again?
We’ll all be very interested in his reaction.
Here’s the text of the email from the three councillors. I wasn’t going to include it but it’s worth reading and some of you might not make it across to the original site:
“Email from Cllrs Jack Hopkins, Jane Edbrooke and Claire Holland, Oval Ward, Lambeth
“Sent: 19th July 2016
“To: Anyone who would listen
“Subject: A heartfelt request from your councillors, please consider carefully
“Dear Neighbours,
“We don’t normally write to you with party political matters but we feel so strongly that the present situation warrants it.
“As many of you will know the Labour Party is facing a crisis and as your local Labour Councillors we are hugely concerned about what impact this will have for not just our ward and our borough but also for our country.
“We do not feel that Jeremy Corbyn and the team around him are, or will ever be, ready for Government, nor do they give confidence to the general public on the issues that matter to them.
“There is now one challenger, Owen Smith MP and we believe that he will effectively lead the Labour Party and be better able to challenge Government policy with regards to its impact on Lambeth.
“We also feel that should Jeremy and his friends remain in charge that rule changes could jeopardise who your local Councillors could be in the future. We spend the majority of our time focused on tackling inequality, improving people’s life chances and supporting the most vulnerable, but we also make sure the bins are collected, that cycling is improved and our parks and green spaces remain beautiful and well kept, etc… We represent and deliver for everyone and we are practical and pragmatic. We balance the budget, even in these difficult times of central Government cuts.
“Should Jeremy and his friends remain in charge we are concern that this stability could be lost. No one wants a return to the Lambeth Council of the 1980’s, where Councillors focussed more on national issues than local ones and left Lambeth Council in a mountain of debt.
“http://www.independent.co.uk/news/the-rise-and-fall-of-red-teds-loony-lefties-1593657.html
“As of 5pm yesterday members of the public are able to sign up as registered supporters to have their say in our leadership contest. The fee has been raised to £25 which we recognise is a lot of money for people and we hope you are not offended that we ask you to consider registering and voting for a stronger and more effective Labour Party. The link is here http://www.labour.org.uk/pages/labour-party-leadership-election-2016
“Whether you are a regular Labour voter or not, we hope you’ll agree that a strong Labour Party nationally is important to ensure the Government of the day is properly challenged and scrutinised. Please sign up as a registered supporter if you can and vote for the sensible and uniting candidate. You have until 5pm TOMORROW (Wednesday 20th) when this opportunity to register closes.
“Best wish from your local Labour Councillors and please get in touch with us if you have any issues you want us to deal with.
“Claire, Jane and Jack”
To read any account of the current leadership contest you would be forgiven for thinking that the only people who had joined the Labour party over the past year were Trotskyites, members of the hard left who have seen their opportunity to flood the party and take it over.
The acute fear that hard left ‘entryism’ conjures in many Labour MPs has a long history and perhaps it is for that reason we have seen no coverage of how supporters of the ‘anyone but Jeremy’ camp have been organising to pack the Labour party with anyone who will vote against him.
A few weeks ago I received a begging e-mail from three Labour Councillors in Oval Ward, Lambeth. The email was sent the day before the close of applications to pay £25 to vote in the Labour leadership election. It asked me to join the Labour party to vote against Jeremy Corbyn.
What was interesting is that the email is addressed to everyone, whether they are Labour voters or not… Former Liberal Democrat councillors and council candidates received it. Local members of the Conservative Party received it. It appears that anyone who had previously corresponded with them about anything received the email.
To be clear the three Labour councillors were asking people who they knew were not Labour voters, indeed who they knew to be members of other political parties, to join the Labour party; not because they believed in the party, but for the sole purpose of assisting them to get rid of their leader.
Source: Blairite Entryism — Medium
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While Tom Watson is still banging his little drum about left-wing oh dear tom your wages are to go down perhaps if corbyn wins but really back stabbing your boss isnt nice yet on you twitle about lefties hmmm its more the rights of those you and your erk forgot about the peasants you have allowed them to be robbed daily by this government who you should be standing up to not patting them on the back you just another begger of the right please cross the floor and leave you wont be missed jeff3
Hear hear Jeff!!!
Tom Watson another snake oil salesman,like Owen Smith.we must rid ourselves of this cancer.
High on the agenda is to get rid of the traitors of Oval Ward, Lambeth.
Although I’m only a TCC Councillor I do a surgery most weeks and I’ve done a lot of campaigning in my area. Corbyn is like marmite, some love him some hate him, few are indifferent if they’re interested in politics. I know our local membership has rocketed over the last 15 months with many joining immediately after the last general election but before the leadership nominations. They were bitterly disappointed about the result. Many have also joined since. Some of the new members joined because of Corbyn while others have joined despite him. I know that there was a move during the last leadership battle for Tories to try to become £3 vote buyers in order to vote for Corbyn as they believed this would weaken Labour. I have had this confirmed by Tory supporters who did this.
Speaking with many people recently a lot of new joiners are strongly pro Corbyn but equally many are anti. I don’t know the actual figures only those I have spoken with.
I’m delighted there are so many new members but they’re little use to Labour if they don’t help get out and campaign. Anyone can pay subs and then do nothing – the money helps but the campaigning gets seats.
However the leadership election goes and I suspect it will be strongly pro Corbyn I urge ALL party members from every section to put the past behind them and get behind the leadership and work for Labour candidates in all capacities.
Same as that.
LOL, at least they’ve been polite about it, “Jeremy and his friends…”
Why isn’t Tom Watson howling about RIGHT-wing entryism into Labour? its simple he is one of them
Mike, I received a similar email from my M.P Christine Rees, M.P for Neath /Port Talbot. Telling me she supports Owen Smith.
I told her not to bother me with such tripe again.
Would it be surprising to find a whistle blower implicating Owen Smith as a Tory plant. To many coincidences.
The key phrase in the original email is ‘Whether you are a regular Labour voter or not.’
The email was not specifically targeted at Tory and Lib Dem voters or supporters.
It was an almost literal shot-gun form of communication.
This is well-known to be highly ineffective.
One of the comments cites this happening elsewhere too.
All these tactics smack of desperation to me.
Most of the right wing entryists are voting for Corbyn. As a Conservative, I want Corbyn to remain as the leader and I will be voting for him
When you say you’re a Tory, do you mean that you’re actually a member of the Tory party, or do you just mean that at every gen election, you’ve voted Tory?
I’m not familiar with everything politics related, processes etc, but I’m assuming you mean that you’ve paid the £3 or £25 to become a registered supporter?
I might be about to ask a stupid question, but I wonder how exactly Labour determines that you agree with the values and principles is it? of Labour, before they allow you to become a member?
Mike, does that make any sense?
Yes it does.
Hayfords reckons he’s hoodwinked the party by some digital trickery but I think he’s just trying to wind us up.
I voted for Watson,but only after he promised to back Jeremy.fool me.
Excellent !
May there be many more like you.
And it still never worked.
There seem to be no depths deep enough to which these people will not stoop. Why are they even in the party, if they are not interested in the membership, or supporting its democratically elected leader? What, on Earth, are they thinking, planning? What is their end game? …and they wonder why people are so disillusioned with politics and politicians!