The Labour rebels’ shame: Party staff are advised about dealing with violence at party conference
![The result of the leadership contest between Jeremy Corbyn and Owen Smith will be announced on Saturday morning, before the start of the Labour Party's Women's Conference. Mr Corbyn is expected to win [Image: Getty Images].](https://voxpoliticalonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/160921-Jeremy-Corbyn-Owen-Smith-Sky-hustings-Getty-Images.jpg)
The result of the leadership contest between Jeremy Corbyn and Owen Smith will be announced on Saturday morning, before the start of the Labour Party’s Women’s Conference. Mr Corbyn is expected to win [Image: Getty Images].
I can’t accept the comment from “one party insider” – partly because anonymous sources are usually invented and partly because it is an attempt to blame Jeremy Corbyn for an increased fear of violence.
If there is a threat of violence in the Labour Party, it has been seeded by opponents of Mr Corbyn – not his supporters.
They are entirely responsible for the situation in which the party now finds itself – languishing in the opinion polls (no matter whether you think they’re accurate or not) having wasted three months on a leadership contest that nobody apart from a few spoilt MPs wanted, that the same spoilt MPs used to attack the members of their own political party.
Oh yes, there are many reasons for Labour members and supporters to be infuriated with their higher-profile representatives.
But if we’re laying blame, let’s lay it where it belongs.
Labour party staff have been warned they may face “aggressive and potentially violent” situations at the annual conference in Liverpool.
The unprecedented advice – including an emergency hotline – has been included in a circular sent to officials ahead of the gathering at the Echo Arena in the city this weekend.
Staff and stewards are told they may face physical or verbal assault and could be harrassed by angry activists.
One party insider told HuffPost: “It’s extraordinary. I’ve never seen the party send out anything like it before. It’s an absolutely shocking indictment of the party under Jeremy Corbyn.”
Corbyn has repeatedly condemned abuse and threats during the bitter leadership contest against challenger Owen Smith, but his critics say he should be doing more to stamp it out.
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“Corbyn has repeatedly condemned abuse and threats during the bitter leadership contest against challenger Owen Smith, but his critics say he should be doing more to STAMP it out.” No sense of irony from the Huffing Post! Plus, this sounds like an Owen Smith turn of phrase.
It’s like so-called ‘gun-control’… banning handguns, etc., was supposed to stop people getting shot. It hasn’t.
How the hell can any sane person expect Jeremy Corbyn to have the ability to stop some nutter[s] from getting violent? He can’t.
The people who say he hasn’t done enough to stop ——–** are ‘of a type’. Often the bullying type.
King Canute didn’t try to stop the tide because *he* thought he could. He did it to prove to those around him, who believed he had ‘godlike’ powers, that they were wrong.
Re: ** above. Insert brexit, anti-semitism, online abuse, or anything else you like ;)
The only violent, aggressive abusive behaviour I have witnessed was on TV when John Mann went for Ken Livingstone in full view of the press and public. One questions why he chose such a public occasion to be so abusive. One also questions why he wasn’t suspended for brining the party into disrepute
That reminds me – I really need to finish editing my book about Ken Livingstone and the anti-Semitism allegations.
This articles is outrageous. If big Ben fell down. Buck House burned down. The Thames dried up tonight. Its pretty sure it would be the fault of Jeremy Corbyn….. Outrageous. The only ones responsible for all this deep
trouble are the PLP who created this problem….
I’m confused. I agree with what you’re saying. Why is the article outrageous?
Mike, I guess, and I can but it no stronger than that, she forgot to insert the Huffington Post article . . . .is outrageous. As a serial offender myself I can make the no other comment on the acts or omissions of others.
This rumour smacks of all the nasty underhand comments that have been going round since the opponents of Corbyn “almost” surfaced and is certainly not representative of any true labour member and most of all certainly not something that Corbyn could possibly be responsible for.
One party insider told HuffPost: “It’s extraordinary. I’ve never seen the party send out anything like it before. It’s an absolutely shocking indictment of the party under Jeremy Corbyn.” its not me gov honest yet the blairites aint going quietly
These warnings are in part to keep people away from Conference (having already purged some Corbyn-supporting delegates), and will no doubt be followed with some agents provocateur causing trouble, which will then be blamed on Corbyn-supporting delegates and/or Momentum members.
Frankly, I’m pretty disgusted with the lies & misrepresentations by those in the party who are opposed to democracy, unless it delivers the result they want. They should be ashamed of themselves.
Who chose Liverpool as a venue I wonder? Seems as though some wonks at Labour HQ want there to be a measure of violence to overshadow the Conference and make the news agenda all about Jeremy Corbyn’s “inability” to prevent it.
The people of Liverpool are rightly proud of their traditional Labour roots and the best way to ensure that JC gets the triumph he deserves is not to let their feelings for the moderates overkill into verbal or any other form of “violence”. Deny the media their aim. Keep Calm and Carry On with Corbyn!
Do you really think there will be any violence – from anybody but stooges for the so-called ‘moderates’?
I don’t.
I don’t really think that any stooges will stand up and carry out any but it’s always a possibility.
This was just another pre-conference smear attempt.