Tag Archives: Stella Creasy

The biters bit: formal anti-semitism complaints are lodged against Starmer and his cronies

Sitting smug: racist anti-semite Keir Starmer probably thinks he can get away with accusing other people of his own crime because the Labour Party is hopelessly biased against attacking right-wing members for anti-semitism, the EHRC isn’t interested and the police think MPs are above the law. Is he right?

It’s good to see some people aren’t brainwashed by Keir Starmer’s misinterpretation of what constitutes anti-semitism.

Starmer, along with several cronies in the Parliamentary Labour Party, has falsely accused Rebecca Long-Bailey of tweeting a link to an article containing an anti-semitic conspiracy theory.

The problem is that, while the interview with Maxine Peake included a disputed claim that members of the Israeli police/military trained US police to use the choke hold that killed George Floyd, it is not anti-semitic to do so.

The claim relates only to the government of Israel, its police and its military – not to all Jews.

On the other hand, it is anti-semitic to confuse Israel, its government, police and military, with all Jews – as Starmer did.

The complaint referenced in the Prole Star article (link below) also accuses Ed Miliband, Margaret Hodge, Nia Griffith, Stella Creasy and Wes Streeting.

It has been lodged with both Labour and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).

Independently, the owner of the Skwawkbox blog has also lodged a complaint with the Labour Party.

This Writer doubts that any complaint against Labour will be given the time of day.

The party has apparently failed to take any action against the alleged racists among its officers who baited Diane Abbott, for example.

And the EHRC also seems a dead loss, if we are to judge it by its recent decisions.

Personally, I think the only way to explain the error of their ways to people who would cynically exploit the ignorance of others about anti-semitism, is a private prosecution under the Public Order Act 1986.

Nobody said the Jews were responsible for teaching the choke hold that killed George Floyd to US police – until Keir Starmer.

His words may be construed as incitement to racial hatred under the terms of the Act as it was he who put the idea into the public consciousness.

I don’t think the police or CPS will consider acting against a member of Parliament – even one belonging to the Labour Party – because it is (by now) well-established that MPs are above the law.

And a private prosecution will probably cost a lot of money.

Is anybody up for it?

Source: Formal Complaints Of Antisemitism Lodged Against Six Labour MPs

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Is Boris Johnson using abortion rights to bribe the DUP into supporting his Brexit deal?

Boris Johnson: The right of women in Northern Ireland to get an abortion if they need it is nothing to do with him – so it is entirely possible that he will cancel it to get his Brexit deal.

Without the Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party supporting his new Brexit deal, Boris Johnson will lose the Parliamentary vote on it tomorrow. So is he bribing Arlene Foster’s group?

The DUP is known to oppose the new legislation championed by Labour MP Stella Creasy to extend abortion rights to Northern Ireland. That change will happen in March 2020 – but only if devolved government in Northern Ireland has not been restored by October 21 – Monday.

Abortion law is a devolved matter but the Northern Irish assembly in Stormont collapsed in January 2017 and the Conservative government has shown little interest in restoring it.

Until now. It seems the government is ramping up efforts to restore the power-sharing devolved government, ending the chance to extend abortion rights into NI.

So it seems the Tories will sell out women across an entire country of the UK to pass its Brexit deal in the most squalid way possible.

Source: Boris Johnson accused of using abortion rights in Northern Ireland as ‘bargaining chip’ to get DUP to back Brexit deal | The Independent

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Court rules that current NI abortion law breaches human rights in blow to anti-abortionists targeting Stella Creasy

Stella Creasy: the pregnant MP was targeted by anti-abortion campaigners after she sponsored an amendment decriminalising it.

This is important: the High Court in Northern Ireland has ruled that current laws that criminalise abortion are in breach of the UK’s human rights commitments.

It comes after an amendment sponsored by Labour MP Stella Creasy was passed by MPs, decriminalising abortion if there is no deal to re-establish the devolved government in Northern Ireland by October 21.

Ms Creasy, who is pregnant herself, has since been targeted by an anti-abortion organisation calling itself the Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform (CBR) with a series of posters in her Walthamstow constituency.

She raised the fact with a point of order in the Commons yesterday, prompted Speaker John Bercow to describe the campaign as “vile, unconscionable and despicable”.

The case was taken in Belfast by Sarah Ewart, who challenged the law after she was denied a termination.

The judge said she ruled in Mrs Ewart’s favour as it was not right to ask another woman to relive the trauma that she had already experienced.

A formal declaration of incompatibility would not be made at this stage, the judge said.

Mrs Justice Keegan made that decision in light of impending legislation, already passed at Westminster.

Source: Abortion: NI law ‘breaches human rights’ – BBC News

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WATCH: ‘Vile, unconscionable and despicable’ – MPs respond to targeting of Stella Creasy by anti-abortionists

Abuse:’ This poster was put up in Stella Creasy’s Walthamstow constituency in what is seen as an attempt to intimidate her.

An anti-abortion group that targeted pregnant Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy has been labelled “vile, unconscionable and despicable” by Commons speaker John Bercow as MPs vowed to help her take action.

Ms Creasy raised the issue after an organisation called the Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform (CBR) put a poster of her alongside a picture of what it claimed was “a 24-week-old aborted baby girl”, with the claim “Your MP is working hard … to make this a human right” and the address of a website established against the MP.

The abuse targeted at Ms Creasy follows the approval from MPs of her amendment to extend abortion rights to Northern Ireland – the only part of the UK where it is illegal. The vote passed by 332 to 99.

She has reported the matter to the Metropolitan Police – only to be rebuffed by officers who say this is a “free speech” issue.

A clearly-emotional Ms Creasy raised the issue with a point of order in the House of Commons, after Prime Minister’s Questions today (October 2).

I managed to capture most of the exchange with Speaker John Bercow on video (I happened to have a camera handy and grabbed it up as soon as I realised what was happening). Apologies for the shaky picture and possible poor sound quality – the camera was hand-held. You may hear voices over the top – they belong to This Writer and Mrs Mike:

The point of order prompted the appropriate Tory government minister to promise action.

Abortion is a sensitive and complicated issue, and I don’t propose to go over all the arguments here.

But I do believe that there are many possible reasons for a woman (or a couple) to consider abortion and if that option is available to them, it is not for anybody else to tell them what to do. It is a matter for their conscience and it should be a human right.

The action of the so-called charity (as you will have heard, it has been refused charity status in the UK) – against a woman who is herself pregnant – is as Mr Bercow described it: vile, unconscionable and despicable. I’m sure many readers could add a few choice words themselves.

It is the sort of behaviour that could affect the health of an unborn baby, contrary to that organisation’s stated aims. Do these people even care about that double-standard?

It has no place in UK society.

Our charities exist to campaign for measures that improve the quality of life – not to victimise people who have done nothing wrong (the fake charity Campaign Against Antisemitism should also take note of this).

The advertising company that hosted the offending posters has agreed to take them down.

Let us hope that the organisation behind it faces legal action (this behaviour is a criminal offence under the Public Order Act) and is chased out of the UK for good.

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Stella Creasy is right: Nobody should be forced to choose between their career and motherhood

Facing discrimination: Stella Creasy.

At first it may seem very much a First World problem: Labour’s Stella Creasy has written a Guardian article apparently complaining that Parliamentary rules make it almost impossible for women to be both MPs and mothers.

Ms Creasy has a stake in this matter; she is expecting a baby and is currently having to deal with a deplorable lack of support from the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.

I was ready to be extremely unsympathetic. Think of all the women who have suffered unfair discrimination – for many reasons, not least because of pregnancy, especially since the Conservatives took office in 2010.

If you are a woman who has suffered such prejudice, please feel free to tell us all about it in the comment column.

But it seems Ms Creasy was prompted to put finger to keyboard by more than just her own situation.

She writes: “If we can’t get this right for MPs, how can we get this right for parents elsewhere?

“Britain still has a long way to go to ensure that fertility isn’t a barrier to equality. A third of employers think it’s acceptable to ask women about their plans for having a family at a job interview. Non-disclosure agreements are used frequently to cover up pregnancy discrimination, with the legal advice service Pregnant Then Screwed receiving on average 350 calls a year.”

And in fairness to her, Ms Creasy has also used her position to try to ensure that people who aren’t in work, or who do not earn very much, still have access to a reasonable standard of living – and I think we can include the means to bear children as part of that.

Her voting record shows that she has supported equality and human rights; voted to increase state benefits at least in line with inflation; opposed laws to cut housing benefit; and supported increased benefits over longer periods for people with illnesses and disabilities.

All these actions suggest that Ms Creasy believes people should have more life choices, including the choice of whether – and when – to have a child. She walks the walk, besides talking the talk, it seems.

My own opinion is clear: Your body – your choice. The only person with a right to dictate when – or whether – a woman has a child is the woman herself.

It’s nothing to do with employers. In fact, pregnancy discrimination is a hypocritical nonsense in a country where successive neoliberal governments have tried to make a virtual of workforce “flexibility” – meaning people don’t stay in the same job for long anyway.

It’s certainly nothing to do with lawmakers. The idea of legislating against a biological imperative is bizarre.

And, coming back to the reason Ms Creasy wrote her article, it’s certainly not a matter for the Parliamentary organisation concerned with standards.

Fair enough – MPs’ private lives should not interfere with their work representing their constituents.

But there are many ways that they can keep on top of the matters of the day – and have their say on them – while discharging their responsibilities as mothers.

The question for IPSA, as for employers across the country, is not how to prevent women from taking maternity leave; it is how to support them when they do – or, more damning, why they do not.

Source: I’m pregnant and forced to choose between being an MP and a mum | Stella Creasy | Opinion | The Guardian

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The Peter Willsman debate is a parade of ignorance

Peter Willsman.

It’s amazing, the number of people and organisations willing to disgrace themselves over the allegations of anti-Semitism against Peter Willsman.

First to do so, it seems to This Writer, is American-Israeli writer Tuvia Tenenbom, who is responsible for making the “off-the-record” recording that has been used against Mr Willsman, and for releasing this confidential information to the public in an astonishing display of bad faith.

We are told that Mr Tenenbom approached Mr Willsman in a hotel in Oxford during January.

According to the BBC, “The author said he had spotted Mr Willsman dining on his own and approached him and they ended up talking for some time, during which time the remarks were made.

“He said he was unaware it was being recorded by the sound man from his crew, until after the conversation was over.”

Oh really?

Mr Tenenbom has admitted that Mr Willsman was covertly recorded – that he was not made aware his words were being recorded. This is a standard tactic of the bad-faith fake-anti-Semitism witch-hunters. The Jewish Labour Movement used it to entrap Jackie Walker, to quote a well-known example. She was unaware that her words were being recorded, too.

We must ask what kind of author sits around hotels with a sound recordist on the off-chance that he’ll happen to run into a Labour activist who has already fallen foul of anti-Semitism accusations in the recent past.

And, even if the recording had been made without his knowledge, what kind of author not only holds on to it, but waits until a moment when it would be damaging to the Labour Party to release it – and then releases it? That constitutes several breaches of the Data Protection Act.

In such circumstances, we must suspect that an attempt is being made to misrepresent Mr Willsman.

Let’s consider the actual recorded words, shall we?

Referring to “the rich”, he said: “One of the things about anti-Semitism is that they’re using that to whip people up. They use anything, you know – any lies. It’s all total lies and they just whip it up.

“Off the record: It’s almost certain who is behind all this anti-Semitism against Jeremy [Corbyn]. Almost certainly, it was the Israeli embassy.

“Yeah, because they caught somebody in the Labour Party. It turns out that they were an agent in the embassy.

“The thing is that the people that are in the Labour Party doing it are people who are linked. One of them works indirectly for the Israeli embassy… My guess would be, they’re the ones working it up all the time.”

It seems clear that there’s a break in the recording at this point. What was said during that break?

The Mr Willsman’s voice resumes: “In The Guardian, not long ago, we had 68 rabbis, obviously organised by the Israeli embassy. 68 rabbis saying anti-Semitism in the Labour Party is “widespread and severe”. “Widespread and severe”. Is 70 out of 600,000 “widespread and severe”?” He expands on the difference between 70 and 600,000 for a moment, then says: “That is the … rubbish they’re coming out with.”

There is a wealth of evidence to show that Israel has been interfering in UK politics – and manufacturing false claims of anti-Semitism against Jeremy Corbyn. Here‘s some.

It would be legitimate to question whether Mr Tenenbom uses this “Act.IL” app – wouldn’t it?

Here‘s some more evidence.

I am not sure who Mr Willsman means when he refers to somebody in the Labour Party who was an agent in the Israeli embassy. This may be a reference to an issue mentioned to him in his capacity as an NEC member, of which the general public is not aware. If anybody can shine light on it, please let me know.

The person who “works indirectly” for the Israeli embassy seems certain to be Joan Ryan. We have the video evidence of her being offered £1 million by the conspirator Shai Masot.

In the reference to the letter by 68 rabbis, “obviously organised by the Israeli embassy” is clearly Mr Willsman’s opinion, based on the evidence of embassy interference in other matters. He rightly points out that the letter relies on no evidence at all to claim “widespread and severe” anti-Semitism in the Labour Party, and he is right to say that the claim is false. Anti-Semitism on the left wing of politics is lower than anywhere else in British politics, and among the public generally. I’m sure I don’t have to point educated Vox Political readers to the evidence for that.

Yet the media commentary on this matter has been highly condemnatory of Mr Willsman.

According to the BBC (again), “The Board of Deputies of British Jews president Marie van der Zyl called for Mr Willsman’s expulsion from the party, saying he had ‘not only denied anti-Semitism in the Labour Party but has resorted to a well-known anti-Semitic trope to make his point’.” Firstly, he didn’t deny that any anti-Semitism exists in the Labour Party. Can you see any such claim in his words? As for “a well-known anti-Semitic trope” – which one? We cannot assume she means – for example – the “Jewish conspiracy” trope because she might deny it later on. Therefore her reference to such a thing is pointless and immaterial.

And the BBC said: “[Tom] Watson condemned Mr Willsman’s remarks and said they illustrated ‘how serious the problem of anti-Semitism is in our party’.” And ITV News stated: “Labour deputy leader Tom Watson said Mr Willsman must be suspended immediately: ‘The fact that a member of Labour’s governing body feels he can continue to make such offensive remarks after being warned for similar outbursts previously shows how serious the problem of anti-Semitism is in our party,’ he said.” This only illustrates how serious the problem of Tom Watson is in the Labour Party. Mr Willsman’s remarks were about false claims of anti-Semitism against Jeremy Corbyn, remember – not about the wider issue of anti-Semitism in Labour as a whole. His remarks were not offensive; they were honest statements of opinion. And they were also private expressions of opinion, not meant for public consumption.

Labour MP Jess Phillips tweeted as follows:

This shows she doesn’t know what an anti-Semite is. For clarity: An anti-Semite hates – hates – Jews for the simple reason that they are Jews. It is not anti-Semitic to raise concerns about Israeli political interference with the UK. Thank goodness she isn’t in the party’s National Executive Committee!

In fairness: Rabbi Sylvia Rothschild, one of the 68 who signed the letter in The Guardian, tweeted: “As one of the rabbis who signed the letter I can categorically tell you we noticed and abhorred the anti Semitism in the Labour party, we think for ourselves and the Israeli embassy were not involved at any point. This continued slur on our motives is unacceptable.” There is no reason to doubt the sincerity of her words. But if you read the letter, where is the evidence on which these rabbis based their claims? There isn’t any.

I was going to mention some of the comments on Twitter, but I’d need another article to address the silliness in that snake pit.

It is certainly true that Mr Willsman spoke unwisely. He referred to a highly-sensitive matter in vague, easily-reinterpretable terms that laid him open to the criticisms we have heard.

But there is clear evidence of malice here. The motives of Mr Tenenbom and all those who have condemned Mr Willsman on the basis of his recording are questionable – you’ll notice none of them have said a single word about the use of confidential words that were recorded covertly and then publicised in clear breach of the Data Protection Act.

Now Labour has suspended Mr Willsman’s membership of the party’s National Executive Committee while it investigates.

The nature of that investigation is a matter of public interest and should be made as open as possible. We must judge the party and its procedures on the basis of what is done here.

It may be that the party’s disciplinary procedure will be proved unfit for purpose – again. Perhaps Stella Creasy is right to demand an independent investigations procedure. If so, This Writer would not trust any system endorsed by Ms Creasy and any of her friends on the right of the Labour Party.

My own opinion? Labour should submit its decisions on anti-Semitism and related matters to the courts. If they don’t stand up to judicial scrutiny, they shouldn’t stand.

Will PFI campaign be derailed by MP’s spat with blogger?

Stella Creasy [Image: Nicola Tree/ Getty Images].

This is all a little silly.

Labour MP Stella Creasy has launched a campaign to stop companies that have signed Private Finance Initiative (PFI) deals with the government from benefiting from falls in the rate of Corporation Tax.

Ms Creasy says it is important because, when these deals are signed, the rate of tax companies will pay is directly part of deciding if they represent value for money.

On her Facebook page, she explained: “If I buy a toaster and then its on offer a week later I don’t get the difference back so why should these companies get such a windfall – either they come to the table to renegotiate these contracts and the cost of them to the public sector or we should be willing to legislate. Help us secure support from more MPs for this.”

She linked to a Guardian article which elaborated:

Companies that built and run NHS hospitals under private finance initiative (PFI) contracts will have made about £190m in unexpected windfall profits by 2020 because of George Osborne and Philip Hammond’s cuts to corporation tax, research suggests.

Analysis by the Centre for Health and the Public Interest found that more than 100 PFI operators in the NHS collectively saved an estimated £84m between 2008 and 2015 and are due to gain another £106m between 2016 and 2020 because of the falling corporate tax rate.

The PFI companies are making bonus profits because the corporation tax rate has fallen from 30% when the majority of their contracts were negotiated to 19% now and is due to drop as low as 17% by 2020. Some companies may be deferring their tax liabilities to later in their contracts when the rates will be lower.

She also discusses the matter in a Twitter thread:

For many of us – especially those who never like the idea of PFI in the first place – this is a worthwhile cause. These companies are already making a fortune at the taxpayer’s long-term expense; why should they receive millions more – apparently in breach of their contracts – because of Tory tax changes?

But there’s a snag.

Ms Creasy’s campaign seems to have been overshadowed by her inability to answer a simple question: Whether she thinks it is acceptable for Labour MPs to be friends with – and socialise with – Conservative MPs.

Our fellow leftie blog, the Skwawkbox, raised this issue a couple of days ago after discovering that Ms Creasy had attended a gig with Tory MP Therese Coffey on December 16.

In light of Ms Creasy’s fellow Labour MP Laura Pidcock’s well-publicised belief that Labour MPs should not “hang out with Tory women” who are “no friends of mine” and “an enemy to lots of women”, Skwawkbox blogger Steve Walker asked for Ms Creasy to comment.

In response, he received a torrent of evasion – and, to be honest, abuse. See for yourself, here and here.

Her bizarre attitude has been bolstered by an article in the Huffington Post that supports her attitude of indignation that a blogger should call her out on this matter.

Isn’t this hypocritical of the HuffPost, which was quite happy to quote the Skwawkbox interview with Ms Pidcock, where she first made her comments about Labour MPs fraternising with the Tories? This Writer thinks so.

It seems the aim is to divert attention. Ms Creasy seems so desperate to avoid telling us whether she thinks it’s okay to hang out with her political enemies, she’ll try to point us at anything else.

So she has claimed Skwawkbox was attacking her taste in music, then that the blog is misogynist, and finally that the blog was trying to undermine her PFI campaign.

I’m sorry, but it seems Ms Creasy has managed that, all by herself.

And it seems she has succeeded in hoodwinking people. Look at the following tweet, from another respected blogger, Tom Pride:

The issue isn’t musical taste, Tom.

It’s whether this particular person on the Left actually has any interest in opposing the Tories.

From my point of view, there is a simple way out, of course.

It is for Ms Creasy to swallow her pride, apologise for making a mountain out of a molehill, answer the question she was askedand clarify exactly whose side she’s on.

Then, perhaps we can all get behind her worthwhile campaign.


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The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
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Sick of the Labour leadership/deputy campaigns? This candidate gets it

Congratulations to Stella Creasy for managing to keep her sense of humour, even at the end of a long and boring summer of Labour leadership in-fighting. This is probably the best video of the entire campaign:

Most Labour members/supporters have probably cast their votes already. If not, then although This Writer would prefer people to vote on candidates’ policies, voting for someone with a sense of humour does come a very close second.

And it’s a nice little something for the weekend (although one should probably not say that, considering some of the comments)!

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Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:

HWG PrintHWG eBook

The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:

SWAHTprint SWAHTeBook