Vote Labour!
I agree with this analysis from a journal which is not uncritical of the present Labour leadership.
Apart from positive reasons to vote Labour like our candidate in Ipswich Jack Abbott, there is no serious alternative. Apart from a few genuine left ‘independent’ candidates, follow my gaze, anti-Labour forces include the going nowhere TUSC, the no-hopers of the CPB – both pro Brexit ultras and a handful of others, like the WRP. Then there are the well funded and widely present, they had a television broadcast, the patriots of Galloway’s ‘WPB’ who’ve attracted a predictable bunch of Islamists far right wingers, anti-Semites, chancers and looney bins.
The Greens are not socialist, as can be seen by their decision to stand against Jeremy Corbyn in Islington North.
French Parliamentary elections: where now?
The results of the first round of the French Parliamentary elections have been sufficiently broadcast to need only to be briefly summarised. Jordan Bardella’s and Marine le Pen’s RN came a clear first, 32/3% the left alliance the Front Populaire not *too* far behind, 28 % ,Macron’s bloc Ensemble a distant third, at 20 % and the remains of the Gaullists, Les républicains, and micro party allies, only a few points above the fringes at 10,2 % with their former leader, backer of an alliance with the RN winning the ballot in a constituency against his onetime colleagues.
The issue now is whether the hard core Macronistes in Renaissance and centre will back the FP in two way contests between the left and the RN, and conversely if the left can vote Ensemble against the the RN – though given the scores the former is more prelevant. This is an acute choice in conditions where 3 candidates had got enough votes to stay to the second round, ‘triangulaires’.
There are calls in such cases to form a ‘Front républicain’ to keep the RM out. Or simply for candidates to stand down.
https://x.com/Pabloite/status/1807719896026955826
https://x.com/PhMarliere/status/1807738321809850855
Macron supporters against stopping the RN by voting left have spoken but the rhetoric labelling the FP ‘extreme left’ remains.
https://x.com/PhMarliere/status/1807741303121207348
Meanwhile… France’s Daily Telegraph choses the RN over the left.
https://x.com/edwyplenel/status/1807539th
The situation is evolving by the hour with protests by the left adding bite.
https://x.com/libe/status/1807801334873407880
Macron has reminded his ministers they needed the left to defeat the RN before. There are predictable rows about Mélenchon’s behaviour.
The wider issues why the social blocs behind left, centre and classic right have been reconfigured to allow the RN its chance, beyond the disintegration of the industrial base behind the Communists and traditional socialists, remains.
Official results now out: RN 29, 25, FP, 27,99, Ensemble, 20,04, LR, 6, 57, LR aligned RN, 3, 90.
France: Left unites while (classic right) tears itself apart.
The French Left has been uniting around the new Popular Front. Its programme includes an immediate rise in the minimun wage, an end to ‘reform’ of unemployment benefit, and the restoration of the retirement age to 60.
https://x.com/lunionpopulaire/status/1801560183451086994
The latest news is that Clementine Autain, a uniting figure liked by many for clear internationalist stands on issues like Ukraine has offered to be a potential Prime Minister. To many non LFI people she is preferable to Mélenchon.
https://x.com/libe/status/1801558539988517223
More on the left.
https://x.com/edwyplenel/status/180155528284
Meanwhile the classic Gaullist right, Les républicains, have been tearing themselves apart after some leading figures responded to a call to ally with the hard right RN and the far right La Reconquête. Instead of this attempt to ‘unite all the sovereigntists’ many local LR groups have been passing agreements with Macron’s Rennaisance party. Expulsions of those who wish to align with the party of Marine le Pen, beginning with Chair Eric Ciotti are underway.
The Rennaisance and majority LR strategy, such as it is, is to present themselves as a moderate centrist rampart against the far right and the ‘extreme’, the latter being unconvincing given that the Popular Front is backed by centre left figures like former President François Hollande.
Polls put the RN bloc in the 30s, the Left in the 20s, and Macron’s bloc in the teens. He will remain President whatever happens in these Parliament.
One awaits some people on the left in the UK to give us some lessons on Popular Fronts from whatever Trotsky said in the 1930s.
Leading Suffolk Tory intellectual and social influencer goes Marine le Pen.
There was a Reform leaflet in the gutter a few houses away in this street today. Obviously they had not bothered with this gaff which has a Labour poster. Was it Kev and his mates? A few days ago he was ranting against Farage. Now he’s making doe eyes at Marine le Pen.
The shock waves are already felt in Paris.
.
France: new Front Populaire formed to fight elections.
This is good news. The four main organisations of the French left, the centre left Socialists, LFI (Mélenchon) , Communists, PCF, and écologistes, have reached an agreement to fight the Legislative elections as a united force. Other smaller groups from the Nupes bloc are expected to join. The radical left NPA has called for unity in the ballot box and in the streets.
This new Popular Front, nouveau Front populaire, offers a programme of ‘rupture’ with Macron’s policies and opposition to the Rassemblent National, now in its own alliance with the even more extreme Reconquête. There is talk of agreements the classic right Republicans, which go against the Gaullist anti Vichy tradition.
Mobilisations of left supporters have already begun with demonstrations and welcomes to the bloc.
https://x.com/libe/status/1800387483236176373
https://x.com/libe/status/1800408 388796375332
In English
https://x.com/LeMonde_EN/status/1800441163717218807
Forces hostile to this inspiring development have already begun criticising an alliance with Mélenchon principally because of his pro Palestinian stand on Gaza, no doubt preferring a le Pen, Bardella, Zemmour victory. Plutôt l’extrême droite, que le Front Populaire…
This is the RN leader,
https://x.com/edwyplenel/status/1800446914443497643
In the streets,
France, calls for new Union de la gauche faced with threat of hard right Rassemblement National.
https://x.com/libe/status/1800169446524518659
The hard right RN topped Sunday’s Euro election in France with over 30 per cent of the vote. Président Macron’s latest incarnation of Rennaisance got just over 15 per cent. The classic right Republicans got a bit over 7 points.
The left was principally divided into lists of la France insoumise (LFI) at just over 10%, and the Socialists/Place Publique, Réveiller: l’Europe who got over 14 per cent. The Ecologists only just got over 5 per cent, barely more than the extreme right La Reconquête. The Communists got a feeble 2, 3 per cent and no seats while the 5 far left lists barely registered.
To those who blame Macron for the Marine le Pen and Jordan Bardella’s breakthrough one can comment that electors had plenty of choice on the left to back other alternatives.
The President has dissolved the National Assembly and called elections in two rounds, on June 30 and the 7th of July.
Faced with the prospect of a RN PM ‘cohabiting ‘ with Macron there are widespread calls for left unity, though hard line supporters of Israel , a small minority, have attacked any alliance with Mélenchon’s LFI.
Negotiations on the left are already underway today.
Call for new Popular Front from the CGT
https://x.com/lacgtcommunique/status/1800184988446642458
There is a serious debate on the causes of this vote. But at present time presses, obviously Macron’s intention. Like many people this Blog feels very emotional about this, la bête immode qui monte.
Protests
Keir Starmer the biography. Tom Baldwin.
https://x.com/Chartist48/status/1799728642274292144
This biography by Tom Baldwin is , I have also read it, very thorough and illuminating. It goes some way to explaing how the Labour leader travelled from radical leftism, Pabloism no less, (the author took the trouble to ask those who know about this eg me, me though that was on the Paris background which is not cited as it’s not central in the details) in the 1980s, to his present stand. On FB those of us who came across him the Socialist Society have shared their own memories of Socialist Alternatives Starmer’s faction, the name of its journal. They are not generally favourable to the actions of the group, though at least one person who was part of the organisation looks back positively on them.
Some underline the conformism that goes with high flying official legal career as a major factor explaining Starmer’s political development.
With Labour doing well in opinion polls other issues than these dominate politics. The excellent review concentrates on the broader picture.
East Anglia’s leading conservative intellectual denounces Nigel Farage’s “fascism”.
Launching a new career as YouTube social media influencer Kevin Algar has harsh words for Reform and its leader. He’s a lot better than Ipswich Tory Tom Hunt whose recently spoken of admiring Reform’s Spode. Kev also has a clear anti racist message.
We are so used to seeing people make the journey from left to national populist right it’s astounding to see the reverse trip.
Kevin was pro Reform not long ago.
Hats off!
Vote Labour!
From a good comrade from the Labour Briefing days. Highly respected I add.
Farage standing in Clacton.
Clacton candidate Nigel Farage is going to be a major test for the Reform ‘party’, a business with strong US backing and an anti globalist company with links with the populist right and finance across Europe and North America.
On the background of this ‘patriot’ and his mates, who included George Galloway in the days of the Brexit Party , also included the Spikey ones, the present Blog has lots in the archives.
Reports from East Anglia the smirking Trump sycophant is not universally loved the Essex seaside town, but the area has had Kipper councillors, 22 UKIP at their height in the place around a decade ago. The vote for Brexit was very strong. It has an unmemorable Tory MP (well I only just heard of him).
It is also a place with poverty and homelessness. Recalling the Pier from childhood and having visited since I like the place to an extent but prefer next door Walton on the Naze which is part of the voting district. As is Frinton with its Greensword and, er genteel reputation.
https://x.com/BylinesEast/status/1797717507983458810
The above Bylines article gives an excellent insight into the contest.
Local opposition.
Trump guilty.
It would be easy to gloat at the Trump verdict, easy but above all great fun .
At uni and afterwards I’ve studied and followed European politics, the UK, France, Germany and Spain principally. As a French speaker I have a grasp of what goes in the Hexagon.
i don’t have much of a hold on US political life so recommend those who do such as this excellent Blog.
Labour turns back on purging Diane Abbott.
Many of have felt incredibly strongly on this. I grew up in nearby North London and have followed her career closely. Having met her, as have many, I can only say I hold Diane in great respect. The factionalists who’ve attacked her are contemptible student politicians who’ve never grown up.
Abbot has got support from all sections of the movement. I know very mainstream Labour activist who’ve had the same reaction as I have had. Without these pesky people they would have got away with this
Diane Abbott.
Lots of people, from across the Party, feel very very, incredibly, strongly about this. Including Angela Rayner. I’m one of them.
Diane is our comrade. End of story.
Galloway, Yakoob and the rabble of ‘independents’ in the election.
One of the refrains from the anti Labour left is that socialists should back independent left candidates.
The Greens are less popular these days as the choice of backing them in Islington South as Owen Jones does runs up against the Greens standing against Corbyn in Islington North – indeed we learn that a one time Labour councillor, a corbynista, here who left and joined the GPEW has now resigned from her new party on the issue.
The article below is well informed and hits hard targets, now the easy to highlight the more obvious far right crossovers in ‘Spode’ Galloway’s green and brown shorts. I was struck by the Birmingham references which I know something about. I note the role of former Fourth Internationalist Stuart R in this lash up.
Meanwhile right wing factionalism in Labour continues. After the disgraceful treatment of Diane Abbott this is their new target, Lloyd Russell-Moyle.
https://x.com/patrickkmaguire/status/1795862063480234472
l
Attack on Rafah.
This morning there was strong condemnation of the brutal attack from all sections of the French left, from the humanist centre left Glucksmann to radical figures such as Clementine Autain.
https://x.com/rglucks1/status/1794989405045715064
https://x.com/Clem_Autain/status/1794983367554777454
Paris protest
https://x.com/NPA_paris/status/1795037737747165417
The same response is heard across Europe and Keir Starmer has called for Israel to ‘stop’
This is a vigorous article from the UK left.
https://x.com/libe/status/1795042262306697693
More on critism from the French left above.
Suffolk’s leading conservative intellectual Kevin Algar warns of Labour ‘police state’.
Whether is still a member of Reform is not clear but Kev has had more than the usual pink gins at Woodbridge Golf Club.
Just a reminder of how mad the right is.
Labour Hub on Corbyn’s decision to stand for election.
Meanwhile on the fringes.
Jeremy Corbyn to stand as Independent in Islington North.
This is desperately sad
https://x.com/jeremycorbyn/status/1793899852624953398
It is not to grasp the former Labour leader’s reasons. He has been treated shabbily.Apart from not agreeing with the decision to stand one thing that will put people off will be the virulent anti Labour stand of some of those who will now present themselves in the election campaign.
The anti Labour deserve better campaign which also advocates backing the non socialist Green Party and a variety of independents, often eccentrics, is one of the more temperate of them.
John McDonnell. A labour movement agenda for a Labour government.
It is no secret that the Tendance is close to McDonnell ‘s politics.
Iran after the death of Ebrahim Raisi.
https://x.com/yashar/status/1792412243679912436
https://x.com/omid9/status/1792488937631453638
There is a great deal more on X
https://x.com/AlinejadMasih/status/1792495207277044067
https://x.com/MaryamNamazie/status/1792491080161583487
Also worth noting in the Middle East, divisions in Hamas.
Statement on the 2013 crisis in the SWP.
Saw this in a number of places and initially thought, surely not!
This judgement is well true, it’s not been forgotten
Ukraine, City under siege.
Chartist magazine and the EB are committed to the cause of Ukraine.
The present Blog TC specialises in western European politics, above all France, Spain and Germany. It is preferable to repost others on this defining war.
Julie Ward on Israel and Gaza.
Chartist on the Labour Party.
As a Chartist supporter I agree with this. There are obviously things to add after the most recent Tory defection. I did not expect my old Pabloite comrade to be left wing but his recent moves are not attractive.
Israel’s assault on Gaza. How should the left react?
The AWL have a thought out stand on this which should be read not shouted down.
Galloway fails to get his Front going.
Steve https://x.com/Searchlight_mag/status/1787398556489
What a pile of cack.
Suffolk’s leading conservative intellectual, and Reform stalwart on Dan Poulter joining Labour.
This is too funny to ignore. The chaps at Kev’s Golf Club are spluttering into their pink gins. Tomorrow’s pheasant shoot will be lively!
Jim on Gideon Falter.
Jim and his comrades in Solidarity are amongst those on the left who’ve kept their nerve during the recent Gaza crisis. While condemning Israel’s atrocities and attending protests against them they have not witheld their criticisms of the Islamists of Hamas. The Tendance approaches these issues through the lens of First International Marxism and the universalist humanism of Jean Jaurès rather than Trotskyism.i
In the Falter affair most people would have found it stretching credulity that the man just happened to be in Aldwych, an area dead at weekends, just to begin with.
Jim cited I note with interest CPB leading figure, a fellow North Londoner (she even knew my Primary School) who has opposed the Morning Star line on such issues. Meeting her once she expressed views on Galloway not far off the Tendance’s.
Galloway’s Workers Party of Britain to stand against John McDonnell.
Brown Workers Party of Britain to stand against leading left winger in next election.
https://x.com/David__Osland/status/1782729370475335720
https://x.com/Pabloite/status/1782763717509181612
It seems all Labour MPs are targets for this brown brown front.
it will interesting to see how Galloway’s admirers in the Morning Star and TUSC react to this.
Galloway plumbs new depths.
Did you ever in your puff see such a frightful perisher as Galloway and his green and brown shorts ?
gshttps://x.com/paulwaugh/status/1782147992553697562 use
Galloway and the Lib Dems, a merry tale
Galloway recruits Tory
https://x.com/lmharpin/status/1782152915811021218
and more
Farage, Braverman and …Eric Zemmour.
There are lots of reports on the, ‘cancelled’, National Conservative meeting in Brussels. Coverage in the UK has focused on the one time Brexit Party leader and the one time British Home Secretary. French language articles in Belgium have focused on the way the Brussels had decided to call a halt to this ‘anti globalist’ spectacle, backed Hungary’s Viktor Obran and wealthy US hard rightists.
In France the presence of the far right leader, former French Presidential candidate and chief of Reconquête, Éric Zemmour, has drawn attention. It is hard to overemphasise how extreme Zemmour is – and I have read a number of his books starting with Le suicide Français.
Reliable sources indicate an important Spiked Living Marxism role in organising the event.
A Century of Labour. John Cruddas.
An important review by a comrade who really knows his labour movement history. The critical comments on what is known as ‘communiarian’ philosophy, no more in fashion than Blue Labour, are also well targeted.
This does not detract from the author’s strengths.
John Cruddas has had a long and fruitful dialogue with the democratic socialist left.
Gaza, Ukraine and the left.
Oakland Socialist is US blog which has gained an audience outside of America.Its views are often similar to the European internationalist left. It is always worth reading.
On Ukraine, from Shiraz.
An important article that should be widely read and shared.
Rochdale. Galloway’s gang standing far right candidate.
https://x.com/Searchlight_mag/status/1776565909886255458
Big shot Galloway is standing 13 candidates, (20 are up for the vote) in the Rochdale local elections this May. His old muckers from TUSC have helpfully not put any up there.This is their top man.
.
The Red Brown Front.
https://tendancecoatesy.wordpress.com/wp-admin/link-manager.php
Labour and the Greens.
In East Anglia the Green Party is a force in many District councils . They control Mid Suffolk. They are not noticably left wing and will tell anybody who asks, eg me, they are not socialist. Polls published in East Anglian Bylines indicate they will not have a breakthrough in the General Election, even their Waveney target seat.
One can agree with them on some issues, here on the new Sizewell C nuclear plant which apart from energy issues will destroy an area of great beauty, without supporting them.
This is part of a wider debate.
Tom Hunt Ipswich Tory MP.
Hunt stickers all around here
Tom Hunt far right apologist.
An Easter message from East Anglia’s leading Conservative intellectual, ex-Tory and new Reform stalwart.
Kev opines.
Owen Jones. From Jim.
Good analysis. Owen has suffered so much abuse I have not posted. But he politically is going nowhere.
Woodbridge toff Kev leaves Tories and joins far right Reform UK.
The East Anglian political scene is still under the shock. Top Suffolk Tory joins far party.
Armed Road, Only Road – IMG (1970s).
Watching Trevor Phillips on the telly this morning brought back some happy memories of his student union days. He was the leader in London, later nationally, of the NUS, of an alliance between Labour students and the Communist Party. The Broad Left, who believe it or not tried to recruit me at one point at Warwick, were not fond of the faction I was I was a member of, the International Marxist Group but obviously made exceptions for outstanding cadres.
Around that time one of our favourite IMG chants at demos was Armed road, only road. One solution armed Revolution!
We would be top of the Prevent list.
These days a few former IMG members in the former left wing New Left Review are British to the core
Not most of us I hasten to add.
IMG IMG fear and the dread of the whole bourgeoise.
..’
Socialism and anti-fascist ideas a warning sign of potential terrorism – Prevent.
This alas is not a conspi joke.
The story comes from the Guardian.
I’m mortally offended.
People like Jim and myself are it seems potential terrorists.
The Tories are barking.
Galloway goes to Westminster.
Amongst the heaps of commentary on Galloway’s election the challenge he may pose at a General Election comes up.
His election machine for by-elections resembles the old Liberal Party and their Lib Dem succesor. Intense focused and short lived.
The Brown Red Workers Party of Britain is however miniscule. It lost key cadres with the CPGB M-L split. They will not be replaced by vegan croissant Chris or the good wishes of Nick Griffin, the CPB Morning Star and whatever remains of TUSC. Nor Islamic community leaders.
At a few hundred odd balls they are simply not serious.
100 candidates and an alliance with Jeremy Corbyn.
Sure…
From the archives.George Galloway goes Red-Brown and backs Farage’s Brexit Party.
Galloway Goes Red-Brown.
The Red-Brown alliance develops, George Galloway is to back Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party for the Euro-elections.
Following the lead of former rivals, the ex-Revolutionary Communist Party/Spiked/Institute of Ideas now supporters of National Populism,..(1)
Yesterday Galloway has tweeted his backing for Farage added, (1)
The Herald had just reported,
Socialist George Galloway under fire for backing Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party in EU elections
He also predicted that Farage’s party would win “at least 50% of the vote”, saying: “Count on it. The working class in the north are on the move.”
When being criticised for supporting Farage he told one critic: “So Farage is Hitler? How stupid can you get.”
In response to criticism Galloway has tweeted,
The seriousness of this much-welcomed support can be seen here:
We confidently predict that this red-brown alliance will receive more support.
As Jim says,
It appears he is not on his own. Chelley Ryan is a Corbyn cultist and a prolific tweeter and Facebook poster who has also posted for Red Labour and writes for the Morning Star. She has tweeted in support of the Brexit Party.
There have been others on social media.
Is this just Stalinist fraying at the edges or is there more to it?
UPDATE: from far-right Daily Express.
Brexit REBELLION: Left-wingers follow Galloway to back Nigel Farage’s surging Brexit Party
THE Labour EU elections list is so remain heavy left-wing Brexiteers are throwing their lot in with Nigel Farage, including George Galloway.
Fellow left-wing Brexiteers also promised to vote for their former political enemy Nigel Farage.
Simon Middleton said: “I totally agree with you Mr Galloway. Next month’s elections are about Brexit, pure and simple.
“I am from a Socialist background and I will be voting for Nigel Farage aand the new Brexit Party “
George Galloway Retweeted.
******
- Perhaps this tiff is forgiven now….”In an article in The Australian newspaper, 15th January 2009, ‘Critics of Israel giving voice to anti-Semitism’, I stated that George Galloway, British MP for the Respect party, had called for a boycott of ‘Israel’s shops’ and that this meant that he was calling in practice for a boycott of Jewish shops. This was incorrect and I now understand that he was calling for a boycott of ‘Israel’ shops which is a mobile retailer operating in shopping malls and who sell Israeli goods and was not referring to ‘Israel’s shops’. I apologise to Mr Galloway for the mistake, and I withdraw the suggestion made in my article that he was showing or encouraging anti-Semitism in calling for this boycott.
Frank Furedi, 9 February 2009″.
Reform exposed.
Kev has done a service posting this. As he knows Farage’s gang has support in Suffolk for example in Ipswich. A minority but a virulent bunch of loudmouths.
https://x.com/EveryCountry/status/18066273354 to 09381714
Tendance Coatesy 