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This week’s vote of no confidence has no constitutional basis.

CorbynLast year Jeremy Corbyn won a quarter of a million votes of Labour members, supporters and affiliates.

On Tuesday, he lost in a ‘vote of confidence’ due to the votes of just 170 people who never supported him in the first place, and many of whom have been actively undermining the Labour Party’s choice of leadership ever since. Those MPs are not listening to the vast majority of their members.

Ordinary Labour members need to be absolutely clear that the vote of no confidence by Labour MPs has no standing under Labour rules; it’s window-dressing a thoroughly undemocratic coup with a made-up attempt to look democratic.

The vote of no confidence has no power in our rulebook – if they want a leadership election there are procedures to trigger one and they should get a candidate and stand against Jeremy.

35 MPs nominated Jeremy last year and 40 stood with him on Tuesday.

In contrast to the Parliamentary Labour Party, who in demanding that Jeremy go are against the position of a majority of both Labour members and voters and whose actions undermine the faith of the public in our democracy, hundreds of thousands have indicated their support for Jeremy this week.

Jeremy Corbyn himself has made it clear that he’s going nowhere and will not be resigning.

This is not an attempt of a coup against Jeremy, it is an attempt at a coup against all of the labour movement – we all now need to work together to defeat the undemocratic attempts to bully Jeremy, and be ready to campaign for him in a leadership election should there be one.

27 Comments

  1. alana moralen says:

    I left the Labour Party in the 1980s because it became an undemocratic mouthpiece of Thatcher. Why leave? Well I was barred from meetings, I was ignored at public gatherings, very much ostracized to the extent of being lied about, accused of various illegal activities, threatened by the police.
    A return to politics where I would be abused has never seemed worth while but I believe Corbyn is capable of restoring democracy and it is worth fighting within the party rather than just outside as I have for the past 30 years.
    Several websites launched by the savelabour group and angela eagle seem to have been created before the weekend, when Benn forced Corbyn to sack him. This not only implies conspiracy but also a level of funding and co-ordination, maybe even a breach of the data protection act that needs to be investigated

  2. Sue says:

    Solidarity! I’m with Corbyn!

  3. Sam Kelly says:

    Does “The Left” want to get into power or not? In order to win elections a party has to not only keep hold of its devoted followers but persuade those who didn’t vote for it last time, don’t you think?

  4. jeffrey davies says:

    jc is the man to take the party forward otherwise we are lost once again without a voice to the greedie ones who really should cross the floor jeff3

  5. Hazel Malcolm-Walker says:

    I am fed up of the treachery and cowardice shown by the Parliamentaary party.
    The accusation of not trying hard enough ie not sharing Tory platforms is spurious. This plan has been long in the offing and has been sprung just before Chilcot because the Brexit result was the last chance to try and oust him before the report is published.
    It seems that a guiding genius is behind this plot and somebody who has a great deal to lose if Jeremy is the leader of the opposition at the beginning of next week.
    There are too many plotters who have blood on their hands after Iraq 2, let alone Syria or elsewhere.
    They have treated party member- let alone the leader -with utter contempt!
    Let them face no confidence votes in their constituencies, and if they lose them cease to be parliamentary representatives of the Labour party!

  6. Chris says:

    I want Corbyn to stay, but I do not believe Labour will be able to function if he does. That is the MPs’ fault, not his and in a leadership election I would vote for him.

    With that said, I would like to propose a peace deal: Jeremy Corbyn resigns and in exchange the left gets mandatory reselection. Might consider adding the restoration of clause 4 to that deal.

  7. Hazel Malcolm-Walker says:

    Chris, if Corbyn resigns before the Chilcot enquiry report is published, two things will happen:
    1) The report will disappear and Blair and his cronies will walk away scot free.
    2) The biggest anti left witch hunt will be launched that has ever been seen. Luke Akehurst will see to it that NOBODY with politics left of Genghis Khan will be selected for election as a councillor or MP!
    In addition everybody who joined the party to support Jeremy will be purged out of it.
    you are being naive if you think deals can be done with them.

  8. Chris says:

    Well Hazel, it was somewhat tongue-in cheek

  9. James Martin says:

    I’m now more confident than I was earlier in the week. I think this coup has failed, and failed badly. Having now had a CLP meeting (with very large attendence) in a NW Labour heartland (no Islington luvvies here!), there was overwhelming support for Jeremy even notably from those who didn’t support him last time, total disgust at the PLP and derision of Angela Eagle (who most definately isn’t going to fly – that ‘Angela4Leader’ website that they paid for the day before the coup started is not going to be a canny investment they figured after all).

    And here is my view of what happens next. The coup plotters know that they have badly miscalculated (any noticed how quiet Bomber Benn has been lately?), none of them want to step up as a challanger (which is not to say there won’t be one, but whoever it is will be the one who gets the short straw – or given who we are dealing with more likely the Black Spot), they know they will struggle to win in a contest and will now equally be unlikely to risk a contest without Jeremy on the ballot (even Labour Uncut opposes that!). And each day they sit there watching some very young, very inexperienced new MP’s on those front benches (who are heroes and heroines in the truest sense) who are doing a great job despite no backroom and back up support the anger will build and build not just from Party members but from the voters too. I predict we will see some of those 172 break ranks soon and start to ask for a return to support the front benchers, not least because of the wrath most of them are getting from their own CLP’s. Yes, there may well be some who want to break away SDP-style, but most won’t. Tom Watson has played a very crappy role so far (and will always be damaged as a result), but he has kept enough of a foot in to save some face and act as a conduit for some mended fences, although the Party will remain angry and severe electoral damage will still have been done by these childish wreckers.

    That said, I’m not letting up one little bit and will continue fighting to defeat the attack on democracy, and everyone else should too!

  10. Iain Crawford says:

    There have been allegations(primarily by the http://www.thecanary.co/ website) that this malicious attempt to bully Jeremy Corbyn into resigning was part of a well organised plot by New Labour sympathisers and it was started almost immediately after he became. These allegations look serious- are they going to be investigated?

  11. Pat Sheehan says:

    I have written an old fashioned letter to Jeremy Corbyn to offer my own personal words of support to him and his team whilst they face these vicious attacks from all directions. I think it would be good if many like-minded people could do the same. Good for Jeremy, the team and ‘solidarity’. Support is necessary. Action is required.

    1. Bazza says:

      Great idea Pat and James in another post also says the same thing and I sent mine on Tuesday.
      I adapted a birthday card and it seemed to jump out at me in the shop, it read on the front: “You are my bestest friend in the whole wide World!”

    1. Bazza says:

      Yes the reserve price is a penny and offers are accepted only on lower bids.
      I offer a bid of zero.
      Lower! Lower!

  12. Barry Rodin says:

    Jon’s excellent analysis of the LP events of past awful week also confirm to me that the vast majority of LP MPs have no intention to support the radical policies urgently required to reverse over a generation of neo liberal economic policies, which have resulted in increasing inequalities and social deprivation in many parts of the UK. This I believe is one of the main drivers for the putsch. Jeremy’s policies are obviously far too ‘left wing’ for the majority of LP MPs to stomach. For me this is at the core of the crises within the LP. These MPs need to get out of the Westminster bubble and see what it is like to live in the sink estates and poor areas, both in cities and the countryside. I fully support Jon’s point of the need for all progressives to work together both in the next few days and the weeks to come.

  13. Bazza says:

    Fantastic public rally in Victoria Gardens in Leeds this morning (Saturday 2nd July 11.00am) to support Jeremy Corbyn (called at very short notice by Leeds Momentum) despite the bloody pouring rain (again) and problems with the bloody microphones!
    But the atmosphere amongst the crowd was electric and I have never known such a diverse crowd of people listenening so intently.
    I have never also known such a feeling in the air, and of solidarity amongst a crowd and dare I say it; love.
    Good action points how PEOPLE SHOULD: join Labour to support Jeremy, get to branch and CLP meetings and union meetings, pass emergency resolutions to stop the coup, if necessary have votes of no confidence against the MPs who are the perpetrators of this bullying, collect money for Momentum and the fight back against their attacks on JC and members, perhaps put posters in our windows & around town plus cities, talk to friends, family, and colleagues at work, wear JC badges; Fight! Fight! Fight for Labour democracy!
    We grassroots members are the bosses when it comes to choosing a leader (and should be with policy too) but we have a revolt by rump fed, non-entity, uppity, top down managers (Right Wing Neo-Liberal Labour MPs and some who should know better) who make a fat living out of working class/working people.
    For me brothers and sisters they have gone too far ARE THEY TRYING TO BREAK JEREMY’S MENTAL HEALTH?
    And an attack on Jeremy is an attack on the grassroots members WE ARE THE MANY THEY ARE THE FEW, AND I HAVE NEVER LIKED BULLIES!
    I am afraid they have gone to far and there are thousands of decent working class and progressive middle class socialist men and women in Labour and the trade unions around the country who could do a much better job.
    To paraphrase Bernie Sanders: We need (a peaceful & democratic) political revolution!
    Love & Solidarity!

    1. Shirley Knott says:

      This is a bit of video of the Leeds gathering by JJ of fb page “A up Let’s Talk”. Interesting character, I quite like him! You might too.
      https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=645018212316259&id=320260578125359

  14. Bazza says:

    Oh forgot to say at the Leeds rally as well as great speeches by men and women there was a brilliant young male punk poet.
    We will win by organisation, organisation, organisation plus art, music, comedy and poetry!
    X

  15. Tony says:

    Well, I did say I could hardly wait for Neil Kinnock to tell Corbyn to stand down and now it has happened. This is beyond satire.

    Not long ago Kinnock accused Corbyn of being ‘stubborn’ for opposing nuclear weapons.
    No criticism was made of the supporters of nuclear weapons.

    And Angela Eagle is reportedly standing in order to unite the Labour Party. According to this morning’s Guardian, not only did she not consult her local party but ignored it completely. It reports that its members had voted 40 to 0 to support Corbyn. She seems to have united the local party against her. I hope she is de-selected.

    The Labour Party might as well elect David Cameron to be its leader as Angela Eagle.

    http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=neil+kinnock+&view=detail&mid=BCD60F3B2B444AC877ADBCD60F3B2B444AC877AD&FORM=VIRE

    1. Bazza says:

      Yes apparently he is keeping his mobile at hand!

  16. Bazza says:

    Brothers and sisters, yes you there, yes you sat at your computer, it’s time now for some community singing and I want you all to join in at home.
    The first song is by Chirpy Chirpy Cheap Cheap and I have re-written the lyrics so altogether now:
    “Where has Boris gone? Where has Boris gone?”
    I wonder what perhaps one of the finest political minds ever in the Western World, Mrs Brown from the fantastic Mrs Brown’s Boys comedy would have to say to Boris? “So you wanted to leave Boris! Well feck off then!”
    For my last song a James song adapted and altogether now:
    “Those of you who believe in Justice stand up with Jeremy.
    Oh stand up, oh stand up, oh stand up, stand up with Jeremy.
    Stand up, stand up, stand up, stand up, in solidarity”
    “Thank you very much and I hope we passed the audition” – John Lennon.

  17. James Martin says:

    Good article from Prescott in the Mirror attacking the coup: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/now-after-brexit-more-ever-8335954

    Some great lines too:
    “…Angela Eagle ’s team repeatedly said she would run. Then she didn’t. The Eagle is stranded.”

    “It seems Hilary Benn was the Grand Old Duke of York. He marched 172 Labour MPs who’d signed that no-confidence motion in Jeremy to the top of the hill.

    And there they stay, with the dawning realisation the only way is back down to an angry membership.”

    1. James Martin says:

      It had to happen 🙂

  18. Bazza says:

    Just been leaked by sympathetic journalist – Right Wing media to go for Jeremy tomorrow big time.
    Bloody hell when a Tory PM and the Right Wing are going for you, you must be doing a good job for the working class/working people!

    1. Sue says:

      I suspected this week end was the lull before another storm. Just as we simply can’t give up as there is too much at stake the right wing can’t either. Not only that but they are committed now. They have to make their coup work at all costs. I hope Corbyn and team have a plan for if Watson goes. I hope they’ve also got lawyers going through the rule book re actions such as trying to run a shadow shadow cabinet and so on. They don’t want Corbyn speaking at the dispatch box re Chilcot. As you say Corbyn must be a huge threat to the wealthy judging by the reaction to him.

    2. John Penney says:

      I’m sure the press will go “apeshit” all next week, Bazza – not least to try and bury Chilcott and protect the guilty Labour Cabinet Blairites who hoodwinked the nation.

      Hard to see what lies and slanders they haven’t already used up over the last year and a bit since the 2015 Leadership contest started though. They’re an inventive lot though the media reptiles. Time for a “Zinoviev Letter ” perhaps ? Or absolute proof that Jeremy is now revealed as the behind the scenes leader of Daesh ?

  19. Karl Stewart says:

    We need to push for full citizenship for everyone who came here under EU ‘free-movement’ regulations before the vote.

    This would stop all the ‘send them back’ abuse that people are reportedly getting.

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