In 1993 the Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat shook hands on the lawn of the White House to seal the deal of the Oslo Accords (Oslo I). The terms of the accord were vague but gave rise to hope and received support from both Palestinians and Israelis. The accord envisaged […]
What Labour now needs is informed debate
Jan 24th, 2016 by David Pavett.Everyone, even people who opposed him, understand that the election of Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader was a signal of a deep desire for change among Labour members and supporters. I have never agreed with all Jeremy Corbyn’s views but I was pleased to vote for him and, on reflection, I am glad that I […]
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Taking a closer look at Hilary Benn’s “electrifying” speech
Dec 13th, 2015 by David Pavett.Hilary Benn’s Commons speech in the Syria debate on 2 December has received high praise from right wing politicians and the media. It has been variously described as “one of the great speeches of the House of Commons” (Phillip Hammond), a “tour de force” (Tony Blair), “electrifying” (Andrew Rawnsley in the Observer) and “politically elevating” […]
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To Labour’s disputes panel: please don’t unleash a wave of witch hunting
Nov 10th, 2015 by David Pavett.Everyone knows that Andrew Fisher’s accusers see him as a way of undermining Jeremy Corbyn. The Party members who have publicly said much more damaging things regarding the Labour Party are legion and include some of Andrew Fisher’s accusers. I do not believe that anyone entertains the illusion that this move is motivated by a […]
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Lucy Powell needs to explain if Labour aims to end selection or just to limit it
Oct 20th, 2015 by David Pavett.The Secretary of State for Education (Nicky Morgan) has approved the opening of a so-called ‘annexe’ to the Weald of Kent grammar school. The subterfuge of calling the new school for 450 pupils an annexe despite being 10 miles away in Sevenoaks fools no one. Even the Telegraph puts annex in scare quotes: The school […]
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Why the means justifies the means (say Gordon Brown and Wile E Coyote)
Sep 7th, 2015 by David Pavett.Chuck Jones, the creator of Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny and a host of other great cartoon characters once explained that the inspiration for his Wile E. Coyote character (all his efforts to capture Road Runner fail but he never ceases to work on his ineffective plans) was a remark of the philosopher George Santayana who […]
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What if Jeremy Corbyn wins? What then?
Aug 29th, 2015 by David Pavett.The likely election of Jeremy Corbyn is an exciting prospect. The thought of a break with the years of dull mental acquiescence to the dominant ideology cannot but give immense pleasure to all us lefties. But when the wave of nice thoughts has subsided I am left with a more sombre thought: are we up […]
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On the madness of Alan Johnson invoking Keir Hardie to attack Jeremy Corbyn
Aug 5th, 2015 by David Pavett.Alan Johnson begins his pitch for the support of Yvette Cooper (Guardian, 4th August) with a reference to Keir Hardie. The problem is that his reference is wholly misleading. He claims that Hardie “believed in achieving power through the ballot box, eschewing class warfare …”. Johnson continues “He forged a Labour party rooted in the […]
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Neil Kinnock lectures Labour members on leader’s ‘electability’
Aug 4th, 2015 by David Pavett.On Sunday 2 August the Observer carried a piece by Neil Kinnock on the Labour leadership election. Although the piece could not convince anyone of the case he makes if they were not already convinced it is worth a second glance. It reveals something important about a style of argument that passes for political thinking […]
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Why is Jeremy Corbyn so terrifying?
Aug 3rd, 2015 by David Pavett.Jeremy Corbyn is a mild-mannered, softly-spoken man who expresses himself with reasoned arguments and believes strongly in letting everyone have their say. So how has this very model of a political gentleman come to be seen by our media as the political equivalent of an angel of death who would make Labour unelectable and who, […]
