John McDonnell’s was a much more interesting and inspiring candidacy than Diane Abbott’s, brought down by silly Political Correctness and by the stage-outrage of the right-wing newspapers over a remark very tame indeed compared to the casually vicious and viciously casual tribal spitting of their own side.
John was nominated by more people than Abbott, including Frank Field. Including the Countryside Alliance’s Kate Hoey. Including Ian Lavery and Ronnie Campbell, the two Labour MPs, being half of all the MPs, from the second most rural county in England; Campbell is a pro-life Catholic. And including Ian Davidson, a Co-operative stalwart who on the floor of the House has correctly identified New Labourites as “Maoists and Trotskyists”, and who, as befits a protégé of Janey Buchan, is a hammer both of Scottish separatism and of European federalism.
Any examination of the Mail and Telegraph newspapers confirms that the Coalition’s savage cuts in services and in spending power, the road to yet further economic ruin, are no more popular with Conservative supporters, Middle England, or what have you, then they are with anyone else. The Coalition of Resistance to them can and must include Conservative supporters, Middle England, the Mail and Telegraph newspapers, and what have you.
Only John McDonnell, with his uniquely broad base among Labour MPs, had begun to demonstrate that he could do that.
But Ed Miliband, over to you.
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I won't be surprised to se you give your 0.02p worth to Gregg Beaman on his blog "A Brief Encounter." He is toying with the idea of starting a Catholic influenced minor political party. Culture of life issues non-negotiable.
ReplyDeleteIt'll never work. There are other ways of going about this sort of thing. Or, at any rate, there used to be, and there could be again. Anything like the proposed would rapidly be taken over by the nutters, away with the fairies of Austrian economics and worse.
ReplyDeletePlease don't be afraid to let him know. You are known as a trad Catholic with a wider view on politics. He is fielding both positive & Negative responses at the moment.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to think about this one. But of this I am sure: a new party of this kind would get nowhere. It is simply not a broad enough base within the British electorate in the present age.
ReplyDeleteBeing an important part of the electoral and, especially, the activist bases is one thing. But this is not.
As much as anything else, we need other influences in order to moderate or neutralise our own fringes. Some very odd people, in political terms, can be among the noisiest of ostensibly traditional Catholics.
I believe that Gregg's hope is that people will be able to vote for a party with a clean conscience on Catholic issues. He has no expectation that they will be elected. Don't be afraid to take a look at his proposals when you get a spare moment. Same goes for your other readers. Gregg welcomes feedback from all.
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