Did Someone Say Careerist Bastard?
For the files...
Exhibit #1: Peter Hain, British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
1983: Hain says: 'The more direct action there is against nuclear weapons in Britain, the greater the freedom a Labour government will have to get rid of them'.
2006: Now we have a Labour Government, Hain clamps down on anti-war campaigners using direct action to highlight the arms trade.
Exhibit #2: Shahid Malik, New Labour MP for Dewsbury.
12 August 2006: Malik joins Muslim leaders in signing a letter to Blair which notes'The debacle of Iraq and now the failure to do more to secure an immediate end to the attacks on civilians in the Middle East not only increases the risk to ordinary people in that region, it is also ammunition to extremists who threaten us all.'
20 August 2006: Malik pens an article with the following statement: 'Out of touch with reality, frightened to propose any real solutions for fear of "selling out", but always keen to exact a concession — a sad but too often true caricature of some so-called Muslim leaders'.
This series may well be continued...
Labels: New Labour
posted by Snowball @ 5:59 pm
10 Comments:
Peter- I'll agree with you
Shahid - no way. It is communities that defeat terrorism he is playing his part; but had every right to criticise foreign policy
Of course he was right to criticise foreign policy - however he was wrong to then criticise other Muslim leaders who are more critical of New Labour in order to ingratiate himself back with the New Labour apparatus.
No he was critical of muslim leaders because they are unrepresentative of the communities they are meant to represent. He criticised them because they are not doing their jobs properly.
Er - he accused them of being 'frightened to propose any real solutions for fear of "selling out".' Now what does that mean? It means he is happy to 'sell out' (ie push a right wing agenda) because these are 'real solutions' (ie solutions that the Sun and Tabloid press and Blairites think are what needs to be done.
He also said they are 'always keen to exact a concession' - what does that mean? It means they a Muslim leaders who want to do more for Muslims in Britain? What is wrong with that?
No doing something for muslims in Britain would be fighting racism, lobbying the Government on foreign policy, stopping all this Hezbollah rubbish and fighting extremism.
By 'stopping all this Hezbollah rubbish' do you mean changing New Labour's rubbish (and racist) line on Hezbollah, which brands them as 'terrorists' and so supports Israel's war on them?
I do hope so.
No I mean opposing Hezbollah who are an openly racist and anti-semitic organisation.
I thought you might have meant something like that.
Still, thank goodness the American Empire and its client states the UK and Israel - who could never be accused of racism themselves of course - are determined to deliver us from their evil.
I'm glad that I am so predictable. However you still haven't told me why as a socialist you don't oppose racism and anti semitism?
I do oppose racism and anti-semitism - which is why I do not support Hezbollah uncritically. I am critical of such aspects of their policy and hope they abandon such outdated and grotesque formal positions - positions which are not held by many of their members and most of their supporters.
However, as a genuine movement of national liberation I think they also deserve the unconditional support of every socialist - particularly socialists in countries like Britain who are arming and supporting their colonial occupiers Israel. I hope that clarifies things
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