Last night
Any regular readers of this blog will know my views on the war in Iraq - I, alongside 139 Labour MPs and thousands of members, was implacably opposed. Anyway, last night I went along to speak to members of the Oxford Stop the War Coalition with the other candidates for OxWAb. You would think that members of Ox STWC would welcome the chance to vote for a left-wing anti-war Labour candidate, wouldn’t you, especially as Respect and the SA aren’t standing in this area? But then I guess you’d be mistaken.
It really was a most curious event. Probably wisely, the Tories didn’t turn up. I find the spectacle of the Greens and Liberals attempting to outdo one another in terms of “I’m more anti-war than you!” quite funny, especially as all the Liberals get quite flustered under the onslaught of facts and figures Tom Lines keeps under that grey head. Evan couldn’t be there, so they’d sent their wishy-washy mustard-jumpered candidate for Oxford East in his place.
I emphasised from the beginning that I was no Blairite apparatchik, and I was doing okay, I thought, although was slightly surprised by the Greens’ position on Israel - one state, with full right of return, soemthing i thought all thinking political parties had abandoned years ago.
Then someone had the sheer cheek to attack the Greens for standing in Bethnal Green and Bow, and potentially splitting the anti-war vote. I hold no candle for the enviro-Luddites (meant affectionately, of course!) but they are consistently democratic, unlike the swoppers and their mates in the religion-as-the-new-politics brigade of MAB, and why should they stand down for permatanned Mr “Sir I salute your indefatigability” Galloway? I said all this, and then for good measure told them I looked forward to seeing Oona King kick his arse… So that was a good start.
The evening deteriorated as an old friend, George of the regular Saturday morning SWP street stall, decided to have a go about whether I supported troops remaining in Iraq. It wasn’t so much a question, as a lengthy statement in support of the resistance and for immediate withdrawal, which I can’t and don’t support, peppered with patronising asides to me - “well, Antonia may not know but…”. Given that the SWP’s position is incredible, not credible, not consistent and not socialist, and I told him so my usual robust fashion, he wasn’t pleased by my answer, particularly as he had lied about why gorgeous George was thrown out of the Labour party, and that wasn’t going to getapst me. The event descended into chaos, with the swoppers on their feet yelling, and me giving back just as good as I was getting. They really didn’t like me asking them to condemn the murder of students in Basra and the murder of Hadi Saleh and to condemn the Islamo-fascist resistance - and they wouldn’t do it. What sort of socialism is that, that supports fundamentalism against secular feminists, students and trade unionists?
I’m surprised I made it out of there in one piece! Definitely the most fun I’ve had all campaign.
It’s people like you who made me leave the Labour Party. Smug and stupid.
You’re worse than the Blairites because you pretend to be on the left for opportunistic reasons when all you care about is a seat in the H of C.
If you were genuinely anti-war you wouldn’t be cheerleading for Oona King, who enthusiastically backed the war. Nor would you throw stupid phrases like Islamo-Fascist about. Could you define this term, so beloved of US neo-cons?
Enjoy coming third Antonia…
It’s people like you who made me leave the Labour Party. Smug and stupid.
You’re worse than the Blairites because you pretend to be on the left for opportunistic reasons when all you care about is a seat in the H of C.
If you were genuinely anti-war you wouldn’t be cheerleading for Oona King, who enthusiastically backed the war. Nor would you throw stupid phrases like Islamo-Fascist about. Could you define this term, so beloved of US neo-cons?
Enjoy coming third Antonia…
I wish there were more Labour candidates like you! Against the war, yes, but as for respoect - well, a coalition between the Socialist Wankers party and fundamentalist Islamists is not my idea of heaven either.
King should have had the sense to vote against the war, though. Surely she cant be THAT bothered about being a PPS to some unknown minister???
Must say, ‘Anonymous’ is quite enough to put anyone off the LibDems - and I still haven’t made up my mind who to vote for.
Firstly, sorry about the multiple posts.
I’m not a Liberal Democrat member, voter or supporter Merseymike. Sorry if I gave that impression, in fact I spoiled my ballot this time round because I wasn’t satisfied with any of the candidates in Oxford.
An excellent argument against Respect by the way Merseymike. Calling one of the parties involved “wankers”. I suppose ad hominem attack are all New Labour’s got to fight with these days.
Fundamentalist Islamists in Respect?
They seem pretty moderate to me, that’s why they are standing on a manifesto that any socialist would be proud to see implemented. In fact you are indulging in sectarianism (which in this case borders on racism), branding anyone who has the audacity to be a Muslim and oppose New Labour a fundamentalist.
anonymous - the Respect supporters present refused to condemn the murder of trade unionists and students. Does that not worry you, just a bit?
Plenty of people are ‘genuinely anti-war’ but don’t want George Galloway to get elected or the resistance, many of whom have a fundamentalist Islamic or fascist ideology, to take over Iraq. Like, for example, Antonia. And if you think that she is worse than the Blairites, then I’m rather pleased you left the Labour Party.
Hi anonymous,
You’re worse than the Blairites because you pretend to be on the left for opportunistic reasons when all you care about is a seat in the H of C.
Of course, that’s it - because being left is the way to get ahead, in an election campaign that’s being fought largely on being tougher and tougher on immigration.
I don’t cheerlead for Oona King - I think she shouldn’t have backed the war. But in what way is replacing a black woman Labour MP with a pro-Saddam sectarian populist progress?
If you’d been at the meeting, you would have heard me denounce Islamophobia in answer to a question from a young Muslim woman - and not just denounce it, but demonstrate what I and the Labour party would do to fight it - including supporting training for imams in the UK, supporting bringing Muslim schools into the state system and supporting a new crime of incitement to religious hatred.
Come on mate - surely there are better targets for your ire than me? Can’t you go and find some Tories to bash?