Quotes of the month
"Sir Keir Starmer ran for Leader promising to carry on Jeremy Corbyn's ideas. To proclaim that there's no place for Jeremy Corbyn in today's Labour Party...not only looks vindictive, it poses serious questions about the consistency of Starmer."Guardian editorial,
"The Tories' anti-strike bill is an attack on human rights and civil liberties, which the trade union movement will oppose in the courts, in partiament, and in the workplace." Mick Lynch, General Secretary, RMTGuardian, 11 January 2023
'The kind of rhetoric of "let's be tough, let's just get tougher and tougher," is not getting us anywhere.' Tory MP and former minister, Kit Malthouse criticising the Tory government's attitude towards migrants. [Note: Sir Keir has stated there is a case for making asylum seekers wear electronic tags that would be tracked via satellite].Kit Malthouse MP
Guardian, 6 December
Sir Keir Starmer has chosen not to define his leadership of the Labour Party in opposition to the Tories. He defines himself against his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn.Peter Oborne,
Middle East Eye, 8 November 2022
"The problem is the government is not deporting people" (Previously in March 2015 "We don't want to be seen, and we're not...the party to represent those who are out of work")Rachel Reeves, Sky News, 4 October 2022
"David Lloyd George lied and sued; Anthony Eden lied about Suez in parliament; Tony Blair lied about weapons of mass destruction; Boris Johnson is part of a long tradition. Winston Churchill coined the parliamentary euphemism 'terminological inexactitude' back in 1906."Peter Henrick
The Sunday Times, 4 September 2022
The Labour Party's failure to offer a set of policies to address the crisis facing the poorest is inexplicable. Labour could e.g. commit to inflation-proofing all benefits and to a living wage.Professor Mike Stein
Guardian, 12 August 2022
'Toxic factionalism in our Party is far from over nor are persistent problems of racism and sexism - as Forde makes clear... Are we a democratic socialist party, run by members and affiliated organisations?'Jeremy Corbyn MP, 19 July 2022
Labour should use its airspace to articulate a humane alternative to the Tories' racist agenda. The Campaign for Labour Party Democracy is promoting a motion for CLPs to submit, urging the Labour leadership to do just that.Gemma Bolton, Labour NEC Member, Labour Outlook, 28 June, 2022
"Solidarity with RMT. We must stand with them as they take a stand against pension cuts and attacks on jobs and conditions."Jeremy Corbyn MP, Twitter, 6 June 2022
"The Tories want to privatise Channel 4 to shield themselves from accountability and drag the UK's media landscape even further to the right."Jeremy Corbyn MP
Twitter, 5 April 2022
I want to see a world where we start to ultimately disband all military alliances...What's the best way of bringing about peace? Is it by more alliances? Is it by more military build-ups?Jeremy Corbyn MP
Guardian, 21 April, 2022
Don't listen to propoganda. Analyse information. Find other sources of information.Marina Ovsyannikova
Anti-war protestor, 16 March 2022
"Police like that [i.e. like Angela Rayner's view on police action - Ed.] used to be called stormtroopers...If Keir Starmer doesn't clarify the party's position, then it won't be drifting to the centre ground, it'll be wallowing on the far right."Peter Martindale, former NUPE full-time officer
Guardian, 22 February 2022
"Sources inside and outside Starmer's inner circle say the party is on the verge of bankruptcy and fearful of court cases brought by former employees"Sunday Times, 9 January 2022
"This cafe is a hostile environment for the Home Secretary" reads the sign in a Hastings cafe, from where trays of piping hot chips, along with hot drinks, are rushed down to the beach for the refugees.Guardian1 December
"The richest one per cent of the world's people (those earning more than $172,000 a year) produce 15 per cent of the world's carbon emissions; twice the combined impact of the poorest 50 per cent...The end of concentrated wealth – our survival depends on it."George Monbiot
Guardian, 10 November
Johnson thinks he has a winning formula – an interventionist, left of centre approach to the economy and a tough, right of centre approach to law and order, immigration and culture wars.Larry Elliot
Guardian, 7 October 2021
"There are many reasons why our Party should continue to fully support First-Past-The-Post, and reject the entreaties of those pressing for Proportional Representation. In the North West in the Euros, we had a very clear lesson as to the damage PR does to Labour. Under FPTP we had 10 out of 10 MEPs. Under PR we went down to only two MEPs and a far right/neo fascist was elected MEP. I joined the Labour Party because I believe it offers the best way forward for the mass of the people. That obviously means winning the maximum number of seats,not losing seats!" CLPD strongly believes that Annual Conference must endorse First-Past-The-Post. Failure to do this will give a huge boost to the Far Right, to the discredited Lib Dems and to the non-socialist Greens.Andrew Gwynne MP
, 1 September 2021
"Belief in the sanctity of the rule of law and civil liberties runs across...parts of the Labour left...but the supposed mainstream tends to either scoff at such ideas or meekly look the other way."- John Harris
Guardian, 2nd August