Friday, 31 May 2024

John Stewart Nails Starmer's Blue Labour Regime

Well known, US Jewish comedian, John Stewart, did a sketch some months ago in which he mocked the way the question of Israel-Palestine could never be discussed rationally, because anyone who criticised the actions of the Zionist state was immediately assailed by an avalanche of abuse and invective, on social media (though as was seen with Corbyn, not just social media, but also the media in general), as has also been seen with the huge media (and physical) attacks on students, even for establishing peace camps, whilst, likewise, anyone who refers to the reactionary, vicious nature of Hamas, is subject to a similar barrage of abuse, and charges of being supporters of Zionist genocide.

Hardly a radical view you would think, and certainly not, in any way anti-Semitic, even setting aside the fact that Stewart is himself Jewish.  Someone, on X, posted a comment noting this same phenomenon, and linked it to Stewart's sketch, as summing it up.  Labour PPC, Faisa Shaheen, watched the video and liked it.  In part it shows why I never use X, because, its usually used by people on small mobile devices with small screens, and invites instant responses from people who are glued to the screens, whilst they really should be concentrated on the other things they are doing at the time.  Shaheen says, she did so in the middle of the night, whilst sitting up feeding her baby.

As it happens, in this case, unlike the charges made against Jeremy Corbyn in relation to the anti-Semitic mural of Jewish bankers, there was nothing wrong, or even vaguely anti-Semitic, about her liking this skit, unless, of course, as is satirised in it, you are one of those Zionists for whom any mention of the genocide being committed by the Zionist state is forbidden.

Well, despite Starmer having on many previous occasions praised Shaheen, who stood in Chingford in 2017 and 2019, and ran Iain Duncan-Smith a close race, with every chance of winning the seat this time, he has barred her from standing.  He can't use the lie used in relation to Diane Abbott of trying to say "not me guv', its all an independent process", because, as with Lloyd Russell-Moyle, in Brighton, no such process is being undertaken.  Both have simply been barred from standing, simply on the basis of unsubstantiated and ridiculous allegations.  It is clearly the same old method of using charges of "anti-Semitism", to block left-wing candidates or sitting MP's from standing, as Blue Labour careens to the Right, and into a totalitarian nightmare.

Now, John Stewart, himself, has picked up on the story, and commented that this is the dumbest thing in Britain, since it elected Boris Johnson.  Commenters on Reddit, also summarised it.  One asks will Stewart now be called an anti-Semite, but, of course, the Zionists and their allies have called many Jewish people "anti-Semites", as he alludes to in the sketch, dismissing them as "self-hating Jews", or the "wrong kind of Jews".  The genocidal Zionist regime in Israel, has now called pretty much the whole world outside its regime anti-Semites, from the United Nations, to even Joe Biden, whilst ridiculously, in order to continue their support for that Zionist regime, Biden, Starmer and co. are led to simply echo it!

And, of course, from the perspective of Starmer and the Blue Labour Far Right, it is not stupid at all, just as for the petty-bourgeois nationalist section of the electorate in Britain, electing Boris Johnson, and voting for Brexit was not irrational, but simply an expression of their own class interest.  Starmer needs to completely silence any opposition view to that of the Far Right in Blue Labour that similarly represents that class interest of the reactionary petty-bourgeoisie, upon which, he, like Johnson has built his electoral coalition.  The only difference is that Johnson counted on also continuing to get the votes of middle class Conservatives - now deserting to the Liberals and Greens - whilst Starmer counts on working-class Labour voters having nowhere else to go, despite their hostility to him, and the reactionary, nationalist, racist and anti-working class agenda he is pursuing.

That is why, its wrong to claim that Starmer's approach is simply a manifestation of his racism, and the institutionalised racism and Islamophobia inside Blue Labour, to which the Far Right inside the party can simply respond by pointing to the similarly barring of the white Russell-Moyle on the one hand, and the presence on the front bench of Lammy.  The racism and Islamophobia is simply layered upon this underlying, reactionary nature of Blue Labour, as it seeks to eliminate any free discussion and dissent, which is typical of every such Bonapartist and totalitarian regime.

And, the reality is that the "hierarchy of racism" of the Starmer regime inside Blue Labour, identified in The Forde Report, is itself simply a device.  Starmer and the Far Right of Blue Labour are not at all concerned about anti-Semitism - in fact, one of their previous tools, the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism, of Gideon Falcher, even accused Starmer of anti-Semitism - other than as a weapon against the Left, and to smash down any criticism of Zionism.  Its why more Jews have been expelled from the Labour Party under Starmer's leadership than at any other time!!!  The Zionists of the Jewish Labour Movement, are simply the latest tool used by the Far Right to conveniently bar or expel leftish Labour MP's.  Its interesting that at the end of his sketch, Stewart having abandoned hope of a rational discussion on Israel-Palestine, said, what about a discussion on Ukraine, because, Jews are being used by the Far Right, as cannon fodder, in the same way that Ukrainians are being used as cannon fodder by US imperialism against Russia, the history of that has also not been happy, as the Lientz Cossacks can attest.

And, history should be a warning to the liberals still left inside Labour too, because, once the Far Right of Blue Labour has silenced the Left, it is coming for them.  The reactionary, petty-bourgeois nationalist agenda of Blue Labour, which is the foundation of the electoral coalition built by Starmer, as much as by Johnson, is completely antagonistic to the interests of the ruling-class, and of the liberal ideas of social-democracy.  Its why Starmer has promoted Brexit and jingoism, and why Lammy could even make soothing words in relation to Trump, as they recognise the potential of another Trump Presidency, reflecting those same reactionary petty-bourgeois ideas.  Cut off from the EU, Britain is driven to recognise even more its dependence on, and subordination to US imperialism, much, indeed, as the Zionist regime is forced to do, in Israel.

All of Starmer's words about a closer arrangement and new deal with the EU, are just a delusional repeat of the cakesim of Boris Johnson, of British jingoism and exceptionalism, the idea that Britain only has to ask the EU to give it what it wants, and the EU will comply, especially as its now that nice Mr. Starmer in charge, and not that nasty boorish Johnson.  Total fantasy, because the EU will pursue its own interests, irrespective of a Starmer or Johnson clone sitting in Downing Street.  And, as that reality manifests itself, and Blue Labour fails from more or less Day One, just as did Johnson and then Truss, it will face attack from the ruling class, its state, from the liberal wing of Labour, and from the Liberals and Greens, as well as the trades unions.

We can see from the vicious, racist and totalitarian way that Starmer's Blue Labour has responded already to criticism how it will respond, when in government to that.  It will move even more decisively on to the ground of Bonapartism, and a denial of basic rights and freedoms, as well as a further populist mobilisation of the petty-bourgeoisie, the lumpen proletariat, and backward sections of workers, much as Marx described in relation to the coup of Louis Bonaparte, in France, in 1848.  Fundamental to it, will be an even more ramped up racism and Islamophobia, making the vile treatment of black members such as Abbott and Shaheen, look extremely tame by comparison.

But its not deranged, its the inevitable manifestation of the clear petty-bourgeois class interest that Blue Labour now represents, a class interest that is reactionary even compared to the class interest of the ruling class, of the liberal bourgeoisie, let alone of the working-class.

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