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Diane Abbott suspended as Labour MP.

I think it's absolutely true that plenty of swing voters hate Abbott and have swallowed a media narrative about her being a thick angry black woman, but that narrative hasn't emerged solely due to her own actions. It's been inspired by a racist and misogynist campaign against her, including from plenty of Starmer's allies - eg all that detail from the WhatsApps in the Forde report that no-one has ever been held to account for.
 
I get it. I know that more than any other MP, she's targeted by the absolute worst of the worst of this country regarding her race. It's not here to discount that, but I just don't buy that that's the reason why she's been been left out of the shadow cabinet or treated differently to say Rupa Huq or Neil Coyle.

I just think she's regarded more as a liability in Starmer's vision for Labour in securing power. Not because she's black, but because of her tendancy to appear to be clueless and say dumb shit. The fact that there's no love lost between them is obviously also a factor, but I don't see any evidence to suggest that it's the 'racist swing vote' of Britain, that's the issue here.
I think you are just skimming over the obvious facts tbh . Even worse what has her apparent 'tendency to appear to be clueless and say dumb shit.' got anything to do with it? Have you seen other Labour Party MPs interviewed recently ?
 
I think you are just skimming over the obvious facts tbh . Even worse what has her apparent 'tendency to appear to be clueless and say dumb shit.' got anything to do with it? Have you seen other Labour Party MPs interviewed recently ?

Yeah but saying "Jewish people are not subjected to the same racism as some other minorities" is quite the line to cross. I mean after everything Labour had gone through re: antisemitism, on top of her previous, she handed that one to Starmer on a plate.
 
Yeah but saying "Jewish people are not subjected to the same racism as some other minorities" is quite the line to cross.
She’s not actually wrong, though. And just because things are not the same, doesn’t mean they can then be compared on a simple good/bad axis. Sometimes things are qualitatively different and need to be understood on their own terms in their own context. Sometimes the whole point of noting that they aren’t the same is to recognise that they can’t be compared on a good/bad axis.
 
Yeah but saying "Jewish people are not subjected to the same racism as some other minorities" is quite the line to cross. I mean after everything Labour had gone through re: antisemitism, on top of her previous, she handed that one to Starmer on a plate.
Not necessarily. If someone's sticking their fork into your food all day long, they're likely to find something of some sort. You can argue she should have been more careful, but if it hadn't been that it would have been something else.
 
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Yeah but saying "Jewish people are not subjected to the same racism as some other minorities" is quite the line to cross. I mean after everything Labour had gone through re: antisemitism, on top of her previous, she handed that one to Starmer on a plate.
Look at the Deform Party and the host of Fascist cunts on GBNews and Twitter and it's quite clearly true. Just replace Muslims or Islamic with Jews or Jewish and you'll see how true it is.
 
She’s not actually wrong, though. And just because things are not the same, doesn’t mean they can then be compared on a simple good/bad axis. Sometimes things are qualitatively different and need to be understood on their own terms in their own context. Sometimes the whole point of noting that they aren’t the same is to recognise that they can’t be compared on a good/bad axis.

I know, I understand that. But that's the kind of context that immediately gets removed by the press and suddenly it's all 'Abbot in dodgy race comment' territory again. I'm not saying it's right but it is the kind of thing that ends up with Corbyn being perceived as 'antisemitic' - I mean we all know he isn't - but that's how it gets spun.

Starmer evidently decided that he wasn't prepared to go there again, and that's where we are.
 
- eg all that detail from the WhatsApps in the Forde report that no-one has ever been held to account for.
I'm wondering how many of the incoming tranche of MPs will come from the people in HQ at the time - the actually antisemitic ones who delayed the investigations into antisemitism to make Corbyn look bad.

And we shouldn't forget that in this context 'left wing' means 'democratic socialists wanting to try an updated Postwar Social Contract that was so fucking successful for a good 30 years and is likely the final chance there will be to try it.
 
Yeah but saying "Jewish people are not subjected to the same racism as some other minorities" is quite the line to cross. I mean after everything Labour had gone through re: antisemitism, on top of her previous, she handed that one to Starmer on a plate.
We are at odds here and theres a lot of goal post-shifting. I initially responded to your view that she was unpopular ' amongst the wider swing electorate' what ever they are , then we've had your view that her 'apparent ' tendency to appear to be clueless and say dumb shit' was the issue , now you feel that the issue that she was originally suspended for is the issue. The investigation has allegedly been dealt with and she has undertaken what has been asked, if this is true then why isn't she involved in the selection process in her own constituency? If its not true then why has such a straightforward investigation taken for so long ?

Neither the delay in the process or the length of suspension or the rumoured sanction she received are proportionate to her not being permitted to seek candidature from her local constituency party for the general election. Neither are your allegations that that she might not be popular with swing voters or your opinion that she 'tendency to appear to be clueless and say dumb shit' sufficient reasons for how this has shamelessly ended up.

You might want to dismiss any issue of racism or political bias against her however I think you might find that her constituents will thnk differently.
 
Yeah but saying "Jewish people are not subjected to the same racism as some other minorities" is quite the line to cross. I mean after everything Labour had gone through re: antisemitism, on top of her previous, she handed that one to Starmer on a plate.
'yeah but' is the best bit of that post and if you had an ounce of sense you'd have stopped there. have you read the forde report? perhaps you should do before you dig yourself deeper.
 
You might want to dismiss any issue of racism or political bias against her however I think you might find that her constituents will thnk differently.
I live in her constituency. I'm not particularly keen on Abbott and have never voted for her (or Labour for that matter) in the 14 years I've been in Hackney.

I do think though she's been very badly and unfairly treated and my sense is that that's a common sentiment round here and ascribed to racism by a lot of people.
 
We are at odds here and theres a lot of goal post-shifting. I initially responded to your view that she was unpopular ' amongst the wider swing electorate' what ever they are , then we've had your view that her 'apparent ' tendency to appear to be clueless and say dumb shit' was the issue , now you feel that the issue that she was originally suspended for is the issue.

Well they're all the issue. I do believe she isn't popular in swing constituencies. That's been exacerbated by stuff she's said, and part of that issue is the most recent example of her comments on 'different types of racism' - now while I don't believe it's right or fair to prolong any disciplinary process, I think Starmer is playing for time to work out what's in his best interests. That's all I'm saying. I'm not agreeing with the process.

The investigation has allegedly been dealt with and she has undertaken what has been asked, if this is true then why isn't she involved in the selection process in her own constituency? If its not true then why has such a straightforward investigation taken for so long ?

Genuinely I don't know. I can only speculate it's because there's serious consideration being given to the merits of her regaining the whip or standing her down permanently. I don't know, I'm simply speculating.

Neither the delay in the process or the length of suspension or the rumoured sanction she received are proportionate to her not being permitted to seek candidature from her local constituency party for the general election. Neither are your allegations that that she might not be popular with swing voters or your opinion that she 'tendency to appear to be clueless and say dumb shit' sufficient reasons for how this has shamelessly ended up.

I agree. My regard of her shouldn't have anything to do with it. But I don't know what the rationale is. My speculation is that they're still weighing up the risk/reward of keeping her or deselecting her. Something they should've sorted ages ago. Again, I'm not endorsing it.
 
I live in her constituency. I'm not particularly keen on Abbott and have never voted for her (or Labour for that matter) in the 14 years I've been in Hackney.

I do think though she's been very badly and unfairly treated and my sense is that that's a common sentiment round here and ascribed to racism by a lot of people.
I'm the same, I have always been very critical of the Labour left including Corbyn and Abbott. It says something about the political shift on these boards that I now end up defending them from the centrists. At the end of the day their criticism isn't just about them it's with anyone who identifies as daring to think that some form of change than the mediocre ambition of Starmer is possible or even desirable.
 
I'm the same, I have always been very critical of the Labour left including Corbyn and Abbott. It says something about the political shift on these boards that I now end up defending them from the centrists. At the end of the day their criticism isn't just about them it's with anyone who identifies as daring to think that some form of change than the mediocre ambition of Starmer is possible or even desirable.
I know. It's really depressing. If she does get kicked out and stands as an independent, I may even consider bloody voting for her. Ffs. :(
 
The BBC don't appear to have the latest news, but the story posted this morning includes the following

A source close to Ms Abbott said she was not expecting her suspension to be lifted. They accused the party of having a "pre-determined outcome" and "dragging out the process in order to block her from being a candidate at the election".
 
Indeed, but I'd imagine that Corbyn's decision makes it more likely that she'd stand against her lifelong party; if he can...
I'm not sure. Corbyn has a streak of sheer bloody-mindedness in him, but I'm not sure Abbott does. She's more likely to actually think about what's best for her constituents, which isn't her running as an indy and then getting thoroughly ignored in Parliament.
 
I'm not sure. Corbyn has a streak of sheer bloody-mindedness in him, but I'm not sure Abbott does. She's more likely to actually think about what's best for her constituents, which isn't her running as an indy and then getting thoroughly ignored in Parliament.
I see where you're going with that, but as an independent MP, ignored in Parliament or not, she still could better serve her constituents free of the dead tory hand of Starmerism
 
From the Guardian

Although her fate is officially yet to be decided, three Labour activists with links to Abbott’s constituency – Anntoinette Bramble, the deputy mayor of Hackney council; Sem Moema, the London assembly member for North East; and Mete Coban, a Labour councillor for Stoke Newington – have been widely talked about as possible replacements.


Three Labour names in frame with Diane Abbott’s candidacy in doubt Three Labour names in frame with Diane Abbott’s candidacy in doubt
 
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