KitNotes

This is a message from John McDonnell’s campaign for Labour leader. This is a serious challenge from a real socialist, fighting on a socialist platform and for working class representation inside Labour. Please circulate widely!

It’s been over two months now since John McDonnell MPannounced his stand for the Labour leadership. From the very beginning, we madeclear that this is not a stalking horse candidacy. This is a serious challenge for power which we can win.

We have been absolutely overwhelmed with support since the launch of the campaign. Huge numbers are rejoining the party. Trade unionistsall over Britainare campaigning for a candidate who supports their union’s policies. In apoll conducted by the Electoral Reform Society at TUC Congress, 59% ofdelegates backed John McDonnell. A focus group of Labour supporters convened byBBC Newsnight revealed that Johnwas level-pegging with Gordon Brown. This is a tremendous achievement for apolitician who was largely unknown before launching his leadership bid andwhose campaign has suffered a virtual media blackout.

If you support the campaign, I hope that you will get involved. See below for more details.

What does John stand for?

An independent foreign policy and the withdrawal of British troops from Iraq and Afghanistan
A Trade Union Freedom Bill restoring the rights taken away by the Tories
An end to the privatisation of public services
Direct investment in council housing
Abolition of student tuition fees and full support for comprehensive education
A Real Living Minimum Wage with no exemptions for young people
The restoration of civil liberties
A green energy policy based on renewable power sources
The immediate restoration of the link between pensions and earnings
 

To find out more about what John standsfor, please keep reading his regularly updated blog at http://www.john4leader.org.uk.

What canyou do?

1.    JOIN

In order to vote for the next Labour leader, you need to bea member of the Labour party or an affiliated trade union. Already, many haverejoined Labour in order to support this campaign. I know that this was a verydifficult decision for many to make. However, it is the only way of replacingNew Labour with a Real Labour alternative. I hope that you will also considerasking your friends and colleagues to join as well in order to have a say inthis historic contest.

To join, you can download the form here: http://www.john4leader.org.uk/gettinginvolved/joinlabour.pdf.Alternatively, you can join online: http://www.labour.org.uk/joinus orring 08705 900 200.

There is no cut-off point for voting in the election. Allthose who joined before a contest are eligible to vote. However, an electioncould at any time in the next few months. So – think about joining now.Let us know if you and your friends have joined.

2.   DONATE

You won’t be surprised to hear that this campaign hasno millionaire backers. If you support this historic campaign, we are askingyou to consider sending in a donation. Ask your local trade union or partybranch to consider sending in a donation. Any donation will help us in our effortsto win a Real Labour Government.

To donate, go to www.john4leader.org.uk/donate.html.You can also send in cheques made payable to John4Leader to: John4Leader, c/oG10 Norman Shaw South, House of Commons, LondonSW1A 2JF.
3.   WRITE

If you have a local Labour MP, please write to them as soon as possible and ask them to nominate Johnwhen a vacancy for the leadership arises. Let them know that youwant a real contest to allow a proper debate that isn’t aboutpersonalities but is about policies. Let them know if you have rejoined theparty or are considering doing so because of the campaign – and if you know others who are doing so.

Sending a message to your local MP only takes a minute. Goto http://www.writetothem.com/to find out who your local MP is and how you can get hold of them.

Please also write to your trade union leader and let them know if you back the campaign.

If you don’t think that there has been enough coverageof the campaign in the media, write a letter to a newspaper or write to the BBC by going to http://news.bbc.co.uk/newswatch/ukfs/hi/newsid_4030000/newsid_4032600/4032695.stm.

4.   CAMPAIGN

LOCAL GROUPS – From the very beginning, we wanted to make this a grassroots campaign and take it away from the Westminster bubble. We want people to get involved at the local level. Local groups could campaign locally and, for example, set up stalls in town centres to distribute material. Please get in touch with us at info@john4leader.org.uk to be put in touch with other local supporters.
 
RESOLUTIONS – John McDonnell is standing on the basis of policies supported by trade unions and indeed by Labour Party policy. Why not pass a resolution in your local branch supporting the campaign? Let us know if you need our assistance.
 
LEAFLETS – We are currently producing a wide range of leaflets – including for specific trade unions in which John commits to implement each of their main policies; Labour party members; and the anti-war movement. Please get in touch with us at info@john4leader.org.uk if you are able to distribute leaflets.
 
CAMPAIGN MATERIAL – We have also produced John4Leader badges, t-shirts and even balloons. Get in touch at info@john4leader.org.uk if you are interested.

This is a hugely exciting and historic campaign. Over thecoming few months, John will be travelling all over the country. Have a look athttp://www.john4leader.org.uk/events.html for more information.

I hope that you will get involved. Don’t hesitate toget in touch with us if you need any further information.

aka, doing the rounds of the socialist blogosphere.

My comrade David Broder - when he’s not too busy puking up over other people’s wallets - has been blogging the Labour conference fringe at his blog, Whatever Happened to Leon Trotsky? So far, he’s covered Campaign for Labour Party Democracy (whoever the fuck they are), the Socialist Party’s Campaign for Socialist Party Recruitment a New Workers Party, Labour Against The War, Hands Off Venezuela, Coalition Against Welfare Reform, Unite Against Fascism, and Labour Left Briefing. This conference has seen quite a few left-wing fringe meetings, more so than other years.

Sofie B from Volsunga - apparently it’s the name of some Norse legend or something or other, I was rather tired and emotional when she told me the actual meaning of the word -  has put up her notes from the AWL forum on pornography that she did a couple of weeks ago. Handy for dillitantes like me who got to the meeting in time for the end.

Janine at Janine’s Blog (snappy name I know) - unofficially the AWL’s main blogger (though all AWL members get blogs on the AWL website) keeps it raw, ranty and real. From settling old scores with Blairite Town Hall bureaucrats to ripping a new one out of speed-freak rich wankers, whilst stating the fucking obvious, it’s always a pleasure.

Yes, they’re all AWL. I know. That’s because they rock, and piss all over, oh, I don’t know, Tories.

What’s the saying now…

5. Do you have any pet hates?

I think the pet hate I’ve got is dishonesty. In politics you are surrounded by individuals who often say things that they don’t believe simply to toe whatever party line they’re involved in—particularly in the Labour party, where so many people I knew from years and years ago have now changed their spots completely and, I think, have become political chameleons. That is a pet hate of mine. I prefer even a Tory whom I don’t like and I don’t agree with. I prefer them because at least I know what they stand for.

… oh yes. “Hoised by your own petard.”

Click. (From the Scottish Parliament website).

Via Guido.

Is it just me, or does it look like the logo of some god-forsaken district council in South England?

Self-appointed king of UK political blogging Iain Dale has compiled lists (see, even the more professional-seeming bloggers can’t avoid them when they’re stuck for content) of what he considers to be the best political blogs in the UK.

Unfortunatly, but fittingly for an amateur with deluisions of adequacy, he’s taken what potentially could be a good idea and cocked it up. You can see his ad-laiden, corporate whore-out fest of an e-book here. Though do beware, it is a PDF.

To be quite frank, I couldn’t give a XXXX about the Conservative blogs. I do read Guido Fawkes and Tim Roll-Pickering on a regular basis, and that’s all I need to know.

However, since I am a proper dirty lefty (on account of getting rawkusly pissed last night at Sofie B’s birthday bash) I’m more interested in the Labour blogs. Of course, there will be the pillows-and-puppies-socialism brigade, lead by a vanguard generally consisting of Adele (of Yours For A Labour Government), Tom Millner (NewerLabour) and Matt Dongahue (Dirty Leftie). Of course, when they’re not coming out with fuckwitted things (like this, this and this respectively) but there are some interesting little gems hidden in there (sometimes quite deeply) and they do represent a key section of the Compassite left in the Labour Party, so for people like me they’re essential reading - sometimes much more essential than the political hacks on Harry’s Playground. In any case, they do get a good readership and probably deserve to be in there.

However, there are other, much more left wing, blogs out there in the blogosphere, for example, the excellent efforts of Team Stroppyblog and Team Shiraz Socialist. Both have a very diverse readership and offer perspectives that are quite sadly generally lacking in the blogosphere, especially Stroppyblog (though Sofie B’s Volsunga does make a good effort, it just doesn’t have the readership - no offence, Sofie). Both do have quite a good readership, judging by the comment boxes on both sites, and who link to them.

But neither Teams Stroppy nor Shiraz are in Dale’s top 100 lists. Any of them.

There are also some other problems with Dale’s listings. Out of the top five, four of them have pro-Conservative leanings. The fifth is a LibDem. Kerron Cross (hilariously referred to as “Labour’s Iain Dale” by… er… Iain Dale) - the top Labour Blogger in Dale’s top 100 general list comes sixth.

He says this in his introduction…

“As well as the first ever list of the Top100 UK Political blogs, there are also lists of the best Conservative, Labour LibDem and non aligned political blogs in this guide. I make no apology for the fact that these lists have been chosen by a committee of one – me. The method I used was to mark each blog out of ten for the following categories – design, frequency of posting, humour, popularity, writing, personality, comment, independence of thought, range and interation. You’ll probably disagree with all my rankings, but at least it’ll give you something to argue about on your respective blogs!”

Of course, Dale is entitled to his opinion on various blogs. Indeed, he could say “KitNotes is a big pile of steaming monkey jizz” for all I care (the day I seriously listen to a Conservative is the day I will take myself out the back and do the honourable thing with an AK-47) and it still wouldn’t matter. However, who the hell appointed this committee of one? Various political-lobbying organisations have ’sponsored’ the book but it’s not just an ego-boosting exercise for Iain Dale.

Have a look at the Top 100. Then work out the number of Tory, Lib Dem, and Labour (loosely) blogs there. Notice anything?

Some may love the smell of napalm in the morning, but the stench of Conservative cronyism reeks on and on in the blogosphere - if Iain Dale’s got anything to do with it.