21 January 2021
Diary of a Corbynista
Best to stay in bed
by Don Urquhart
13 January
Yesterday’s Newsnight reported on the high attendances in primary schools. Mary Bousted, the joint General Secretary of the National Education Union (NEU) explained this as being largely due to poor people being unable to stay off work because they would lose pay or be sacked. She believed that the pandemic had highlighted the number of people struggling for food, heating and secure accommodation. Teachers tell me that not only are there too many children without internet access at home, there are also many who do not have anyone in the family with the ability to install and use the technology.
14 January
Yesterday the Prime Minister told us in PMQ’s that the Covid-19 statistics were improving. Within 2 hours we learned that 1564 people had died in the last 24 hours, a record for this pandemic.
He also told us that the first the government heard about the dangerous new Covid variant was on December 18th so what are we to make of this report by Sophia Coveney on December 16th?
The UK government has released a statement that a “new variant” of the severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that could be causing a faster spread of the virus has been identified. This information was released yesterday by Matt Hancock, the UK Health Secretary.
15 January
Anneliese Dodds is the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer. Two days ago she delivered the annual Mais lecture at City University. The Mais lecture is generally presented by one of the fiscal great and good. The only Labour presenters before Ms Dodds were Blair, Brown and Darling. So she is establishing herself as a reliable establishment figure. The lecture itself would probably have been a halfway decent undergraduate essay, nothing to frighten the horses or Labour’s millionaire donors.
16 January
Those donors popped up again apparently deciding who would be Labour’s leader in Scotland. Richard Leonard resigned and here’s an extract from Sienna Rodgers’ report in Labour List:
The Times reported that a call with donors on Wednesday evening saw high-net-worth individuals warn they would not back the party financially with Leonard in charge, and UK deputy leader Angela Rayner and general secretary David Evans were on the call.
Then:
A Labour source who was on the controversial donor call said Rayner was “viciously attacked” when “she made clear it’s up to Scottish Labour to elect their leader”. They added: “Ian Murray [MP for Edinburgh South] refused to defend the leadership and Jackie Baillie[deputy leader in Scotland] actually undermined her by calling for the May elections to be delayed. It was clearly an orchestrated attack, and the implication was that they thought Angela was a block on replacing Richard Leonard with their preferred leader.” The preferred leader being referenced here is Anas Sarwar, who lost the leadership contest against Leonard in 2017.
So much for Labour being a democratic grass roots-led party.
17 January
Message Board response to Corbynista in Shaw Sheet Issue 262 :
Walsall:
Your cats eat better than you do, unless you are eating the Gourmet food as well, at least on a cost per weight basis. You will need to get gold plated steaks to compete.
Try Hi-Life pouches delivered by Amazon. My daughter says these are cheaper. Admittedly, we are going to let her start eating our food soon, when the costs of those go up as well.
Nice to see you slipped in the Starmer bashing at the end.
Flyboy:
Taking advantage of labelling your staff as a ‘key worker’ is clearly very widespread. All part of the reason that we are unable to get this under control and ultimately leading to hospitals being overrun and unnecessary deaths.
It’s a worry to me that such a significant proportion of the population are so selfish they are willing to make decisions that are putting people at risk of severe illness and possible death as well as extending the need for a lockdown, causing yet more misery for their fellow citizens.
I guess they watch the scenes from ICU units and blame everyone else but themselves.
Sunlounger:
Re. Price rises: Rees-Mogg said that food and other things will be 20% cheaper under Brexit. Obviously Morrisons didn’t get that memo.
I’ve also read that the Tory candidate for London Mayor thinks that the homeless could afford a £5,000 deposit to buy a house.
Travel tip: Don’t bring ham and cheese sandwiches across the Schengen line.
Lifestyle tip: If you live in the newly created Kent lorry park zone, sell up and move out.
Smoothie:
I am pretty sure that there are no key workers on this Message Board. Disappointed that Walsall is promoting Amazon, given that Mr Bezos’ personal wealth has increased by almost the same amount as the UK national debt in the last 12 months; I’m supporting my local high street. But happy that dry January is not happening in your part of North London, our January quickly went from dry through moist and is now distinctly wet.
Walsall:
Sorry Smoothie. I feel that I have almost personally contributed to that increase in Jeff’s wealth. I feel that this also allows me to call him by his 1st name. However, I also shop locally generally as we have quite a pleasant local environment. I am not sure that buying a conglomerate’s brand of cat food, in this case, is going to do much to undermine the High St, though.
My Amazon purchases are typically things which I can’t get on the High St, such as dodgy electronics, for which I have discovered a hidden talent for buying things which don’t work for me and then I have to return. This costs Amazon money to process. Does this count as subversion?
18 January
Jeremy Corbyn’s Peace and Justice Project was launched yesterday. Its first target is right wing bias in the media, with particular reference to two new entrants GB News and Rupert Murdoch’s proposed news channel.
19 January
Speaking of Mr Murdoch, it is heartening to report that he completed his two Covid-19 vaccinations over a month ago, a week or so after the Prime Minister’s father. Luck of the draw I guess.
Murdoch is an American, and if reports are to be believed Johnson Major is trying to become a Frenchman.
A neighbour of ours in her 80’s who had not heard called her surgery and was told she had a tick against her name for having received the vaccine. It’s one way of inflating the statistics.
Rhona volunteered for the vaccine test programme. The variety she is involved with might get approval some time in spring. If she has been injected with the real thing rather than the placebo she is advised not to take up the offer of an approved vaccine.
We live in a country where if you have the right connections you just please yourself and the serfs run around for you. If you do the right thing all you get is a Thursday clap.
20 January
Last week in America, the gloves came off. The illusion of a well regulated democracy was shattered.
74 million people voted for Trump so the rest of the world would do well to stay under the duvet.
