No Pasaran and my cat

I rarely publish stories about my own life - not even photos of our cat. But these are exceptional times, so here is our tuxedo cat alongside information about the No Pasaran conference on 2 March. I give thanks to him for helping me through recent and serious illnesses - brain and heart operations and subsequent life-threatening infection. I owe this gratitude to him and my wife, Anne Aylor, both of whom got me through all this. Bless his little sick self - he is diabetic and has a heart murmur and I must admit that, like many of our politicians, irrelevant to the politics we need to engage with today. He has the redeeming characteristic that he doesn’t tell lies. By contrast take Ian Austin MP who left the Labour Party, citing its ‘culture of extremism and antisemitism’. Now I must add Ian Austin to my thank-you list. His attacks on the Labour Party have incensed me so much that I have agreed to help out with the press and media work for the upcoming ‘No Pasaran’ conference in London. And this decision has made me feel better and stronger. I am able to direct my ailing energies into a positive political direction. An added bonus is that I find myself working alongside many other socialists and Labour Party members in a fight against racism and antisemitism. One of the conference speakers will be Cornelia Hildebrandt from the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation in Germany. How right Rosa was when she said, “Being human means throwing your whole life on the scales of destiny when need be, all the while rejoicing in every sunny day and every beautiful cloud.” I hope you will join me there.


No Pasaran conference

Waiting to be suspended from the Labour Party

Chris Williamson MP is suspended from the Labour Party for saying this …

“The party that has done more to stand up to racism is now being demonised as a racist, bigoted party..I have got to say I think our party’s response has been partly responsible for that because in my opinion… we’ve backed off far too much, we have given too much ground, we’ve been too apologetic… We’ve done more to actually address the scourge of anti-semitism than any other political party. And yet we are being traduced.”

As a Labour Party member I am saying this … The party that has done more to stand up to racism is now being demonised as a racist, bigoted party..I have got to say I think our party’s response has been partly responsible for that because in my opinion… we’ve backed off far too much, we have given too much ground, we’ve been too apologetic… We’ve done more to actually address the scourge of anti-semitism than any other political party. And yet we are being traduced.

I am waiting to be suspended from the Labour Party

David Wilson

member no. 1369221
Islington North CLP

This morning I posted this ...

My first experience of fascism was as a 15-year old in south London when I was beaten up by two thugs from the British Movement when selling Peace News outside Bromley library. Their violence could be measured by a few temporary bruises, but a successful and permanent conversion on the part of the bruised to a lifetime of anti-fascism. I went on to campaign against apartheid in South Africa and racism here. I admit to having arrived at the library with foreknowledge of what I was up against. My father had been one of the first Allied doctors to enter Bergen-Belsen concentration camp at its liberation. With sixty years of anti-racist activism I have come across racism from the British Movement, the BNP, the National Front and amongst many who can be termed 'right-wing.' Even amongst Corbyn-hating members of the Parliamentary Labour Party. Never have I witnessed it from socialist comrades. I believe Jeremy Corbyn, with his Cable Street fighting mother, would agree with me, and his leadership is one of the reasons why I have joined the Labour Party. How sad it is to witness the witch-hunt against him and the hundreds of thousands of LP members, based on their supposed racism and anti-semitism. Frightening too because behind the hunt is the attempt to stop Corbyn taking power. Any success in doing that will weaken the struggle against racism and fascism. 

The Blair Rich project

Seven MPs leave The Labour Party to form "The Blair Rich Project." Luciana Berger says one of the reasons for their departure is that the party is “institutionally antisemitic”. Damned crafty anti-semitism it is too which which is why so many Labour Party members - in my case newly joined because of Jeremy Corbyn's leadership- are confronting anti-semitism and the far right at the ‘No Pasaran’ conference on 2 March. I don’t think you have registered yet Ms Berger. 
Conference details