THE LABOUR PARTY SUSPENSIONS

Last week, Sheree Bell spoke at a Momentum Thanet meeting, describing how she was suspended from the Labour Party and her vote for Jeremy Corbyn as leader declared null and void. Here she provides links to sites which provide more information about suspensions from the Labour Party.

If people would like to find out more about Labour Party suspensions then these are the links to look at. The whole point is that THOUSANDS of Corbyn-supporting activists have been knocked out of the system by a small minority who hold control in the Labour Party. There is no due process or natural justice and they seem to make things up as they go along. SO MANY people who are suspended and expelled – often on very spurious grounds  – are encountering injustice and unfairness in the way they are being treated. Labour needs to clean up its house before it can be strong enough to take on the Tories or even UKIP at this rate and support for comrades is paramount. Find out more, including many personal stories, here:

https://shadownec.wordpress.com/members-compliance-support-team-mcst-letter-statement-to-the-nec

http://www.memberscompliancesupportteam.co.uk

https://www.gopetition.com/petitions/demand-for-natural-justice-used-for-labour-party-complaints-procedures.html

EX-REFUGEE TO CHALLENGE UKIP HEAD

Aram Rawf has been chosen by Thanet Labour Party Broadstairs branch to challenge the local head of UKIP, council leader Chris Wells, in Kent County Council elections.

Aram came to Britain fleeing Saddam Hussain’s Iraq in 1999 and is now a British citizen working as assistant manager at a Broadstairs hotel. He has distinguished himself over the years as a trainer for St John’s Ambulance and recently had a blue plaque dedicated to him and other asylum seekers in St Paul’s Cathedral for his achievements.

Aram has also won awards as tourism champion in Thanet two years running.

He intends to challenge both UKIP and the Conservatives on their policies on austerity.

“Thanet is one of the poorest areas in the UK and Cliftionville, where I lived for four years, has one of the poorest wards in Britain.

“I understand the problems of people coming into Thanet with nothing and also of those who have lived here all their lives struggling to survive in deep poverty. The policies of the Tory government and the UKIP council are making things worse.

“Under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of the Labour Party we have the chance of a fresh, new approach to problems in areas like ours.”

Aram is keen to organise a hustings meeting where the candidates can explain their policies and debate the best solutions for the local problems.

“I look forward to debating the local issues with Chris Wells and other candidates. It’s important for the public to be able to judge the very different policies for themselves and ask questions of all the candidates.”

CORBYN – WHAT NEXT?

Donald Trump, Nigel Farage, Brexit – what should supporters of Jeremy Corbyn being doing to create a fairer society in this fast-changing and worrying world?

This is the subject of a meeting in Broadstairs this Wednesday evening called by Momentum Thanet.

Says Momentum’s Norman Thomas: “We helped get Jeremy re-elected leader of the Labour Party despite dirty tricks, suspensions and smears on an industrial scale.  But what do we do now? Come to this meeting and put your point of view.”

Speakers include Jackie Walker and Sheree Bell.

 

7.30pm, Red Hall, 11 Grosvenor Road, Broadstairs CT10 2BT

JACKIE WALKER WILL CALL FOR INQUIRY INTO SUSPENSIONS “SCANDAL”

Jackie Walker, Momentum Thanet organiser, will call for an inquiry into what’s been described as a “disgusting blot on the history of the Labour Party” at a public meeting in Broadstairs on Wed 23 November.

Jackie, who has been twice suspended from the party, said: “I believe that I and many others have been subject to nothing less than a witch-hunt to try to stop us voting for Jeremy Corbyn to be Labour leader. People’s characters have been smeared. Members have been suspended for no good reason. We must have a thorough going inquiry to find out who was responsible and hold them to account.”

Another speaker at the meeting, Sheree Bell, will reveal how last summer, having cast her vote for Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, she was shocked to find herself suddenly suspended from the party and her vote declared null and void.

She said: “The reason for my suspension was given as comments made on social media but no evidence of what the comments were or who had complained about these offensive comments was presented. There was no explanation of any process or who was involved in the investigation, no advice about how to appeal.”

Sheree, at the time a resident of Ramsgate, describes the tortuous process she went through to try to find out what she had done and how she was eventually reinstated. She said she then discovered that many other members were suspended in a similar way – people who are known within the party as the “purged”

Sheree said: “We, the purged, have been treated with injustice and disrespect. There have been breaches of natural justice. The whole thing is a disgusting blot on the history of the Labour Party.”

The meeting at which Sheree and Jackie are speaking, CORBYN: WHAT NEXT?, has been called by Thanet Momentum.

Christine Tongue, one of the organisers of the meeting, hopes it  will encourage local people who voted for Jeremy to get more involved in campaigning for him.

“Despite the suspensions, despite everything that was used to try to stop him, Jeremy was of course re-elected. But voting for him as leader is only the start. Next we have to put him in No 10. So now the real work begins.”

The meeting will also include the screening of a film of Mr Corbyn’s rally in Ramsgate in September which was attended by 3,000 people.

The meeting is at 7.30pm on Wednesday 23 November, at the Red Hall, 11 Grosvenor Rd, Broadstairs CT10 2BT. All welcome.

“A BLOT ON THE HISTORY OF THE LABOUR PARTY”

What has been described as a “disgusting blot on the history of the Labour Party” will be discussed at a public meeting in Broadstairs on Wed 23 November .

Sheree Bell will reveal how last summer, having cast her vote for Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, she was shocked to find herself suddenly suspended from the party and her vote declared null and void.

She said: “The reason for my suspension was given as comments made on social media but no evidence of what the comments were or who had complained about these offensive comments was presented. There was no explanation of any process or who was involved in the investigation, no advice about how to appeal.”

Sheree, at the time a resident of Ramsgate, describes the tortuous process she went through to try to find out what she had done and how she was eventually reinstated. She said she then discovered that many other members were suspended in a similar way – people who are known within the party as the “purged”

Sheree said: “We, the purged, have been treated with injustice and disrespect. There have been breaches of natural justice. The whole thing is a disgusting blot on the history of the Labour Party.”

The meeting at which Sheree is speaking, CORBYN: WHAT NEXT?, has been called by Thanet Momentum.

One of the organisers of the meeting, local film-maker Christine Tongue said: “Sheree’s story is a shocking one – and it is only one of many. We must have an inquiry to find out who’s responsible for what I believe is nothing less than a witch hunt.”

Christine hopes the meeting will attract local people who voted for Jeremy to get more involved in campaigning for him.

“Despite the suspensions, Jeremy was of course re-elected. But voting for him as leader is only the start. Next we have to put him in No 10. Now the real work begins.”

The meeting will also include the screening of a film of Mr Corbyn’s rally in Ramsgate in September which was attended by 3,000 people.

The meeting is at 7.30pm on Wednesday 23 November, at the Red Hall, 11 Grosvenor Rd, Broadstairs CT10 2BT. All welcome.

THE JOKER IN THE WHITE HOUSE

PALS TOGETHER: Trump’s gang including Nigel Farage and, far right, Raheem Kassam

The notorious picture of Donald Trump with Nigel Farage didn’t only snub Theresa May on a global scale, it has also given an epic lift to the career of a comic character well known to Thanet political insiders: Raheem Kassam.

KASSAM: A comic character?

Editor of the London version of the loony right-wing website, Breitbart, Raheem is a longtime henchman of Farage and was brought in to revitalise his campaign to become MP of South Thanet when it was thought the local Kippers had bungled the job.

His first major intervention was to bar investigative journalist Christine Tongue from one of Farage’s famous “public meetings” in Thanet. What made people laugh was the wonderfully cack-handed way he did it. First, he said Christine was being barred from the meeting because of the “nasty” coverage of UKIP in Thanet Watch magazine.

When it was pointed out to Raheem that this is hardly grounds to bar someone from a public meeting, Raheem claimed it was a private meeting. When it was then pointed out to him that UKIP was advertising it as a public meeting, Raheem claimed the meeting was full up. When it was pointed out to him that Christine had applied in advance for a ticket and got one, Raheem explained by hanging up the phone.

Raheem’s next initiative was to claim that Thanet’s Kippers had been subject to “intimidation and bullying” for supporting Mr Farage. But as Thanet’s Stand Up To Ukip group had been extravagantly peaceful and amiable in all their demonstrations against Farage – even to the point of offering Kippers cakes and croissants at one breakfast reception – this only served to make poor Raheem appear very, very silly indeed.

But unabashed Raheem later emailed Thanet Watch trumpeting the virtues of UKIP’s campaign:

“UKIP has fought a clean, positive campaign across the entire country, and is the only political party that took the step to ban members who have had a history of political extremism…UKIP has always believed in peaceful democracy, and has never and will never, have any truck with extremists organisations or actions. We are the only party to ban extremists from joining, and we are the only party that has committed to entirely positive campaigning.”

This, of course, was Raheem’s funniest gag of all, since in the course of UKIP’s campaign, the party

• had an ex-National Front man as Nigel Farage’s campaign manager
• hired a spy who infiltrated the Stand Up To UKIP group and tried (unsuccessfully) to incite them to commit acts of criminal damage.
• and welcomed notorious far-right thugs to one of Farage’s meetings in Broadstairs who the very next day attacked Thanet Stand Up To UKIP campaigners and Labour Party canvassers.

But if you think that’s funny think about this. Raheem’s boss in US Breitbart was Stephen Bannon, the notorious mastermind behind Trump’s campaign and an acknowledged genius in the arts of whipping up white supremacists and neo-Nazis, And Trump has just made Bannon his chief strategy advisor.

Meanwhile Raheem recently pulled out of his bid to become the next leader of UKIP and is undoubtedly at a loose end for something to do. So all this means that our Raheem may soon be putting his “talents” at the service of the most powerful man in the world…

Eek!

No, come to think of it, that’s not funny at all.

MP CONDEMNED FOR “APPALLING” ATTITUDE TO CHILD POVERTY

 

South Thanet MP Craig Mackinlay has been condemned for having an “appalling” and “complacent” attitude to child poverty in Thanet.

Jackie Walker of Momentum Thanet said: “I find our MP’s response to the most recent Thanet child poverty figures showing children in our area are the poorest in the south east of the country absolutely appalling and complacent.”

The figures, published last week by the charity End Child Poverty Now, show that more than a third of children in Thanet are living in poverty – almost 11,500 under-18s. This is 2% higher than the figures released one year ago.

Responding to the figures Mr Mackinlay said: “Poverty is an emotive word which suggests a picture that we associate with true third world conditions.These are very rare anywhere in the UK and practically non-existent in Thanet.”

He added: “We could simply pay more out in benefits and make them easier to obtain: it may end the hard measure of child poverty as currently calculated, but would it improve society, or simply create a greater disincentive to work, and make those in work that much more disgruntled with their workless neighbour who appear to be having a better life?”

Calling these comments “extraordinarily complacent” Jackie Walker said: “Children do not ‘find themselves’ at this level of poverty in Kent, as Craig Mackinlay says – the reality is they are the victims of the acceptance of Britain as a low wage economy where taxpayers subsidise poor wages to enable businesses to have higher profits. These children are the victims of austerity and cuts to welfare – policies which Mr Mackinlay has always voted for.”

Jackie added: “It is not a question of being ‘emotive’ as Mr Mackinlay says. On the contrary it is a material reality for too many children in the UK and in Thanet in particular. I wonder what experience our MP has of working for poverty wages to speak about incentives in the way he does, given in particular the well above average increase in MPs wages that he voted for.”

The chair of the charity which produced the report, Sam Royston, also responded strongly to Mr Mackinlay’s remarks, pointing out the realities of children living in poverty.

Mr Royston said: “Behind these figures are real children’s lives.  Children living in families who struggle to put food on the table, or to heat the home through the winter.  Children who are less likely to do well at school because they can’t afford the same books and activities as their peers.  Children who are more likely than other children to develop mental health problems.  Children who are even likely to live less long than their peers – simply because of their background.”

Mr Royston also warned that the situation is likely to get worse.  He said: “Benefits and tax credits for children have been frozen for a four year period, meaning that they will see no increases right up to the year 2020.  By this point, increases in costs of living will mean the cash in people’s pockets will go even less far than it does today.”

Jackie Walker called on Mr Mackinlay to look again at the problems of child poverty in Thanet and to take urgent action to alleviate the problem.  She said: “I ask Craig Mackinlay to attend to the needs of the most vulnerable of his electorate and seek ways to reverse this trend that sees Thanet at the bottom too often when it comes to economic disadvantage.”

Jackie Walker will be speaking at a meeting about the future of the Labour Party in Broadstairs at 7.30pm on Wednesday 23 November in the Red Hall, 11 Grosvenor Road, Broadstairs.

THREE URGENT QUESTIONS FOR CRAIG MACKINLAY

Jackie Walker of Momentum Thanet has written to Craig Mackinlay, MP for South Thanet, asking him to answer three questions which, she says, are of urgent concern to his constituents.

The questions relate to Mr Mackinlay’s decision to hire Sam Armstrong as his chief of staff. Mr Armstrong was arrested on suspicion of raping a woman in Mr Mackinlay’s Westminster office in October and is currently on bail until January.

In her letter Ms Walker asks:

– Why Mr Mackinlay employed Sam Armstrong as his chief of staff six months after he was banned from the 2015 Conservative Party conference?

– Whether when he hired him he was aware of Sam Armstrong’s close association with Mark Clarke, who following an internal inquiry into alleged bullying and harassment in the Conservative Party was banned for life from the party?

– If he asked Sam Armstrong to investigate the social media of a number of his constituents, including Ms Walker, with a view to attacking them publicly?

Ms Walker said: “Mr Mackinlay has behaved outrageously in publicly attacking a number of his constituents, including myself, without contacting them first, and we need him to explain why he did this.   He actually wrote to Jeremy Corbyn asking him to ban four of us from his rally in Ramsgate and then tweeted this to his followers. This was incredibly upsetting for all of us.”

She added: “We also need to know why he employed Sam Armstrong as his chief of staff knowing full well Armstrong’s background and record in the Conservative Party. Unless he does come up with satisfactory answers to these questions, both Mr Mackinlay’s integrity and judgement as our MP must be in serious question and he will find it increasingly difficult to operate as an effective constituency MP.”

THE LETTER JACKIE SENT TO CRAIG MACKINLAY

Dear Craig Mackinlay,

URGENT QUESTIONS TO ANSWER

In October your chief of staff Sam Armstrong was arrested by police on suspicion of raping a woman in your Westminster office. He’s now on bail pending police enquiries and of course it’s not possible talk about his case at this time.

But I want to ask you three questions about your employment of this man which are of urgent concern to your constituents, of which I am one.

Why did you employ Sam Armstrong as your chief of staff approximately six months after he was banned from the 2015 Conservative Party conference?

Were you aware, when you hired him, of Sam Armstrong’s close association with Mark Clarke who, following an internal inquiry into alleged bullying and harassment in the Conservative Party, was banned for life from the party.

Did you ask Sam Armstrong to investigate the social media of a number of your constituents, including myself, with a view to attacking them publicly – or was this his own initiative?

I feel you must answer these questions with the utmost urgency to reassure us, your constituents, of your judgement and integrity as our MP.

Jacqueline Walker

Organiser, Momentum Thanet

KING KONG COMES TO BROADSTAIRS!

Lock up your partners, ground your aeroplanes, hide your high rise buildings. King Kong is coming to Broadstairs.

But no, it isn’t the legendary giant monkey – it’s the story of an extraordinary musical about a boxer called King Kong which electrified apartheid-bound South Africa in the 1950s.

“Todd Magic Geezer” by Ace Books, tells the story of how the musical was made. And it gets its world premiere in the Sarah Thorne Theatre in Broadstairs this November.

The man who wrote King Kong, the musical, was a journalist called Todd Matshikiza and by a great coincidence the man playing  the musical hero  is also Todd – Steven Todd, one of Thanet’s best known actors, who’s played everything from murder mysteries to Shakespeare.

“It certainly is a coincidence that I’m playing Todd.” says Steven “When we started work on the show I didn’t think I was even going to be in it!”

The part, he feels, is particularly special because he’s playing the star of a show which got made despite impossible odds.

Steven says: “Todd Matshikiza was black, his lyricist was white – and in 1950s South Africa it was actually a criminal offence for whites and blacks to associate. Despite this and despite every other conceivable hindrance and hardship they got the show staged in South Africa and it was a huge hit. Nelson Mandela – before they threw him in jail – attended the first night.”

“King Kong” transferred to London’s West End where its portrayal of “the life, colour and effervescence –as well as the poignancy and sadness – of township life” electrified huge multiracial audiences.

“How “King Kong” was created is a fantastic story,” Steven says, “and we try to tell it with humour, heart – and, of course, songs.”

The play has been produced for Broadstairs Dickens Players in association with Hags Ahoy.

“Todd Magic Geezer” is on Friday 11 November and Saturday 12 November at 7.30pm and Sunday 13 November at 2.30pm at the Sarah Thorne Theatre Company, Hilderstone, Broadstairs. Ring 01843 863701, www.sarahthorne-theatrecompany.co.uk.

CORBYN CALLS FOR CAMPAIGN FOR NHS

Jeremy Corbyn has told supporters the Labour Party is planning a “massive campaign day” for the NHS on Saturday 26 November. Jeremy says: “Under Theresa May’s Government, our NHS is in crisis. In November we’ll be coming together as a party to show the Tories that we won’t stand by while they destroy our NHS, and to let people know that Labour will always give the NHS the money it needs.” More details of local and national events will be available soon.