A Tory MP is now living to regret branding Jeremy Corbyn a hypocrite [TWEETS]

Jeremy Corbyn
Support us and go ad-free

A Conservative MP tried to call out Jeremy Corbyn for his alleged hypocrisy over Venezuela on Twitter. But it didn’t go very well.

Bob Seely, who joined parliament in June 2017, tweeted:

And the response Seely received showed just how ridiculous it is for anyone in the Conservative Party to accuse Corbyn of hypocrisy.

Read on...

The response

Many people asked Seely to condemn the Conservative Party for its actions in supporting arms sales to Saudi Arabia and other repressive regimes:

Others asked that, given the UK’s close relationship with the Saudi Arabian government, surely Seely should condemn some of the atrocities committed by the regime there:

Some people also noticed his very sudden interest in the politics of Venezuela:

And it wasn’t just Corbyn supporters who called him out on his own hypocrisy:

(Note: Renowned international figures have previously praised Venezuela’s democratic system. And in the last major election in 2015, the opposition coalition gained a parliamentary majority of 112 out of 167 seats.)

Condemnation

It seems there are lots of issues that Seely should also be condemning given his newfound interest in Venezuela. But while some were highlighted in people’s tweets, there is a long list of actions taken by foreign governments that the Conservative Party and its allies support, which should be condemned. Some examples include:

  • The fact that US authorities have reportedly killed around 100 civilians a month so far in 2017.
  • The alleged war crimes in Yemen of the Saudi Arabian dictatorship (a Western ally heavily linked to terrorism).
  • The alleged war crimes in both Turkey and Syria of the increasingly authoritarian Turkish regime of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (and its alleged links to terrorism).
  • The fact that US ally Honduras (where US officials allegedly helped to install a pro-US regime through a 2009 coup) has one of the highest murder rates in the world.
  • The dismal human rights record of Western ally Mexico, including the forced ‘disappearance’ of 43 student teachers in 2014; frequent accusations of rigged elections [Spanish]; and being one the most difficult and dangerous places in the world to be a journalist (the recent discovery of the burnt remains of one kidnapped reporter, for example, definitely wasn’t mentioned much by Tory MPs or supporters).

Meanwhile, Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party has put out a clear statement urging “everyone in Venezuela, on all sides, to end the bloodshed immediately”. Its key message being, as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has insisted, that “the only way forward is a political solution”.

We’re waiting

But Twitter users have been left waiting for a response from Seely. And while Corbyn has condemned violence on all sides in Venezuela, Theresa May is busy selling billions of pounds of arms to the repressive regimes of Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Seely’s tweet reeks of political expediency. But the response he received may at least make him think twice before calling Jeremy Corbyn a hypocrite again.

Get Involved!

Support Campaign Against Arms Trade.

–  Help to stop DSEi (one of the world’s largest arms fairs) this September in London.

– Support The Canary if you appreciate the work we do. Also see more Canary articles on Venezuela; and for more Global articles, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Featured image via Flickr

We know everyone is suffering under the Tories - but the Canary is a vital weapon in our fight back, and we need your support

The Canary Workers’ Co-op knows life is hard. The Tories are waging a class war against us we’re all having to fight. But like trade unions and community organising, truly independent working-class media is a vital weapon in our armoury.

The Canary doesn’t have the budget of the corporate media. In fact, our income is over 1,000 times less than the Guardian’s. What we do have is a radical agenda that disrupts power and amplifies marginalised communities. But we can only do this with our readers’ support.

So please, help us continue to spread messages of resistance and hope. Even the smallest donation would mean the world to us.

Support us

Comments are closed