Tom Watson’s latest sabotage is perfect ‘ammo’ for the establishment media

Tom Watson


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Children’s author Michael Rosen gave a spot-on analysis of Tom Watson’s latest sabotage. As Jeremy Corbyn works to create unity and direction in the current political chaos, Watson’s pumping out quite the opposite. And it’s also perfect “ammo” for the establishment media.

“Whatever Is Not Labour’s Policy”

On 11 September, Watson’s set to insist the Labour Party should “unambiguously and unequivocally back remain”. As the Guardian reported, he’ll speak at a Creative Industries Federation conference and say:

Boris Johnson has already conceded that the Brexit crisis can only be solved by the British people. But the only way to break the Brexit deadlock once and for all is a public vote in a referendum. A general election might well fail to solve this Brexit chaos.

Yet, as Rosen pointed out, Watson’s policy “Is Not Labour Policy”. Importantly, the establishment media is lapping up Watson’s damaging contradictions:

“Perfect ammo”

The BBC, for example, reported that Watson’s comments:

put him at odds with the party’s leader Jeremy Corbyn, who has not committed to back either side in another vote if Labour wins power.

So, as one person on Twitter pointed out, this provided “perfect ammo” to ‘exploit’ the idea that Labour’s Brexit policy is “still unclear”:

Others, meanwhile, shared similar ideas. For the right-wing establishment agenda, Watson truly is “the gift that keeps on giving”:

“We are not afraid to take them on”

Corbyn, meanwhile, has faced down the current political crisis with absolute honesty. Speaking at the Trades Union Congress conference on 10 September, he said:

Today parliament stands empty, shut down by a prime minister running away from scrutiny.

And he made an important point about the Johnson administration:

Johnson and his right-wing cabinet are not only on the side of the establishment, they are the establishment.

He continued:

In the next few weeks, the establishment will come after us with all they’ve got, because they know we are not afraid to take them on.

Corbyn also addressed the critical issues facing ordinary people, stating:

We’re going after the tax avoiders… the bad employers… the dodgy landlords… the big polluters destroying our climate and natural world. We are creating a society of hope and inclusion, not of poverty and division.

So, given the clarity of Corbyn’s message, Watson’s sabotage is nothing short of disgusting. It now seems clearer than ever that one of the key establishment figures ‘coming after’ Corbyn’s Labour is also its own deputy leader.

Featured image via Wikimedia – Tom Oxley

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    1. In an attempt to understand how we got to this point in politics and such division within both parliament and the country, I shall be as non partisan as I possibly can…having no clear preference for leaving the EU or remaining only in how either of these positions is attained and to what extent either is democratic. We began with a referendum where much was said about the EU that we could attribute to the UK government…immigration where the UK government didn’t exercise regulations it has every right and other EU countries do. Disenfranchisement also caused by our government, understanding many voted to leave as a stand against the current tory government who were campaigning to remain. The remain campaign was divided between left, right and centre…confusing domestic policies with the referendum. The remain side focussed on what could be done and possible consequences of leaving. I don’t recall no deal being a subject for debate at that time on either side. Now we have a tory government led by Boris Johnson (or Cummings?) who is defying parliamentary norms, pitting the people against a parliament which is so archaic it’s out of reach for us ‘ordinary’ folk but it is doing what the leave and remain campaign demanded…parliamentary sovereignty. Checks and balances to ensure ANY government doesn’t ride roughshod over the constitution albeit unwritten and UK laws. Democracy, what is that? Ordinarily, we have representative democracy but the referendum was an act of direct democracy providing a mandate for a government’s promise to act on the result. The result was a marginal majority for leave, a minority of the electorate voted for but portrayed as ‘The will of the people’ even though the will of possibly the majority of the electorate then and now seems to be ignored. So we have a minority government becoming more minor by the day claiming to be the champion of democracy, of the people not to mention a government which has been responsible for the disenfranchisement and the loss of public services..neither of which has anything to do with the EU except when it comes to renationalising and that, as I understand is only because much is now privatized and comes under competition rules. The right wing is divided between Brexit and no deal Brexit and the remain divided between no Brexit and Brexit light which both respects the referendum result and people’s concerns with domestic policies alongside ensuring the economy and people are not worse off by leaving the EU, any Brexit has to pass the 6 tests set by the party. The Labour party is divided between leave and remain voters, both demanding the party is partisan and backs either leave or remain but it is the only party not partisan and respecting democracy, both leave and remain, finding a way to unite the two. The tory party is now a Brexit party and untransparent regarding any agenda despite people crying out for transparency and honesty in democratic politics, the Lib Dems a remain party who coalised with tories enabling them to create policies disenfranchising people in this country with all other parties mostly remain except The Brexit party (?). In a general election which looks imminent, the division will be stark and again confused with domestic policies…traditional Labour supporters voting for a party whose domestic policies go against the grain but they promise to leave the EU including the customs union or the Lib Dems for the polar opposite. Then we have Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland…and I’m unsure about Wales. Let me know if I’ve left anything out…and how on earth do we unite this country respecting representative democracy representing us ALL as it is supposed to be and not a minority dismissing the majority…totally turned on its head as it is currently and with a parliamentary system sovereign and if not sovereign then what?

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