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John McDonnell

Given that Mr McDonnell has announced he is running for the leadership, time for a little investigation. He was last backed at 300 on Betfair, and some kind soul is offering odds of 500, which puts him neck and neck with Hazel Blears as 14th favourite.

Reading his manifesto at john4leader.org.uk, he does have the virtue of honesty in laying out his policy platform, and is riding that retro wave all the way back from '83. All that's missing is a wav file of 'Maggie, Maggie, Maggie - OUT, OUT, OUT'. He's even got Tony Benn and Alice Mahon slated to appear on his platform, along with sundry trade union types.

See what you think:

  • An end to privatisation and restoration of public ownership
  • Increased state pension and restoration of the earnings link
  • A peace programme including withdrawal from Iraq, justice for the Palestinians and scrapping of Trident

This, however, is my favourite piece of Dave Spart-ery : "The Bush regime is interfering in the Venezuelan elections in an attempt to depose President Chavez. Funds are being deployed by the US to mobilise support against Chavez. This is an unacceptable act of imperialist inteference in a foreign country which must be condemned by democratic governments across the world".

Or maybe this: "“The NHS flounders in deficit while the banks make obscene profit. Iraq burns while energy companies plunder their bounty from Iraq. Those profits and our own expenditure to provide cover for Bush's trail of death could be used to save life and improve living standards for our most vulnerable citizens.”

And no thumbnail sketch would be complete without this: "It's about time we started honouring those people involved in the armed struggle. It was the bombs and bullets and sacrifice made by the likes of Bobby Sands that brought Britain to the negotiating table. The peace we have now is due to the action of the IRA".

Most amusingly, he is a grammar school boy from Naarfolk.
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Blogger The Hitch said... 1:05 pm

Now there is a strange logic
the IRA bombed NI into peace?
I think I need to lay my head in my hands and think about that for a while.  



Blogger Croydonian said... 1:13 pm

Bit of a head scratcher, eh? Loved your alzheimers anecdote, by the way.  



Blogger Rigger Mortice said... 1:56 pm

thew sad thing is some people think it'll work  



Blogger Thomas said... 3:13 pm

If he really is such a fool as to think that the cause of the violence is in fact the reason it stopped, then maybe he's a good choice for a future Labour leader.

That way the Tories will win :)  



Blogger Bel said... 9:49 pm

I was reading through the 'manifesto' with an indulgent smile (one must humour these people sometimes) until I got to the IRA part.

Very worrying if we have politicians believing such nonsense.

And the bank robbery by the IRA? Presumably that was to cut the crime rate in Belfast.  



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