In the scales of things, this was a bit parochial, but one of the first things I did on sifting through the EHRC report was to check for references to Nottingham – cos we did have 2 Councillors suspended – albeit one of them, knowing their beliefs was a bizarre accident – yep, be careful about what you re-tweet.
There wasn’t a Nottingham reference, but there was this – “We saw examples in our sample of complaints of inaction or a failure to investigate. “Example “In 2016, a Labour councillor shared an image of Jewish banker, Jacob Rothschild, on their Facebook page along with a caption claiming that the Rothschild family and other institutions, including the City of London and the Vatican, ‘own our News, our Media, our Oil and even our governments’. It does not appear that this was investigated at all. “The Labour Party acknowledged that some complaints had been dealt with too slowly.”
There were Notts people that shared an image along these lines. And I know – – I had to ask a friend who can set issues out better than me to point out the problems with the objections to the drive against anti-Semitism amongst Facebook friends; (it was getting overwhelming); – as a CLP secretary, I had to write letters of consolation to 3 Jewish members who had felt that the poor response to anti-Semitism in the Labour Party had driven them to leave the Labour Party; – I have over the last few years had to publicly speak out about anti-Semitism within the Labour Party; – only this January, I had to challenge a local community leader over assertions that Jewish people did control the media and we all knew it (they backed down).
I saw a video re-tweeted today protesting about how anti-Semitism had been weaponised against left-wingers, and it made lots of good points, but missed saying enough about how some left-wingers came to let the charge stick by not being clear on the points that he then went on to be clear about. (The video also makes a very strong claim about something Boris Johnson once did regarding claims of Jewish control of the media – but again how has this not been turned into a campaigning point before?)
Painful too to see Nadia Whittome MP’s response to the report be characterised in social media as a sop to conventional thinking (and not something she was selected as a Labour MP to do) rather than be a genuine expression of how she felt and what she believes. No doubt, Nadia put out her statement before knowing about Jeremy Corbyn’s response, and his subsequent suspension from membership. But again, how did Corbyn not realise that the initial reaction had to acceptance of the report and resolve to do better. His response has created a divide – are people supposed to support him or support members like Nadia? Some action against Jeremy Corbyn was inevitable because he undermined in a high profile way the resolve of the Labour Party in response to the EHRC report to demonstrate a resolve to fix the problems. [And he had been briefed by Keir Starmer about what Keir was going to say.] (And can anybody remember why Rebecca Long-Bailey felt the need to stand by her remarks rather than lose a front bench position?)
The problems mattered and matter. Because anti-Semitism is wrong. Because the Labour Party is expected to have high standards on opposing anti-Semitism. Because the report points out that the Labour Party did not have those high standards. And yes, because it undermined our appeal to the public. And absolutely because members were hurt by our actions & inaction and felt they had to leave the party.
Whataboutery and superstition still hangs around commentary of the opinion polls for the election of the USA president.
The indicators for Biden are: 1. Joe Biden leads Donald Trump on average by 9 points. So what about 2016? Hillary finally won by 2.1% but lost because of very narrow defeats in 3 states. The Democratic Party is wise to that risk this time around and knows Pennsylvania remains the key state to determine the outcome. There also seems to be an understanding that Joe needs to win by 3%. 2. Jo Biden leads in all contested states, including Iowa but not Ohio (or Texas). So what about 2016, when the opinion polls predicted a victory for Hillary and only the less regarded pollsters spotted a late swing to Trump & declared a win for Trump? Here, there is a risk with interpreting pollsters’ findings, beyond the error of margin they often give (typically +/- 3%). For instance, yesterday’s national polls on registered voters reported leads from 7% to 18% and on likely voters from 11% to actually losing by 1%. Echoes here of the last days of the 2017 General Election when polls ranged from a Conservative lead of 18% to a Labour lead of 3% – the Conservatives won by 2.5%. 3. Support for Joe Biden is committed. There are reports that the numbers of people to make up their mind is very small. Tying in with notions that Trump’s outlook is kind of Marmite – you either strongly like or strongly dislike. However, Labour Party analysis of the 2010 result suggested 1/3rd of the electorate had still not decided how to vote at the weekend and 1/6th had not decided on Election Day. But I don’t know if that is an equivalent phenomenon to USA 2020 and the Conservatives did seek to ape New Labour in 2010 in appearance, if not (as we were to find out pretty quickly) in actuality. 4. The recent swing to Trump – long predicted (“the elections will naturally tighten as the Election Day approaches’) – has been marginal. One averaged lead has dropped from a peak of 10.8% to 9.0% today, in the space of a week. 5. Joe Biden will have benefitted from the determination to vote “early” – over 75 million people have already voted, by absentee ballot (postal vote which we have) or by attending special polling stations to vote in person (which we don’t have). Here, I have seen some reports suggesting not all such voting is positive for Biden. 6. Joe Biden has raised more money to spend, both on advertising and on the ground organisation. 7. Joe Biden has won the arguments that matter this time around – the handling of the Covid-19 public health emergency, race relations and character. This is what surveys have found, notably Biden’s lead amongst college educated women and older voters.
The indicators for Trump: 1. He’s a better talker. 2. He came from behind in 2016. 3. He has a very loyal core (30% strongly agree), tied in with conservatives valuing the majority in the Supreme Court to resist aspects of modern America they don’t like.
Watched the 4th game of the finals of baseball in the USA last night – as live; for the first time. I’m slowly becoming familiar with the various types of bowling. In what was billed as the most extraordinary finish to the most extraordinary finals game for some time, the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Los Angeles Dodgers with the final stroke. And all the commentators could say was “unbelievable”. And all the players could say was “the guys never gave up”. So it seems however detailed and technical the knowledge of these sports are and however different these sports are from each other, the cliches are the same.
Photo: Sports illustrated
Walking down Victoria Embankment this afternoon, in glorious sunshine, there seemed to be loads of people, which I put down to people enjoying the weather with the extra hour from the clocks changing. Spoke to loads of people, including one stranger wearing a Los Angeles Dodger shirt. What were the chances? I sought his reaction to the match, and he knew nothing about it. He just liked the shirt. – And by now, I know you’ve worked out what I’m doing. Yep, talk about anything, absolutely anything, other than Salop’s latest defeat.
Based on email sent to community activists on 20th October.
Covid-19: I have “attended” a further briefing on Covid-19 in Nottingham. The rate of new infections is falling significantly overall but increasing amongst older people. Numbers in hospital are currently manageable but this can change. So please do all you can to follow the public health advice. It’s still possible that Nottingham will be placed in tier 3 next week. (So far, gyms have not been a significant factor in spreading the disease.) The capacity to begin a vaccination programme (to last 5 months) in November will be in place, but the vaccination itself looks unlikely to be available until the new year.
Victoria Embankment: the closure to traffic has made the embankment and the park a much more peaceful place to be. It’s plain that traffic levels elsewhere are currently nothing to complain about, but it’s also plain that the public health emergency must in some way have led to lower traffic levels, so it remains way too early to make a final long-term recommendation.
The new Arkwright Walk and new Ryehill House.
Welcome to new residents: including Ryehill House and the new properties along Arkwright Walk, which is now a proper through route for cyclists between Trent Bridge and the Railway station. Broadmarsh: a big conversation has begun on the future of the site now Into has collapsed and the site been returned to the City Council. Check it out – https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/21c59c2e9c52410b9278230ea7828acc Police operations: I was stopped by a resident to be told to congratulate the Police on an arrest made today (Tuesday). No doubt, we’ll receive a fuller report on current operations in time. Lighting at Bridgeway Shopping Centre: one set of lighting has been repaired.
New fencing, a fallen tree has been cleared; a hedgehog box; telecoms box being abused; overgrown ivy; challenges for street scene staff; missing bollard; hole in a canal boundary wall.
Street scene: reports of graffiti etc. continue to be sent in, including a hole in the canal wall on London Road. New path: a wider path (of compacted gravel) has been installed along the top of the embankment running along the River Leen between two parts of Birdcage Walk.
Salop at Wimbledon today, who play at Loftus Road and where the artificial crowd noises still consists of “Come On U R’s”. Salop failed in their usual style of winning the ball in their half and were devoid of decent chances until taking the lead on the final second of “regulation time” from a corner. So Salop have won 1, drawn 3 and lost 1, when a fair set of results would have been 3 1-1’s and 2 0-0’s. Yep, Salop – where the entertainment consists of unrelenting anxiety.
But if you’re trying to make a point about perspective, is your case that diminished by publishing the actual figures? Why not get it right?
One perspective, what we won’t be clear on for some time is to what extent treating such large numbers impacted upon proper treatment for people with other conditions.
Sweden’s alternative approach is interesting, but probably relies on the greater sense of scale security there is in Sweden. But their rate is 12th worst in the world (we’re 8th and the USA is 9th). But a more interesting comparison for Sweden might be their Scandinavian neighbours – surely Sweden could have done better.
from the same demonstration: my advice – talk to your G.P.
Part 2. Well, first things first. If you are unwell, take a test and consult a doctor. Call me traditional, but I still prefer asking someone who’s had medical training and has medical experience, rather than an anonymous person, hiding their face and declaring the cure on a piece of cardboard, even if the handwriting is perhaps neater than the usual GP’s. But we all seek extra advice, don’t we?
One alternative source is to check out what Donald Trump is getting, cos – believe it or not- it’s been published. It’s Regeneron’s polyclonal antibody cocktail (remdesivir and REGN-COV2 (check)); then zinc, vitamin D, famotidine, melatonin and a daily aspirin. So not bleach then – boom, boom. And not Trump’s previous favourite – hydroxychloroquine.
As for the “cure” on the cardboard poster, searching the internet does find articles that suggests it might help in the early stages – BUT TALK TO A DOCTOR. I didn’t find articles suggesting it was a cure, and wouldn’t everyone love a cure to exist. We would, we really would.
Meanwhile, with all the medical and scientific knowledge available, choose science and medicine over conspiracy theories. Choose all the letters of the alphabet not just “Q”.
Apparently, there is always an October surprise in the run-up to the November Presidential elections, but the idea that, as some 24 hours news presenters have it, the world has changed, lacks proportion. I’ve been checking the polls, state by state, and Biden was getting close to an averaged 6 point lead in Pennsylvania, which, after Michigan and Wisconsin, is the final state needed.
Donald Trump is very likely to get well again without feeling very unwell (96% chance, I understand) and without having to use the bottles of bleach currently being sent to the White House as “get well” presents. But the quarantine is likely to stop the kind of his campaigning that was doing him the most harm, including the rallies (at which he has at times been incoherent) and the presidential debates (the first of which was a clear win for Joe Biden) – Trump actually wanted to keep the same debating rules, so he could make the same mistakes. Instead, satire programmes will have to pull their punches and Trump is getting messages of sympathy. And in this conspiracy-poisoned world, it seems quite a few people don’t believe Trump is poorly at all. Awaiting the “Q” analysis, but I say use all the knowledge there is and use “all” the letters of the alphabet. Hope Joe Biden is OK – 3 metres distant for 90 minutes during the debate is apparently a risk, as is sharing a hall with Trump family members and associates who refused to wear masks. Meanwhile, live safer.
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