Diary Blog, 24 February 2024, including some thoughts about Ashfield constituency and Lee Anderson MP

Morning music

[river Moskva, upstream of Moscow]

Saturday quiz

This week brings a narrow victory over political journalist John Rentoul. He scored 5/10, but I trumped that with 6/10. I did not know the answers to questions 1, 2, 3, and 8.

From the newspapers

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-13118755/Fertility-rate-plunges-time-low.html

Women are having fewer children than ever before, official figures revealed today. 

Office for National Statistics data shows the fertility rate — the average number of children a woman has — in England and Wales slumped to 1.49 in 2022. 

It marks the lowest figure since records began in 1938, laying bare the reality of the ongoing baby bust that threatens to cripple the economy. 

Not a single one of the 330-plus authorities in both countries has a fertility rate that is above ‘replacement level’, according to MailOnline analysis.

[Daily Mail]

When one considers that (overall) the blacks and browns etc are having children, the birthrate among white people (“the people formerly known as British”) is seen more clearly as being at a rock-bottom level.

See also: https://ianrobertmillard.org/2019/01/26/the-tide-is-coming-in-reflections-on-the-possible-end-of-our-present-civilization-and-what-might-follow/.

More from the newspapers

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13119039/MP-Bob-Stewart-conviction-racially-aggravated-offence-quashed.html

An MP has had his conviction for racially aggravated offense quashed after he told an activist to ‘go back to Bahrain.’

Bob Stewart, MP for Beckenham in south-east London, made the remark towards activist Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei during a row outside the Foreign Office’s Lancaster House on December 14 2022. 

Last November, Mr Stewart was convicted for a racially aggravated public order offence and was fined £600. Following the conviction, Mr Stewart lost the Tory whip and has since sat in the House of Commons as an independent. 

Now, following an appeal, his conviction has been overturned today at Southwark Crown Court.”

[Daily Mail]

One has to wonder how absolutely stupid are the police and Crown Prosecution Service that this was ever brought to a trial. Mad.

Incidentally, note that the Daily Mail wannabee “journalist” scribbler spells “offence” as “offense“, American-style, in the first line. Newspapers have declined in every way since the 1970s.

As for my own conviction under the very stupid Communications Act 2003, s.127 (trial was on 17 November 2023), I am due to be sentenced in a few weeks’ time. After that, I shall have 3 weeks in which to decide whether to appeal to the Crown Court.

Tweets seen

Britain Occupied territory

For me, what is most alarming is that dim people like Hoyle can get to some of the highest-status positions in our country and society.

At least he is an animal-lover in his private life. I can approve of that.

Paul Golding/Britain First is only partly correct. While Islamism is a threat to the UK, so is Jew-Zionism, which is far more embedded in the power structure. Paul Golding always attacks the one but not the other, which may be one reason why Britain First has a poor electoral record; most recently, 1.6% at the Wellingborough by-election, only 8th out of 11 candidates.

At Wellingborough, Britain First’s 8th-placed position came after Labour, Conservative, Reform, LibDems, an Independent, Greens, and another Independent, only beating the Monster Raving Loony and two more Independents. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wellingborough_(UK_Parliament_constituency)#Elections_in_the_2020s.

Only one caveat: I do not know whether those numbers are inflation-adjusted.

By sending long-range “Taurus” cruise missiles to Ukraine, they will make Germany part of the Ukrainian conflict, German politician Sara Wagenknecht told the German media.

“You really think that if we deliver more weapons, the Ukrainians will be able to drive the Russians out of Crimea? Do you think Russia, a nuclear power, will allow that? If we bring war to Russia with German weapons, then we will also bring war to Germany,” she said.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sahra_Wagenknecht. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sahra_Wagenknecht#Refugee_policy. Interesting.

Sara Wagenknecht only finished her secondary education in 1988, a year before the collapse of the DDR (and, incidentally, the same year in which I myself saw the country, though only briefly), so she could not have been a member of the Aufklärung (the foreign intelligence component of the State Security apparat or “Stasi“). Had she been older, one might wonder.

Lee Anderson, and Ashfield (Derbyshire)

The maverick MP has been suspended from being under the Conservative Party whip.

Naturally, I do not agree with his statement that London is “run by Muslims”. Sadiq Khan is from a Muslim background, but has been pretty much in the Jew-Zionist pocket for many years.

It would be more accurate to characterize Sadiq Khan as “anti-white”.

As to Anderson himself, I suggest that he is trying to bolster his position vis a vis the General Election expected later this year.

Until 2019, Ashfield had always been won by Labour since its inception in 1955, with one closely-run by-electoral exception in 1977. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashfield_(UK_Parliament_constituency)#Elections_in_the_2020s. “New Labour” and Gloria de Piero changed all that.

David Marquand, a former MP for Ashfield (1966-1977; he is still alive, at 89): “Originally a tentative supporter of Blair’s New Labour, he has since become a trenchant critic, arguing that “New Labour has ‘modernised’ the social-democratic tradition out of all recognition”, even while retaining the over-centralisation and disdain for the radical intelligentsia of the old “Labourite” tradition.” [Wikipedia]. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Marquand.

Marquand defected to the SDP and then was honourable enough to step down as MP, not contesting the by-election.

In fact, Marquand was himself rather intellectual:

Marquand addressed Britain’s relative economic decline in The Unprincipled Society (1988) and The New Reckoning (1997). He argued that this decline was caused by Britain’s failure to become a developmental state like France, Germany and Japan. In those countries state intervention had encouraged industrial development and had facilitated the necessary adjustments to competition. Britain, however, was wedded to an economic liberalism which prevented the state from undertaking the necessary measures to meet the country’s developmental needs.[7] In The New Reckoning Marquand claimed: “The economies that have succeeded more spectacularly have been those fostered by developmental states, where public power, acting in concert with private interest, has induced market forces to flow in the desired direction”.[8]” [Wikipedia].

In fact, Ashfield is not quite as “safe Labour” as the history might suggest superficially. Gloria de Piero won in 2010 by a majority of under half a point (0.4%, 192 votes) from a LibDem.

While de Piero’s majority increased in 2015 (as the LibDems imploded), in 2017 she beat the Conservative candidate by less than one point (0.9%, 441 votes). An Ashfield Independent came third with over 9% of the vote.

In 2019, Lee Anderson won convincingly: 39.3% of the vote, followed in second (27.6%) by another “Ashfield Independent”, Jason Zadrozny [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Zadrozny], who has had a chequered political and personal history. In third place came Labour, with only 24.4%.

Zadrozny is going to contest the seat at GE 2024.

So far, apart from Anderson (who may or may not be standing as Conservative Party candidate, depending on whether he gets back the Conservative whip), only the Ashfield Independent and Reform UK are presently known to be likely to stand at GE 2024, but a full field is almost guaranteed. There may be a dozen or more candidates.

At first, I thought that Anderson could probably be written off as post-GE 2024 MP, but now am not so sure. He has now (whether by design or not) distanced himself from the unpopular Conservative leadership —and possibly from the equally-unpopular Conservative Party— is anti-EU, anti-migration invasion etc, and is now known nationwide. He must have at least a chance of retaining his seat. If he does, and if he also retains it as a “Conservative” MP, he might be one of 100 or even as few as 50 such MPs. Who knows what might then happen?

[Update, 13 October 2024: In the end, what happened at GE 2024 was that Lee Anderson stood as Reform UK candidate, and won handsomely with 42.8% of the vote. He is thus now one of 5 Reform UK MPs. The Labour candidate came a poor second with 29%; third place, with 15.7%, went to that Independent, Zadrozny, who faces yet another Crown Court trial soon, in February 2025: numerous charges of fraud and income tax evasion, as well as possession of cocaine): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashfield_(UK_Parliament_constituency)#Elections_in_the_2020s].

More tweets seen

(April 2023)

(February 2024)

Bye...”

Richard Tice

Mr Tice said there is “anger amongst ordinary folk about the state of the country”.

He said: “There’s no love for Keir Starmer, there’s just a deep rejection and utter fury with the toxic Tories.

[Daily Express]

To that limited extent, I agree with Tice.

Late music

[painting by Victor Ostrovsky]

10 thoughts on “Diary Blog, 24 February 2024, including some thoughts about Ashfield constituency and Lee Anderson MP”

  1. ‘End Jew Hatred”! What ridiculous, overblown nonsense that is! In contrast to many other European countries, REAL ‘anti-semitism’ barely exists here and never really has done. Even in the 1930’s it was at a far weaker level than in Continental Europe. Sir Oswald Mosley was called a ‘kosher fascist’ by people on the far right and had Jews in his party such as former Tory MP, Harold Soref.

    What there IS is increasing opposition to the Zionist state and its increasingly brutal repression of Palestinians which concerns not just muslims but large numbers of decent and humane Britons of a wide range of political persuasions.

    Like

  2. If that person above was really concerned about genuine anti-semitism he would stop supporting the Zionist entity and its more and more brutal oppression of Palestinians.

    Look up and watch Rabbi Elhanan Beck of Stamford Hill’s Neturei Karta UK interviews on Youtube. In one he says that despite his being an Ultra-orthodox Jew and therefore looking obviously Jewish he did not experience real anti-semitism much until October 7th 2023 when some uninformed and ignorant idiots said ‘Hitler, Hitler’ to him behind his back.

    The Zionist entity by its actions is helping to create anti-semitism where either none or very little was experienced before.

    Like

  3. What a stupid action withdrawing the Tory whip from Lee Anderson. Mr Sunak and the upper echelons of the so-called Conservative Party really have no idea of how unpopular they are with many people in this country and they have no clue as to how to make millions of people who voted Conservative in 2019 to stop being on their mass voting strike and to start voting Tory again.

    Lee Anderson is popular with many grassroots Tories and particularly the kind who voted Tory last time in the ‘Red Wall’ which was how the party got their present large majority.

    Trump knows HIS base in the US Republican Party as will be shown once again today in the South Carolina Republican Primary it is about time the Tory Party’s leadership did likewise.

    Like

  4. Yes, Mr Sunak, when in a huge electoral hole keep-on digging! Take away the Tory whip from one of the very few Conservative Party MPs who show a connection with ordinary people.

    The Labour Party ordered some large crates of Krug Champagne when Sunak was foisted upon the Conservative Party undemocratically.

    Like

    1. John:
      Sunak is a disaster for the Con Party, and not only because he is non-white. However, it is too late for the Con Party to salvage much by ditching him, maybe only months or even weeks before GE 2024 (the leadership process would take at least 2 months even if Sunak were to resign).

      Like

  5. I am amazed by Richard Tice´s talent to analyse and describe so accurately the mood of the British people. He is a very perceptive and clever man! “There is anger among ordinary folk…” Fancy that… 😁​😁​😁​

    Like

  6. ’30P Lee’ might retain his seat on a personal vote and a low turnout/low share of the vote amongst a highly split electorate.

    It would be funny if he was re-elected. He could then run for the party leadership after out of touch Sunak and company leave a much diminished rump behind them. Well, Lee putting his hat into the ring would hardly be any worse than the others likely to contend such as James Cleverly (Thickerly) ect!

    Like

    1. John:
      I am hardly likely to approve of Lee Anderson as such, but at least he is not totally out of touch with the masses.

      As you say. Stranger things have happened. If “30p Lee” gets the whip back, then I would not rule out his retaining the seat. Labour has been struggling at Ashfield for 14 years at least. There will be a dozen candidates, at least, and about 4 will have a shot— Conservative, Labour, maybe Ashfield Independent, maybe LibDem, maybe Reform UK. It will be a 3-horse race and maybe even a 5-horse race. It could be won by a candidate with only a 25%-30% vote.

      The other main possibility is that Anderson does not get the whip back. He then stands but for Reform UK. In that event, he might have an even better chance, against a Con candidate with no chance but who might still get a fifth of the vote, and against Labour, LibDem, and Ashfield Independent candidates. In a 5-horse race, albeit with 10-12 candidates in all, he might end up getting re-elected but for Reform UK.

      Failing that, if Anderson stands as Independent, then his chances, though weakened, are not completely nullified. It would be, quite likely, a 6-horse race. He might be able to win with only 25% of the vote. Not completely impossible.

      Like

Leave a comment