Monday, December 19, 2016
Can things only get better?
In many respects the dispute as to whether Jeremy Corbyn walked out of a Christmas party after rebel politicians sang the New Labour anthem "Things Can Only Get Better" and chanted “We want Tony” is academic.
The Independent repeats a claim by the Daily Mail, which has its own agenda, that Labour MPs also sang The Beatles’ "Back In The USSR" at the seasonal karaoke in a jibe at the Labour leader’s inaction over Aleppo, which has been decimated by Russian bombing. The MP for Birmingham Yardley, Jess Phillips though, has denied the claims.
The paper says that the report of the party in the Daily Mail included a video purportedly showing the Labour MPs singing the D:Ream song – which is strongly associated with Tony Blair’s 1997 election victory – at the Westminster Kitchen in central London.
They add that one person also shouted “We want Tony,” the newspaper reported, adding that soon after Mr Corbyn and his allies Shami Chakrabarti and Richard Burgon MP left "amid jeers".
The significance of these claims is not whether they are true or not, but that somebody at the party thought it worthwhile to pass them onto the Daily Mail. Jeremy Corbyn still has a long way to go before he wins the hearts and minds of his Parliamentary Party.
The Independent repeats a claim by the Daily Mail, which has its own agenda, that Labour MPs also sang The Beatles’ "Back In The USSR" at the seasonal karaoke in a jibe at the Labour leader’s inaction over Aleppo, which has been decimated by Russian bombing. The MP for Birmingham Yardley, Jess Phillips though, has denied the claims.
The paper says that the report of the party in the Daily Mail included a video purportedly showing the Labour MPs singing the D:Ream song – which is strongly associated with Tony Blair’s 1997 election victory – at the Westminster Kitchen in central London.
They add that one person also shouted “We want Tony,” the newspaper reported, adding that soon after Mr Corbyn and his allies Shami Chakrabarti and Richard Burgon MP left "amid jeers".
The significance of these claims is not whether they are true or not, but that somebody at the party thought it worthwhile to pass them onto the Daily Mail. Jeremy Corbyn still has a long way to go before he wins the hearts and minds of his Parliamentary Party.
