Review: THIS LAND: The Story Of A Movement Owen Jones

It's no surprise to anyone that I am NOT Owen Jones' biggest fan, nor am I one of his biggest haters either. In todays world I find him rather boring, and extremely predictable.

However, he did shock me when he decided to write about the troubles Corbyn and his team went through, whether that be self-inflicted wounds or internal sabotaging, or the (as Owen put it) "right wing press." especially so soon when I am sure the wounds are still healing.

So, I decided to read it (I haven't actually bought it, I downloaded it with a credit on my Audible).

Owen speaks of the late Tony Benn, with great passion, how his vision of a socialist Britain could have saved Labour in the 1970's from the "Winter of Discontent", and subsequent disastrous defeat, leading to Britain's first female Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. 

However, Jones' love for Benn I find quite blinkered. Benn was a socialist in his words, but not in his actions. For example, selling his private diaries. The ONLY reason someone would sell their private diaries is for money, capitalising, and profit. (It's OK to live like a capitalist so long as you talk like a socialist.)

Also totally bi-passes the fact that Benn used a tax avoidance scheme so that those who inherited his £5 million fortune didn't pay too much inheritance tax. 

Then there is love to shout down the "right wing" presses denunciations of Corbyn from the moment it was clear the backbencher was going to win the leadership contest. 

"Terrorist Sympathiser" Jones reads as one of the many headlines that followed Corbyn's victory in 2015. Yet he does nothing to squash that headline, nothing to contradict it, mainly because Corbyn had snuggled up to many terrorist organisations, for example befriending ex IRA leader Gerry Adams in the 80's (possibly 70's I haven't a clue as to how long the two have known each other.), or even inviting terrorist organisations like Hezbollah to parliament "for tea."

Of course not ALL of Jones' denunciations were as briefly mentioned and I found he had purpose for his annoyances, however, not many.

I also found his argument of the "war from within" extremely one sided. He interviewed many people who were close to Corbyn, or at least a sympathetic ear to Corbyn, but not once did he go to the other side to hear their version.

Instead Jones' took the words of his fellow "comrades"(?) as gospel, and didn't bother properly investigating. 

For example, saying that Alan Johnson told one pro-Corbyn Labour MP to "Fuck Off". Never once did he go to Johnson to ask if it were true, or any reasonings behind this outburst if it were.

As well as "outing" a former Labour MP as possibly gay, extremely risky, and not at all fair, why he felt the right to publish this information is beyond me.

When it came to him writing about Corbyn's leadership skills, I found that he was grasping at straws. Corbyn, the man, the myth, the avoider.

The way Jones' writes about Corbyn's approach to issues, is almost like listening to my sister describe her 7 year old avoiding doing his homework, or the left try and describe Trump taking any criticisms. 

Ignoring anything issues that cropped up by not answering his phone, wearing a deliberate suit to let everyone know he wasn't happy (WTF?!), or just losing his temper like a toddler. Not turning up on time to prepare for interviews, and TV debates because he found them boring. Making tea whilst in the middle of an extremely important meeting.

Never once does Jones describe Corbyn as taking control of anything. Not pushing particularly hard on Iain McNichol (the then Labour chairman), regarding the process of investigating anti-semitism into the party.

Jones' obviously has a whole chapter dedicated to the anti-semitism crisis that Labour faced under Corbyn. Which I was pleasantly pleased to see.

Then when the chapter ended I was shocked, again not once did Owen go to the JLM, or an individual former Labour Jewish voter and ask why they felt unsafe with Corbyn at the helm.

Instead he tries to indulge us with the fact that Corbyn himself was "shocked" at being labelled as such, and in his shock decided to IGNORE all good advice as Corbyn's mind, that made him look guilty of anti-semitism himself, and almost tried to ignore the issue.

Now, I watch enough crime documentaries to inform you, it's almost like someone refusing to do a lie-detector test, it automatically (wrongly or rightly) makes you look guilty, more so than ever before.

It feels, through Jones' writing, that Corbyn tried to make himself look more guilty, or that he genuinely isn't that sharp and didn't understand that he was harming his own political future as leader, or indeed Prime Minister. 

In summary, Corbyn did nothing to help himself, it comes across as though he relied on everyone else to do it all for him, because he either found it boring, or he didn't like what he was hearing so instead of dealing with it he ran away.

Thank god he never won a general election. He, according to what I've read in Jones' book, wasn't ever fit to lead Labour let alone Britain. 

And as for Jones' account, extremely one sided, so much for equality!

USA Riots: Why I Agree

Not going to be a popular view with many people who I would normally agree with, however here is my reasoning why I agree with the riots going on in the USA.

In the past 10 years there have been so many innocent black people killed by police officers for no apparent reason.

1. Sandra Bland was arrested in 2015 for a broken tail light, which in the grand scheme of things is not a reason to arrest anyone. She was taken in, and a few hours later found dead in her cell by hanging. There are a lot of speculation as to whether she actually killed herself, or that she was dead when her mug shot was taken.

Let's all agree there was no reason to arrest her. Yes she had a broken tail light, and no she wasn't being rude, or attacking the arresting police officer, yet for some reason he still took her in. There is a video you can go and watch here.

2. Eric Garner was arrested for the possible possession of drugs. He didn't have any. He was killed by strangulation. He told the officer, who had unnecessarily got Eric in to an extremely tight headlock. In the video you can here Eric tell the officer "I can't breathe." The officer didn't let up, and Eric died for no reason.

Again he wasn't resisting arrest, he wasn't challenging the officers in anyway, and yet he was killed. You can watch it here.

3. Walter Scott, just like Sandra Bland, was pulled over for a broken tail light. Walter was shot at 8 times, of which 5 hit him. Walter himself was unarmed.

There was no reason to kill him. He was not a threat. It was a broken light.

4. George Floyd, just like Eric Garner, was suffocated because the police officer kneeled on his neck, and just like Eric Garner, he told him multiple times that he couldn't breathe. The police officer ignored and killed George, again for not good reason.


Now there have been spates of riots in different US cities such as Minnesota, Minneapolis (where George was murdered), Atlanta, and Detroit.

Of course I am sure there are many, many more where innocent black people have been either killed, or maimed by US Police Officers.

Now I am not someone who agrees with rioting lightly.

However, the murders of people just because of there skin colour does deserve to have anger. I am angry that there are white people who think they're above someone else just because of skin pigmentation. It's shameful, ridiculous and downright stupid.

I am agreeing with the rioting because sometimes you have to take extreme measures in order to get heard.

Barack Obama was president for three of the murders mentioned above, as we all know, Barack Obama is a black man. He did NOTHING.

President Trump has, and most likely, will do NOTHING.

They will do nothing, if people aren't shown to be angry, because politicians have this wonderful way of ignoring the will of the people, the people who put them into the position in first place.

I hope this will make Trump listen to people's anger. Listen to the fact that there IS a racist problem within the USA from those with the slightest bit of power, and someone who just happens to be black.

If no-one listens, and these murders carry on, these riots are only going to get worse. Listen, learn, and do something about it. Otherwise, Trump and whoever follows him, they will be the ones with blood on their hands, not the rioters, the politicians.