This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/sep/13/labour-infighting-like-lord-of-the-flies-says-john-mcdonnell
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Labour infighting like Lord of the Flies, says John McDonnell Labour infighting like Lord of the Flies, says John McDonnell | |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| John McDonnell has compared Jeremy Corbyn’s battle to maintain a functioning shadow cabinet in the face of hostility from Labour MPs to the classic dystopian novel Lord of the Flies. | John McDonnell has compared Jeremy Corbyn’s battle to maintain a functioning shadow cabinet in the face of hostility from Labour MPs to the classic dystopian novel Lord of the Flies. |
| The shadow chancellor said recently recruited members of the shadow cabinet had faced abuse, unfair criticism and constant pressure from their parliamentary colleagues. | The shadow chancellor said recently recruited members of the shadow cabinet had faced abuse, unfair criticism and constant pressure from their parliamentary colleagues. |
| He said this could be compared to the William Golding novel in which a group of children try to govern themselves but end up plotting, abusing and ultimately murdering each other. | He said this could be compared to the William Golding novel in which a group of children try to govern themselves but end up plotting, abusing and ultimately murdering each other. |
| At a fringe meeting on Monday night at the Trades Union Congress, McDonnell told supporters that younger leftwing MPs who had come forward to serve on the shadow cabinet were heroes who had been mistreated by their own colleagues. | At a fringe meeting on Monday night at the Trades Union Congress, McDonnell told supporters that younger leftwing MPs who had come forward to serve on the shadow cabinet were heroes who had been mistreated by their own colleagues. |
| “They’ve suffered all that abuse too, and they’ve suffered it from our own backbenchers, the criticisms, etcetera, all that stuff, pressure that’s put upon them because parliament is a total institution where pressures build up. And at times it has been more like Lord of the Flies quite honestly than you’d expect in a modern political system,” he said. | “They’ve suffered all that abuse too, and they’ve suffered it from our own backbenchers, the criticisms, etcetera, all that stuff, pressure that’s put upon them because parliament is a total institution where pressures build up. And at times it has been more like Lord of the Flies quite honestly than you’d expect in a modern political system,” he said. |
| McDonnell gave a chronological account of an alleged plot by former shadow cabinet members including Hilary Benn and their allies to oust Corbyn. He said this came to a head in June after Benn was sacked for refusing to sign a joint statement with Corbyn. | McDonnell gave a chronological account of an alleged plot by former shadow cabinet members including Hilary Benn and their allies to oust Corbyn. He said this came to a head in June after Benn was sacked for refusing to sign a joint statement with Corbyn. |
| “What we didn’t know was that there was a plan, and although actually their [the plotters’] meetings were being leaked to us, we had people in the meetings letting us know what was going on. That’s why they’re useless. | “What we didn’t know was that there was a plan, and although actually their [the plotters’] meetings were being leaked to us, we had people in the meetings letting us know what was going on. That’s why they’re useless. |
| “What we didn’t fully know was the idea that they would resign hour by hour, in small batches, to make Jeremy resign by the next morning. So literally we were getting fed through announcements, another four had gone, another four had gone, and the idea was by lunchtime that Monday that Jeremy would be so crushed he would resign. They completely underestimated us. | “What we didn’t fully know was the idea that they would resign hour by hour, in small batches, to make Jeremy resign by the next morning. So literally we were getting fed through announcements, another four had gone, another four had gone, and the idea was by lunchtime that Monday that Jeremy would be so crushed he would resign. They completely underestimated us. |
| “Within 24 hours he appointed another shadow cabinet. I tell you, they’re the heroes and heroines of this movement. These young people who have now come forward are absolute heroes and heroines,” he said | “Within 24 hours he appointed another shadow cabinet. I tell you, they’re the heroes and heroines of this movement. These young people who have now come forward are absolute heroes and heroines,” he said |
| Golding wrote Lord of the Flies in 1954 about a group of well-educated British boys who attempt to govern themselves on a deserted island. They descend into savagery and attack each other, killing two of the boys, Simon and Piggy. | Golding wrote Lord of the Flies in 1954 about a group of well-educated British boys who attempt to govern themselves on a deserted island. They descend into savagery and attack each other, killing two of the boys, Simon and Piggy. |
| McDonnell also claimed that there was an establishment plot to destabilise Corbyn and his shadow cabinet. “To be clear, this is nothing to do with Jeremy Corbyn as an individual, this is about you. This is the establishment saying to you, how dare you elect a socialist as a leader of the Labour party. | McDonnell also claimed that there was an establishment plot to destabilise Corbyn and his shadow cabinet. “To be clear, this is nothing to do with Jeremy Corbyn as an individual, this is about you. This is the establishment saying to you, how dare you elect a socialist as a leader of the Labour party. |
| “This is the 1% telling the 99% to get back in line, get back in your box … They want to get back to a politics that is simply a rotation of the political elites, cut off from the real world but dominated largely by the City of London and big finance and capital,” he said. | “This is the 1% telling the 99% to get back in line, get back in your box … They want to get back to a politics that is simply a rotation of the political elites, cut off from the real world but dominated largely by the City of London and big finance and capital,” he said. |
| “Sometimes we have to swim against the stream and stand up to vitriol. I know this sounds paranoid but some of this is organised by the establishment to undermine us.” | “Sometimes we have to swim against the stream and stand up to vitriol. I know this sounds paranoid but some of this is organised by the establishment to undermine us.” |
| Meanwhile, Tosh McDonald, president of the Aslef transport union, compared Benn, the former shadow foreign secretary, to Adolf Hitler for supporting the bombing of Isis. | Meanwhile, Tosh McDonald, president of the Aslef transport union, compared Benn, the former shadow foreign secretary, to Adolf Hitler for supporting the bombing of Isis. |
| McDonald said Benn had been wrong to compare that military action by the west with the international brigades in Spain in the 1930s. “The only comparison I can draw is with Hitler and Mussolini, bombing the republican lines in Spain,” he said. | McDonald said Benn had been wrong to compare that military action by the west with the international brigades in Spain in the 1930s. “The only comparison I can draw is with Hitler and Mussolini, bombing the republican lines in Spain,” he said. |