Scottish young people don’t like warmongers

Cartoon of Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy

Before we go to Scotland and its right-wing Labour party leader Jim Murphy today, first some United States political history.

In the twentieth century, there was the late United States senator and failed presidential candidate Henry ‘Scoop’ Jackson. Mr Jackson was corrupt, Jackson’s nickname was “the gentleman from Boeing“. Boeing being a military contractor getting lots of taxpayers’ money for killing and torturing people. Jackson was also a major supporter of wars, like in Vietnam.

Jackson was a strong supporter of the racist internment of US citizens of Japanese ancestry into concentration camps because of their ethnicity during World War II.

The 21st century ‘Henry Jackson Society’ seems to have substituted Muslims for Japanese-Americans. This society includes hard-line politicians from the USA. And from Britain: right-wing Conservatives, like David Cameron’s now-sacked education secretary Michael Gove. And right-wing ‘new’ Labour Blairites. Like Denis MacShane, convicted for, and kicked out of the Labour party for, corruption. So, really similar to Henry Jackson. Also similar in being a warmonger, supporting war in Iraq, Afghanistan, wherever.

The Henry Jackson Society is on record as supporting the horrible torture of prisoners by the CIA.

Unfortunately, Denis MacShane is not unique within Labour in Britain.

The recently elected leader of the party in Scotland, Jim Murphy, is a Tony Blair loyalist, supporting war in Iraq etc. etc. And more fishy details have emerged about Mr Murphy: his links to the Henry Jackson Society.

Tony Blair is not popular with many people in the Scottish Labour movement. The same is true about Blairite and Henry Jacksonite Mr Murphy.

By Conrad Landin in Scotland:

STUC 2015: Murphy left red-faced after youth walkout

Thursday 23rd April 2015

JIM MURPHY was left red-faced on Thursday night when a group of young trade unionists walked out of a trade union dinner in protest at his presence.

The Scottish Labour leader was invited to attend the president’s dinner at the Scottish Trade Union Congress in Ayr.

But youth activists from Unite and Unison accused him of being a “warmonger” and an “enemy of working people.”

The five-strong gang of protesters included Unite executive council member Bryan Simpson and former STUC youth committee chairwoman Sarah Collins.

Mr Simpson told the CommonSpace website that he had confronted Mr Murphy before the first course had been dished out.

“I said to him: ‘Hi Jim, just to let you know a number of young trade unionists cannot be in the same room as you as you are a warmonger and an enemy of working people’.”

Another young activist, Sukhi Sangha, reportedly told Mr Murphy that “he was a warmonger and shouldn’t be here” to which the Scottish Labour leader reportedly replied: “Thank you.”

The stunt divided opinion among trade unionists, with some activists criticising the walk-out as divisive so soon before the general election.