Clare Short You Genius!! - Cabinet minister threatens to resign from Blair's cabinet

by Loony Left Mon Mar 10, 2003 12:25

So Clare Short threatens to resign. She should be congratulated for actually having principles? It's a sorry state of affairs if we're supposed to celebrate politicians on the sole basis that they're not snivelling, cowardly hypocrites.

Bear in mind that this is a woman who supported the invasion of Afghanistan, has defended the sanctions regime against Iraq and who is only saying that she'll resign if there isn't another UN resolution. The implication there is that she would support a war following such a resolution. So she's being "brave" by simply stating what a large number of middle class British people already think?

Clare Short has a reputation for making radical noises, and posing as a "rebel voice" within the New Labour cabinet, but when push comes to shove she always sides with Blair and the rest of them. Let's wait and see if she actually does resign before laying down palms on the path before her as she enters Westminster.

by ipsiphi Mon Mar 10, 2003 12:30

she has a majority of 18143 votes.

Of Irish ancestry, Ms Short was born in Birmingham on 15 February 1946. She was educated at St Paul's Grammar School, Birmingham, and at the Universities of Keele and Leeds. She graduated as Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Political Science. A former Civil Servant at the Home Office, she entered the House of Commons in 1983 as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Midlands constituency of Birmingham Ladywood, which she has held since then, and which is the area where she grew up.From 1996 until the 1997 General Election she was Opposition spokesperson on overseas development. She was Shadow Minister for women from 1993 to 1995 and Shadow Secretary of State for Transport from 1995 to 1996. She has been Opposition spokesperson on environment protection, social security and employment. A member of the Home Affairs Select Committee from 1983 until 1985, she was Chair of the All-Party Group on Race Relations from 1985 to 1986, Member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Labour Party since 1988, Chair of the NEC Women's Committee from 1993 to 1996 and Chair of the NEC International Committee since 1996. She is also Chair of the Human Rights Committee of the Socialist International since 1996.

Clare Short's main political interests are overseas development, employment equality. Widowed with one son, she lists swimming and her family as her main leisure pursuits.

She is contactable through
House of Commons SW1 AA
or
New Labour Millbank SW1

her role as Chairperson of the "Human Rights Committee of the Socialist International"
is also interesting.

I personally find her one of the palatable candidates for the 10 downing Street job. But that is not for me to decide.
[The English Queen, Mrs Saxe Coburg Goethe Windsor is contactable at Buckingham Palace, London SW1].

by Anonymous Mon Mar 10, 2003 12:39

Thanks for the above Ipsiphi.

You hardly have an e-mail address for her no??

by ipsiphiiosafoasif Mon Mar 10, 2003 13:13

http://www.locata.co.uk/cgi-bin/webdriver?MIval=commons_mail&id=36
only for constituents.
you must put a Ladywell address.
i´ll find one. back in a while.

by ipsiphiiosafoasif Mon Mar 10, 2003 13:47

bookshop specialise in mystery writers and do signing sessions.
New World Book & Art , Unit B102 Arcadian Centre, Ladywell, Birmingham,B5 4ST U.K.
http://www.labour.org.uk/maps/april.phtml?ctid=2542&mnu=2&topic=index

Contact your MP at the House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA.
Party regional office:
Terry Duffy House,
Thomas Street,
West Bromwich,
West Midlands B70 6NT
Tel: +44121 569 1900 Fax: +44121 569 1936

Her phone numbers are unlisted and encrypted.
as is her address. I think she has a weekend flat at Barbican Centre London WC2 that is I am 70% sure.

She works regularly at her office

DFID
1Palace Street
London SW1E 5HE
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7023 0000
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7023 0016
Tel (UK local call rate): 0845 300 4100
Tel (Outside UK): +44 (0) 1355 84 3132
Fax: +44 (0) 1355 84 3632
Email: [email protected]
However if you wish to contact a named member of staff please dial the switchboard on: 020 7023 0000

So you can try visiting her at the House of Commons, waiting for her outside the DFID, lurk about the Barbican at the weekend or try her local party office in Ladywell.
or contact her permenant secretary
Suma Chakrabarti at the same office. For a list of everyone to spam go to http://www.dfid.gov.uk/AboutDFID/files/web_organogram.pdf

You may just bump into her at a sandwich shop though.

http://www.bradford.ac.uk/admin/pr/pressreleases/clare.htm

by Stan Mon Mar 10, 2003 15:48

Claire Short who is a pillock who should be removed from the Cabinet.

Bomb the ragheads.

by Anonymous Mon Mar 10, 2003 15:50

Feck it you'll have to get paid for all that research Ipsiphi! Thank you very much.

In repsonse to "Looney Left". Ya I take your points there and see what you are saying. I think you are being a little too cynical though. I'm sure I could be critisized for being over enthusiastic!

But basically I am grasping at straws. And any positive developements like that with Clare Short have to be seized upon and the most has to be made out of it.

The warmongers have all the advantages - they have the money, the power, they control the media, the public is either ignorant, appathetic or too selfish to vote them out etc. etc.

Hence I think the pro-peace movements have to use every possible means at their disposal to stop them and sway the publics mind.

That is why I'm happy about Clare Shorts move. Anything that pisses Blair off can only be a good thing. I am sick to death of his oscar award winning acting performances on t.v.

Regards.....

by Anonymous Mon Mar 10, 2003 18:13

You may have to copy & paste this.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,911133,00.html

by ipsiphi Mon Mar 10, 2003 19:24

they post me suggestions on my fat and protein intake every year with a tax demand (if they can find me). I also get sent a copy of the European edition of the Sunday Telegraph once a year for some unknown reason to a London address. I try not to let this worry me. It´s the enlargement messages and the business proposals from central africa that really annoy me. c/f same Guardian edition
http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/comment/story/0,12449,911407,00.html
read that and tell me we should support spamming the Vatican IT dept for Peace. see I reckon that a lot of mispent activist mail is actually going to contribute to the "spam blocking" of the activists´ addresses. - I´m suspicious coz Senator Rodham Clinton still hasn´t replied to my email.

by Labour Hater Mon Mar 10, 2003 19:37

Clare Short is a New Labour clone. She's only doing this to pose as 'left-wing' and to be in a good position should Blair go.

Short was on the Labour NEC during the expulsions of Militant from the Party. She is not someone that should be praised. She is a Careerist, like all Labour members in Britain, Ireland and elsewhere.

by Labour Lover Mon Mar 10, 2003 21:45

Short was also in favour of NATO bombing Yugoslavia and will fall into line quickly enough if a second UN resolution can be bribed and bullied into place.

She is useful in so far as she embarrasses Blair, other than that she is best ignored.

by Labour Party Scum Tue Mar 11, 2003 01:35

Clare Short is a Labour Blairite Tory. She supports fully the Labour governments attack on the firefighters and supports a government that has clamped down on immigratns rights and cut back by implementing neo liberalism left right and centre.

Have you idiots ever wondered that this could all be part of her own careerist manoeverings? She could be seeking to put herself at the head of the 100 or so backbenchers that are 'anti war' and therefore have more influence come the next cabinet reshuffle or election. She could also be doing this to save the Labour Party and could be orchastrated by head office. By having a minister coming out agianst the war it does keep some people illusions in the tory New Labour Party.

by exiled in cymru Tue Mar 11, 2003 02:05

Clare Short came to give a speech in Bangor Uni (north wales, not NI). The room was full of local labours, lecturers and a few 'student radicals' such as myself, and friends of the earth and some other animal rights crowd whose name slips my mind at the moment. The Local MP Betty Williams (Lab) was so obviously proud as punch to have a Cabinet minister in her town for her supporters.

I wasn't there to hear her lies and spin (of which there was plenty when the difficult questions came up - Cuba, Sanctions, Yugoslavia, the arms industry, and of course [ahem] international development). I was there because I had heard a rumour. And as it turned out, for once, the rumour was true, the signal was given about half wat thru the q&a session, and the FoE caked her and filmed the whole shebang.

Now to me, the whole scene was quite funny, Clare was covered in cake, Betty Williams managed to look both highly embarrassed - (her big day had been ruined by horrible crusty types) - and very very angry. The were hoots of derison directed towards the FoE all around me from the local Labours, while I and my two mates (who looked suspiciously like horrible crusty types) were trying our hardest not to laugh our bollocks' off. (I certainly failed).

But then, to my mind, Clare revealed her true colours. She spotted the girl with the video camera, and shouts out in a really scary tone (and in her mad brummie/irish accent) "sieze the camera, sieze the camera!" - and the uni security guards pounced. Charges were later pressed.

And if i rememeber correctly, the headline in the local paper (Bangor Chroncile dontchaknow) was City in Chaos - no, not about the cake incident, but about a removals truck that had got stuck on a twisty road! The caking made it to page five and got about 150 words, and unfortunatley no pictures of the glorious day. and oh how i would love to get a copy of that videotape!

So to praise Clare Short for her stance, considering her outrage over a simple caking incident doesnt sit with me, sorry bout that. I know its a trivial reason, but there ya go. (ok ok, i know all about her views on iraq sanctions and all the rest - i'm just trying to liven the deabte up a little) - anyone else got any similar stories, not neceessaryly about Clare.

by Chris Henry - Socialist Youth Coleraine Tue Mar 11, 2003 11:03 lavosfanfiction at hotmail dot com

So many false dawns. That is, of Clare Short actually taking a firm stance against Tony Blair and the official party line. I am incredibly sceptical; I do not believe that she will actually resign. Maybe I will be proven wrong, but Short has shown in the past that she is willing to go along with her argument until her political position is actually in any danger, and it is likely it will prove thus.

by kokomero Tue Mar 11, 2003 11:40

My guess is that Labour Party Scum is right on the money and Short is simply maneuvering for a promotion farther down the road.

It would also suit Blair to be seen to be able to pull a senior dissenter back into the fold and ideally a large number of her group with her ... wait for it!

by Anonymous Tue Mar 11, 2003 12:34

I admit to having little knowledge of Clare Short and her past.

I would only advise against "over" skepticism & cynicism. I think this should always be guarded against. Though all the above points by all contributors may well be totally correct.

All I can really say, is that I think it is a very positive move against the war. No one seems to be pickin up on this. Instead all I see is a wall of negativity & cynicism.

How positive Clare Shorts move was I think was demonstrated last night on ITV, when Tony Blair was quizzed by an audience of female citizens. During the first part of the program he was visibly shaken. Trevor McDonald began by asking him about the Short situation and he was clearly ruffled by it. During that first part of the program he did not settle and the sweat could visibly be seen gathering on his brow. They cleaned him up in makeup at the interval and he seemed to be okay from then on in for the rest of the program.

So that’s all I’m saying’. That I think it is a very positive development. Albeit long overdue!!

by Jim Monaghan Tue Mar 11, 2003 13:02 jbm7 at tutor dot open dot ac dot uk

Clare Shorts belated soul searching is a tribute to the Feb 15 rallies and marchs. They can feel the pressure. These revolts are the result. A few deselections of the war mongers now would be a great step forward.
Interesting that she still hangs on to the job and pension but then what can you expect from a person who witchhunted the Trotskyists.
As the former football manager said "Put em under pressure"
We should start having long term ambitions.The creation of alternatives to the war parties both here and abroad. No coalitions with Fianna Fail and Fine Gael. The Greens, Sinn Fein and the Left TDs should clearly differentiate themselves with the evil twins.I dont want either raw Bushite American Imperialism of a so-called nicer EU kind as espoused by elements in the Labour party such as De Rossa.
Jim Monaghan

by Rabbitte Watcher Tue Mar 11, 2003 13:49

I think that anti-war activists should attak the Irish Labour Party aswell as the British Labour Party for their stance on the war. Labour in Ireland are the same as Labour in Britain, if anything they are more right-wing in Ireland than Britain- difference is they're rarely in government so we dont feel the brunt of their right-wing agenda as much.

Labour in Ireland are going to SUPPORT the war on Iraq if there is a UN resolution! This is a fucking disgrace for anyone serious about opposing war on Iraq. But remember they are not serious in their opposition to anything. Labour Mayor Lacey voted for bin tax as part of a dirty deal with FF. They only move to the left in order to get votes. They're OPPORTUNIST BASTARDS!

by maalox - dunno, but similar to Al-Qaeda, apparently Tue Mar 11, 2003 16:40 maalox at safe-mail dot net

Does anyone remember the wording of that immortal line uttered by Clare Short after the Sept 11th bombings? Something along the lines that...

"We haven't heard much from those anti-globalisation protesters since sept 11th, possibly because it has made them realise how similar their demands are to Osama bin Laden's"

This wasn't the first time Short had attempted to slander summit-hoppers either.

Many other politicos were quick to gloat over how little we were in the news, proclaiming that there was supposedly no place for us in the post S11 world, that the movement was dead etc. etc.

Although admittedly we couldn't compete for column inches with kamakaze religious nuts for a while, i suspect that our current incarnation as an anti-war movement has made Short feel a little uneasy. It is, however interesting that her views on war happen to coincide with our views which coincide with...

by Gaillimhed Tue Mar 11, 2003 18:07

see thats what its all about really, the continuing globalisation of the business hegemony, all of it... America is the vehicle, it is the military vehicle upon which GATT and the WTO and the rest of the new world order crap is going to be imposed on us all, and war in Iraq is a necessary part of this: markets to be stabilised, resources to be monopolised, indiginous peoples to be marginalised, democracy to be crucified, peace to be nullified... ITS ALL ABOUT BIG BUSINESS, the real men behind the wheel.

by King Mob Tue Mar 11, 2003 21:35

Look Anonymous I'm really fucking trying here, but this is just fucking stupid.

For starts you start raving about Claire Short, but then later admit you know next to nothing about her.

Look this a NEWS wire, if you are going to put NEWS stories on the NEWS wire would it fucking kill you to do some research????? Like y'know type in her fucking name to google before opening the Irish chapter of her goddamn fan club.

I do love the "the education sec was one of them I think" You fucking retard it was the education secretary's private secretary, an MP, again would it kill you to do some research before you know put up some alledged news.

"today somewhere some guys got killed I think"

Onto the request for info, I suppose I should be grateful I mean at least you aren't posting fucking petitions but jesus, again would it not kill you to look up the uk.gov site, or where you just worn out from reading the guardian and squealling about pakistian.

But the bit that really got me going was your jibbering about how brave claire was giving up her job and "everything" and how many shannon people would have that kind of courage. God your whimpering navietity is just enough to make this king chuck his crown. If again you'd offered more than a half arsed glance at the story you'd see that this was a calculated move (she chatted to Blair on Friday and made no mention of it)

Claire is one smart bitch, she's made herself the darling of the soft left, and this empty moral stand (by someone whose leftiest credentials are fishy at best) makes claire the de rigeur leftie goddess and will pave the way for greater conquests.

I should be grateful you are almost making an attempt to post news, and not fucking petitions, but try to you that shriveled organ you're carrying on your shoulders just ocassionally.

Please? For me?

by Anonymous Wed Mar 12, 2003 12:40

Hi Mob,

I welcome your attempt here to make a civilized contribution about a debate so I suppose despite all the incredible abuse you have thrown at me I’ll respond to your posting.

I think the first thing you’ve gotta accept is that I reckon the likes of you and I are world’s apart in opinions and outlooks on feck knows how many subjects. There is nothing wrong with this. It’s a normal thing and is a recipe for “healthy” debate. But I think you’ve gotta accept our differences of opinion.

When I raved about Short, I admit I went well overboard about her personally. And I "retract" much of the praise I poured upon her, though I still think people are being “over” cynical about the situation. But why I was raving and what I was really raving about, was how positive this move was for the anti-war effort. Never mind her motives, this puts increasing pressure on Blair and leads the way for others to follow suit, Robin Cook being the possible next big defector. The effect this had I think could visibly be seen the following night when Blair could visibly be seen to be shaken (sweat coming from his brow etc.) on the Tonight with Trevor McDonald show. I believe that Clare Short was one factor, there were obviously many others.

Now Donald Rumsfeld is publicly saying the U.S. will go without the U.K. if necessary. Sterling has just strengthened against the Euro for the first time in ages, the markets possibly looking at the U.K. pulling out if they are defeated on both counts in the U.N. Sterling strengthening as if they stay out it will be good and more settling for the U.K. economy. All this 2 day’s after Shorts announcement. As with the sweat on Tony Blair’s brow the other night there are obviously loads of contributing factors to all this, but I believe Clare Short was one of them and this is what I was really raving about.

Regarding research, I agree with you, it would be better to do this. But Mob, I just do not have that luxury as I am working in a very pressurized business job and shouldn’t even be on the net. So unfortunately I do not have the time, and I’m sure many others who post on and visit this site are in similar situations. And I really don't have the time at all to be writing this response to you, to someone who has abused me from on high, so I hope you appreciate the efforts I am going to here to respond to you.

I felt the link to the Short story was well worth posting and rather than just posting a link I put in my own comments on the matter as well. And the posting has obviously led to a debate which I think is a good thing.

You’ll probably disagree with me on all this (as I noted at the beginning), but please do so in a respectful manner, as I have shown respect to you.

Regards…

by King Mob Wed Mar 12, 2003 14:15

You're still a moron.

Instead of wandering around the site argeeing with people and asking everyone on every thread "should the peace camp have been disbanded" you could get off your arse and look stuff up.

Ingnorance breeds contempt

KM