Why so many Canterbury Labour voters are turning Green
by
Lately, as a disaffected Labour voter I’ve been busy satisfying numerous requests for Vote Green posters, but an extraordinary thing happened as I was about to deliver a Green Party poster to a resident in Whitstable’s Swanfield Road… a gust of wind lifted the poster from my hand and deposited it flat on the outside wall of our local Labour Club!
Synchronity…or perhaps the winds of change…
Certainly it was a reminder to me of the last time I trod the streets for a general election, just before the 2017 vote, when the mainstream media together with the right wing of the Labour Party had seemed to join forces to try and convince the electorate that Labour under Jeremy Corbyn was “unelectable.”
Like many Corbyn supporters at that time, I knew this to be untrue and decided we could give the lie to it by joining in with what was to become known as the Paint the Town Red campaign. It was a simple action by which Whitstable residents were asked to accept Vote Labour posters or boards in their windows or gardens – thereby visibly displaying Labour’s electability under Corbyn.
This grassroots campaign soon caught on and orders for posters flooded in from those in both Whitstable and Canterbury. My husband, Kas, took charge of orders for massive hoardings from friends with conspicuous homes. One dwarfed the Tory poster in a friend’s field on the main Blean road from Whitstable to Canterbury – driven past by thousands every day. Importantly, those posters, boards and hoardings all clearly stated Vote Labour.
The Labour parliamentary candidate’s name failed to appear on any posters until shortly before the election, but when it did, it was so late in the process we were simply satisfied that we had run a successful campaign as attested by the fact that the Tory candidate was toast and Labour had won an historic victory in Kent. Streets were literally lined with red posters and hoardings – an indisputable sign of support for Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour – and for meaningful change.
At that time, few people knew much about the new Labour MP, though local party members had been complaining that Rosie Duffield had in fact been installed as candidate at the very last moment and without a single democratic vote. As a “teaching assistant” and a single mother of two boys, Rosie Duffield MP seemed to come across in the media as some kind of working class heroine – though it soon became clear she was perhaps not all she had first appeared to be…
A certain amount of “branding” had taken place before and during the 2017 election campaign, and importantly, rather than being an asset to any Corbyn-led government, Duffield was soon proving herself to be a liability via her close association with Corbyn’s enemies and her willingness to agree with new media slurs that Labour under his leadership was institutionally antisemitic. Any hopes we might still have harboured that Duffield might yet acquit herself as that thing – “a good constituency MP” – were also soon dashed when a serious lack of work ethic went on display.
Having been presented to the electorate as a hard working single mum struggling alone on tax credits, it soon became clear that Duffield actually had very little work experience and had practically boasted to Marie Le Conte in an article for Politics Home about her lack of time-keeping and inability to hold down a job. “I’m late for everything, all the time, constantly. Always have been…I’ve probably been fired more times than anyone else I know…”
It was also widely known among party members that Duffield had suffered disciplinary action for lateness during her brief time as a Teaching Assistant, and she freely admitted to me in an email response that 18,000 unanswered constituents’ emails were stacked up in her constituency inbox. All this contributed to a growing impression, for myself and others, that Rosie Duffield was probably ill-equipped for the responsible role of a constituency MP.
Nevertheless, while elbowing Corbyn out of any possible credit for the Canterbury election victory, Duffield then went on confidently to embrace it for herself – recognising what she had done for “history” in a Twitter exchange with Jess Phillips MP as follows:
While it’s true that in 2019, Duffield was returned to parliament with an improved majority of 1,836, it’s important to note that in a tactical anti-Brexit move, the local Green Party had agreed not to stand a candidate in that election and the only credible Lib Dem candidate, Tim Walker, withdrew for the same reason – so as not to split the Remain vote.
Throughout her time as MP, Duffield has achieved very little in the constituency compared to the amount of national controversy she has courted for herself, but when finding herself under rightful scrutiny for the latter; for supporting antisemitism smears against Corbyn or endorsing comments that trans people are “mostly heterosexuals cosplaying as the opposite sex”, or even when facing valid questions in a 2022 blog piece from a Labour member asking whether or not she actually lives in the constituency, Duffield’s modus operandi has always been to claim “harassment” and “bullying” which threatens her sense of security.
Right Wing Press
When complaining about a lack of support from Keir Starmer, she has chosen the right wing press as her preferred platform; journalists who no doubt relish the opportunity to accuse the new Labour leader of failing to protect what was the sole Labour MP in Kent – until Natalie Elphicke joined her by crossing the floor to Labour. Is it any wonder that Starmer has sought to give Duffield a wide berth – especially after May 2020, when she notoriously broke lockdown regulations to meet her married lover?
And was it really an “outrage” for an MP to be confronted by concerns from a Kent Labour Party member that the parliamentary representative may no longer be living in their own constituency? London? Canterbury? North Wales? A direct and unequivocal answer would surely have satisfied that blog author, but the ensuing stage-managed fallout from Rosie Duffield’s irate tweets at that time, coupled with a dramatic final line implying her possible resignation, or defection, still beg the question of whether Duffield has ever properly understood that her job is that of a public servant and so the public has a right, if not a duty, to hold an MP to account—not least because it’s the public purse that pays an MP’s salary and expenses. And in Duffield’s case, those expenses have been some of the highest in the whole county.
Rosie Duffield has in fact become the taskmaster of “cry bullying” – an overused and ineffective tactic to displace the very real and valid concerns of many of her constituents. While no-one is condoning online abuse it could certainly be argued that Rosie Duffield has dispensed this herself to members of the trans community via offensive and insensitive comments, or to her constituents (I was once described in a tweet by Duffield as a “vile woman” but had no right to reply as my MP had already blocked me from her Twitter account). It’s also clear that two members of Duffield’s staff felt sufficiently offended by her comments and views that they had to quit their jobs – with one then experiencing security issues from Duffield’s tweets.
Sadly, blocking criticism from Duffield’s social media accounts means that her dedicated followers never get a chance to consider an alternative view within a manufactured echo chamber of Duffield’s own making. Instead, by polarising opinions it remains a constant challenge to maintain a healthy and respectful discourse on sensitive issues such as those concerning trans rights.
As the Whitstable-based veteran human rights campaigner, Frankie Green, wrote in a recent article for Whitstable Views:
“Sometimes, when people know I was among the many women involved in the Women’s Liberation Movement of the late 1960s and subsequent decades, their assumption is that I must be glad to have Rosie Duffield as the MP for the constituency in which I live.
“Not so.
“In my view, Rosie Duffield has accrued two major achievements during her tenure. She has contributed to the increased persecution and ridiculing of transgender people and the growth of a cultural environment wherein they are used in ludicrous ‘culture wars’ as scapegoats and easy targets for dishonourable politicians to traduce. Additionally, immediately after being elected in 2017, she eagerly took part in the Labour Party’s undermining of support for the Palestinian quest for justice, supporting the Zionist so-called ‘Jewish Labour Movement’ and Labour Friends of Israel, and backstabbing Jeremy Corbyn—whose popularity had effectively given her the win.
“Claiming to simply be concerned with protecting women’s rights, while contributing to the discourse that dehumanises and discredits trans people…is disingenuous at best.”
It’s clear that while adding to the marginalisation of trans people and the sense of moral panic about self-ID, Duffield has earned herself powerful supporters like JK Rowling, while alienating members of the LGBTQ+ community and many young people who consider her position to be discriminatory.
Consequently, almost seven years on from Duffield’s first electoral win, there are now many residents who would prefer to see Canterbury “painted Green”. An impossible task? I don’t believe so, especially when very many of us are rightfully appalled by what is happening in Gaza and how little we have heard Rosie Duffield’s voice raised on this crucial issue.
In contrast here is an unequivocal statement on Gaza from Henry Stanton, Canterbury’s Green Party parliamentary candidate in this election:
“As a candidate for the Green Party, I’m really proud that we have consistently supported a ceasefire, a release of all hostages and to ban sales of arms to Israel.
We have long demanded an immediate and permanent ceasefire and the unconditional release of all hostages.
We condemned the Hamas attacks but have also condemned war crimes carried out by Israel including the disproportionate killing of civilians and collective punishment of the Palestinian population by the denial of food, water and medicines.
We support South Africa’s submission to the ICJ that Israel has committed genocide (on the grounds of collective punishment) and the calls for arrests of Israeli and Hamas leaders by the prosecutor of the ICC.
We have called for the Met to investigate government ministers for possible complicity in war crimes by continuing to supply weapons to Israel.
We believe there is no military solution to the Israel-Palestine issue. There must be a political solution that allows for the security and protection of human rights of Israelis and Palestinians based on the end to the occupation of the Palestinian territories’, respecting the human rights of Israelis and Palestinians.
We do not believe that the current Israeli government will willingly agree to such a settlement. There will therefore need to be pressure, beyond mere rhetoric, to make Israel accede. This may include sanctions and boycotts. We have in addition called for personal sanctions such as travel bans on the Israeli leadership who have committed war crimes.
It is utterly sickening to witness the indiscriminate killing of Israeli and Palestinian civilians and I just hope that a peace settlement can be agreed one day.”
Many welcomed the chance of questioning Rosie Duffield regarding Gaza and other issues at a hustings debate that was due to take place this evening, Friday 14th June, in Whitstable. Sadly, that chance was denied them because, as I write these words, I just learned that Duffield decided not to attend. Instead, she cited security issues.
Perhaps, as some have said this evening, our MP believes the outcome of this election is a done deal for her and so she has no reason to attend hustings. If so, she would be wise to reconsider her position because it remains in our power to vote for change on July 4th. We did it in 2017 and we can do it again – now – when it is most needed.
If YOU want to display the electability of the Green Party at this election, message me on social media – @juliewassmer and I will ensure you received a poster or board.
And please note: Canterbury and Whitstable Stop the War group has just issued the following statement about a meeting they are holding on July 27th:
How should socialists and peace supporters vote on July 4th?
“Given how the Labour Party, under the leadership of Keir Starmer, has moved further to the right, has abandoned all socialist values and has unashamedly supported genocide in Gaza, traditional Labour voters and former members are in a quandary over which political party to support in the upcoming general election on the 4th July. When right-wing Tories like Natalie Elphicke and Dan Poulter are welcomed into the party with open arms, while socialists like Jeremy Corbyn, Diane Abbott and Faiza Shaheen, selected by their CLPs, are banned from standing, it demonstrates how far away the party has moved from its founding values of democratic socialism. There will be a meeting for those who wish to consider our options in the General Election 2024.”
Full details are on this link:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1799100887245572/
Ironically, that meeting will take place in the back room of Whitstable Labour Club in Belmont Road at 7pm.
More about Rosie Duffield in Whitstable Views:
ABOUT:
Julie Wassmer is a Whitstable-based author, TV writer and environmental campaigner.
She has successfully fought a number of environmental issues, including fracking in Kent and tree clearances by Network Rail. Her Whitstable Pearl crime novels are now a major TV series, starring Kerry Godliman.
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