Owen Smith
 Owen Smith      | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 1970-05-02 Morecambe, England, UK | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Sussex | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Liz Smith | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Party | Labour | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Owen Smith is a Labour Party politician who is challenging Jeremy Corbyn to become Leader of the Labour Party.[1]
A former BBC producer, special adviser to Labour cabinet minister Paul Murphy and lobbyist for the American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, Owen Smith delayed the planned launch of his leadership campaign for three days until 18 July 2016, when he promised to 'unite Labour with new and good ideas'.[2]
Craig Murray commented:
- "There is no evidence whatsoever that Smith is a left winger. There is every evidence that he is another New Labour unprincipled and immoral careerist, adopting a left wing pose that he thinks will win him votes. People will notice, Owen. They really are not that stupid."[3]
Bad timing
Owen Smith, who decided to put himself forward, repeated Angela Eagle's error, having to postpone his own launch as a result of the more newsworthy massacre in Nice. Of course, no one can control events elsewhere, but flagging up your launch ahead of time does risk a humiliating retreat.
At a party hustings, Smith won the position of challenger to Corbyn. The fact that he is hardly known outside Westminster deprives him of the other of the two great advantages that Eagle could claim over him. He tactlessly described his family arrangements as “normal” (Eagle is in a civil partnership). But his campaign quickly hit choppy water, with social media disclosures that he had worked as a private health care lobbyist (that embarrassment again); that he got a job as a BBC Wales radio producer when, happily for him, his father Dai Smith was Head of Broadcast in Cardiff; and that he set up a fake Facebook account on which to post fictional compliments about himself. His self-description as “an ordinary man of the people” began to look threadbare.
Smith positions himself on the left of the Party, rather in the manner of Neil Kinnock. But he does not deploy the word Socialist. He says he intends to write another version of Clause IV. He strikes a conciliatory tone: as he told Andrew Marr, “If Jeremy wins the leadership, I’ll happily serve under him”. He has made what he imagines is a magnanimous offer to create for Corbyn the post of Party President, clearly a ceremonial sinecure. How innocent he is.[4]
Dirty linen
Alex Seed's Facebook exposé on Labour leadership challenger Owen Smith:
Owen Smith MP has a lot of dirty linen that he does not want washed in public. Luckily, I have brought my own box of Daz.
I have it on very good authority from someone within the Blairite Labour camp, who is disgusted by the behind-the-scenes secret-deals, funny handshakes, and disdain for the voters, of the following:
1. Owen Smith is actually the original perpetrator of the challenge to Jeremy Corbyn (and has been for a very time). The agenda for the leadership challenge was set up in April! Yes, that’s right, April and not July. Angela Eagle was brought in as a ruse, to make Owen look good. Eagle actually believed that she had a chance. She had none. This was a coup d'état with only a few of the players in the know. Angela Eagle was not one of them. She was deliberately led down the garden path to make mistakes and look foolish (and didn’t she rise to the challenge). Owen Smith’s agenda during the interview with Eagle on the recent BBC news show is obvious for all to see. When Owen indicated that: “He would withdraw from the contest if Ms Eagle won more support among Labour MPs”, you could almost see him snigger. Smith already knew the agenda was set. He already knew who his supporters were and also those of Eagle. So, the interview was merely play-acting on his part.
2. Owen Smith had always intended to split the Labour Party (right from the beginning). Apparently, Owen Smith believes he can head Jeremy Corbyn off at the pass. It goes something like this: should Corbyn win, none of the MPs will take cabinet positions (this has already been decided by those in the know). Smith believes that by doing this, it will split the party in two. This is what he wants. Smith realises that Jeremy has so much grass-roots support, that he is unable to successfully win in that quarter. However, a split party is a weakened party and he intends to take full advantage of it.
3. Many of the Blairite MPs have been offered powerful positions and sweetheart deals, should they vote against Corbyn. It is extremely hush-hush and it does explain why so many MPs suddenly went against Corbyn. Those who sat on the fence eventually decided to support ANYBODY other than Corbyn. I would suggest that once Jeremy Corbyn gets in, that the bank accounts and behind-the-scene deals of these MPs are investigated. The whole system that they are involved in is so incredibly corrupt.
4. As many of you know, Smith was a lobbyist for Pfizer. As Head of Policy and Government Relations for Pfizer, Owen Smith was also directly involved in Pfizer’s funding of Blairite right-wing entryist group Progress. Pfizer gave Progress £53,000. Progress has actively pursued the agenda of PFI and privatisation of NHS services.
Pfizer is among the world's largest pharmaceutical companies. Big Pharma seeks enormous profits over the health and well-being of the humans it serves, and these drug companies invasively corrupt the way that the healthcare industry delivers its vital services. Corrupt being the operative word.
So, why was Owen involved with an American company? Well, Owen Smith is on record as saying that: “.... Pfizer had been 'extremely supportive' of his aspirations to public office.” Make of that what you will.
Well, I am sure that Pfizer would love to get their toe in the door of the British NHS and Owen is their man to do just that!
During his time as chief lobbyist for Pfizer, Owen Smith actively pushed for privatisation of NHS services. Therefore, we know that the NHS will definitely not be safe in his hands. Should he become leader of the Labour Party, it will only be a matter of time before he will use his influence to start the process for privatisation of the NHS.
What we will end up with is something akin to the American system, where you will need to show your credit card (or insurance papers), before receiving treatment. Americans (rich and poor), have to find ways of paying for their very expensive treatments, should they get sick. This is our future, should Owen Smith become leader of the Labour Party.
And, if you think things could not get dirtier, Owen Smith is a strong supporter of Trident and assiduously courts the arms industry. He is a regular at defence industry events.
This is dirty dealing, folks. THIS is what we will get should Smith rise to power. If you value your future and well-being of your family, then you must do everything you can to ensure that he cannot continue his corrupt agenda. If he gains leadership, we really can say goodbye to the NHS and a whole lot more.
Please share this message as far and wide as you can, since the people need to know what is going on.[5]
Related Documents
| Title | Type | Publication date | Author(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Document:Dear Tom, about this Trotsky thing….. | article | 11 August 2016 | Jeff Goulding | Tom Watson, Corbyn’s deputy, has launched an astonishing and utterly ridiculous attack on his leader’s supporters. In it he claimed that “Trotskyists are twisting the arms of young Labour members”. |
| Document:Labour: The Way Ahead | article | 31 July 2016 | Paul Mason | If Jeremy Corbyn wins on 24 September 2016, we should say to his opponents inside the Parliamentary Labour Party: end the passive resistance. We have something that neither Brown nor Miliband ever had, and which Blairism lost ten years ago. A story that makes sense, a strategy that can win, an unprecedented mass membership; and a leader who, in the face of intense pressure, gets stronger. |
| Document:The Origins of Labour’s Civil War | Essay | 21 July 2016 | W. Stephen Gilbert | "The greatest difficulty that the anti-Corbyn MPs, the media and the Tories all share is a fact that they simply cannot stomach: Jeremy Corbyn is the most popular politician in Britain." |
