Latest news with #JohnMcDonnell
New York Post
14-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
The left is a cult — and parents can fight it, with Supreme Court's blessing
Photo by John McDonnell/For The Washington Post via Getty Images In a landmark ruling last month, the Supreme Court slapped down a public-school district's mandatory lessons on sexual topics for young children — and gave parents the power to push back against leftist indoctrination in school. In Mahmoud v. Taylor, parents in Montgomery County, Md., argued that mandatory teaching of LGBT-themed books violated their families' religious beliefs. They didn't seek to remove the books — only the right to opt their children out of lessons that used them. The court backed them. Advertisement The district's instruction promoted the idea that gender is fluid and interchangeable, a notion that runs against the teachings of every major monotheistic religion: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Its LGBT teachings are part of a secular belief system that deliberately aims to supplant those traditional faiths with a new one. Leftism today increasingly functions not merely as a political ideology but as a full-fledged secular religion, complete with its own moral code, dogmas, rituals and rules of excommunication. Advertisement Like traditional religion, it offers a comprehensive worldview, one centered not on God or transcendent truth but on the sacredness of personal autonomy, identity and self-expression. Its doctrines — absolute tolerance, sexual liberation and equity over equality — are treated as unquestionable axioms, enforced with the fervor of religious orthodoxy. Public rituals like pronoun declarations, land acknowledgments and DEI trainings serve as liturgical acts of belonging and penance. Advertisement Sacred symbols like the pride flag or protest slogans function as talismans of moral clarity, and dissent from the liberal consensus results in a kind of modern heresy trial: cancellation, professional ruin or public shaming. The leftist 'priesthood' comprises media elites, academics and HR professionals, who act as interpreters and enforcers of the faith. Even its eschatology is religious in tone, offering visions of a utopian future once all bigotry is eradicated. By giving its adherents meaning, identity and moral purpose, leftism fulfills the role organized religion once did. Advertisement And the progressive religion isn't just a belief system — it's a doomsday cult. Consider any discussion of climate change. Suddenly, leftists become apocalyptic preachers warning of imminent destruction: rising seas, burning forests, uninhabitable cities — all brought on by sinful human consumption. The rhetoric is absolutist: Salvation can only be achieved through strict adherence to new commandments — no meat, no plastic, no air travel and total obedience to technocratic elites. Like all cults, dissent is forbidden and skepticism is blasphemy. Climate anxiety drives the young to speak about the future with a mix of fatalism and fanaticism. It's not science but a deeply moral narrative of sin and penance driving this hysteria, dressed in the language of reason but pulsing with religious fervor. Advertisement The Montgomery County parents fought for the freedom to protect their children from the gender-ideology components of this progressive belief system, but that's just one facet of this new secular faith. They were right: The public-school system has become a vehicle for all kinds of indoctrination, preaching a broad secular orthodoxy that runs counter to the beliefs of families of faith. The LGBT content at issue in Mahmoud is just one chapter in that gospel. In his majority opinion, Justice Samuel Alito wrote that Montgomery County school board 'requires teachers to instruct young children using storybooks that explicitly contradict their parents' religious views, and it encourages the teachers to correct the children . . . when they express a degree of religious confusion.' Advertisement That same dynamic is at play across the curriculum, as public schools push all forms of progressivism on impressionable kids. It's time to fight back against the whole of the leftist religion, not just its more outrageous tenets — by confronting the cult's fire-and-brimstone, end-of-days theology too. That means demanding that science education in our schools must be grounded in reason, not fear. Public schools have no business sermonizing to children about the apocalypse. Leave that to the actual religions. Advertisement Armed with the Mahmoud ruling, public-school parents now have a legal foundation to resist when schools impose teachings that violate their most deeply held beliefs. They don't have to accept every lesson as mandatory — they can demand opt-outs, request transparency and challenge curriculum choices that cross the line from education into ideology. Parents can start by asserting their right to review lesson plans, attending school-board meetings and organizing locally to resist a broader secular agenda dressed up as neutral instruction. Advertisement The Supreme Court made it clear: The state can't force kids to absorb beliefs that conflict with their family's faith. Now it's up to parents to make their schools abide by that principle. Bethany Mandel writes and podcasts at The Mom Wars.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump Says Football Team Shouldn't Have Dropped Controversial Name
Donald Trump has thrown his support behind the Washington Commanders reverting back to their problematic name the Redskins. Talking to reporters in New Jersey on Sunday, the president was asked whether the team should change its name back to the Redskins. 'Well, you want me to make a controversial statement? I would,' he replied. 'I wouldn't have changed the name. It just doesn't have the same... it doesn't have the same ring to me.' Advertisement However Trump made clear he was fine with the politically correct new name if the team were successful. He added, 'But, you know, winning can make everything sound good. So if they win, all of a sudden the Commanders sounds good, but I wouldn't have changed the name.' Washington Commanders players run through a gauntlet to start day two of mini camp in Ashburn, VA on June 11, 2025. (Photo by John McDonnell/For The Washington Post via Getty Images) / The Washington Post / The Washington Post via Getty Im The team was known as the Washington Redskins from 1937, but the divisive name was receiving criticism from Native American groups as far back as the 1960s. However in 2020, in the wake of protests over the death of George Floyd, the team came under pressure to change their name logo, first going with Washington Football Team before settling on Commanders. Advertisement Major sponsors including Nike, FedEx and PepsiCo were urged by investors and shareholders to pull their sponsorship unless the team dumped the Redskins name. Washington Commanders safety Will Harris warms up during day two of mini camp in Ashburn, VA on June 11, 2025. (Photo by John McDonnell/For The Washington Post via Getty Images) / The Washington Post / The Washington Post via Getty Im At the time, Carla Fredericks, director of First Peoples Worldwide, said 'Indigenous peoples were sort of left out of the civil rights movement in the late 1960s in many respects, because our conditions were so dire on reservations and our ability to engage publicly was very limited because of that. With social media now, obviously everything is very different.' In April, Trump weighed in on the Redskins name change, saying he had spoken to Indians who had a problem with the rebrand. Advertisement 'The Indians don't know why these names are being taken off,' Trump said. 'I think it's degrading to the Indian population and it's a great population. Washington... the Redskins... perhaps that's a little different, but I can tell you that I spoke to people of Indian heritage that loved that name and they love that team.' He added, 'I think it's a superior name to what they have now and it had heritage behind it, it had something special.'
Sky News
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Starmer would be foolish not to recognise the threat posed by a left-wing Corbyn party
Those of us who remember Jeremy Corbyn's leadership of the Labour Party with a fond nostalgia will never forget how chaotic it was. I recall a shadow cabinet reshuffle briefing that took place after midnight and, on another occasion, a phone call at 1.50am to inform me Mr Corbyn had sacked Hilary Benn from the shadow cabinet. And so we shouldn't be surprised that his attempt to launch a new left-wing party to challenge Sir Keir Starmer has already descended into chaos and farce. And it hasn't even been launched yet and doesn't have a name! As botched launches go, so far it's classic Corbyn. Though to be fair, the chaos isn't entirely his fault. The Financial Times quoted an ally of Mr Corbyn claiming he was frustrated that Zarah Sultana, the 31-year-old MP for Coventry South, announced he was launching a new party without consulting him first. "Zarah has really overplayed her hand," according to the ally. "She jumped the gun to get the data and the donations." Then came an embarrassing rebuff from Mr Corbyn's two most senior allies during his leadership, his shadow chancellor John McDonnell and shadow home secretary Diane Abbott. Mr McDonell told me: "Just to be absolutely clear, I am a Labour Party member. I have had the whip suspended, that's all, and I expect it back. "Sad to see Zarah has gone, but I am remaining in the party and hope the whip will be restored soon." Labour's opponents, not surprisingly, are gloating, however. "He has awful policies but is a vastly superior politician to Starmer," declared Reform UK's Zia Yusuf. "His new party will be enough to lose Labour many, many seats in 2029. Likelihood of a Reform majority thus improve nicely." Sir Keir will no doubt claim Mr Corbyn's new party demonstrates how much his Labour Party has changed. It's a claim we've heard many times before. But the Labour leader and his top team would be foolish to dismiss the threat posed by Mr Corbyn, if and when he does indeed launch a new party. The other abiding memory of the Corbyn leadership is those mass rallies, with his adoring supporters singing "Oh, Jeremy Corbyn!" Let's not forget, either, how he rocked Glastonbury in 2017. Mr Corbyn may not get the backing of many Labour or independent pro-Gaza MPs. But left-wing Labour activists will flock to join a new Corbyn party in their thousands. Mr Corbyn is promising "real change", a "new kind of political party" and he says "discussions are ongoing". Watch this space, in other words. Some things never change, of course. Those things include the chaotic style of Mr Corbyn's leadership. But even with a botched launch, once his party is up and running it could potentially inflict real damage on Sir Keir's party. In elections next year and beyond, Labour could face the prospect of losing votes on the right to Reform UK and votes on the left to Mr Corbyn. With his massive cult following, Mr Corbyn has already demonstrated his ability to embarrass Sir Keir, when he won his Islington North seat as an independent in last year's general election. Now 76, opponents will claim Mr Corbyn is growing old disgracefully. But the old rebel loves nothing more than a protest, a march and a rally.
Times
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Times
Jeremy Corbyn confirms new party but left-wing allies not joining
Jeremy Corbyn has confirmed plans for a new political party to challenge Sir Keir Starmer on the left in a bungled launch that has failed to secure the backing of the former Labour leader's traditional allies. Corbyn said discussions were ongoing and that 'the democratic foundations of a new kind of political party will soon take shape'. Zarah Sultana, the former Labour MP, announced on Thursday night that she would 'co-lead the founding of a new party' with Corbyn. But the former Labour leader was said to be angry with the intervention, which he saw as premature. In a statement on Friday, he did not confirm Sultana's co-leadership role, only saying that she 'will help us build a real alternative'. Some of Corbyn 's most senior backers during his time as Labour leader are understood not to be interested in joining the new party. John McDonnell, the former shadow chancellor, Diane Abbott, the former shadow home secretary, and Clive Lewis, the former shadow defence secretary, have all indicated they will not be resigning from the Labour Party to join the new project. Polling from More in Common suggests a hypothetical new party with Corbyn as leader could receive 10 per cent of the vote and become the most popular single party among 18 to 24-year-olds. Labour's overall vote would decrease from 23 per cent to 20 per cent, the polling suggests, and cut the Green Party's support from 9 per cent to 5 per cent. Corbyn has been building a network of former Labour and pro-Gaza independent councillors for months, in a bid to stand formal candidates in time for the May local elections next year. He said on Friday: 'Real change is coming. One year on from the election, this Labour government has refused to deliver the change people expected and deserved. Poverty, inequality and war are not inevitable. Our country needs to change direction, now. • 'Congratulations to Zarah Sultana on her principled decision to leave the Labour Party. I am delighted that she will help us build a real alternative. The democratic foundations of a new kind of political party will soon take shape. 'Discussions are ongoing, and I am excited to work alongside all communities to fight for the future people deserve. Together, we can create something that is desperately missing from our broken political system: hope.' Sultana said on Thursday night that she was quitting Starmer's party, accusing the government of 'wanting to make disabled people suffer', and being an 'active participant in genocide' in Gaza. In a dig at the government's much-revised welfare reform, Sultana accused the government of wanting to 'make disabled people suffer; they just can't decide how much'. Four of the seven MPs who had the Labour whip suspended last summer for supporting an amendment to the King's Speech relating to the two-child benefit cap had it restored earlier this year. The three who remain as independents are McDonnell, Sultana and Apsana Begum. McDonnell said he was 'dreadfully sorry' to see Sultana quit the party. Last year Corbyn formed an independent alliance with four others who were elected as independents in the general election, all standing on a pro-Palestine ticket in heavily Muslim inner-city areas. Sultana's departure makes her the sixth MP in the alliance, alongside Corbyn, giving the group a bigger presence in the Commons than the Greens and Plaid Cymru. The creation of a new party would consolidate independents but could also splinter the vote on the left. But Zack Polanski, the favourite to win the Green leadership contest, suggested he could work with the new party. 'Anyone who wants to take on the Tories, Reform and this failing Labour government is a friend of mine', he said. 'Looking forward to seeing what this looks like in practice.' George Galloway, whose Workers Party candidate came within 700 votes of unseating Jess Phillips, the Home Office minister, said he would not be joining up because of 'significant differences on the issues of trans and LGBTQ+, the Russia-Ukraine war, net zero and other things'. But, he added, 'we are open to an electoral agreement which avoids us both fighting each other for the benefit of Starmer'. Corbyn was suspended from Labour in 2020 after he refused to fully accept the Equality and Human Rights Commission's findings that the party had broken equality law when he was in charge, and said antisemitism had been 'dramatically overstated for political reasons'. He was blocked from standing for Labour at last year's general election and expelled in the spring of 2024 after announcing he would stand as an independent candidate in his Islington North constituency, which he won with a majority of more than 7,000.
Telegraph
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Leading Corbynites reject new party
Leading Corbynites have vowed to stay in Labour rather than leave to join a new hard-Left party. Zarah Sultana, an MP, announced on Thursday night that she had resigned from the party to set up a new one with Jeremy Corbyn. But on Friday morning, John McDonnell and Diane Abbott both told The Telegraph they would not be signing up. The Telegraph understands that Clive Lewis, shadow defence secretary under Mr Corbyn, also intends to stay in Labour. Mr Corbyn has not yet broken his silence to say whether or not he supports the new party. The Telegraph understands that talks have been going on for weeks about how to harness Left-wing and Muslim anger to defeat centrists such as Wes Streeting at the next election. Mr McDonnell was shadow chancellor during Mr Corbyn's five years as the head of the Labour Party. He was suspended by Labour whips last year for voting to scrap the two-child benefit cap. Asked whether he would be joining the new party. He said: 'Just to be absolutely clear, I am a Labour Party member. 'I have had the whip suspended, that's all, and I expect it back.' Referring to Ms Sultana, he said: 'I am sad she's gone but I am remaining in the party and hope the whip will be restored soon.' Ms Abbott was shadow home secretary under Mr Corbyn. Asked whether she would join the new party, she said: 'No.' The Telegraph understands that talks have been going on for some time about how to replicate the success of Mr Corbyn and four Muslim MPs who beat Labour candidates in last year's election. In other seats, independent candidates came close to unseating major figures. Mr Streeting won his Ilford North seat by only 528 votes following a strong showing by independent Leanne Mohamad. In Birmingham Yardley, safeguarding minister Jess Phillips has a majority of only 693 against a Worker's Party candidate. That party is led by George Galloway. Conversations centred around whether there should be a non-aggression pact in such seats so that no more than two anti-war or anti-Zionist candidates stand to do as much damage as possible to the Labour vote. Others raised the issue of starting a new party. It is understood that Mr Corbyn allowed such talk to continue without specifically endorsing it. When Ms Sultana decided to jump ship on Thursday night, Mr Corbyn is believed to have been dismayed and annoyed. She may have been encouraged by a poll published last week which showed that a Corbyn-led party could garner 10 per cent of the vote, taking votes from the Greens as well as Labour. Labour insiders believe that candidates to leave the party include Apsama Begum, the MP for Poplar and Limehouse. The new party is as yet unnamed, but Ms Sultana said it will comprise other independent MPs, along with campaigners and activists. It raises the prospect of a split on the Left that mirrors the divide between Reform UK and the Conservatives on the Right. A recent poll found that a new Left-wing party could win 10 per cent of the vote in a blow to Labour, which would be tied with the Conservatives on 20 per cent. Announcing the move, Ms Sultana said the next election would be a choice between 'socialism or barbarism'. The Coventry South MP said the new party would be fighting against the sort of benefit cuts Sir Keir tried and failed to get through the Commons last week, and speak out against what she described as the 'genocide' in Gaza. The announcement could pile further pressure on Sir Keir to move to the Left, just days after he was forced to make a humiliating U-turn on welfare cuts. A total of 49 of his MPs rejected the plans, which would have seen the number of people able to access disability benefits slashed. Ms Sultana and Mr Corbyn will hope that many Labour supporters who also opposed Sir Keir's plans will flock to join his party. Politico reported 'Real Change' had been mooted as a possible name for the new movement but nothing had been decided. Mr Galloway said his Workers Party would not be joining up thanks to 'significant differences on the issues of trans and LGBTQ+, the Russia-Ukraine war, net zero and other things'. 'But we are open to an electoral agreement which avoids us both fighting each other for the benefit of Keir Starmer.'
