'Veterans to be offered 1p Labour (Party) membership' (Guardian 30.07.2011)
It is reported that the British Labour Party is to offer veterans from the British armed forces membership of the Party for just 1p.
This gives a whole new meaning to the phrase 'to spend a penny' - for those of you not from the UK - this means to urinate, or more colloquially - take a piss. Is this what the Labour Party is doing - taking the piss?
Some of these veterans have fought in recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Not to put too fine point on it the reasons for the war in Iraq are contentious. What is not contentious is that the British Labour Party under the leadership of Tony Blair took the UK and its forces into a war that some believe was all about oil and little about democracy and freedom.
It might be argued that the Labour Party would be better spending its time developing policies that seek to create peace and equality rather than offering soldiers, sailors, airmen and airwomen the opportunity to spend a 1p of their pensions on joining a party that sent them to be maimed and killed in the cause of American and British capitalism. But ... come to think about it, it makes perfect sense coming from a party that has abandoned socialism.
The Labour Party Conference in September will decide if the 'spend a 1p' strategy is made policy. Come on, comrades, flush it down the pan and treat veterans with a little more respect.
What is to be done?
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