JOHN McDONNELL APOLOGISES FOR THATCHER JOKE

To put a bit of perspective on this, a friend of mine is set to quit the Labour Party if John McDonnell doesn't make the ballot. Thousands of people have joined Labour to vote for change.
There will not be change if all the candidates share the same politics,
For decades, the press has hounded Labour politicians. The distortion of John's comments from a jocular quip - which caused no offence - to a trade union audience into a full-on media bashing is regrettable but typical of the tactics of the right.
It is now also being used by rival supporters to try and persuade John to stand down.
Gaffes litter political history. Aneurin Bevan sparked outrage when he said at a rally back in the 1930's that the Tories were "lower than vermin." There were calls for him to be thrown out of the Labour Party. Ken Livingstone got into bother with the Evening Standard. And then there's Boris Johnson's remarks about Liverpool. Liam Byrne....... the list goes on. It happens
The people who are getting so upset about this particular remark, for which McDonnell has now apologised , shoukd recall the upset Thatcher caused to millions of working people, her ruthless destruction of the trade union movement, and her callous disregard for the millions on the dole.
Those calling for John McDonnell's head also need to get a grip - and focus on what matters, Which is the future of the Labour movement - and a concerted campaign against the cuts which look set to whisk us back in that time-machine to the 1980's. Thatcher or no Thatcher. If you want a reminder, she is visiting Downing Street today.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/politics/10263076.stm