Jamie Driscoll, the Corbynista Mayor of North Tyne, who quit the Labour Party this summer due to Starmer “U-turning on so many policies“, has likened his independent mayoral bid to the 90’s TV show Gladiators. The self-confessed socialist is targeting £150,000 for the full campaign. 

A co-conspirator sent the email he forwarded to supporters in the North East to rally the troops, comparing his campaign to the game show where contestants (himself) compete in a series of physically challenging events against the show’s resident ‘gladiators’. He noted that “the contestant often won.” He even likened Kier Starmer to the gladiator “Wolf“, warning that although the fight ahead would contain some “dirty tricks“, his supporters are like the “G-Force cheerleaders” in the TV show.  It not the first time Driscoll has generously compared himself to iconic figures, in the summer he measured himself against Che Guevara…

Read the full email below:

From: Jamie Driscoll
Subject: Want to defeat a Gladiator?

Hi

Remember the old Gladiator TV series? A challenger battling against stacked odds. Usually the Gladiator would be far bigger – I’m now trying to get the image of Keir Starmer as Wolf out of my mind! But you know what? The contestant often won. Regardless of how many foam balls they threw or how many water cannons they fired! We always knew that we would encounter our own challenges along the campaign trail. This week we had one.

The room in Cullercoats that we booked and confirmed in the middle of October was cancelled 2 weeks later. We only found out with hours to spare. Thanks to local activists, a new venue was found and the meeting went ahead. The room was smaller so it was packed with standing room only and it was a great night. Here’s a quick clip to give you a flavour. We would not be cancelled!

We’ll have more challenges before the election in May. Dirty tricks, venues being blocked, smear campaigns. The establishment will put up a fight. In the Gladiators, there was a cheering squad called the G-Force. For us, that’s you guys. We couldn’t do what we do without activists supporting and helping us. And we’re going to need that even more in the coming months.

There’s never been a campaign quite like this. A region of 2 million people. A distance from end to end similar to that between Bristol and London. An incumbent Independent who can win. Be part of it.
So how can you help us fight the Establishment Gladiators? What can you do right now?