Jeremy Corbyn's time is up

[agricola]

Makes some fairly obvious observations such as

and to be completely ruthless. I wonder if Corbyn and his team have the stomach for this?

Jeremy Corbyn can still lead the Labour Party into power – if he digs his heels in and removes his critics

That is all he needs to do.

 

[agricola]

Labour should be at a historic high. Unless there are some remarkable turnarounds to come, the party is finished as a party of power right across the UK.

I appreciate that this is a mantra that is repeated most days (and indeed has been repeated most days since the 2010 election), but it doesn't really stand up to scrutiny. For a start, if Corbyn wasn't the leader the media wouldn't be owned by other, more fair-minded people, nor would the way that politics is funded be different, nor would the disaffected be silent, nor would Scotland suddenly come back into the fold. The arguments over the EU referendum would be replaced by an idiotic and false unity that respected the right of people to vote but rejected utterly the actual vote itself. The alternative leadership, especially if they were from the right of the party, wouldn't be able to make the criticisms of Government policy on tax and welfare (largely because they agreed with them), nor is there any real evidence to suggest that they could form a competent alternative Government. Even the movement of politics in the English speaking world generally isn't heading in the direction of centrism, "soft-left" or whatever you want to call it.

Labour is in trouble, but it has been for the past fifteen or twenty years. (edit) All that has happened recently is that someone has appeared to suggest a way of fixing it.

 

[mikey mikey]

Tax transparency: Jeremy Corbyn’s tax return

Jeremy’s tax return is complete and accurate. He has declared all income and paid the appropriate amount of tax.

The payment he received in 2015-16 as leader of the opposition of £27,192 appears on the return as a ‘benefit’ rather than as pay because that is how it is categorised by HMRC.

This figure is calculated after deducting the waivers Jeremy has made of earlier increases to the benefit. These waivers were also made by his predecessor, Ed Miliband. A parliamentary pension contribution of £3,395 was also deducted (see note).

We are disappointed the Cabinet Office did not clarify this and explain the figure used on the P60 yesterday in answer to media inquiries they received.

It is also a matter of concern that some media organisations made entirely false claims without verifying or confirming the facts, and we expect these now to be corrected.

The owners of the media companies that have attempted to cast doubt over Jeremy’s transparent and accurate tax return are of course among those who could stand to lose from the tax transparency and justice the British people demand.

Jeremy believes firmly in transparency. These media barons have tax questions of their own to answer. Tax avoidance and evasion deprive the public purse of billions in revenue for vital services and is unfair on those with much lower earnings who pay a higher proportion of their income in tax.

 

[killer b]

Baffling really, considering how badly it went last year, that they would try this stunt again without checking it was bulletproof.

 

[mikey mikey]

It was. Keep up.

 

[killer b]

Sure it was. He's had a great weekend.

 

[agricola]

Sure it was. He's had a great weekend.

His biggest error was assuming that it would be reported accurately.

 

[killer b]

That seems a fairly elementary error.

 

[brogdale]

Have May/Hammond published theirs?

 

[teqniq]

I think not. Moreover Hammond has no intention of doing so.

Following Chancellor Philip Hammond’s refusal to release his own tax return,

Jeremy Corbyn faces questions over release of his tax return

 

[brogdale]

I think not. Moreover Hammond has no intention of doing so.



Jeremy Corbyn faces questions over release of his tax return

Shouldn't be an option, should it?
Anyone who presumes to tax their fellow citizens should be compelled to complete personal tax transparency.

 

[mikey mikey]

That seems a fairly elementary error.

The fairly elementary error was not reading the tax return as far as page 3 of 6. And it was an intentional one.

You are basically saying that Corbyn should prevent people lying about him.

If all of your colleagues or neighbours decided to tell everybody they knew that you were crooked and dodged taxes, that would be slander.

By your standards, that would be your own fault.

 

[agricola]

The fairly elementary error was not reading the tax return as far as page 3 of 6. And it was an intentional one.

You are basically saying that Corbyn should prevent people lying about him.

If all of your colleagues or neighbours decided to tell everybody they knew that you were crooked and dodged taxes, that would be slander.

By your standards, that would be your own fault.

It is when you know exactly what they will do with it.

 

[killer b]

Anything Corbyn releases into the world will be scoured by his enemies to find anything that can be used to show him up as incompetent, hypocritical, a jew hater, etc etc. Bearing that in mind, a cursory look over his tax return before emailing it to the political editors of all the newspapers might have made him pause for a second.

Hang on, where's my income as leader of her majesty's loyal opposition? Oh. Here it is, in benefits for some reason - I wonder why? Fucked if I know - not to worry though, I'm sure they'll all work it out. *send*

 

[Mr Moose]

Makes some fairly obvious observations such as

and to be completely ruthless. I wonder if Corbyn and his team have the stomach for this?

Jeremy Corbyn can still lead the Labour Party into power – if he digs his heels in and removes his critics

That is all he needs to do.

Wishful thinking I'm afraid.

Does he need to ditch the likes of Mandelson etc - yes, can he afford to ditch a whole tranch of the centre - no.

If you think it needs to go further you are really thinking that you know better than the electorate who are to the right of you. That once the underbrush is cleared away they will see the obvious reason, self interest and morality in a socialist alternative. This is simply untrue. It wasn't true for Michael Foot on a fairly socialist manifesto in the early eighties and since then trade unionism and socialist culture have been in retreat. We now need a left that can speak to trade unionists, self employed people and all the other niches below the well off middle classes alike. Saying it has to be something well to the left of most of them is telling people they are wrong.

Have a purge of the most neo-liberal and destructive few, but keep other 'enemies' closer and build something through dialogue and compromise, which to be fair has probably been Corbyn's preference (party man that he is) all along.

 

[mikey mikey]

Anything Corbyn releases into the world will be scoured by his enemies

But it wasn't scoured, was it?

Exacly the opposite. It wasn't even read past the first page.

You can sort of see this as incompetence of Fail and Scum hacks, but for folks like tax specialist Jolyon Maugham QC, it's clearly orchestrated mud slinging of the most disingenuous kind. The fact that Jo has been a Labour Party stalwart, just goes to show how far the Right of the party will go to protect the Tories from harm, if it means damaging Corbyn.

 

[killer b]

You said it was intentional earlier. I agree fwiw, I think it was intentional on the part of the hacks. And avoidable on the part of Corbyn.

 

[Gramsci]

Wishful thinking I'm afraid.

Does he need to ditch the likes of Mandelson etc - yes, can he afford to ditch a whole tranch of the centre - no.

If you think it needs to go further you are really thinking that you know better than the electorate who are to the right of you. That once the underbrush is cleared away they will see the obvious reason, self interest and morality in a socialist alternative. This is simply untrue. It wasn't true for Michael Foot on a fairly socialist manifesto in the early eighties and since then trade unionism and socialist culture have been in retreat. We now need a left that can speak to trade unionists, self employed people and all the other niches below the well off middle classes alike. Saying it has to be something well to the left of most of them is telling people they are wrong.

Have a purge of the most neo-liberal and destructive few, but keep other 'enemies' closer and build something through dialogue and compromise, which to be fair has probably been Corbyn's preference (party man that he is) all along.

In Lambeth (London) I don't see who the centre are. Lambeth Council is run by Progress. My local Cllr,who is not a Corbynite, finally had enough and publicly criticised the Leadership of the ruling Labour group. She represents a Ward which is one of the most deprived in London. Despite gentrification many of her constituents are struggling.

For this she was hauled in front of a committee and suspended for six months. To rejoin she is expected to acknowledge the error of her ways before another committee.

It's not just a few that are a problem. The Blairites / Progress supporters are ruthless in the way they run local Labour Party. If Lambeth is anything to go by they don't want compromise or dialogue.

So from what I see in Lambeth the article is right.

 

[Mr Moose]

In Lambeth (London) I don't see who the centre are. Lambeth Council is run by Progress. My local Cllr,who is not a Corbynite, finally had enough and publicly criticised the Leadership of the ruling Labour group. She represents a Ward which is one of the most deprived in London. Despite gentrification many of her constituents are struggling.

For this she was hauled in front of a committee and suspended for six months. To rejoin she is expected to acknowledge the error of her ways before another committee.

It's not just a few that are a problem. The Blairites / Progress supporters are ruthless in the way they run local Labour Party. If Lambeth is anything to go by they don't want compromise or dialogue.

So from what I see in Lambeth the article is right.

Well, you make a good point. Maybe I don't know how far the split should go.

 

[Old Spark]

Jeremy now has to publish each year and it will be difficult for any future leader not to follow suit.

It now allows him to say everyone who earns £1million plus should be required to do the same which in turn puts a bit of pressure on those individuals and hmrc to address avoidance and evasion .

Slighty different but all trade unions are required to publish the general secretarys salary ,inc the unions pension contributions as the employer (as if it were part of taxable salary ),the employers national insurance,the gs car allowance on the unions annual return to the certification officer.

So why not top politicians ,business types ,comedians,tv presenters,journos,barristers, sports men and women ,you name it etc etc.

 

[mikey mikey]

Just to be clear about the whole "the problem is not his policies" stuff.

 

[Andrew Hertford]

Just to be clear about the whole "the problem is not his policies" stuff.

Stephen Hawking: Jeremy Corbyn is a disaster for Labour

“I regard Corbyn as a disaster.” “His heart is in the right place and many of his policies are sound, but he has allowed himself to be portrayed as a leftwing extremist.”

 

[mikey mikey]

While I have the utmost respect for Prof. Hawking, I have to wonder just how one allows oneself to be portrayed as an extremist. As you may have discovered, the press report what they wish whether or not it bears any resemblance whatsoever to the truth. Today, in the same newspaper as your link, the reader is told that Osbourne is a "centerist" and a few days ago there was an article celebrating Dubya as an elder statesman.

 

[Raheem]

While I have the utmost respect for Prof. Hawking, I have to wonder just how one allows oneself to be portrayed as an extremist.

My top two would be:

(1) Being filmed not singing the national anthem in church. Don't get me wrong, it's hard to think of a worse song, but for the leader of the Labour Party, that was obviously stupid and self-defeating.
(2) Giving a TV interview where you appear unsure whether it was quite warranted for the police to use live bullets against the Bataclan attackers. Beyond mindboggling.

 

[kabbes]

Stephen Hawking is well known as being one of the foremost political thinkers of our time.

Or is it physics he is famous for? I always get those things mixed up.

 

[nuffsaid]

Stephen Hawking: Jeremy Corbyn is a disaster for Labour

“I regard Corbyn as a disaster.” “His heart is in the right place and many of his policies are sound, but he has allowed himself to be portrayed as a leftwing extremist.”

Yep - that's it, Corbyn is now scientifically proven (coz Hawking's said so, do you want to get in a debate with him?) to be a disaster, so you might as well pack up now......nothing to see here, move along....move along.

 

[belboid]

You said it was intentional earlier. I agree fwiw, I think it was intentional on the part of the hacks. And avoidable on the part of Corbyn.

One of Blairs most sensible moves (pre97) was setting up the Rapid Rebuttal Unit. Nonsense like this got slapped down sharpish. Corbyn (and/or his team) must have known the tax return would be pored over, and that the extra salary looks peculiar when not listed as salary. So they should have been prepared. An immediate response saying why the commentating critics were wrong would have made them look silly. Instead the slow response made corbyn look unsure and uncertain. Poor planning.

 

[JimW]

Maybe he'll do A Brief History of Jeremy Corbyn's Time Is Up.

 

[Wilf]

Maybe he'll do A Brief History of Jeremy Corbyn's Time Is Up.

Second Law of Corboeconomics

 

[Wilf]

Conservation of Momentum.