Labour leadership

[binka]

Cheers, ask him as well then if you do see him and feel like it, who he wants and who he thinks will win.

He doesn't like any of them, thinks they're all right wing and anti union and he is really annoyed at the way the defeat is being blamed on the party being too left wing when prior to the election old labour union members like him were being fucked over.

After 30 years active membership he's pretty much done with Labour, all he's interested in doing now is using his position in the co-op party to force a proper investigation into what happed in his clp with the blacklisting and vote rigging and hopefully embarass a few people.

 

[billy_bob]

And "radical", which often now means "incredibly reactionary".

See also: 'a politician who speaks his/her own mind'.

 

[belboid]

And "radical", which often now means "incredibly reactionary".

Feminists were way ahead of the game on that one

 

[ViolentPanda]

See also: 'a politician who speaks his/her own mind'.

We both seem to unconsciously have been talking about Eric Pickles!

 

[ViolentPanda]

Feminists were way ahead of the game on that one

A fair point. Some feminists definitely were!

 

[billy_bob]

We both seem to unconsciously have been talking about Eric Pickles!

I had a dispute with Pickles in a meeting once, where his response to incontrovertible evidence that I and two other people were holding directly in front of his face was "Don't try and confuse me with facts - I find it's more simple to make snap judgements based on my own blind prejudice and unfounded assumptions." More or less word for word.

The man doesn't have much 'mind' to speak. Who knows which overworked organ of his all the rubbish he talks actually emanates from....

 

[treelover]

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/may/25/john-healey-labour-deputy-leadership-bid

John Healey is standing for Deputy Leader, done some good stuff on housing, I thinks that it.

 

[shifting gears]

I had a dispute with Pickles in a meeting once, where his response to incontrovertible evidence that I and two other people were holding directly in front of his face was "Don't try and confuse me with facts - I find it's more simple to make snap judgements based on my own blind prejudice and unfounded assumptions." More or less word for word.

The man doesn't have much 'mind' to speak. Who knows which overworked organ of his all the rubbish he talks actually emanates from....

Not an organ as such but I'll have a cheeky fiver on his sphincter, overworked though it is.

 

[brogdale]

This might just breath some life into the 'contest'?

 

[Vintage Paw]

I suppose the most you can hope for is it will give some short respite from the wall-to-wall bullshit about aspirations and white working class, etc.

 

[SpookyFrank]

Where's Diane Abbot when you need her? Probably busy with all those PTA meetings at the Toffington Academy for Tomorrow's Tyrants

 

[andysays]

This might just breath some life into the 'contest'?

Will be interesting to see if Corbyn manages to get 35 MPs to back his nomination.

 

[brogdale]

Will be interesting to see if Corbyn manages to get 35 MPs to back his nomination.

Got to, otherwise the loyal legitimisation of the 'left' would be pointless, no?

 

[andysays]

Got to, otherwise the loyal legitimisation of the 'left' would be pointless, no?

I don't understand what you mean

I read somewhere that Burnham (and maybe one of the others?) has so many MPs committed to him already that it may be a struggle for others to get enough to back them.

From what I remember, Diane Abbott was the "left" candidate last time round, and she only just got the necessary number of MPs to support her nomination.

 

[brogdale]

 

[brogdale]

I don't understand what you mean

I read somewhere that Burnham (and maybe one of the others?) has so many MPs committed to him already that it may be a struggle for others to get enough to back them.

From what I remember, Diane Abbott was the "left" candidate last time round, and she only just got the necessary number of MPs to support her nomination.

Burnham gives away 20, Corbyn picks up a few more...and hey presto...there really is a 'left'. Geddit? Now get out and campaign for the tory we choose.

 

[andysays]

Burnham gives away 20, Corbyn picks up a few more...and hey presto...there really is a 'left'. Geddit? Now get out and campaign for the tory we choose.

You mean they will cynically engineer him getting enough just so it looks good and keeps the Labour lefties from kicking up too much?

I'm shocked that you would suggest such a thing

 

[DotCommunist]

one thing that keeps coming back to me is the words of some labour right twonk in the aftermath of the GE 'you can't win an election from the left'

How the fuck would they know, they've never tried in my living memory

 

[J Ed]

one thing that keeps coming back to me is the words of some labour right twonk in the aftermath of the GE 'you can't win an election from the left'

How the fuck would they know, they've never tried in my living memory

It's the first line of the neoliberal playbook - never let a good crisis go to waste

 

[brogdale]

Sorry to resurrect such a moribund thread, but....there's "news"! Mary Who has been evicted leaving just 4 housemates.

 

[oryx]

Creagh has mentioned being pro-business, and 'criticised Ed Miliband's stance on business'.

cf Alan Sugar leaving the Labour Party due to 'negative business policies'. What is this 'anti-business' thing - does it mean they're a bit too cosy with workers' rights like the proposed minimum wage increase etc.?

 

[laptop]

What is this 'anti-business' thing - does it mean they're a bit too cosy with workers' rights like the proposed minimum wage increase etc.?

That.

But mostly it's code for challenging the interests of the rich:

• may like progressive taxation (rather than VAT, which business in effect doesn't pay and is deeply regressive - the poorest pay most)
• may try to close tax loopholes for the rich
• may regulate - breaking management's sacred right to fuck up as it pleases (and then be bailed out if it's a bank)
  
• may not carry on setting up scams and deals for the boys with privatisation

 

[brogdale]

Here's the pearls before swine that the ex Cranfield "school of management" lecturer penned for the Guradian...

Picking fights with business doomed Labour to defeat
Mary Creagh

 

[William of Walworth]

Burnham gives away 20, Corbyn picks up a few more...and hey presto...there really is a 'left'. Geddit? Now get out and campaign for the tory we choose.

You mean they will cynically engineer him getting enough just so it looks good and keeps the Labour lefties from kicking up too much?

I'm shocked that you would suggest such a thing

I may well have missed something, but is there an actual possibility that the above will happen? -- the Burnham reassigning 20 or so nominations to Corbyn thing I mean.

(Not disputing these posts as analysis -- just adding a factual question though)

 

[butchersapron]

I may well have missed something, but is there an actual possibility that the above will happen? -- the Burnham reassigning 20 or so nominations to Corbyn thing I mean.

(Not disputing these posts as analysis -- just adding a factual question though)

Happening

 

[William of Walworth]

Thanks. That's interesting, but those two appear? to be switching of their own accord (?) -- and I suppose a few more could easily follow. I was more interested though in whether Burnham was ever going to engineer some transfers ...

 

[butchersapron]

Thanks. That's interesting, but those two appear? to be switching of their own accord (?) -- and I suppose a few more could easily follow. I was more interested though in whether Burnham was ever going to engineer some transfers ...

They're not going to openly say that they are part of an engineered plan by the labour party to make it look like there is a real existing left within it and that Burnham is part of it.

 

[Mr Moose]

one thing that keeps coming back to me is the words of some labour right twonk in the aftermath of the GE 'you can't win an election from the left'

How the fuck would they know, they've never tried in my living memory

Well they can't and you'd be insane to think they could. I would challenge you to log off for a moment and divine how staggeringly unpopular the classic labour left is.

But as the Scot Nats show you can win with progressive policies and as UKIP show there is an appetite for something more toothy and oppositional.

All of which indicates it's not a step to the right that is required either.

 

[butchersapron]

Well they can't and you'd be insane to think they could. I would challenge you to log off for a moment and divine how staggeringly unpopular the classic labour left is.

But as the Scot Nats show you can win with progressive policies and as UKIP show there is an appetite for something more toothy and oppositional.

All of which indicates it's not a step to the right that is required either.

You've just said they can't win from the left but they can win from the left. And that thinking they can win from the left is insane.

It's the labour part not the left part that's the problem.

 

[J Ed]

The majority of the British public – including the majority of Conservative voters – support nationalising the energy and rail companies