Who will be the next Labour leader?

[sleaterkinney]

Democracy in action.

 

[Proper Tidy]

The Corbyn clique with the parliamentary party was always tiny, that's why the likes of burgon and long-bailey could rise up the ranks.

Possibly true but then the heavyweights of the much larger moderate faction of PLP are hardly inspiring. Phillips, Leslie (pre split) etc.

 

[SpookyFrank]

Starmer is really running with the antisemtism thing on twitter. I'm sure this has nothing to do with wanting to smear any other candidates who might be more closely associated with the outgoing leadership.

 

[Smokeandsteam]

In terms of union nominations the National Union of Mineworkers have come out for Nandy:

EXCLUSIVE: National Union of Mineworkers backs Lisa Nandy for next Labour leader

Labour leadership candidate Lisa Nandy has secured the backing of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM).

www.yorkshirepost.co.uk

Unison for Starmer.

I’ve been told twice this week that Unite are likely to go either RLB or Nandy, probably the former although McCluskey likes Nandy.

GMB are likely to go Nandy or Starmer. Same with ASLEF

CWU, Bakers Union and FBU for RLB.

USDAW and Community for Phillips.

Any more? Any arguments on the predictions?

 

[treelover]

local facebook politics page. as i said.

i have made up my mind, yes - i've made up my mind that racists, fanatics, fuckwits and conspiraloons have, by their inability to just shut their fucking holes, helped to cost the LP an election for absolutely no benefit whatsoever.

I didn't really see that many till i went on Sqwarkbox!

 

[two sheds]

Starmer is really running with the antisemtism thing on twitter. I'm sure this has nothing to do with wanting to smear any other candidates who might be more closely associated with the outgoing leadership.

Not enough - he needs to go down on his hands and knees and ask for forgiveness like Thornberry.

 

[redsquirrel]

Who are you going to vote for then two sheds ?

 

[two sheds]

Dunno, RLB I'd imagine but with no great enthusiasm.

 

[Jeff Robinson]

Dunno, RLB I'd imagine but with no great enthusiasm.

same, I think. I’m not really keen on any of the candidates tbh. Starmers’ pro-remainism makes him unsuitable for winning back northern Labour voters plus his abstention on the Tory welfare bill and backing of Owen Smith show his flakiness and tendency towards centrism. Nandy quit the Corbyn cabinet because it was too left wing. Philips is just shit. RLB does have a consistent left wing credentials but she lacks charisma and her leadership will inevitably be marked by the same intense factionalism and division that characterised the Corbyn years.

 

[two sheds]

I'm surprised at the strength of reaction to Momentum recommending Long-Bailey ("North Korean democracy" etc etc.). It's what they did when recommending people to the NEC. Although the bastards didn't e-mail me this time.

 

[Mr Moose]

Dunno, RLB I'd imagine but with no great enthusiasm.

It’s important to do things with little enthusiasm.

It’s true she’s hardly set the contest alight so far, but let’s hear what she has to say. In terms of leadership she comes over calm and amiable. These are positive qualities. She also seems grounded. I think it’s easy to get lost in a bigger picture of competing philosophies when for many voters it’s the cost of living that’s key and I think that would be at the forefront for her.

 

[treelover]

There are two parts to being Labour. First, enabling everyone to get a decent education, the best job they can, better standards of living and a fulfilling life. The free market has failed in this endeavour. We have to fight to put wealth, power and opportunity in the hands of all.

The second part is just as important. People’s lives don’t always work out the way they want. I have seen this at first hand in all the work I have ever done. Labour should always stand by people. The social security system should be decent, strong and unbreakable, with dignity at its heart. That’s what being Labour means.

Labour can win again if we make the moral case for socialism | Keir Starmer

The values I hold are our true values. I want to win the next election and establish a new, fairer economic model, says Labour leadership contender Keir Starmer

www.theguardian.com

If he means it.

 

[Gramsci]

To be fair, in neither case have either of those parties made much of an offer to those people to join. Both Iglesias and Corbyn have somewhat dimmed their radical credentials in the process of leading their respective parties.

All I'm saying is that it's possible to put together a pitch that mobilises people beyond the existing membership. In the case of Corbyn for example whenever he was attacked new waves of people joined to defend his leadership ie Owen Smith challenge, 2017 election.

I'm not sure we will agree, I think with the Labour position on Brexit you saw it as neccessary to triangulate between the existing membership, resulting in the fudge position, and I thought it was possible to do something different. I'm just saying that I think theoretically, it could be possible for example for RLB to run a campaign geared towards a more confrontational approach to the labour right, based on democratising the party and appealing to people outside the Labour Party to join on the promise that the membership would have some real control over their MP's and what the party did. Even if it were not possible to win the leadership on this basis it would move the debate in a more positive direction.

The issue of real control is complicated.

Take my patch Lambeth.

Kate Hoey and Chuka managed to piss off everybody. Kete with her support of Brexit and Chuka with his right wing Blairite veiws.

The replacement for Kate Hoey ( who stood down before being the members deselected her) was Progress supporting ex Lambeth Cllr.

In Streatham Chuka left due to membership moving to the left of him. He was replaced by Corbyn supporter. She stood in all women shortlist against two long standing Lambeth Cllrs. Both not liked localy for supprt of this Progess Lambeth Council. She won.

My third MP Helen Hayes ( on what I would say was soft right of party) did face reselection. But this failed. In praticise she is ( and I have personal experience of this) good community minded MP. who takes genuine interest in local issues. So I thought it was unfair to put her through re selection as she is good hard working MP on local issues.

On issue of re selection its also going to about whether an MP is good at local issues.

Kate Hoey was and eventually squandered it on her support for Brexit. She managed to piss off the left and right of the local party. Standing as a candidate for Brexit party in my area as alternative was a non starter in inner London. She she went.

Chuka was rubbish on local issues and on the right of the party so left before he may have been pushed.

 

[oryx]

My third MP Helen Hayes ( on what I would say was soft right of party) did face reselection. But this failed. In praticise she is ( and I have personal experience of this) good community minded MP. who takes genuine interest in local issues. So I thought it was unfair to put her through re selection as she is good hard working MP on local issues.

On issue of re selection its also going to about whether an MP is good at local issues.

Re-selection isn't about whether the MP is good or not, it's about democracy and MPs not having a job for life.

 

[Gramsci]

Re-selection isn't about whether the MP is good or not, it's about democracy and MPs not having a job for life.

Fair enough.

What I would really like to see in Lambeth is mandatory re selection by ordinary members of Cllrs. Might make some of them think a bit before supporting unpopular local policies.

 

[SpackleFrog]

Re-selection isn't about whether the MP is good or not, it's about democracy and MPs not having a job for life.

Well to be fair I don't think people would be so bothered about them being there for years if they did a good job.

 

[killer b]

Surprised to see RLB ahead in the latest poll.

Exclusive: Poll of members shows leadership race too close to call - LabourList

Labour’s leadership race appears to be narrowing with Rebecca Long-Bailey coming out just ahead of her opponents on…

labourlist.org

 

[SpackleFrog]

Surprised to see RLB ahead in the latest poll.

Exclusive: Poll of members shows leadership race too close to call - LabourList

Labour’s leadership race appears to be narrowing with Rebecca Long-Bailey coming out just ahead of her opponents on…

labourlist.org

Aye, although very narrowly after second preference votes.

 

[sleaterkinney]

Re-selection isn't about whether the MP is good or not, it's about democracy and MPs not having a job for life.

Re-selection was about ousting moderate MPs and replacing them with far left candidates.

 

[SpookyFrank]

I do hope RLB wins it, but only because she's not Keir Starmer.

 

[steeplejack]

Starmer will really have to fuck it up to not win at this stage, by the looks of it.

Thornberry and Phillips aren't serious candidates, Nandy is making a lot of noise but things like approving of the Spanish crackdown in Catalonia and posturing on Brexit is just bizarre, and RLB, whilst clearly a contender, seems to be a charisma vaccuum and dogged by being portrayed as the continuity candidate.

All of them I think bar Phillips will be in the next shadow cabinet. Phillips is like the mad embarrassing aunt you consign to a table full of people you don't know at a wedding.

 

[Mr Moose]

Re-selection was about ousting moderate MPs and replacing them with far left candidates.

You can characterise it as that if you like, but there is nothing obviously wrong with the idea that candidates should broadly reflect the views of the membership rather than endlessly follow their own agendas.

And yes Corbyn, but when he was rebelling he had decent support among the membership for his views. It’s not to say there shouldn’t be any conscience voting, but fuck knows what half of the MPs Labour had over the last decade were actually doing in the party.

Compared to the recent Tory purge Labour hasn’t really ever got going.

 

[Smokeandsteam]

Starmer will really have to fuck it up to not win at this stage, by the looks of it.

Thornberry and Phillips aren't serious candidates, Nandy is making a lot of noise but things like approving of the Spanish crackdown in Catalonia and posturing on Brexit is just bizarre, and RLB, whilst clearly a contender, seems to be a charisma vaccuum and dogged by being portrayed as the continuity candidate.

I agree with your characterisation of the candidates. It’s a seriously low quality field. Starmer and RLB (and possibly Nandy) are clearly the only candidates with a serious chance of winning.

But the references to Starmer as the favourite are wide of the mark. He was always going to be the PLP choice. Unison were never going to go for RLB.

Let’s see where we are once the union, CLP and affiliates nominations are in. Momentum members have voted for RLB (mind you she was the only option on the ballot paper) and as the poll above reveals is currently most likely to win. If she actually starts to campaign she’s the one they all have to beat.

 

[SpookyFrank]

All of them I think bar Phillips will be in the next shadow cabinet. Phillips is like the mad embarrassing aunt you consign to a table full of people you don't know at a wedding.

At my sister's wedding she managed to seat the mad aunts from both sides of the family next to each other. They got on like a house on fire, and nobody had to talk to either of them all night

 

[SpackleFrog]

At my sister's wedding she managed to seat the mad aunts from both sides of the family next to each other. They got on like a house on fire, and nobody had to talk to either of them all night

Nice. Love a good news story.

 

[SpackleFrog]

Re-selection was about ousting moderate MPs and replacing them with far left candidates.

You're the mad embarrassing aunt aren't you?

 

[sleaterkinney]

You're the mad embarrassing aunt aren't you?

Nope.

 

[Smokeandsteam]

Hilariously Angela Rayner almost lost the vote for momentum supper for the deputy job. This despite the fact that she was the only candidate their supporters were able to vote for!

 

[cupid_stunt]

....but there is nothing obviously wrong with the idea that candidates should broadly reflect the views of the membership...

Unless, of course, the membership is so detached from the general public's views, that they keep selecting MPs and electing leaders that will never bring them back into government.

 

[killer b]

Hilariously Angela Rayner almost lost the vote for momentum supper for the deputy job. This despite the fact that she was the only candidate their supporters were able to vote for!

it's the headbangers wanting to vote Burgon accounting for the difference...