Matt Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 Interesting week or so in politics; Busy week for Labour with the leadership hustings earlier this week, and we soon saw the media crawling all over it. The Victoria Derbyshire show on the BBC debated the runners for the leadership, and a straw poll of the audience put them all neck and neck with the same amount choosing none. Liz Kendall fired a few shots and backed Tory policy, however yesterday she dropped in on the interwebs with a Facebook AMA - as I would have expected, reading some of the responses it was clear that she helped to divide the Labour membership even more. Centre right for Kendall, and back to Kinnock with Corbyn. At the moment, I'm voting for Corbyn, PaddyPower has Burnham 10/11, Cooper 5/2, Corbyn,slashed to 4's, and Kendall 8. SNP bullied the Tories into a policy u-turn over fox hunting. Not sure this is a good thing to be honest, I'm not talking about the policy but the fact that the SNP MP's have such a punch in laws regarding England and Wales. Tory majority government look set to reform the unions and if nothing else, it's a move that will see a financial lifeline for the Labour Party cut and fines of £20,000 imposed on unions not following the law. Javid pointed out that the changes would require all unions, not just those affiliated to Labour, to ask each existing union member whether they wish to pay the political levy and then repeat the question every five years. The £25m annual political fund income from 4.5 million political levy-payers funds a wide range of political campaigning, including being a chief source of funding for Labour. Seems to me that the Government are trying to bankrupt the Labour Party. ...and Boris has to do without his water pistols. He was itching to hose down a students union march, maybe just so he could throw some soap at them... http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/lms/labour-market-statistics/july-2015/index.html https://fullfact.org/factcheck/economy/child_tax_credit_cut_promise-46421 https://fullfact.org/factcheck/economy/budget_summer_2015_osborne_harman-46357 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beag_teeets Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 Please can you add another option for 'none of the above'? I can't put my x next to any of them and will be leaving the party once this year's membership expires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disjointed Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 Of the 4, Corbyn would be my choice, but I think Burnham is nailed on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeslover Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 Please can you add another option for 'none of the above'? I can't put my x next to any of them and will be leaving the party once this year's membership expires. Pretty surprised by that. You were in during Blair but you couldn't stick Burnham or Corby? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevie_J Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 Corbyn for me but I don't think he's got a cat in hell's chance. I agree about the SNP - I don't think they should be voting on issues that don't affect Scotland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeslover Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 Corby would open up the possibility of both remaining lib demo and the more Blairite Labour types making common cause Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
24hoursfromtulsehill Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 I hope Corbyn doesn't get the job for his own sake. He's too good a person to be a party leader. I reckon Cameron and a good part of the Government haven't quite got to grips with the fact that their majority now is somewhat smaller than it was for the previous five years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueatheart Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 I hope Corbyn doesn't get the job for his own sake. He's too good a person to be a party leader. I reckon Cameron and a good part of the Government haven't quite got to grips with the fact that their majority now is somewhat smaller than it was for the previous five years. The SNP view on fox hunting may have been their wake up call... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlossopLatic Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Corbyn getting in will ensure another 10 years of Tory government. Britain needs a strong Labour Party a surge left ensures that won't happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeslover Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Labour really are stuck between a rock and a hard place. The MPs in their Northern city heartlands must be looking at Scotland and wondering if the same could happen to them. Corbyn might shore them up although without hope of taking power. But could UKIP or A N Other turn them over in the likes of Middlesbrough if they weren't nationally relevant? I don't know where it's going but I don't like the idea of the Tories sitting pretty on Blairite centre ground for lack of an coherent challenge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oafc88 Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Is this Corbyn fella gonna be any good? They aren't half giving him some grief in the news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UpTheLatics Posted August 14, 2015 Share Posted August 14, 2015 My ballot paper is due in the post. I am genuinely excited to take part in this. Corbyn all day long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusoe Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 Corbyn getting in will ensure another 10 years of Tory government. Britain needs a strong Labour Party a surge left ensures that won't happen. The first line might be correct. As for the second any of the other candidates and it won't be a Labour Party, it'll be Tories Lite. Most of their campaigns have been driven by 'don't vote for him!' as their message. Unelectable vs unprincipled? Tough choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueatheart Posted August 17, 2015 Share Posted August 17, 2015 The first line might be correct. As for the second any of the other candidates and it won't be a Labour Party, it'll be Tories Lite. Most of their campaigns have been driven by 'don't vote for him!' as their message. Unelectable vs unprincipled? Tough choice. It is funny how many Tories are in the labour party. If this is to be believed. 'Tory lite' appears to be what the majority of the country want. Unelectable vs unprincipled doesn't really matter. All governments need a strong opposition, regardless of the oppositions orientation. A labour party too far left will see voters flee. Five years ago this would have been in favour of the lib dems, now I'm not so sure. What I do know is that having so many minority parties in Westminster will mean perpetual Tory government until the two party system is restored. First past the post will see that happen, any other voting system however.... Unless the left and middle-left sorts itself out, they could well be trying to form a coalition against 270 Tory seats and try to scrape through a five year parliament on tiny majorities. If Corbyn is elected, I'll be popping down to the bookies to bet he won't be leader by the time of the next election. Either that or the labour party will be fully lost to the Trots et al. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryBosch Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 Seems to me that the Government are trying to bankrupt the Labour Party. Seems fair enough if it stops them from bankrupting all of us....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ackey Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 What evidence is there to suggest a hard-left Labour government will be unelectable? It's not a loaded question, I genuinely want to know as I don't have the information to say one way or the other. But I would consider myself left-leaning. I believe in the NHS and publicly owned utilities and transport. I believe in the right to Unionise. But then I work in Corporate Liquidity in Canary Wharf, so I also have to accept that fact that capitalism pays my bills and runs this country. So I'm certainly not all the way over. But I would vote for him against a Tory government and I think many of my peers would too, because he seems genuine (rightly or wrongly) in restoring some sense of control to the masses over their destiny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeslover Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 What evidence is there to suggest a hard-left Labour government will be unelectable? It's not a loaded question, I genuinely want to know as I don't have the information to say one way or the other. Simple answer is that it would only appeal to people who were going to vote Labour anyway (or not vote - but high turnouts tend to drag more apathetic Tories out than Labour voters). He's going after a shrinking constituency in unionised workers, and to make it worse, previously reliable groups including gays and several ethnic minorities aren't leaning left any more. And Ukip have scope to destroy him in working class seats. A lot of this applies to a more centrist Labour leader as well but Corbyn can't hope to win without the votes of some people who preferred Cameron to Milliband Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UpTheLatics Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 Simple answer is that it would only appeal to people who were going to vote Labour anyway (or not vote - but high turnouts tend to drag more apathetic Tories out than Labour voters). He's going after a shrinking constituency in unionised workers, and to make it worse, previously reliable groups including gays and several ethnic minorities aren't leaning left any more. And Ukip have scope to destroy him in working class seats. A lot of this applies to a more centrist Labour leader as well but Corbyn can't hope to win without the votes of some people who preferred Cameron to Milliband If you look at the polling - old polls, new polls, always showing a consistent run of public thought - Corbyn is appealing to those, including half of all Tories polled, who support the nationalisation of utilities and transport. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorrro Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 I believe in the right to Unionise. We're through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disjointed Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 We're through. Always thought Ackey talked more sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorrro Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 Then you're as mental as he is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rudemedic Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 Am I the only one who thinks that at the moment, the only winners out of this are Cameron and the Tories currently? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeslover Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 We're through. You know you want the tube drivers in charge really Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ackey Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 Then you're as mental as he is. I've always accepted your ideals, even if they're reliant on massively self interested :censored: being selfless. A fully unionised workforce is a farce, a union-less workforce is a farce. Somewhere in the middle is common sense and a greater good. The Tube Union is too powerful, holding the Capital to ransom. But they've got a point that giving carte blanche approval to TfL management that they will work weekends is something they should fight to object! Balance, init. I work 50-60 hours a week on average, I check my emails at 6am and 11pm 7 days a week. I know people who work plenty more besides, like Latics12345. That comes from the expectation I will do that, it's implicit when I give up my rights to the EU Work Time Directive on signing my contract. But I know if I refused that at interview I would not get a job in my industry, no matter how illegal that is. My company was just sold for over 9 BILLION USD. You think the investors give a :censored: about me? God no! If we had a better Unionisation and worker protection then those things wouldn't happen. And I'm a lucky one - I get paid a lot for what I do, despite the hours. But the people working for KFC and Amazon and the rest, on 0-hour contracts and minimum wage - those people need to be protected from a broken system. The ideal that free market economics and corporate-Libertarianism protect the masses and not the corporations is flawed, in my opinion. Love you though. Am I the only one who thinks that at the moment, the only winners out of this are Cameron and the Tories currently? No. Literally inches above your post LeesLover said the exact same thing. Indeed my only reason for posting was the hope someone could explain why that is NOT the case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryBosch Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 (edited) What evidence is there to suggest a hard-left Labour government will be unelectable? Aren't far left politics not now the political equivalent of what was the long ball game?? Cameron - Man City Blair - Man United Thatcher - Real Madrid Corbyn - Wimbledon circa 1988 Edited August 19, 2015 by HarryBosch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.