I'm just watching Angela Eagle's pitch for the leadership. When she wants to take questions from the media, they have all disappeared to cover the Theresa May story. She desperately asks if Robert Peston is around, but he has gone too. It is like something from 'The Thick of It' hahaha.
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Politics, politics, politics
- Thread starter markysimmo
- Start date
milo
Jack L. Jones
From what I read at the weekend the NEC is split evenly with the chair getting the deciding vote.
I think that a leader who does not have the support of the parliamentary party is unviable. But I don't think that Corbyn is bothered about this. I am increasingly convinced that Corbin's aim is to change the constitution of the party so that it is permanently hard left. The only beneficiaries of this are the Tories.
milo
Jack L. Jones
I haven't seen it but think that it was meant to be a joke.
Hard left compared to Blairites maybe. I think hard-left is communism. I don't think publicly owned railways and tuition free university applies.
Angela Eagle isn't there to win an election, she has no chance against the Tories. She's a Blairite wet-blanket. This is about Mandelson et al taking power back from the membership and keeping it with the Parliamentary party, where they can make sure the 'right' candidates are parachuted in to safe seats and they all sit cosily in the commons together.
We have the Tories on the right. We have the lib dems occupying the centre-ground (without principles it seems, worked out well for them). There should be a party of the left. The Labour Party is a socialist party. People who don't agree with left-wing policies can vote for one of those other two parties and that's fine, that's democracy. Then again, the PLP don't seem to like democracy.
I don't think that's anything new. There is legal advice that has been taken that's of the view that Corbyn needs the nominations. There is also legal advice from the Corbyn camp to the contrary. I don't doubt that the NEC will be presented with all of it. Unless I am misreading what that tweet says.
glasgowspur
Luka Modric
So, on one side of parliament we have an unelected leader/PM ( not exactly unusual, this be what the third in six PMs)
And on the other side a principled back bencher that didnt want the job but now won't go and who couldn't even campaign for the leave vote he really wanted.
Is it any wonder the country is fudged up.
And on the other side a principled back bencher that didnt want the job but now won't go and who couldn't even campaign for the leave vote he really wanted.
Is it any wonder the country is fudged up.
milo
Jack L. Jones
I'd be interested in reading all of Corbyn's legal advice and seeing exactly what the question asked was. I doubt that Corbyn would present this to the NEC, it would be the basis of any challenge.
The NEC would be negligent if they have not asked for advice on the totality of the rules and how robust a decision would be to a challenge. I would not be surprised if Corbyn's advice was on the narrower point of the challenger.
All speculation of course.
milo
Jack L. Jones
Not everyone to the right of Corbyn is a Blairite. Angela Eagle's views are more Ed Miliband than David Miliband.
I agree that the Labour party should be a party of the left but it also needs to be electable. Too many of Corbyn's allies would rather be right in opposition than have to make difficult decisions in government.
Being a Blairite gives her half a chance against the Tories.
A Corbynite would be as welcome to the public as Corbyn himself.
parklane1
Tony Galvin
Maybe, i must admit as one who voted to leave the EU i am rather worried that the one who is going to be in charge of the discussion wanted to remain. I would like to think that it would make no difference ( but that would probably make me naive) .
I guess we live in hope but having been interested in politics since Wilson was the PM and seen all the skullduggery of most ( if not all) of our leaders i do not hold out much hope.
How would you feel if they negotiate a deal that means they keep freedom of movement from the EU?
parklane1
Tony Galvin
I am not even going to think what we/they may get out of this, its pointless and would lead to endless debates about what will happen. We have to put our trust into them getting the best for the country, and why i would rather have had a leave leader doing just that.
I am not sure then those who really wanted to stay and part of all the scare stories they were coming out with before the ref will really push for everything. But as i say i like to think that May will press hard for what the 17 mill voted for and get the best result for the country.
We live in hope.
milo
Jack L. Jones
She was a junior minister in the Blair and Brown governments, she would have had to followed the whip. Her politics are clearly not Blairite.
I think that the Labour party really needs to get over its obsession with Tony Blair and the Iraq war. It is holding the party back and just extenuates divisions.
milo
Jack L. Jones
May has already said that she will create a department for Brexit and put a leave supporter in charge of it. I think that this is a rather clever strategy to make sure that potential rivals for her post are mired in the outcome of negotiations. The reshuffle on Thursday and Friday will be fascinating, I would expect to see a Brexiteer at DEFRA too because it is going to be a pig of a job untangling ourselves from EU environmental and agricultural law, I would not be surprised if that was where she put Leadsom.
milo
Jack L. Jones
Scara, a point I was going to make to @the dza was that a good way of choosing your leader is to look at who your opponents most fear. I think that this is partly what we have seen from the Tories today. If you had the choose the leader of the Labour party, is there anyone you would fear less than Corbyn?
As someone who believes in the political process I don't want Corbyn there - the country needs effective opposition even if I don't believe in their opinions.
If I were Theresa May, I'd be signing up and voting for Corbyn without delay.
milo
Jack L. Jones
I agree. We are about to enter our most important international negotiation since the war and it would be a disaster to have an opposition leader who has no interest in the outcome and did not try to hold the government to account over it.