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Labour's Woes Deepen

Discussion in 'Politics, Religion and Ethics' started by Markham, Aug 5, 2016.

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  1. Markham
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    Markham Guest

    Corbyn or Smith? Whoever wins the Labour Party's leadership contest - and it will almost certainly be Corbyn - is supposed to have their coronation at the Party's annual conference being held in Liverpool between the 25th and 28th September.

    Or maybe not.

    Last year, Labour's NEC fell-out with G4S - the country's major provider of event security - and the firm can not bid for contracts to cover Labour Party events. That leaves five other providers, three of whom declined to tender and one has just withdrawn its bid. Only a local firm, ShowSec, is left in the running but there's a problem.

    A Big Problem.

    ShowSec is embroiled in a major dispute with the GMB Union which has protested to Labour's NEC that ShowSec is not a suitable conference security provider. There is currently no security provision for the Conference which, unless rectified very quickly, will almost certainly lead to the Home Office or Police demanding its cancellation.

    Oh dear. What a shame. Never mind. But we might miss some great television as that conference looks like turning into a riot with nobody to prevent the losing Blairites from coming to blows with the Corbynistas and the party splitting into two or more factions.

    Labour's possible-non-conference is just the latest in a long line of farces and self-inflicted wounds to beset the Party - almost all of which were entirely preventable. The current leader has just given us an example that he just as big a liar as the rest of his party: he has often stated his opposition to the giving of Life Peerages to cronies and yet he's just made Shami Chakrabarti a Baroness. All she did was join the Labour Party and produce a document that absolves the party from any whiff of antisemitism; no lives saved, no miracle cures invented. Just a simple whitewash.

    His opponent in the leadership race, Owen "Oily" Smith is having a hard time defending himself against accusations of misogyny and parochialism, the latest example being his wish to "slap" Theresa May. He was apparently repeatedly booed by members of the audience at the Cardiff hustings yesterday - deservedly so when his disloyalty was pointed-out to him by his irate leader. At that same event, Corbyn tried yet convinced nobody (but himself) that under his leadership, Labour had enjoyed major successes at May's local and European elections.
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  2. Markham
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    Markham Guest

    Labour's Dear Leader scores another minor victory: a Judge has ruled that the 130,000 new supporters who registered since January will be allowed to vote in the Labour leadership contest after all. Labour's NEC which attempted to disenfranchise those new members is to appeal the judgement.

    [​IMG]
    Dear Leader - pictured above as the news was delivered this morning - is said to be overjoyed as most of those newly-registered members are believed to be loyal to him. They will have to overlook his solemn pledge that he would not repay favours with peerages and gongs, a pledge he promptly broke as he needed Shami Chakrabarti to give Labour a clean bill of health as far as anti-Semitism is concerned.

    [​IMG]

    And that was her price.

    According to the Sunday Times, Chakrabarti was explicitly warned that members of Jeremy Corbyn's staff made anti-Semitic comments. Former policy advisor Josh Simons made the allegations during Chakrabarti's contentious inquiry into anti-Semitism in the party. Mr Simons reportedly told her that Seumas Milne, Corbyn’s director of strategy, had "at least a blind spot with anti-Semitism and at worst a wilful disregard for it". He had alleged Mr Milne had ‘a rant’ at him about Israel and questioned him about his family background. But Chakrabarti totally ignored this and did not mention it in her so-called "report".

    In fact Chakrabarti's "clean bill of health" has been further undermined by two Corbyn allies and by Corbyn himself. Labour's Shadow Communities spokesman Grahame Morris wants British Jews who serve in the Israeli defence force to be treated as suspected terrorists, and, Justice spokesman Richard Burgon has urged MPs and party members to quit the Labour Friends of Israel group, declaring: "Zionism is the enemy of peace." Grahame Morris, MP for Easington, is the chairman of Labour Friends of Palestine and he posted a picture of Israeli flags online with the words:"Nazis in my village, do you see the flag they fly." Whilst Corbyn was handed a cheque for £10,000 last August by the Palestinian 'Friends of Al-Aqsa', a vocal supporter of the terror group Hamas, but the donation was never registered with the Electoral Commission, despite being over the £7,500 threshold.

    Meanwhile over in the other asylum, Owen Smith has made a couple of policy announcements which he believes will boost his popularity. Firstly he will set the Minimum Wage to lower than the Tories; 75p an hour - £30 a week - less to be exact! You can see the election posters "Vote Labour and give yourself a pay cut" and "A vote for Labour is a vote for austerity".

    Smith's other announcement is an undertaking by him not to participate in the honours system for five years. What this means is that, if elected as Prime Minister in 2020, he'll delay handing-out peerages and gongs for a full twelve months!

    But, in order to get elected, he must first be recognised - people need to know who and what he is:


    Around Westminster, Oily Smith is remembered for his role as Pfizer's Parliamentary lobbyist and thereabouts is referred to as the "Hard-Left" candidate!
    Pfizer manufactures Viagra!
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 8, 2016
  3. Markham
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    Markham Guest

    Well that was on Monday. Yesterday there was a hearing in the Court of Appeal which handed-down its judgement this afternoon. Monday's original judgement has been overturned and, worse for the five Corbyn supporters who brought the action, they have been refused leave to appeal to the Supreme Court.

    But it's not over until the fat lady sings and Diane Abbott is currently rejoicing in the fact that at the election for places on the ruling NEC, all six vacancies went to Corbynistas. Eddie Izzard - who campaigned for Milliband and was a prominent "Remain" activist - was also on the ballot but he came 8th. This tightens Corbyn's grip on the party machine being just one vote short of a majority on the NEC.


    The hapless Owen Smith is despondent at having to speak half-empty halls whilst his opponent's rallies are packed to the rafters. So desperate is he that he is begging to be allowed to deliver his pitch at Corbyn's events!

    Things don't always go well at the hustings - the lights went out and the stage was plunged into darkness during the debate on Thursday evening in Gateshead.


    They were discussing Trident at the time. Apparently.

    Regardless of who wins the leadership election, their party is most unlikely to be elected to form the next government in 2020; the arithmetic is against them. It is the boundary changes that are set to take effect in 2018 which will tip the scales and give the Tories (up to) a 40 seat advantage. Then there's the added benefit that the electorate seems to like this May-led government and the Tories currently enjoy a 14 point lead over Labour. If this continues as-is and if New Labour-supporting voters reject Labour's lurch to the left and switch (back) to Tory and Ukip continues to make inroads in Labour's traditional heartlands, then Labour could be decimated and have a Commons presence only slightly better than the Lib-Dems.
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 13, 2016
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  4. Markham
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    Markham Guest

    From the BBC this morning:


    and


    :lol:
  5. Timmers
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    Timmers Well-Known Member Trusted Member

    So JC isn't only out of tune with his own party.

    Its hard to believe JC didn't know Ant & Dec especially given they are Labour supporters, he mustn't have a telly at home or is frightened of turning it on to see his own constant bad press :)
    • Optimistic Optimistic x 1
  6. graham59
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    graham59 Banned

    Labour ? Labour ?

    Aaaah yes... used to be a political party. The one that brought our country to its knees a few years ago. :boxer:

    I feel so sorry for them and their present 'troubles'... NOT. :rolleyes:
    • Funny Funny x 1
  7. Markham
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    Markham Guest

    "Labour Tomorrow" has been launched quite quietly over the summer and has, according to the Electoral Commission, over £255,000 in donations banked and accounted for. It was founded on April Fools Day by former Gordon Brown aide Nicola Murphy. She was joined on 28th June by the former Labour Home Secretary David Blunkett (now Lord Blunkett) and Baroness Dean, who as plain Brenda Dean, led the print union SOGAT between 1985 and 1991. The group's stated aim is to revive "mainstream Labour causes". Whatever they are.

    Its largest donor to date is Martin Taylor, a hedge fund manager who has given more than £800,000 to Labour in the past. He gave Labour Tomorrow almost £200,000, and is also bankrolling centrist MP Dan Jarvis, who has future leadership ambitions. Former Liberal Democrat peer Lord Oakeshott, a property investor, also donated £25,000 to the Labour Tomorrow.

    One assumes that the group will form an umbrella for the 250-plus Labour MPs who do not support Corbyn whose Pyrrhic victory in the leadership election is pretty much assured (Paddy Power is offering odds of 1/16 for Corbyn and 6/1 for Owen whilst Ladbrokes' odds are 1/8 for Corbyn and 5/1 for Owen).

    But what's the point? Such a grouping would only ever be supported by the champagne-quaffing metropolitan intelligentsia as a means of salving their socialist consciences whilst moving their money out of the tax man's reach. But wait. Isn't that almost the profile of yer actual Momentum activist, the only difference being the latter's love affair with welfare handouts?
  8. graham59
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    graham59 Banned

    Seem to me a bunch of damned hypocrites and parasites. 'Lords' and 'Ladies' indeed. Prats.

    We need more politicians who aren't there to have their ego stroked and their pockets filled... whatever their party may be.
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  9. Markham
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    Not only was Corbyn unable to identify two celebrity Labour Party members but he also admitted not knowing how well Britain's athletes were faring in the Olympic Games. Mind you, he probably does know that Venezuela has managed just the one Silver Medal (in the Women's Triple Jump), it being a country he's far more interested in.:like:

    With every utterance he makes, Oily Smith is sounding more and more like Corbyn. He's just announced that we need to negotiate with Daesh - a position that his opponent has similarly alluded to and one that has been condemned by many, including military chiefs. In response, the Tories have released this short advertisement:


    Colonel Richard Kemp, who commanded British forces in Afghanistan, gave his reaction: "This sort of delusional sickness affects Labour widely. Christine Shawcroft, a Corbyn ally and Labour National Executive Committee member, said not long ago that we should have a cup of tea with Islamic State rather than bombing them. Firstly, they would not negotiate with us in any circumstances. Secondly, what would we negotiate about? The Islamic State want only to massacre, torture, rape, subjugate and expand their sharia rule across the Middle East and the globe. How could anybody possibly take seriously a man who proposes negotiation with such barbarians."

    Remember how Shami Chakrabarti produced a "report" that said that there was no anti-semitism in the Labour Party and Corbyn's claim of not tolerating such behaviour? Well all that is to be swept aside as Corbyn will be speaking at a Momentum event running alongside the Party Conference at which a certain Richard Seymour, a Corbynista and internet troll of the worst kind, is sharing the stage with his Dear Leader. Seymour posted this of a Jewish journalist reporting on Israeli-Palestinian situation last year:

    upload_2016-8-18_14-4-35.png

    Momentum say "the event will be a space of inclusive and respectful debate". Do they think it’s "respectful" to host a man who said he hoped a Jewish journalist’s throat was cut? Indeed is Corbyn's proposed appearance on stage with Seymour compatible with his claimed opposition to anti-semitism?

    In his blog, Seymour writes "I moved to London in 1996 as a student, worked for some years as a market researcher, before finally quitting to pursue my dream of unemployment". And that set me thinking. I no longer believe that Corbyn's popularity lies in the working-class communities of the Midlands and the North; they are only lending their support to him on the basis of "anyone but a Blairite". Unlike Corbyn and Momentum, they are patriots to their very core, hard-working wishing simply an honest day's pay for an honest day's work. Corbynistas, on the other hand, are far too busy to work, they've a revolution to organise and firmly believe that the State, the rest of us, owes them a living.

    With Theresa May parking her shiny new tanks on Labour's lawns, the future for the Blairite majority looks decidedly grim. Many of those who switched allegiance in 1997, and subsequently, to support New Labour will now see no good reason to continue that support. They will not welcome their party being taken-over by the hard left and will very likely return to placing pencilled crosses next to Conservative candidates' names. Those in Labour's old heartlands, the hard-working working-class are more and more supporting Ukip and, yes, the Tories will pick up some votes there too.
  10. Markham
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    Markham Guest

    Two-faced Jack Dromey being interviewed by ITV's Alison MacKenzie this morning:

  11. Timmers
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    Timmers Well-Known Member Trusted Member

    I think that typifies your average politician doesn't it? :)
  12. Markham
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    Markham Guest

    Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse ...

  13. Markham
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    Markham Guest

    Optimistic Oily tries to convince Kay Burley of Sky that he and Corbyn are neck and neck in the polls:


    To paraphrase a Guido Fawkes' commentator, if Corbyn and Smith were Steptoe and Son then the horse would get more votes and come up with better policies!

    This is Richard Barbrook who Corbyn has just appointed as his head of "digital democracy" - whatever that is - who describes himself as a "cybernetic communist":

    [​IMG]
    Do you see the small lapel badge he's wearing on his left lapel? It is the emblem of Óglaigh na hÉireann. Translated as "soldiers of Ireland" and bearing the words "undefeated army", it has been used by numerous armed republican groups including the Provisional IRA, the Continuity IRA and the Real IRA. More recently, it has been the name of an IRA splinter group which has carried out attacks on the police and army since 2009. The photo on the right is a close up in which Barbrook is wearing the same badge. He has been tagged in the photo by a friend. The father of Jeremy Corbyn’s new digital campaign is a self-proclaimed communist who supports the IRA’s armed struggle – he believes in bombing democracy. Nice.
  14. walesrob
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    walesrob Administrator Staff Member

  15. Aromulus
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    Aromulus The Don Staff Member

    I think they need sectioning for assessment first
  16. Markham
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    Markham Guest

    Whilst Comrade Corbyn comes to terms with the death of one of his heroes whose funeral he won't be attending, Theresa May's Tories have grabbed an even greater lead in the opinion polls. This from ICM:

    [​IMG]

    According to ICM Director Martin Boon "The Tories enjoy leads among every social grade, including a rarely seen 1-point lead among the least affluent DE members of society. They also lead among all age groups except the 18-24s, and have a pro-women gender gap. In the populous South of England, the Tories stand on a whopping 49 per cent, and Labour on a barely relevant 24 per cent.

    With the election of Paul Nuttall as Farage's sucessor as leader of Ukip, I think we will soon witness the current 16 point gap between Labour and Ukip narrowing considerably. The Lib Dems, on the other hand, appear to be no closer to being relevant.
  17. Timmers
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    Timmers Well-Known Member Trusted Member

    Well, I'm hoping UKIP close the gap with Labour which is likely as you say with the election of Nuttall, I don't want May to be feeling any pressure on the hard Brexit issue. UKIP closing the gap on Labour will mean that Labour MPs will be thinking twice about blocking or speaking out against Brexit as they will be concerned about their seats.

    Lib Dems, "who are they?" :)
  18. Markham
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    Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday included this gem:


    Corbyn's arch-comrade, Ken Livingstone, is back in the news with the rather shocking revelation that his aides were "cheering" as they watched the events of 9/11 unfold live on TV. Livingstone was the Mayor of London at the time and one of his aides, Atma Singh, has given an interview which includes this passage:

    Q: “You were in the Mayor’s Office during the actual attacks. What was your and others’ reaction inside the Mayor’s Office?”

    Singh: “I watched the attacks unfolding while I was in my office as one officer had come into my office in the Mayoral corridor to inform me about them. Then, as the situation unfolded, I went into the Mayoral Press Officer’s room to watch the terrible events. I was disturbed to see a few people cheering the events. Others watched soberly and others talked matter-of-fact about the consequences for London.”

    Q: “Celebrating the attacks?

    Singh: “Yes.”

    Livingstone has apparently denied the allegations.
  19. Timmers
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    Timmers Well-Known Member Trusted Member

  20. Markham
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    Markham Guest

    Last evening your hero and mine, Comrade Jeremy, went to the pro-Leave stronghold of Peterborough and delivered a speech in which he said "Labour is not wedded to freedom of movement for EU citizens". He reportedly pledged to "close down cheap labour loopholes" and said he would "ban exclusive advertising of jobs abroad" and added "That would have the effect of reducing numbers of EU migrant workers in the most deregulated sectors, regardless of the final Brexit deal." This speech marked a very significant turning point in his thinking as Corbyn has opposed controls over immigration for his entire Parliamentary career, has Jezza had an epiphany?

    Alas no. First thing this morning, he was seated next to Piers Morgan, host of Good Morning Britain, with a somewhat different story to tell.


    He said "If the EU says access to the single market requires freedom of movement I would say… economically we’ve got to be able to trade with Europe”. In other words that Britain should prioritise the Single Market over controlling its borders.

    In a busy morning for our Comrade, he crossed London to the Today studio where he told listeners that he would not end the “right to travel”, also known as "free movement" and added "we’re not saying anyone couldn’t come here" - removing the double negative that becomes "we're saying anyone can come here".

    He then went on to call for a law to limit the maximum wage "I would like there to be some kind of high earnings cap". When asked to clarify if he wanted a law to limit income he replied "I would like to see a maximum earnings limit". He then re-crossed London to the Sky TV's Westminster studios where he clarified his earlier statement on wages:


    Corbyn seems to be banking on the notion that left-wing populism - for example that the electorate will quite like there to be a cap on wages for the rich - will reverse his poor showing in the opinion polls. Unfortunately for him, this is not the case: YouGov asked about public support for a maximum wage cap of £1 million per year in September 2015, only 39% supported the policy whilst 44% were opposed. And if there were to be such a cap, it would be reasonable to suppose that the Premier Football League would cease to exist as all the players move abroad, as would other high-earning athletes. It wouldn't just be a "muscle drain" but a "brain drain" as key businessmen, top scientists and other high earners jump ship.
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