Maybe the vote was so awful that the Cosmic Balance will tilt and squish out Murdoch’s life.
2 Likes
1 Like
And, of course, we’ve now blown our chance of being involved in reforming this institution and changing the way economic policy is applied across Europe in favour of returning to a system that now has no chance of being repaired and will simply continue to operate the same broken policies that largely led to this whole problem in the first place. But hey, why should that bother anyone?
3 Likes
I saw an interview the other day with Lisa Nandy, a Corbyn-wing MP who has an op-ed in today’s Guardian and who now thinks Corbyn should step down. Her point was that ideology aside, Labour needs someone now who can unite the party, and he clearly hadn’t been able to do that and there is no sign he will be able to do that into the future.
I think the Lib Dems have decided that their path back into relevence is to run on a “we won’t trigger article 50” platform.
1 Like
Lib Dems, relevance. Hah!
They need to run on that (assuming it isn’t triggered before the next election), plus convince all those 172 Labour MPs to defect rather than form New SNP
1 Like
The Lib Dem have a fundie leader with absolutely no appeal for the general public. They have a great chance to get back from the brink of extinction, but not with Farron.
Man! This is the stuff of literature: Gove as the wife-powered careerist who wants to pull Boris’ strings. Mr. Robot, anyone?
UK politics is completely insane at the moment.
4 Likes
Whilst, sadly, I agree with this, the problem is that there’s so much bad blood flowing now that any “unity” candidate would find it tough be able to actually include, say, Corbyn or McDonnell in their own shadow cabinet and the whole cycle will continue. Part of the reason for Corbyn’s massive victory was the perception that this wing of the party was being wholly ignored (whether that was a good thing is a different argument!) One of the few things I admire about the Tories (in horrified admiration) is the way they can usually get over this sort of internecine warfare without batting an eyelid - Gove will remain a minister, I imagine IDS will get another post etc. Labour just don’t seem to be able to do that.
(Personally, I sort of wish that the previous result had been the other way around - that Watson had been leader and Corbyn had been deputy. Watson is a far better media performer, and Corbyn is a far better local level operator - there’s a reason his personal constituency support has consistently risen over the years he’s been an MP.)
Anyone acceptable to the incumbent Blairite parliamentarians will be despised by the party rank and file and vice-versa.
4 Likes
I know that relying on the MP’s to choose their leader sounds (and is) antidemocratic-- but from a practical point of view, it makes the party that much more effective in parliament. If you don’t care for that party to be effective in parliament, don’t vote for them.
1 Like
That’s Watson’s fault, in a way. He saw himself as a shrewd operator, pulling strings without getting too much exposure. Corbyn’s “failure” (if there was one) is also his failure, since he was supposed to be the one keeping it all together, the one acting as guarantor to the corporatist wing while propping up Corbyn.
There is no point crying on spilled milk anyway, the question is what should be done now. I personally think anything but a leadership challenge will just not do. Handing back Labour to the likes of spineless babyfaces like Chuka Umunna or constituency-less press-darlings like Angela Eagle will just ensure a UKIP majority in 2020 (or whenever the next election happens).
3 Likes
In a FPTP system, there is no effectiveness to be had in Parliament. Government makes the rules and sings the tunes; the opposition has only to push out press releases and badmouth the executive with journalists. The fact that the current bunch seem to enjoy badmouthing their own leader more than the PM is testament to their poor judgement.
3 Likes
eventually, they do have to win an election. ’ Course with SNP around, Labour has little chance of that.
Yup. I don’t want Umunna et al anywhere near the Labour Party, or I ain’t voting for them.
2 Likes
How about that nice Tristram from Stoke?
And Tom Watson seems like a nice enough chap. I’d have a beer with him. But leader of a political party? No chance. At least he isn’t a Blairite. Didn’t he get fired the first time for trying to get rid of him?
How many of the MPs that get called Blairite really are, though? Aren’t a lot of them Brownians?
It’s a shame that Sadiq Khan is about five years too early. A good run at the Mayoralty, a couple of appearances on HIGNFY and he’d be sorted. (Even if I think he is more fitted to the Blair/Cameron mould than the Major/Brown mould: what you do is look at where the parties will be when you project becoming leader and join the correct party to capitalise on that. If you are unlucky - as Blair was - you get stuck with it for too long and it goes tits-up. If you are an idiot - like Cameron was - you get to make it go tits-up entirely on your own.)
2 Likes
I saw something today saying that part of Labour’s problem is finding an alternative to Corbyn who didn’t vote to invade Iraq.
And isn’t Chilcot getting published soon? That’ll help too.
Ah, this was it.
3 Likes
Yes, that’s going to be deeply embarrassing to whole swathes of the current Labour party. (Meanwhile, as with the '08 crash, the Tories get to sit back and laugh, even though they were 100% complicit with the whole thing.)
3 Likes
They should pick Kate Hoey. She’d get the Brexit voters on her side.
She’s certainly not a completely terrible choice - probably better than Eagle anyway.
And if the Tories are dumb enough to pick May*, then she’d defuse one particular argument. Then again, if Labour do pick a woman, that would probably make Johnson’s chances a lot better. It’s all about the timing…
*I’d take Johnson over May. Hell, I’d take Gove over May. In fact, if it came to that, I’d take Farage over May, and he’s not even a member of the Tory party!
Assuming he survives Ian Hislop’s rapier wit.
