Next UK Labour Leader

[Fide]

Cracking article from Wee Ginger Dug in H_B's favourite newspaper today:

http://www.thenational.scot/comment/wee-ginger-dug-labours-collapse-is-the-end-of-uk-politics.5487?utm_medium=social&utm_source=Twitter&utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_term=Autofeed#link_time=1437631592

Wee Ginger Dug: Labour’s collapse is the end of UK politics

July 23rd, 2015 - 12:23 am Paul Kavanagh

WHAT do you call an Opposition that doesn’t oppose? You call it the Labour Party. Labour is to opposition as running away and hiding under a rock is to confrontation. Labour stands up to bullies by holding the bully’s jaickit while the speccy kid gets beaten up. Labour defends the rights of workers by siding with management, but then Labour has long since ceased to be the party of the workers.

For the last couple of decades, Labour has been the party of managing the workers’ expectations on behalf of the bosses, but now they can’t even be bothered to do that. Now Labour has decided that the best way to oppose the Tories is not to oppose them at all, in the hope that Tory voters will take pity on them and elect them the next time round, which puts them in the position of seeking pity on the basis of being pitiless. Vote for us, we have nothing to offer except malice.

Labour is a party that thinks being a loyal opposition means being obedient and compliant. Thon wummin in Fifty Shades Of Grey stood up for herself more than Labour stands for anything. When Labour demands that the SNP set out how it’s going to oppose the Tories, it’s because they’ve not got the slightest intention of doing it themselves.

The last remnants of the Labour-supporting press in Scotland publish anguished editorials bewailing that Labour voters in Scotland find that the party is making political decisions on the basis of English priorities. It was ever thus. Oh if only there had been some way of avoiding that ever happening eh. As a thousand Scottish grannies would say to those tortured leader writers – hell slap it intae ye son.

If this sorry excuse for a Labour Party was opposing apartheid, they’d lock some poor people in a garden shed for 26 years in solidarity with Nelson Mandela. Andy Burnham would appear on the telly fluttering his eyelashes and assure the interviewer that poor people can get by perfectly well on a diet of creosote and old paint, but Labour is the party of striving, hard-working families with two nice cars, two foreign holidays a year and a pony for the teenage daughter. Families like Andy’s. Labour doesn’t want to represent working class people because they appear in those horrid documentaries on Channel 5.

It’s so bad for Labour that they don’t even sit for anything never mind stand, which is why the SNP were able to blag their seats and take over the Opposition benches. It was first-class trolling by the real Opposition at Westminster. It’s the SNP which talks like an Opposition, walks like an Opposition, and votes like an Opposition. Labour is nowhere to be seen, they can’t even be bothered to turn up and vote, although they can and do complain that SNP MPs have taken their seats. Now you know what the real priorities of a Labour MP are.

And then Scotland’s sole Labour MP had the cheek to insist to a BBC interviewer that the party opposed the Tory policies that they abstained from voting on. They can do that safe in the knowledge that they won’t be challenged live on air. Labour is not so much a political party anymore, more an on-going nervous breakdown, and BBC Scotland is its enabler. But the walls of misinformation are breaking down, on the Internet and in papers like this one.

Labour have decided that if they can’t be the Government they’re not going to roll over and become an Opposition – because that’s what the Tories would expect them to do. Instead they’ve morphed into a granny party – appropriately enough since it’s only elderly grannies that still vote for them – they don’t want to make a fuss.

Perhaps if they help the Tories to be really nasty then voters in England will remember just how nasty the Tories are and realise that Labour can be every bit as nasty. Then they might get elected again. It’s a faint hope but in the absence of anything approaching principles it’s all they’ve got. They’ve been forced into this strategy because unfortunately they don’t have any balls they can take home, not since Ed lost his seat, so they’re going to pretend to oppose while not actually opposing at all, if that’s alright with George Osborne.

Labour has got a disease which gives them delusions of adequacy, cognitive dissonance, the inability to accept responsibility, the loss of the spinal column, and the manic repetition of the phrase “SNP bad”. Called gonorrhoea lectus, they contracted it after they were screwed by the voters.

THE party hierarchy is now in full scale panic mode because Jeremy Corbyn looks as though he is ahead in the leadership election. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Jeremy was to stand in order to let the party’s left think that there was actually still a left left to Labour. He wasn’t supposed to win.

Speaking on Newsnight, former Blair adviser John McTernan said it would be an utter disaster for the party. And John ought to know. John has a well-deserved reputation for political wizardry, every Labour Party he’s touched has turned to dust – and not the sparkly fairy kind either. He managed it in Australia, he managed it in Scotland. So the best advice for the Labour Party today is to listen very carefully to what John has to advise, to take his counsel on board, and then to do the exact opposite. Just ask Jim Murphy.

Labour’s hierarchy is already spinning frantically against a Corbyn victory, warning that Labour is not a protest party. But if something scares the plastic Burnhamites and Kendalloids and Cooperites of this world, determined to run a country on the basis of a focus group in Croydon, then that’s got to be a good thing. God forbid that Labour might elect a leader who would bring in Labour policies.

In the unlikely event that Labour does manage to unite behind a Corbyn leadership, that could pose a serious challenge to the dominance of the SNP in Scotland – but the price of a Scottish recovery would be crucifixion by the right-wing press in England. The reality is that there is nothing Labour can do to restore its appeal both north and south of the Border. The malaise of Labour is the fag end of British politics. We’re in the end times for the Union.

[~~~]

This is fun watching London Labour tear itself apart.

[Fide]

This is fun watching London Labour tear itself apart.

It's almost like they're trying to out-do their Scottish branch office in abject f**k-uppery.

What fun.

[Bishop Briggs]

Corbyn is a fairly typical Campaign Group MP.

Mostly campaigns on international issues eg apartheid, Israel, the Dalits, the Chagos Islanders - the usual list of obscure single issue international campaigns. He has been very active in the Stop the War coalition. Has also campaigned on animal rights and poverty. Struggled to find anything outside of actual campaigning and very little in terms of what you would call domestic affairs.

Biggest moment appears to be inviting Gerry Adams to speak in London in 1984.

Good points.

As I highlighted previously, Corbyn's website has nothing of substance on it. The public knows very little of his detailed policies or even views on key areas such as the education, the environment, the EU, constitutional reform.

From memory, he is an old-fashioned Bennite - favours nationalisation of everything. The Bennite Left opposed EU membership so it would be useful to know his position on the referendum.

His brother, Piers (great working class name!) is the infamous weather forecaster who claims that there no such thing as man-made global warming. Those grammar school boys are great mavericks!

[DeeTillEhDeh]

Good points.

As I highlighted previously, Corbyn's website has nothing of substance on it. The public knows very little of his detailed policies or even views on key areas such as the education, the environment, the EU, constitutional reform.

From memory, he is an old-fashioned Bennite - favours nationalisation of everything. The Bennite Left opposed EU membership so it would be useful to know his position on the referendum.

His brother, Piers (great working class name!) is the infamous weather forecaster who claims that there no such thing as man-made global warming. Those grammar school boys are great mavericks!

And Jeremy takes the absolute opposite view - has been active on campaigns around climate change.

[BerwickMad]

Bishop Briggs seems to specialise in telling half a story to suit his bias.

[Fide]

Bishop Briggs seems to specialise in telling half a story to suit his bias.

From a BetterTogether/ NoThanks/ UKOK supporter, you'll forgive me if I emit an actual lol at the above.

[Redhead81]

I see John Prescott has now waded in, saying that he finds Blairs comments yesterday to be "staggering". I thought he made a decent point about how the campaign should be more about policies etc rather than the candidates slagging each other off

[AUFC90]

Opposing the Tories would be my first policy.

[Redhead81]

Opposing the Tories would be my first policy.

Totally agree with you here!

[DeeTillEhDeh]

For those with long memories two words that might make some think again about backing Corbyn.

Michael Foot.

If Corbyn is elected I think we would see him treated as a joke as Foot was. Moreover, I could not see the right of the Labour Party being happy - they could do an SDP.

Could we see history repeating itself?

[Fide]

For those with long memories two words that might make some think again about backing Corbyn.

Michael Foot.

If Corbyn is elected I think we would see him treated as a joke as Foot was. Moreover, I could not see the right of the Labour Party being happy - they could do an SDP.

Could we see history repeating itself?

We could.

However, as a former Labour voter, it's far more appealing to me than watch Labour desperately try and fail to win over the Tory voters of middle England.

If people want a Tory party they will, funnily enough, vote for the fucking Tories. Labour's job should be to show that an alternative is not only possible, but an attractive propostition. Something they've failed to do spectacularly of late.

[jmothecat]

For those with long memories two words that might make some think again about backing Corbyn.

Michael Foot.

If Corbyn is elected I think we would see him treated as a joke as Foot was. Moreover, I could not see the right of the Labour Party being happy - they could do an SDP.

Could we see history repeating itself?

Genuinely think Corbyn is worse than Foot. At least Foot had something, Corbyn has nothing other than being on the left.

Unlike the Foot however I believe if elected Corbyn wouldn't last until the end of the year, and I highly doubt we would see an SDP style split. Him being elected would take a dire situation and make it worse however.

[Fide]

Genuinely think Corbyn is worse than Foot. At least Foot had something, Corbyn has nothing other than being on the left.

Unlike the Foot however I believe if elected Corbyn wouldn't last until the end of the year, and I highly doubt we would see an SDP style split. Him being elected would take a dire situation and make it worse however.

But the fucking alternative!! More Tory-lite, centrist policies! An opposition of abstentions!

f**k me, what happened to Labour? What a bunch of foppish charlatans they've turned into.

[doulikefish]

But the fucking alternative!! More Tory-lite, centrist policies! An opposition of abstentions!

f**k me, what happened to Labour? What a bunch of foppish charlatans they've turned into.

And isnt it fantastic

[Crùbag]

Genuinely think Corbyn is worse than Foot. At least Foot had something, Corbyn has nothing other than being on the left.

Unlike the Foot however I believe if elected Corbyn wouldn't last until the end of the year, and I highly doubt we would see an SDP style split. Him being elected would take a dire situation and make it worse however.

Corbyn aint that great. He just espouses honest Labour principles. He's hardly a communist either. However...

... he's a country mile ahead of the other three losers.

Check out this LBC video on the Independent that's doing the rounds. Burham, Kendall and Cooper are typical dishonest, shirking Nu-Labour drones. Who knows what they believe in and given their insipid performances, who gives a fck?

This is why Jeremy Corbyn is winning in the Labour leadership race

http://www.independent.co.uk/video/?videoid=4369574673001

[Fide]

And isnt it fantastic

A tiny part of me still pangs for a decent Labour party. But it's getting less and less each day.

The only show in town are quite literally the only show in town.

[DeeTillEhDeh]

But the fucking alternative!! More Tory-lite, centrist policies! An opposition of abstentions!

f**k me, what happened to Labour? What a bunch of foppish charlatans they've turned into.

I think you can be centrist or just left of centre without being a Tory-lite party. Labour needs to find that way - it doesn't mean moving left or right but having a clearly defined set of principles and sticking to them.

The problem with Miliband was that he was elected as being on the left yet did not enact those leftist principles but was still stuck with the dangerous left-winger image by the media. It's that inconsistency that Labour needs to address.

As for abstentions - I understand that Burnham has said that if elected he won't have the party abstaining as Harman did - I think that's one pledge he should be held to.

That bring said - it's easy to be an oppositionalist as the SNP are doing because they know they are never ever going to have the responsibility of making the books balance. If you are going to have a Welfare Policy that looks after the most vulnerable in society then you sure as hell need to say how it's going to he paid for. That's the elephant in the room for some of the anti-austerity parties - ultimately spending can be cut in some areas such as Defence but as a long term solution it requires a rise in taxes - something that almost all political parties (even the SNP) will not contemplate.

[Fide]

That bring said - it's easy to be an oppositionalist as the SNP are doing because they know they are never ever going to have the responsibility of making the books balance. If you are going to have a Welfare Policy that looks after the most vulnerable in society then you sure as hell need to say how it's going to he paid for. That's the elephant in the room for some of the anti-austerity parties - ultimately spending can be cut in some areas such as Defence but as a long term solution it requires a rise in taxes - something that almost all political parties (even the SNP) will not contemplate.

Yeah, this is largely bollocks.

The SNP provide decent opposition because they do what the electorate wants. Hence why they're flying high at 60% in the polls.

And as for the elephant in the room. Scrap Trident. There's £100 billion saved right there. Austerity is entirely ideological. It's unnecessary. There are a kablillion ways of saving and finding money with touching the welfare state.

[DeeTillEhDeh]

Yeah, this is largely bollocks.

The SNP provide decent opposition because they do what the electorate wants. Hence why they're flying high at 60% in the polls.

And as for the elephant in the room. Scrap Trident. There's £100 billion saved right there. Austerity is entirely ideological. It's unnecessary. There are a kablillion ways of saving and finding money with touching the welfare state.

That £100 billion is (using the SNP"s own figures - other estimates put it nearer the £65 billion mark) spread over 30 years. It also conveniently ignores the cost if any non-nuclear alternative. So that £100 billion is in reality around £3.3 billion a year - scratching the surface of the deficit.

Party after party has come in promising efficiency savings only to discover that it is harder to achieve than they expected.

Moreover, as the population grows older and technology advances, then the demands on the NHS has increased. An older population also means a high public pensions bill.

If you don't want to touch the Welfare State - or even increase Welfare spending as some are advocating then it cuts in other areas is not going to sustain any increase. If you want a cradle to grave Welfare system then you have to, as the Scandinavians do, pay higher taxes for it.