The Labour Thread

[Jockney]

Desperate stuff, honestly.

 

[Jockney]

https://twitter.com/ronanburtenshaw/status/768105809964302336

 

[Alty]

https://twitter.com/ronanburtenshaw/status/768105809964302336

I'm useless on Twitter. What's the thrust of this? That Virgin have doctored the image? Or just that the decision to release CCTV is a dick move?

Personally I can't actually see any empty spots. And in any case, whether or not there were 2 spare seats somewhere on the train, the issue Corbyn is raising is a well-known and important one. Train fares are horrendous and commuters regularly can't get a seat.

 

[TheMinsterman]

I'm useless on Twitter. What's the thrust of this? That Virgin have doctored the image? Or just that the decision to release CCTV is a dick move?

Personally I can't actually see any empty spots. And in any case, whether or not there were 2 spare seats somewhere on the train, the issue Corbyn is raising is a well-known and important one. Train fares are horrendous and commuters regularly can't get a seat.

I assume they're implying their motivation isn't to "clarify" anything and innocently defending themselves but as a beneficiary of the current system to undermine a man whose platform is about renationalising the railways thus taking their profit.

Likewise, the empty spaces appear to be ones with tickets in the top anyway, meaning that they are taken and somebody will be using them eventually.

Perhaps he is a massive hypocrites and it was all a big set up, but like you say, rail fares are mad and trains are often crammed.

 

[Jockney]

I'm useless on Twitter. What's the thrust of this? That Virgin have doctored the image? Or just that the decision to release CCTV is a dick move?

Personally I can't actually see any empty spots. And in any case, whether or not there were 2 spare seats somewhere on the train, the issue Corbyn is raising is a well-known and important one. Train fares are horrendous and commuters regularly can't get a seat.

The latter. Indie and other papers are reporting that passengers who were on the service largely dispute Virgin's portrayal of events. But as you've implied there it's a distraction tactic, and I think to engage with it is to legitimate it, so my bad I suppose.

 

[Jockney]

The debate in Glasgow was painful. Smith transparently contrived, kept calling Corbyn out to reveal how he marked his EU ref ballot, largely agreed with Corbyn on most things but kept making digs that made even his own supporters uncomfortable. Says he won't honour article 50, so so much for trying to make Labour electable for 2020. My favourite part was Smith gallantly telling a man heckling Corbyn to pipe down, only to then chide Jez for not doing the same for him earlier. How magnanimous.

Corbyn still engaging in the discourse of 'deserving' and 'undeserving' migrants/poor people, though, so not all convincing on his side either.

 

[Alty]

Corbyn still engaging in the discourse of 'deserving' and 'undeserving' migrants/poor people, though, so not all convincing on his side either.

Hmmm. Not the traditional language of the far left at all. Who's he characterising as undeserving, out of interest?

 

[.V.]

Latest Corbyn/May poll.

https://twitter.com/britainelects/status/769141090880552960

 

[Jockney]

Hmmm. Not the traditional language of the far left at all. Who's he characterising as undeserving, out of interest?

Talk of keeping free movement and by extension the 'hardworking migrants who contribute to Britain', as if the effects on labour are the only thing that should be considered or that people who move to this country are only worth what they can give in economic terms. Small but important lexical choices that help expose the limits of his alleged radicalism long-term, IMO.

 

[Veggie Legs]

I keep seeing pictures on Twitter from people who have applied to join Labour but been rejected for expressing support for other political parties in the past. Is there any reasonable justification for this? It seems crazy to me to turn down people who want to support you, even if they haven't always done so.

 

[Blitzballer]

oh dear

Keith Vaz plans to stand aside as chair of the House of Commons home affairs committee after he was accused of paying for the services of male prostitutes in a Sunday newspaper sting operation.

The Labour MP and former Europe minister, who has chaired the high-profile committee for nine years, apologised to his family for the distress caused and condemned the conduct of the Sunday Mirror as “deeply disturbing”.

Vaz’s committee is carrying out an inquiry into prostitution, focusing on whether “the balance in the burden of criminality should shift to those who pay for sex rather than those who sell it”. In July, it published an interim report saying it was not yet convinced that buying sex should be outlawed, but that soliciting by sex workers should be decriminalised.

In his statement to the Mail on Sunday about the Mirror story, Vaz reportedly said: “I am genuinely sorry for the hurt and distress that has been caused by my actions in particular to my wife and children. I will be informing the committee on Tuesday of my intention to stand aside from chairing the committee with immediate effect.”

According to the Sunday Mirror, which has illustrated its report with a picture showing Vaz with a man said to be one of the escorts, the MP met two eastern European male sex workers eight days ago in a flat he owns in north London.

According to the paper, Vaz asked one of the men in a text message sent before the encounter to bring poppers, the sex-enhancing drug used by gay men that the government came close to banning in a law passed this year.

Vaz argued in parliament that poppers should not be included in a list of substances banned by the Psychoactive Substances Act and in the paper he is quoted as telling the escorts that he did not use them himself.

Vaz, who reportedly told the men his name was Jim and that he was a washing machine salesman, is also quoted discussing with the men the possibility of obtaining cocaine for the next time they met, although Vaz reportedly said he would not want to take the drug himself.

The paper says two payments of £150 each were made into a bank account before the 27 August encounter after one of the escorts supplied the account details to Vaz. .

In its interim report on prostitution in July, the home affairs committee said: “We are not yet convinced that the sex buyer law would be effective in reducing demand or in improving the lives of sex workers, either in terms of the living conditions for those who continue to work in prostitution or the effectiveness of services to help them find new ways to earn a living.

“Evaluations of the impact of sex buyer laws are largely based on data about street prostitution, and therefore offer little insight into the large parts of the sex industry which take place in various indoor environments, and there are indications that the law can be misused to harass and victimise sex workers, who are the very people whom the law is seeking to protect.”

In a statement, Vaz said: “It is deeply disturbing that a national newspaper should have paid individuals to have acted in this way. I have referred these allegations to my solicitor Mark Stephens, of Howard Kennedy, who will consider them carefully and advise me accordingly.”

According to the Mail on Sunday, although Vaz is standing aside as chair of the Commons home affairs committee, he wants to see how much support for him there is on the committee before making a decision about whether to resign fully.

A Labour party spokesman said Vaz had been elected chair of the committee and that his future on it was a matter for him and the Commons.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics...mons-committee-chair-sunday-mirror-sex-claims

 

[Max]

I preferred Mark Oaten, who apparently asked a rent boy to do a shit on his chest, but this is still pretty incredible.

 

[Leo]

Don't understand these twats. They will always be found out.....hell mend him.

 

[.V.]

Who would make the best PM poll.

https://twitter.com/britainelects/status/772765123375226880

 

[The Paranoid Pineapple]

I preferred Mark Oaten, who apparently asked a rent boy to do a shit on his chest, but this is still pretty incredible.

Indeed. As far as MP sex scandals go I'm not sure it even matches up to Stephen Milligan (autoerotic asphyxiation, featuring stockings and a satsuma) or Ron Davies's entertaining "moment of madness"/"badger watching" ESCAPADES.

And Eastern European rent boys? Oh dear. You'd think in the current Brexity climate Keith would at least have the good sense to GO BRITISH*

*quite possibly the fist time good sense and Keith Vaz have featured in the same sentence together

 

[Captain Scumbag]

I dunno. His enthusiasm for the EU, open borders and unfettered intra-EU migration certainly makes a lot more sense now. Perhaps there really are some 'jobs' native Brits think are beneath them.

 

[smat]

I dunno. His enthusiasm for the EU, open borders and unfettered intra-EU migration certainly makes a lot more sense now. Perhaps there really are some 'jobs' native Brits think are beneath them.

speak for yourself

 

[Max]

I am continually amused by newsreaders' descriptions of Keith Vaz 'paying male prostitutes for sex'. Of course he was paying them for sex. You wouldn't get rentboys to do your ironing or re-wire your house.

 

[Leo]

I am continually amused by newsreaders' descriptions of Keith Vaz 'paying male prostitutes for sex'. Of course he was paying them for sex. You wouldn't get rentboys to do your ironing or re-wire your house.

Now that depends. 1) whether they were paid for extras & 2) If indeed they had the appropriate skills.

 

[Alty]

I am continually amused by newsreaders' descriptions of Keith Vaz 'paying male prostitutes for sex'. Of course he was paying them for sex. You wouldn't get rentboys to do your ironing or re-wire your house.

Apparently prostitutes are regularly paid just to chat.

Always struck me as fucking weird. Maybe they're just cheaper than psychiatrists? Or it's easier to get an appointment.

 

[mnb089mnb]

I am continually amused by newsreaders' descriptions of Keith Vaz 'paying male prostitutes for sex'. Of course he was paying them for sex. You wouldn't get rentboys to do your ironing or re-wire your house.

I loved that one of the tabloids described it as a "sex flat"

Did he have to buy a normal flat and then apply for change of usage with the local council?

 

[blade1889]

I loved that one of the tabloids described it as a "sex flat"

Did he have to buy a normal flat and then apply for change of usage with the local council?

Wonder if he claimed it on allowances?

 

[Jockney]

Apparently prostitutes are regularly paid just to chat.

Always struck me as fucking weird. Maybe they're just cheaper than psychiatrists? Or it's easier to get an appointment.

how many of these people do you think maybe have issues with women, though. probably most. without getting too freudian, there is bound to be a bit of maternal projection going on there.

 

[Leo]

Wonder if he claimed it on allowances?

There will be a claim there or thereabouts to do with this. There was a Scottish guy recently who was booking hotel rooms to shag some female advisor and claimed exs for these trysts. Vast majority of politicians, be they MPs, SNPs, MEPs are all lying thieving c***!

 

[.V.]

https://www.buzzfeed.com/marielecon...rket-story-d?utm_term=.cuzN6p9a8N#.cuzN6p9a8N

 

[smat]

https://www.buzzfeed.com/marielecon...rket-story-d?utm_term=.cuzN6p9a8N#.cuzN6p9a8N

Staying in the single market could *create* 1.3 million jobs? Is that not obviously total bollocks?

 

[mnb089mnb]

Staying in the single market could *create* 1.3 million jobs? Is that not obviously total bollocks?

There will be a boom in the sale of pitchforks for UKIP voters if we stay in the single market.

 

[Max]

If anyone wants to reinforce the opinions they already hold, there's a Question Time special starting in a few minutes featuring Owen Smith and Jeremy Corbyn.

Fortunately, I have remembered this is not compulsory, and therefore will be spending my time doing Literally Anything Else.

 

[irish-stu]

If Corbyn wins how long before the next attempt to oust him, maybe Labour should just make this a bi annual thing at least we can work around it.

 

[Alty]

If anyone wants to reinforce the opinions they already hold, there's a Question Time special starting in a few minutes featuring Owen Smith and Jeremy Corbyn.

Fortunately, I have remembered this is not compulsory, and therefore will be spending my time doing Literally Anything Else.

Watched it. What a mess. Smith doubling down on the 'no Brexit' policy is CRAZY. The whole thing was in danger of becoming an echo chamber until an ex Labour UKIP voter piped up as a reminder of the world outside.

For all his flaws I think Corbyn is more electable than Smith. Just more genuine.