The Labour Thread

[Ebeneezer Goode]

Police have launched a criminal investigation into allegations of anti-Semitic hate crimes within the UK Labour Party https://t.co/VDZoUyR45k

— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) November 2, 2018

 

[Jockney]

Police have launched a criminal investigation into allegations of anti-Semitic hate crimes within the UK Labour Party https://t.co/VDZoUyR45k

— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) November 2, 2018

Can't wait for this to stay in the news cycle so far past its natural life that it ends up outdating the findings of the investigation itself.

 

[AFCB_Mark]

Yesterday Arron Banks, today the Labour party. Any centrists under the Police microscope for tomorrow?

 

[The Paranoid Pineapple]

Funny how EbG is banging the Labour anti-semitism drum while simultaneously hailing the likes of Tommy Robinson as brave defenders of freedom of expression. I mean, it isn't really, but y'know...

 

[Jockney]

Yesterday Arron Banks, today the Labour party. Any centrists under the Police microscope for tomorrow?

The Labour Party isn't under police investigation, but you aren't the first person to draw that conclusion from the story. I think indeed that is the desired effect.

 

[Ebeneezer Goode]

Funny how EbG is banging the Labour anti-semitism drum while simultaneously hailing the likes of Tommy Robinson as brave defenders of freedom of expression. I mean, it isn't really, but y'know...

Assuming I were actually banging the anti-Semitism drum (ha ha, no), what would one have to do with the other? I reject hate crimes as a concept, so it's just funny to see establishment politicians - especially on the left - get nicked by one of their favourite political weapons.

 

[Jockney]

Assuming I were actually banging the anti-Semitism drum (ha ha, no), what would one have to do with the other? I reject hate crimes as a concept, so it's just funny to see establishment politicians - especially on the left - get nicked by one of their favourite political weapons.

But... no politician has been nicked, nor have any charges been filed against any Labour politician? Did you read the article?

 

[Ebeneezer Goode]

But... no politician has been nicked, nor have any charges been filed against any Labour politician? Did you read the article?

Not that kind of nicked.

 

[Fompous Part]

Interesting.

 

[Craig]

They were voted in as labour candidates and should resign their seats to stand in by elections as independents. They won’t though because they know they’ll lose to the new labour representative.

Good riddance to the lot of them.

 

[Fompous Part]

They were voted in as labour candidates and should resign their seats to stand in by elections as independents.

100% agree.

All Remoaners, though, so I won't be holding my breath.

 

[Super_horns]

So what happens in their constitutional area ?

Is there a by-election with a new Labour candidate ...

 

[The Southbank]

They were voted in as labour candidates and should resign their seats to stand in by elections as independents. They won’t though because they know they’ll lose to the new labour representative.

Good riddance to the lot of them.

Would they? Who in their right mind for vote for Labour at this current juncture?

 

[Craig]

Would they? Who in their right mind for vote for Labour at this current juncture?

Yes. The labour voters who voted in a labour candidate.

 

[Fompous Part]

So what happens in their constitutional area? Is there a by-election with a new Labour candidate.

There is no legal or procedural requirement for them to resign as MPs. Doing so would necessitate by-elections in their constituencies, but it's ultimately at the MPs' discretion. They can stay in their seats for the rest of this parliamentary term if they wish. A bit ludicrous, IMO, but there you go.

In recent years several Tory MPs (see Douglas Carswell and Mark Reckless) have resigned and thereby deliberately triggered by-elections after defecting to UKIP. If memory serves, Zac Goldsmith did too when he alighted upon the bright idea of quitting the Tories over some row about an airport. I thought they set a good precedent. Disappointing, but not surprising, to see the Magnificent 7 haven't adhered to it.

There really ought to be a power of recall (e.g. constituents being able to force a by-election through a popular petition) to empower voters in this situation.

 

[Craig]

6 of the 7 come from constituencies that voted strongly in favour of the labour candidate. Were there to be a by-election in these constituencies I’m extremely confident that those 6 would elect the labour candidate. The only close seat was Angela Smith’s and I really couldn’t call it but do know that it’d be extremely unlikely she’d be re-elected as an independent, in fact fuck it I’m gonna stick my neck out and say if she was given a 10k vote head start she’d still lose out to the labour or Tory candidate. When I voted I voted for my labour candidate because he was a labour candidate and not because he’s Dan Jarvis. The vast majority of voters vote the same way.

 

[The Paranoid Pineapple]

Yes, so large are the majorities in most of their constituencies, it's very difficult to see Labour failing to win any of those seats the next time they're contested with the possible exception of the one marginal. I'd be doubtful as to whether any of the 7 have a particularly significant personal vote.

I do think it outrageous that you can stand under the Labour banner and, a mere 18 months later, resign in order to form a centrist bloc and be so arrogant to think that you shouldn't have to endure a by-election.

I honestly don't even know what they're hoping to achieve here. I think the one consolation for Labour is that, though this will hurt the party, they're better off in the long-run without these vacuous Tory-enablers.

 

[Fompous Part]

If it's any consolation, I doubt Labour is the only party that will suffer a depletion of numbers. I'd bet at least 5 English pounds that several Tory MPs (Soubry, Wollaston, Grieve and Boles are my picks) will go the same way.

 

[Pliny Harris]

If it's any consolation, I doubt Labour is the only party that will suffer a depletion of numbers. I'd bet at least 5 English pounds that several Tory MPs (Soubry, Wollaston, Grieve and Boles are my picks) will go the same way.

I'd hope so.

Whickham for Buzzfeed I believe was reporting yesterday that they'd approached Ruth Davidson to see if she'd join them as leader. My usual thoughts of all Tories aside, how jumped-up do they have to be to think she—respected amongst her own—would step down from such an important role (for her) to support a small group of contentless, lying careerists from the opposition benches, all with designed obsolescence?

Only one I'm downhearted about is Berger, who has every right to complain and feel threatened, and despite me not understanding her politics whatever that is an unhealthy state of affairs.

It's sad it's happening, but it's only deferred sadness imo from the fact that kind of cyborg started colonising the party during the Blair era. After Blair, they are disparate, detached individuals doing a "reactionary opinion for a bob, mate?" milk round in their starchy suits. Yesterday's people, derided by almost everyone bar an extremely online fringe of well-off Remainiacs. Such a shame that parliamentary rules allow such a shitshow to take place!

Bring on some decent new Labour PPCs, who can argue their opinions well, can get along with all walks of life, and don't have nasty skellingtons in their closets.

 

[Craig]

If it's any consolation, I doubt Labour is the only party that will suffer a depletion of numbers. I'd bet at least 5 English pounds that several Tory MPs (Soubry, Wollaston, Grieve and Boles are my picks) will go the same way.

 

[Fompous Part]

Yeah, no great surprise.

One of the downsides to Dave and Gideon’s modernising efforts is the inclusion and elevation of MPs like Wollaston and Allen – witless, sappy, virtue-signalling no marks so desperate to be liked and so bereft of basic conservative values that they would blend in effortlessly at the Liberal Democrats’ spring conference. They can go.

Soubry? She has a bit of character (in that tough old bird sort of way) and is at least a fiscal conservative. Unfortunately, she’s lost her way over Brexit. And, before anyone starts, I don’t say that because I disagree with her on the basic in/out question. Someone who admits, with no hint of embarrassment, that she only voted in favour of holding a referendum because she didn’t think her side would lose is not a serious politician, and is no great loss to conservative politics.

And, again, there’s not a snowball in hell’s chance that any of these MPs – all second referendum enthusiasts – will give their constituents a second vote now that they’ve switched allegiance.

 

[Pliny Harris]

And, again, there’s not a snowball in hell’s chance that any of these MPs – all second referendum enthusiasts – will give their constituents a second vote now that they’ve switched allegiance.

This is correct, and only needs the briefest elaborating I'd hope, to most continuity Remainers so they might get a grasp of if they're looking at TIG with good faith.

A busted flush anyway, only looking to appeal to 48% or so of the electorate in the first place. May as well launch a political advocacy group for people without earlobes. But they know that.

 

[The Paranoid Pineapple]

Personally, I wholly agree with their rather damning indictment of the Conservative Party in 2019.

Surprising that someone such as May, who once made the "nasty party" observation, would seek to use that as a template for the premiership. Or at least it would be if nastiness wasn't so ingrained in the party's DNA.

Props to the three. If I'm honest, I didn't think any Tories would have the guts.

 

[Ebeneezer Goode]

BREAKING Labour conference passes motion ordering public schools to sell off their buildings and playing fields if Jeremy Corbyn wins the next general election.

— Christopher Hope📝 (@christopherhope) September 22, 2019

 

[Craig]

Nicely

 

[Laker]

Labour have voted down a motion to have “remain” as their official policy prior to a general election. Instead they are going to decide at the post-election conference.

While I accept Brexit isn’t the only voting point, it is rather key at the moment and not defining their position in order to hold votes on both sides will surely backfire.

 

[PuB]

I’m not so sure, Lib Dem’s plan to campaign for cancelling Brexit, Boris and co seem hell bent on a no-deal Brexit. Surely a position in the middle that respects both opinions is right for them at the moment (although, admittedly, it’s going to play out badly if we have a GE).

Not really sure what else they could do, given the issue is now so polarised.

 

[BigDaveCUFC]

Labour are currently f*cked whatever way they go........but sticking to no direction will just shaft them at both ends.

The problem is you get outside of London and Manchester and into the sticks and there is still a silent large proportion of people who frankly do not want in the EU up and down....all over England and Wales...............alot of them silent because they just get lumped into Racist or bigots if even associated to that viewpoint

but it is also large swathes of people Labour must win over or hold onto in order to get into power................yet at the same time to also get into power they must hold the big city and student vote.......which of course is firmly remain.

The 'noise' is currently pushing for remain because alot of the shouting and active protests are done by the remain side but it doesn't mean alot of voters won't switch to the Brexit/Tory party from the North, the coastal towns, the midlands and Wales..........leading to an extremely hard right-wing anti-EU government.

Alot of it for me Labour created because many of them are labour voters who Labour never bothered to interact with for years while claming to be 'for the many'....who now turn to Farage as their voice.

 

[Craig]

If you’re from somewhere like Barnsley and turn to Farage or the Tories because you think you’re being ignored then you haven’t really been listening yourself.

 

[PuB]

If anyone believes that Farage represents an anti-establishment choice, or an anti-EU one, then they seriously need to look at where the vast majority of his wealth has come from.

He’s a downright blagger, and made a fortune from lying by spotting a gap in the politic market. Absolutely no chance he believes in anything that’s better for the voters, just how much cash he can make.

It makes me sick.