Current Affairs The Labour Party

[davek]

Labour chief defends 'flying pigs' ad | Media | The Guardian

"Both Mr Howard and Mr Letwin are Jewish and according to their faith pigs are unclean.

The other poster featured Mr Howard swinging a pocket watch on a chain and the strapline, "I can spend the same money twice."

The pose has been likened to that of Jewish pickpocket Fagin from Charles Dickens' Oliver and money lender Shylock from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.

Jewish Labour MPs said they did not believe the posters were deliberately anti-semitic but found them offensive nonetheless.

Louise Ellman MP, who is vice-chairman of Labour Friends of Israel, said the Fagin poster was "very insensitive".

"I do not think it is deliberately anti-semitic, but we should not have such posters," she said.

Ned Temko, the editor of the Jewish Chronicle, told BBC Radio 4: "I like to think the posters were a cock-up rather than a conspiracy."

If the coup against Corbyn is successful any 'anti semitism' in the Labour party will then become 'very insensitive but not anti-semitic'.

Ha Ha Ha.

Deselection process just about to get into full swing in the LP. I wonder if this weeks battery of reports on the "anti-semitism" lies have anything to do with that?

The barrel being scraped by the Labour right wing. The howls out of them because they have nowhere left to go after the crash and burn of the aborted UKChange bollocks.

You lost. Live with it. And when Corbyn goes - sooner or later - the job will be finished off by Corbynista Rebecca Long-Bailey, currently touring the country in preparation for taking up the leadership of the party.

Half a million strong membership gunning for you. Let the battle commence.

 

[zzr45]

Food poverty is rising for the poorest, working or not, in society hence the rise of food banks, whilst in the EU. Jobs have been lost whilst in the EU. DWP sanctions have been carried out whilst in the EU. Windrush, Grenfell whilst in the EU. Financial crisis whilst in the EU. Things will get worse for the working class in or out the EU. If Brexit is stopped, which it more than likely seems to be what is going to happen, the UK will not be some sort of land of milk and honey for the working class.

On Brexit, Corbyn is following Labour party policy. You know the one members passed at the Labour party conference, democratically. Those proposing and acting differently in the Labour party are working against the Labour party's conference decisions.

That’s an absolute absurd argument though, I don’t recall saying that it would become the land of milk and honey. But if you think food poverty will reduce with tariffs on food, greater unemployment and a lack of outside investment into impoverished areas from the EU will help the working classes then feel free. You’re just completely wrong.

I look forward to a reply parroting Grenfell, Windrush, DWP and Bedroom Tax.

 

[peteblue]

Ahh you're a poverty porn fan.

You don't see how tariffs on food, loss of jobs etc is going to exacerbate these things?

Jesus wept.

What tariffs are these then.....if the U.K. says they will not impose import tariffs......

 

[tsubaki]

Some good news from the reselection push

Labour's Kate Hoey will not stand in next general election

The Brexit-backing MP caused controversy within her party during the 2016 referendum.

www.bbc.co.uk

Sad news that - as a constituency MP she has been fantastic on a large number of issues, as well as opposing Lambeth Council (Labour* run) when it deserved to be - which is probably why all almost everything they've done badly recently (Cressingham Gardens, messing around with the Libraries etc) has happened elsewhere in the borough.

It is such a shame that she let Brexit destroy a lot of that goodwill. The fight to replace her will certainly be interesting.

* that is to say, Progress-run

 

[zzr45]

What tariffs are these then.....if the U.K. says they will not impose import tariffs......

You better let them know that’s what they’ve said then Pete.

House of Lords - Brexit: food prices and availability - European Union Committee

publications.parliament.uk

 

[roydo]

What tariffs are these then.....if the U.K. says they will not impose import tariffs......

Its probably for the EU thread mate.

 

[orchard]

Its probably for the EU thread mate.

Want to walk me home from the pub later as well mate?

 

[roydo]

Want to walk me home from the pub later as well mate?

If you like. I will be in bed by 10.00 though.

 

[orchard]

Haha, cheers mate, i'll give you a call when i'm so mashed i don't know where i am.

 

[orchard]

Labour about to give up on a reasonable Brexit?

 

[tsubaki]

Labour about to give up on a reasonable Brexit?

To even buy into that either-or debate is doomed. Corbyn should restate Labour's position and explain it - that there really is no way out of this by a second referendum alone, that Labour would have tried to deliver a Brexit that Parliament and the people could live with, and that three years of absolute idiocy by the government have led to this farcial place.

 

[summerisle]

Won't be reported anywhere.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

To even buy into that either-or debate is doomed. Corbyn should restate Labour's position and explain it - that there really is no way out of this by a second referendum alone, that Labour would have tried to deliver a Brexit that Parliament and the people could live with, and that three years of absolute idiocy by the government have led to this farcial place.

Labour have already lost many of the remain voters among its supporter base though. It's too little too late. You look at the polls and they've hemorrhaged loads to the Lib Dems and Greens, but hardly any to the Brexit party. He's managed to retain the Brexit supporting minority in the party, and lost a chunk of the remain supporting majority. He's also ranked as the least trustworthy party leader on Brexit, which is quite something.

He's blown it, and the only thing worse is that the Tories are going to elect their own version of Corbyn, with Johnson being hugely popular among members, but hugely unpopular elsewhere (and especially among non-party supporters).

 

[tsubaki]

Labour have already lost many of the remain voters among its supporter base though. It's too little too late. You look at the polls and they've hemorrhaged loads to the Lib Dems and Greens, but hardly any to the Brexit party. He's managed to retain the Brexit supporting minority in the party, and lost a chunk of the remain supporting majority. He's also ranked as the least trustworthy party leader on Brexit, which is quite something.

He's blown it, and the only thing worse is that the Tories are going to elect their own version of Corbyn, with Johnson being hugely popular among members, but hugely unpopular elsewhere (and especially among non-party supporters).

Have they, though?

Lots of Labour people voted Lib Dem and Green at the last Euros because the Lib Dems (especially) promised something they would never have to deliver and because it was an easy and safe way of sending a message; I am not sure that in a GE - especially a GE against this shower that takes place after Brexit (and straight after is the only time they would ever be able to have it and win) that would apply.

As for "he's blown it", that unfortunately is the refrain that we have heard from so many people who claim to be on the centre-left at almost every turn since the summer of 2015. You will perhaps forgive me if I don't subscribe to it here.

More importantly though I would also point out that Corbyn is nothing like Johnson - for a start, Corbyn got elected in the face of near universal opposition from the Press and commentariat, rather than the near universal support as Johnson has had. Foreign heads of state did not actively support him either, nor did extra ballot papers miraculously appear in his supporters mail, nor did the great and the good drown him in donations. Nor even was he that popular - or even that well known - amongst the membership before he stood in 2015; for example in the excellent Mullin diaries he makes one or two appearances at most and in at least one of them is not even mentioned. He won because his campaign was far better than anyone elses.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Have they, though?

Lots of Labour people voted Lib Dem and Green at the last Euros because the Lib Dems (especially) promised something they would never have to deliver and because it was an easy and safe way of sending a message; I am not sure that in a GE - especially a GE against this shower that takes place after Brexit (and straight after is the only time they would ever be able to have it and win) that would apply.

As for "he's blown it", that unfortunately is the refrain that we have heard from so many people who claim to be on the centre-left at almost every turn since the summer of 2015. You will perhaps forgive me if I don't subscribe to it here.

More importantly though I would also point out that Corbyn is nothing like Johnson - for a start, Corbyn got elected in the face of near universal opposition from the Press and commentariat, rather than the near universal support as Johnson has had. Foreign heads of state did not actively support him either, nor did extra ballot papers miraculously appear in his supporters mail, nor did the great and the good drown him in donations. Nor even was he that popular - or even that well known - amongst the membership before he stood in 2015; for example in the excellent Mullin diaries he makes one or two appearances at most and in at least one of them is not even mentioned. He won because his campaign was far better than anyone elses.

I didn't compare the two on any of those metrics though, merely that both are hugely popular among party members, but much less popular among the wider Tory/Labour electorate, and very unpopular among swing voters and the rest of the population. With regard to voter intention, we can only go on what we see from polls etc., and practically all of the support Labour has lost has gone to 'remain' alternatives, with the Brexit Party support practically all coming from the Tories. It's hard not to read into that that remain supporting lefties have lost faith in Corbyn.