Current Affairs The Labour Party

[tsubaki]

*shrug* A common complaint about Corbyn is that he's far left. Perhaps if he doesn't want to appear that way to people who aren't political speccy's, he should stop hanging about in front of Hammer & Sickle flags and having ex CP advisors? Just a thought. I'm sure you'll be able to tell me if 'similar' social democratic parties across Europe have similar associations. For instance, the Swedish Social Democrats seem to have more in common with the Lib Dems than they do the Communists, much less Corbyn's Labour.

i) Blair had many ex-CP advisors
ii) Are you really using that photo, framed as it is between two CPGB-ML flags (and chances are they are the only two CPGB-ML flags at whatever demo that was), as evidence that he is a Communist?

edit: sorry, where I said there may be only two CPGB-ML flags at a demo, I was not aware that there is photgraphic evidence of there being up to seven in one place

 

[Billy Dean]

Well the reasons behind it are a whole other debate. The point was that you were portraying him as an extremist for stating a fact.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

i) Blair had many ex-CP advisors
ii) Are you really using that photo, framed as it is between two CPGB-ML flags (and chances are they are the only two CPGB-ML flags at whatever demo that was), as evidence that he is a Communist?

Doesn't bother me either way as I don't like his policies. It's you fellas that get bent out of shape at the suggestion that he's far left. Why did the Communist Party not have any candidates in the 2017 election? Were they on strike or something?

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Well the reasons behind it are a whole other debate. The point was that you were portraying him as an extremist for stating a fact.

Ah, you think he was making the link that obviously 'some' people were pretty well off under communism, and others simply didn't fare well under freedom, but apart from those kinda scenarios, communism was one long car crash against humanity, as opposed to saying that look there, some folks pine for the good old days, that must mean communism was pretty good after all. Which do you reckon?

 

[Bruce Wayne]

The true left have always had this nasty streak......

Best we don't get onto Trump and the Tories record on movement of people Pete. Glass houses and all that.

 

[tsubaki]

Doesn't bother me either way as I don't like his policies. It's you fellas that get bent out of shape at the suggestion that he's far left. Why did the Communist Party not have any candidates in the 2017 election? Were they on strike or something?

Who is getting bent out of shape at the suggestion he is far left? People are just pointing out to you that what you are saying is demonstrably wrong.

As for why they didn't stand in the 2017 election, maybe they decided that putting six candidates up at every election who proceeded to get 200 votes each was a bit of a waste of time?

 

[peteblue]

Best we don't get onto Trump and the Tories record on movement of people Pete. Glass houses and all that.

Pretty sure the Tories have never punished a persons family for him/her wanting to get out of the U.K......

 

[nsno-chris]

Labour's 2017 manifesto was found to be very similar to that of the Norwegian labour party IIRC. Norway, the country with one of the highest citizen wellbeing ratings in the world. I don';t hear too many shouts about Norway being far left.

You mean the Norway that has less people living in the entire country than in London.

A strong comparison to make

 

[tsubaki]

You mean the Norway that has less people living in the entire country than in London.

A strong comparison to make

Yes, and they have their vast sovereign wealth fund to fall back on thanks to oil exploration in the North Sea. If only the UK had something like that.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Who is getting bent out of shape at the suggestion he is far left? People are just pointing out to you that what you are saying is demonstrably wrong.

As for why they didn't stand in the 2017 election, maybe they decided that putting six candidates up at every election who proceeded to get 200 votes each was a bit of a waste of time?

I'll be sure to point it out the next time someone grumbles about it I believe the CP said at the time that they were fully behind Corbyn's Labour and didn't field any candidates because they already had all they needed.

Pretty sure the Tories have never punished a persons family for him/her wanting to get out of the U.K......

Attempting to get out/attempting to get in. Two sides of the same coin.

 

[nsno-chris]

Yes, and they have their vast sovereign wealth fund to fall back on thanks to oil exploration in the North Sea. If only the UK had something like that.

It’s a ridiculous comparison to make. Comparing wellness rates of 5m people to those of 65m people to argue a labour manifesto

 

[catcherintherye]

*shrug* A common complaint about Corbyn is that he's far left. Perhaps if he doesn't want to appear that way to people who aren't political speccy's, he should stop hanging about in front of Hammer & Sickle flags and having ex CP advisors? Just a thought. I'm sure you'll be able to tell me if 'similar' social democratic parties across Europe have similar associations. For instance, the Swedish Social Democrats seem to have more in common with the Lib Dems than they do the Communists, much less Corbyn's Labour.

The reality is Corbyn was speaking at a Labour Day March. Given he leads the Labour Party this would seem alogical thing to do. The problem is, that Labour vacated that space and to a certain degree it's been filled and overran by Stalinist groups. Maybe they ought to spend more time rediscovering who they are and who they are meant to represent?

The wider point though, is Corby's politics (well certainly not his domestic politics) are not massively left wing. His manifesto is very similar to that of Blair in 1995. Politics has moved to the right. The quandry for Labour is that to now occupy the centre ground means greatly hammering the people they need to vote for them, who have little trust or respect for them.

 

[catcherintherye]

It’s a ridiculous comparison to make. Comparing wellness rates of 5m people to those of 65m people to argue a labour manifesto

Surely the lesson to be learnt though, is that is resources are shared more equally so everyone has a bit, alongside opportunities for people to still make more money, general levels of happiness are higher? Is that not a sensible and good thing?

 

[Bruce Wayne]

It’s a ridiculous comparison to make. Comparing wellness rates of 5m people to those of 65m people to argue a labour manifesto

https://resourcegovernance.org/blog/did-uk-miss-out-£400-billion-worth-oil-revenue has an interesting take on the comparison for what it's worth.

 

[Billy Dean]

It’s a ridiculous comparison to make. Comparing wellness rates of 5m people to those of 65m people to argue a labour manifesto

But anyway, the original point I was making was to demonstrate that Norway is not considered far left or but Corbyn is, despite the similarity in policies