Current Affairs The Labour Party

[tsubaki]

I remember it and think the railways were better when they were nationalised. Now you pay a fortune, have to stand sometimes (in London at least) and they are probably more unreliable than when they were dear old British Rail (which admittedly wasn't that reliable).

Nationalised railways are not a communist thing. Many countries in Europe have them

TBH the whole nationalized / privatized debate misses the point a bit. The important thing is that the operators of the track and the network itself in any given area are the same people, otherwise you just end up with what we have now.

 

[tsubaki]

Since when was being centrist in the Labour Party an insult?

'Blairites' are the only members of the Labour Party who have affected this country in the last generation, some weird fella and his IRA loving mate haven't got any influence in this country and sadly we will all find out, and suffer, from June.

That may well be the case; but surely the point is that people who define themselves by their ability to get electoral success, and yet who are beaten - smashed, really - by "some weird fella and his IRA loving mate" in a race that they set the rules of, might not be the winners that they are claimed to be.

 

[jal123]

That may well be the case; but surely the point is that people who define themselves by their ability to get electoral success, and yet who are beaten - smashed, really - by "some weird fella and his IRA loving mate" in a race that they set the rules of, might not be the winners that they are claimed to be.

List the positive changes Corbyn and Macdonnell have made to this country next to Tony Blair's government please.

 

[Chunky Frankfurter]

Tony Blair and his war loving ways have ruined the Labour party. The way he sucked up to GWB was disgusting. Both should rot in a prison.

 

[The binman chronicles]

Jesus, there is a lot of David Miliband flattery going on in here.

The man is a huge Blairite who is still tarnished by the New Labour legacy. He was so petulant when his brother beat him that he refused to talk to Ed for several years and later took great delight in kicking him whilst he was down by speaking about how poor Ed's leadership campaign the day after the GE result.

He is a typical New-Labourite - white, middle class, male, bland, populist, boring political self-parody. No actual leadership skills or anything to empathise with. Straight out of Oxbridge, no real life experience, shoehorned into a safe seat under Blair and threw his toys out of the pram because he believes he was the leader the party needed.

If this man is the answer, then God help the Labour party.

Since Labour can no longer call on the near 60 or so seats in Scotland they need someone to turn safe Tory seats red. Therefore you need a David Miliband type who has some crossover appeal as his centrist views are not going to alienate like a far leftie will.

People forget that 'old' labour have not won an election since 1974, this was during a backdrop of economic problems and even then they barely won. It was always going to be a gamble reverting to type, they need to change or die.

 

[WycombeToffee]

Jesus, there is a lot of David Miliband flattery going on in here.

The man is a huge Blairite who is still tarnished by the New Labour legacy. He was so petulant when his brother beat him that he refused to talk to Ed for several years and later took great delight in kicking him whilst he was down by speaking about how poor Ed's leadership campaign the day after the GE result.

He is a typical New-Labourite - white, middle class, male, bland, populist, boring political self-parody. No actual leadership skills or anything to empathise with. Straight out of Oxbridge, no real life experience, shoehorned into a safe seat under Blair and threw his toys out of the pram because he believes he was the leader the party needed.

If this man is the answer, then God help the Labour party.

I still don't understand why going to Oxbridge can be perceived as a bad thing. I'd prefer my party leader to have had a rigorous education at the best university in the world, than to have 2 Es at A level (Corbyn). Corbyn had far from a working class upbringing, and has also not done a proper job in his life.

 

[tsubaki]

List the positive changes Corbyn and Macdonnell have made to this country next to Tony Blair's government please.

You are asking for the records of two people who have been in charge of the main opposition party for less than two years to be compared to that of a Government which was actually in power for just under ten years - but only the positive changes, so ruling out Iraq, PFI, the expenses culture, the media malpractice, the spin, David Kelly, loans-for-peerages and the Millennium Dome?

 

[tsubaki]

Since Labour can no longer call on the near 60 or so seats in Scotland they need someone to turn safe Tory seats red. Therefore you need a David Miliband type who has some crossover appeal as his centrist views are not going to alienate like a far leftie will.

People forget that 'old' labour have not won an election since 1974, this was during a backdrop of economic problems and even then they barely won. It was always going to be a gamble reverting to type, they need to change or die.

To repeat my point from above - in 2015, Corbyn was the only option for change. The other three were varying shades of the sort that were the reason why Labour is no longer able to call on the near 60 or so seats in Scotland.

 

[JonS]

To be honest, I'd rather have an electoral system of PR. Then Labour can splinter and the Corbyites like me can vote happily for his rump of the party and the Blairites for theirs. Everyone happy. No compromise needed (except by the parties that form a coalition with each other - and that's not a bad thing IMO)

 

[The binman chronicles]

You are asking for the records of two people who have been in charge of the main opposition party for less than two years to be compared to that of a Government which was actually in power for just under ten years - but only the positive changes, so ruling out Iraq, PFI, the expenses culture, the media malpractice, the spin, David Kelly, loans-for-peerages and the Millennium Dome?

Any government that is in power, especially for that long will make errors. You have to be able to get power first to enact socialist policies, whatever you think of the man and his party least he was able to appeal to enough people to win an election.

 

[Tubey]

I still don't understand why going to Oxbridge can be perceived as a bad thing. I'd prefer my party leader to have had a rigorous education at the best university in the world, than to have 2 Es at A level (Corbyn). Corbyn had far from a working class upbringing, and has also not done a proper job in his life.

It's more to do with too many of them having that upbringing. It doesn't bring diversity to the job, so they don't represent the wider country.

The Tories in particular have absolutely no idea about anything to do with life further north than Coventry. The lack of experience of areas they're supposed to govern and represent is a major cause of the very real north/south divide IMO.

EDIT: I find this weird belief that Corbyn "gets" the working class as insane, truly insane, for the reason you've stated. He has zero clue; the dictionary definition of a student union socialist.

 

[tsubaki]

Any government that is in power, especially for that long will make errors. You have to be able to get power first to enact socialist policies, whatever you think of the man and his party least he was able to appeal to enough people to win an election.

He was, though of course then you come down to the methods he took to win those elections.

 

[JonS]

I still don't understand why going to Oxbridge can be perceived as a bad thing. I'd prefer my party leader to have had a rigorous education at the best university in the world, than to have 2 Es at A level (Corbyn). Corbyn had far from a working class upbringing, and has also not done a proper job in his life.

It's more to do with too many of them having that upbringing. It doesn't bring diversity to the job, so they don't represent the wider country.

The Tories in particular have absolutely no idea about anything to do with life further north than Coventry. The lack of experience of areas they're supposed to govern and represent is a major cause of the very real north/south divide IMO.

EDIT: I find this weird belief that Corbyn "gets" the working class as insane, truly insane, for the reason you've stated. He has zero clue; the dictionary definition of a student union socialist.

It wouldn't be a bad thing as such except that it (and the public schools like Eton that are disproportionally represented in Oxbridge) all to often represents patronage and nepotism rather than merit. (Oxbridge entry is NOT a meritocracy and neither is success in politics, government or a fair number of highly paid jobs).

And on education, I rated Joe Strummer (when he was alive) as having a better view of world politics than the vast majority of politicians.

 

[jal123]

Tony Blair and his war loving ways have ruined the Labour party. The way he sucked up to GWB was disgusting. Both should rot in a prison.

Rot in prison for what?

 

[jal123]

You are asking for the records of two people who have been in charge of the main opposition party for less than two years to be compared to that of a Government which was actually in power for just under ten years - but only the positive changes, so ruling out Iraq, PFI, the expenses culture, the media malpractice, the spin, David Kelly, loans-for-peerages and the Millennium Dome?

The millennium Dome I've seen it all now

You can't argue with morons lol