Who says political discourse was kinder and gentler 12 years ago? It really wasn't.
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Different times though eh, before almost everyone on the left thought Galloway was a cunt, when TonTon was still a Swoppie etc. But in some respects, some of those fault lines remain.Comment
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Then as now, I had nothing to contribute except the odd day today/partridge quote.
Bad as SR's thread title, and perhaps a few of the other contributions on that thread were, they're still not in the same league of viciousness as McKenzie's comments.Comment
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No they're not. Though it's memories of the atmosphere around that Bethnal Green and Bow election that prompted me to make the comment about politics being just as toxic then as it apparently is now.Comment
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For me it connects with the Centrist mates thread. Those rock journalists didn't half hunt in packs. There was an awful lot of "he's my mate, he can't be sexist".Comment
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And then as now, the ease with which people can dehumanise their political opponents, so it becomes not only possible but desirable to say anything - no matter how vicious - about someone you disagree with, and imagine it becomes a demonstration of your own virtue.Comment
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Things seem a lot milder on here these days.Comment
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It's ten years later, and we're all a bit more aware of the power of the wrong words, I suppose. I doubt many of those who said those things back then would say them today, because they know it's 2018. Others, it appears, don't.Comment
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Young Labour sounds just the place for idealistic young people who want to make their voices heard on the biggest issue of the day.
Chair writes letter to Corbyn asking about a vote on Brexit at the September conference. Cue some anonymous charmers cooking up a hit job with voice of youth, the Brexit Tankie Morning Star.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/arti...emainiac-chairLABOUR’S youth organisation Young Labour condemned attempts by its chair today to undermine the party’s policy on Brexit.
Young Labour national chair Miriam Mirwitch, an Owen Smith supporter, had co-signed a statement with Labour Students chair Melantha Chittenden demanding that party members be given a say in Labour’s Brexit policy.
Both are party rightwingers and contributors to the Blairite magazine Progress.
The letter, which said that “we deserve to have our voices heard by our own party,” included a link to LabourSay.EU, a website that is a data-collecting operation for Progress and fellow anti-Corbyn candidates in the party’s impending national executive committee elections.
Labour insiders have blasted the letter, which they say has violated democratic processes and has used Young Labour’s 110,000 overwhelmingly Corbyn-supporting members as a tool to undermine the party in the media.
Young Labour’s national committee said in a statement released yesterday that, “as national committee members elected on a mandate of sincere dedication to the socialist transformation of society, and of defending the political leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, we wholeheartedly affirm our support of Labour’s Brexit policy.”
The committee, which is overwhelmingly composed of Momentum members and trade union delegates, wished to “collectively reassure” members and the public that “Miriam Mirwitch’s actions do not represent Young Labour’s national committee.”
They argued that any change in Brexit policy would “damage the credibility” of the party and emphasised their support for Labour’s current stance, which is to leave the single market and join some form of customs union.
“Alongside the broader Labour and trade union movement, we fight for a Labour government that can deliver a departure from the European Union which guarantees the greatest benefit for the working-class movement and provides the most advantageous way to implement a full socialist programme,” the statement said.
“Without any consultation, our national chair signed a petition on a website which openly promotes itself as a funding operation for anti-Corbyn NEC candidates promoted by Labour First and Progress.
“We believe it is important that the chair does not mislead the public on Young Labour’s position towards Labour’s Brexit policy.”
I think for sure that people with roles like hers need to be careful when expressing personal views. Though I note that the combined legal geniuses that are "Labour insiders" and the journo didn't say what rules were being broken.
Jaysus. The Committee could have clarified that easily enough, without the "our job is to serve the leader" dronery. The public and members are to be "collectively reassured" that when Labour says "you aren't having a vote on Brexit", it means it. Because holding a vote would undermine "credibility" or something. I bet this is exactly how they presented themselves as they got the votes for their "mandate".Last edited by Tubby Isaacs; 23-05-2018, 16:24.Comment
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They're also overwhelmingly Remain-supporters too, but let's just ignore that for expediency's sake.Labour insiders have blasted the letter, which they say has violated democratic processes and has used Young Labour’s 110,000 overwhelmingly Corbyn-supporting members as a tool to undermine the party in the media.Comment
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Yeah. Not that I know anything more of the constitution of Young Labour than the formidable Morning Star jurist there, but it doesn't seem too much of a stretch for her to have assumed lots of the young members would have been concerned with Brexit policy. Though, as I say, people with positions like hers should be careful.Comment
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Fwiw, Owen Smith is embarrassing himself again. The replies are funny, it's like the heady days of the leadership challenge again https://twitter.com/OwenSmith_MP/sta...81228901044225
He's just doubled down this morning, alongside a call for Corbyn to 'allow' a vote on Brexit at Conference.Comment
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This is going to be utter, utter shit.
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Creepy and weird, this gives massive comfort to the Rifkind Sensible pricks. Corbynistas are a cult, blah blah. I don’t think anyone of any age will be converted, will be embarrassingly counter productive if anything.Comment
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In fairness, they're only holding Corbfest to annoy local resident Bizarre Löw Triangle. Anything else is a bonus.Comment
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Corbyn did his repertoire at Glastonbury. Not sure what he's added to it since.
Fair enough to try something like this. But £35, with Owen Jones second on the bill? I think "cult" has to be retired, if nothing else.Comment
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Latest poll on Scottish Westminster voting intention:
SNP 40 (+4)
Tories 27 (+4)
Labour 23 (-5)
Liberal Democrats 7 (+1)
Greens 2 (-1)
UKIP 1 (-2)
Other 0 (-1)
Westminster seat projection:
SNP 43 (+8)
Tories 11 (-2)
Liberal Democrats 4 (n/c)
Labour 1 (-6)
So Richard Leonard was the man to revive Labour's fortunes in Scotland was he?Comment
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Well, if we're going to take all polls as truth (again), what would your analysis be of why Leonard hasn't achieved an upswing? Or, why have the Tories improved by 4? Is it Davidson?
Or, who would be better than Leonard?Comment
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I genuinely don't know who would better be better than Leonard. I'm just think thinking of what people like Owen Jones were saying about Leonard around the time of the Scottish leadership election last year.Comment
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Labour are fucked in Scotland when it comes to talent. Mostly Sensible members and pols, but led by a Corbynite faction, it’s all over the place.Comment
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Going left hasn’t helped them at all. Corbyn and Leonard both reeking of Lexit probably hasn’t helped either.Comment
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I believe they haven't had many takers at £35 - the Daily Mirror is giving away a lot and TU's have been bulk-buying.Originally posted by Tubby Isaacs View PostComment
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You seen the Yougov Scotland poll?Originally posted by Lang Spoon View Post
Seat projections from it have Labour back on 1 MP.Comment
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