Corb Blimey!

[Tubby Isaacs]

Corb Blimey!

Calvert wrote: Aye, a nice photo of Corbyn holding up a copy of the Sun should garner a few votes and keep Murdoch onside.

To adapt your arguments, it would help if people on the left didn't attack the leader in silly media frenzies and "talk about the real issues" and all that.

[Calvert]

Corb Blimey!

Isn't it sometimes obvious that no matter what you do that these people are never going to be won over?

[Snake Plissken]

Corb Blimey!

Lucy Waterman wrote:
He wasn't in any way obliged to join the PC.

Apart from the fact that as membership of the Privy Council is one of those things you have to have in order to see certain security briefings which, as Leader of the Opposition, it will be incumbent upon him to act upon in some way, shape or form.

So, yes, he was obliged to do it in order to do his job.

I love the idea that he has to sing GSTQ in order to appease The Sun. You know, the same newspaper that showed their complete respect for the Queen by bugging the phones of her family, friends and employees.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Corb Blimey!

Calvert wrote: Isn't it sometimes obvious that no matter what you do that these people are never going to be won over?

Of course it is. It was also obvious that Miliband had kicked Murdoch's arse very hard, and would kick it again in power.

It would help if people on the left could.... etc.

[Calvert]

Corb Blimey!

Ed kicked his arse so hard that he ended up cosying up to one of the most awful Murdoch publications in a vain attempt to curry favour with one of the vilest men on the planet?

[Bizarre Löw Triangle]

Corb Blimey!

If history teaches us anything it's that the left can't win when it stands divided - it needs to form a united front behind exactly my set of positions, beliefs and ideologies

And I'll fight anyone who disagrees.

[Bored Of Education]

Corb Blimey!

The GTSQ and PC things just show up what an infantile society we have here still worrying about queens and servants. For a bit of comparison, here is Tony Benn's take on it. Also, there has just been an interview with Corbyn where he said that he didn't know about the kneeling thing. I have to say that I find that hard to believe but it's not impossible, I suppose. The Sun etc. are going to attack him about this sort of childish crap but I still think the poppy question - from the smarmy cunt Danczuk - from the PLP meeting was worse. For what it's worth, I wish he had kept his stance of the poppy and GTSQ and, hopefully, will with the PC but I am not holding my breath.

As the other thread has turned to cricket, I will bring the boxing metaphors over here. I wonder if there is a bit of rope-a-dope going on here. Not consciously by Corbyn - he isn't that cute - but the press can't keep this up for 5 years. Well, maybe they can but they are already looking increasingly hysterical. The thing is that, if Corbyn is up to it and, probably less likely, the Labour Party are up to it, it might be the best thing to let the press punch themselves out.

Given a five year term, he will improve and build upon the good foundations that he has already put in - the election campaign, PMQs. However, he has to have the loyalty and the support of the party for this and, already with the toys-out-of-the-pram resignations and the poppy question, they have shown that they can't be trusted when they don't get their way. All these received wisdoms about him losing votes at the next election are going to make some of these cowards like Danczuk force a leadership election within a couple of years and do the press' job for them.

[anton pulisov]

Corb Blimey!

Carnivorous Vulgaris wrote:
Indeed. It would have been most amusing if Corbyn had explained that he didn't sing God Save The Queen because he didn't know all the lyrics and then challenged Cameron to recite them in full, unaided, during PMQs.

I find it hard to believe that a leftist who was 28 years old in 1977 wouldn't know the full words to God Save the Queen.

[ad hoc]

Corb Blimey!

Bored of Education wrote:

As the other thread has turned to cricket, I will bring the boxing metaphors over here. I wonder if there is a bit of rope-a-dope going on here. Not consciously by Corbyn - he isn't that cute - but the press can't keep this up for 5 years. Well, maybe they can but they are already looking increasingly hysterical. The thing is that, if Corbyn is up to it and, probably less likely, the Labour Party are up to it, it might be the best thing to let the press punch themselves out.

Disagree with this entirely. To continue your metaphor, he needs to start landing punches very soon. At the moment he's letting the press define him as this burned out old hippy with views that dont fit those of the country. I suspect he's got voices in his ear saying "look moderate", when in fact he actually need to look angry. That's how he got elected, that's his base if you like. People who are angry. Angry at austerity, angry at the media, angry at the massive class divisions, angry at inequality. If he gets angry (in a patient, and non personal way), he keeps that energy going and forces the press to counter the charges rather than banging on about insane stuff like having a top button undone. And they won't give up or burn themselves out. He needs to put them on the back foot (sorry, went back to cricket again)

[tuckwat]

Corb Blimey!

Yea but the Tories will burn themselves out. Msybe not in this Parliament but certainlty by the end of the next one where they will implode just like they did in the 90's.In that time Corbyn and his successor just have to keep left because Labour will be elected no matter what on a lanslide and have 5 years to build Jerusalum.

[Come along, Min]

Corb Blimey!

Raises the question asking what was the longest continuous holding of power by any one party. I guess Thatcher/Major's 18 years takes some beating.

[ad hoc]

Corb Blimey!

The Whigs were in power from 1721 to 1762 (41 years).
Tories 1783-1806 (23)
Tories 1807-1830 (23)
Liberals 1905-1922 (17)
Conservative 1951 - 1964 (13)
Conservative 1979-1997 (18)
Labour 1997 - 2010 (13)

That's all the ones greater than 10, I think

[Jimski]

Corb Blimey!

I'm thinking that along with the concept of "concern trolling" there should be another category called "tactic trolling".

Take the singing of GSTQ for example:
1) Corbyn didn't sing it
2) We all agree that nobody should have to sing the bloody thing
3) Some of us may also suspect that tactically Corbyn would have done better to have just sung it*

Now, Corbyn has actually already not sung it, so there's little point in discussing the tactical whys and wherefores after the event. Given that we don't think he's done anything morally wrong, why bother going on about whether he was tactically wrong to do so. It has happened. Too late for tactics. We morally agree with him. Let's just back him.

All the talk of "Oh, I wish he hadn't done that even though I agree with him" just comes across as unnecessary criticism, which doesn't do him any good at all. Discuss future tactics, rather than criticising past ones.

(And I'm not hurling any particular stones here - I've probably done a bit of it myself. But I'm thinking it's pointless and counter-productive.)

* This isn't my own view, but it'll serve as an example.

[Come along, Min]

Corb Blimey!

We can't tell how long any one party can last, but if Tories can get past the referendum unscathed (and that's quite a big IF, I accept), they'll probably be susceptible to a credible Labour opposition by 2025. I'd bet that Labour will have a couple of nervous breakdowns before that. I'm not convinced the left-left are broad enough to last that course.

Of course a winning but narrow "in" vote at the EU ref. may leave a powerful UKIP still causing trouble for the Tories, maybe Labour too. All bets are probably off with an "out" victory.

[Flynnie]

Corb Blimey!

ad hoc wrote:

As the other thread has turned to cricket, I will bring the boxing metaphors over here. I wonder if there is a bit of rope-a-dope going on here. Not consciously by Corbyn - he isn't that cute - but the press can't keep this up for 5 years. Well, maybe they can but they are already looking increasingly hysterical. The thing is that, if Corbyn is up to it and, probably less likely, the Labour Party are up to it, it might be the best thing to let the press punch themselves out.

Disagree with this entirely. To continue your metaphor, he needs to start landing punches very soon. At the moment he's letting the press define him as this burned out old hippy with views that dont fit those of the country. I suspect he's got voices in his ear saying "look moderate", when in fact he actually need to look angry. That's how he got elected, that's his base if you like. People who are angry. Angry at austerity, angry at the media, angry at the massive class divisions, angry at inequality. If he gets angry (in a patient, and non personal way), he keeps that energy going and forces the press to counter the charges rather than banging on about insane stuff like having a top button undone. And they won't give up or burn themselves out. He needs to put them on the back foot (sorry, went back to cricket again)

Maybe I'm in my echo chamber, but ATM it feels like the press's hysteria is only getting to the press. Everyone else is just kind of amused by it.

[Bizarre Löw Triangle]

Corb Blimey!

There's nowhere to go from here either.

This Corbyn-is-a-raving-nutter-and-would-sell-your-Granny-to-Iran-soon-as-look-at-you stuff is all very well, but people will just get inured to it.

Reminds me slightly of the 2008 presidential election where so much mud was hurled in the primary that the republicans couldn't really find any fresh mud and were left repeating smears everyone had already got bored of.

[E10 Rifle]

Corb Blimey!

McDonnell's on QT tonight which, shit programme though it is, feels significant. He can do angry - and calm sometimes self-mocking good humour - much better than Corbyn. To stay on the cricket metaphors, we need to mix it up (a bit of politeness here, some thundering anger there), an over of five away swingers as a set-up for a devastating inswinging yorker, that kind of thing.

Big up to those Labour rightists who are playing ball, by the way. Some have gone up in my estimation this week, as others have plummeted further

[MsD]

Corb Blimey!

Fingers crossed he gets it just right and makes the hysterics look ridiculous.

[Duncan Gardner]

Corb Blimey!

Bound to be a question on the Cotswold Haystack incident...

Er, googlies everywhere

[MsD]

Corb Blimey!

He's got the same MSc as me, incidentally - Pols and Soc from Birkbeck. That should stand him in good stead on the difficult stuff :-)

[Disco Child Ballads]

Corb Blimey!

Tom Watson went to the same university as me (Hull) so he's continuing a grand tradition of Labour Deputy Leaders who've been to that fine institution (Prescott and Hattersley being the other 2 recent ones).

[EIM]

Corb Blimey!

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/sep/17/jeremy-corbyn-may-push-for-privy-council-changes

[MsD]

Corb Blimey!

Will he have to become a freemason? It's fine asking and expecting him to respect confidentiality but the detail is all weird.

Can't imagine other countries having all this weird stuff, but then they don't have someone dressed up in tights, called Black Rod, hitting the door with a stick. If we have to have that, how about saving it for tourists and separating it from serious business.

[MsD]

Corb Blimey!

Shock gasp stagger back in disbelief

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/Jeremy_Corbyn/11870739/Jeremy-Corbyn-and-Diane-Abbott-were-lovers.html

[Come along, Min]

Corb Blimey!

Anyone know what Corbyn thinks about electoral reform?