Posts by John Palethorpe
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Cor, Gary Younge is on form: http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jun/30/brexit-disaster-decades-in-the-making
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Speaker: A Disorderly Brexit, in reply to David Hood,
Except, of course, Eagle voted in favour of the war - as did most of the PLP. And that's a real sore point with the membership.
Ed Miliband didn't, because he wasn't an MP then. Neither did Corbyn.
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Here's a collection of background thoughts and future thoughts on Corbyn
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Speaker: A Disorderly Brexit, in reply to Russell Brown,
Different electoral system then, too - and much less of a battle between ideologies within the party.
The changes which swept Corbyn in were demanded by those MPs who didn't want a repeat of The Wrong Miliband getting in thanks to the Union vote. They wanted more membership power, trusting the membership to pick the right, or the 'right' candidate for the job.
The same MPs who are now trying to bin Corbyn off and finding the system they wanted has marginalised them even more. Oops.
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Give this a read. Greenslade nails UK Labour's problem.
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Speaker: A Disorderly Brexit, in reply to Rich of Observationz,
In the context of the moment though, extraordinary rendition isn't relevant.
With Corbyn playing the straightest possible bat, giving the Blairites ANYTHING to with spin on to throw at him is dumb.
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Speaker: A Disorderly Brexit, in reply to Russell Brown,
Yeah, there's no winners in this - some of the language the anti-Blairite lot are using is verging on the stuff Tommy Mair was into when he murdered Labour MP Jo Cox earlier this month. Exterminate the Blairite Vermin and all that.
You know, I don't think Corbyn's been great as Labour leader. I think he was never given a chance by the majority of his most experienced Parliamentary colleagues, and that hugely influenced his performance.
I also believe that he attempted Big Tent politics, including those who actively disliked him for the appearance of unity - this led to his reshuffles taking over a week as he had to beg them to join. If he'd gone with his loyalists from the start, he'd have had an easier ride - particularly the multiple occasions he made a statement and was instantly contradicted by one of his own cabinet.
But the fact the resignees were planning this before the Oldham by election and the Council elections - any opportunity for Corbyn to fail, and he didn't - puts me on his side of this.
Add that to the fact that their opportunism means that now, with the Tories in disarray, they have turned it into an argument about how much Corbyn is to blame for the result.
But I worry that this ends up with the party irreparably divided, broken and in a worse state than ever before. And that's after six years of opposition.
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Speaker: A Disorderly Brexit, in reply to Matthew Hooton,
Oh, because they really really really didn't expect him to win in the first place and he's had about as much full throated support as Colin Craig.
They have spent the last ten months preparing for an opportune moment. The Oldham & Bassetlaw by-election was supposed to be the moment, as were the local Council elections.
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If anything, Labour have completely swept aside the pound plummeting, the UK credit rating dropping and the Tory leadership contest - and they still think they're doing the right thing.
At a moment of complete crisis, they imploded. How very, very disappointing.
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Here's a prime example. Corbyn fronted Remain, but was also realistic about the EU's failing. On Referendum Day, he tweeted that he had voted Remain.
So, resigning Shadow Cabinet member Chris Bryant goes on television and implies that Corbyn actually, secretly, voted Leave instead - even though there's no evidence for it at all.
It then becomes the story, with journalists trying to unearth evidence as to how Corbyn actually voted - which is a breach of the Representation Of The People Act anyway, but that's not the point. Corbyn's office has repeated that he voted Remain, but the story rumbles on.
The point is, Labour MPs are desperate to smear Corbyn and are resorting to desperate stuff like this, but it's still gaining traction. And they're doing themselves no favour with the membership or the public.
I have to say, they're making NZ Labour look like a rational caucus, if prone to leadership changes every now and then.