[Malcolm Armsteen]

Statement by my local Constituency Labour Party. In light of the Momentum takeover in 2016 this is very welcome.

This statement would not have been made in the days of Corbyn...

[davidjay]

The Tories seem to be managing not to tear themselves apart over this, even though their leader is a bit more important.

[Youngian]

Tories used to comfortably accommodate TE Lawrence type Arabists but are now a party of Douglas Murrays.

[mattomac]

Thing is I don’t think it’s impacting and at some point it’s going help Starmer, his statement yesterday was fine, though not since the LBC interview where he misspoke or made a mistake as the statements been anything not being said by the likes of Biden and Sanders and the EU.

Sunak has gone completely silent on it and I don’t think it’s going help in the long term.

The assumption also is that all Muslims vote Labour, they don’t.

As for the rest Owen Jones tweet has shown where they stand, he wants to be removed from the party because frankly whatever that tweet was it has no standing in reality.

[davidjay]

Hardline Muslims don't agree with voting anyway.

[The Weeping Angel]

Shadow Mininster resigns

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-67353019

Labour MP Imran Hussain has quit Sir Keir Starmer's shadow ministerial team over his desire to "strongly advocate for a ceasefire" in Gaza.

Mr Hussain was the shadow minister for the New Deal for Working People.

He said he remained committed to Labour's agenda but that his view on Gaza differed "substantially" from the position Sir Keir has adopted.

Sir Keir has called for humanitarian pauses in Gaza but has not supported calls for a ceasefire at this time.

In a resignation posted on social media, Mr Hussain said he wanted to be a "strong advocate" for a ceasefire alongside the UN and multiple charities, calling it "essential to ending the bloodshed".

He also argued it would help aid reach those who needed it and help the safe return of Israeli hostages.

He said he was "deeply troubled" by an LBC interview Sir Keir gave on 11 October about Israel's actions in Gaza and that, while he appreciated Sir Keir's later clarification of the comments, he believed the party "needs to go further and call for a ceasefire".

[Abernathy]

I'm getting a bit annoyed about this now.

There is nobody - nobody - who wants not to "end the bloodshed" in Israel/Gaza . Not Keir Starmer, not Joe Biden, not even Rishi Sunak or Suella Braverman.

The only people who, unequivocally, DO want not to "end the bloodshed" are Hamas- who have actually said that they will be looking to carry out a reprise of their October 7 massacre of 1400 Israeli civilians as soon as they get the chance, and the Israelis, who have vowed not to stop their retributive action in Gaza until the threat (an actual threat, not just a perceived one) of further atrocities against Israeli citizens is eradicated.

That is the reality of the situation. There is no other reality. Keir Starmer - or Imran Hussain, or Carol Vorderman, or Mr fucking Blobby or anybody else - "calling for a ceasefire" is going to achieve precisely nothing.

On the other hand, calling for so-called "humanitarian pauses" in the fighting to allow desperately needed aid to reach Palestinians caught up in the conflict will, actually, save lives.

Creating posturing schism within the Labour Party on this issue at a time when the party stands on the brink of election back to government following nearly 14 years of wanton Tory misrule is not only grossly and unforgiveably irresponsible, but as stupid as stupid gets.

Just fucking stop it, you twats.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

I voted for Yvette Cooper for the leadership. Unfortunately the three quid Trots outnumbered us.

Where would we be if she had been leader since 2015? In power for a start, in Europe, out of austerity...

[Crabcakes]

As some of you may know, I work for an arms-length govt. funded healthcare org.

My manager let slip today that we’re getting a new commission of work from the NHS, based on a likely incoming policy shift in the next 12 months - i.e. getting ahead of the game.

Nothing unusual there. Except - the incoming policy in question is not Tory. It’s a Labour one.

To expect an election some point soon and to predict a winner is one thing. To start putting funds in place to get work started in anticipation of that before the end of the financial year is something else.

It looks like the wait may not be too long. Spring, maybe?

[Boiler]

I voted for Yvette Cooper for the leadership. Unfortunately the three quid Trots outnumbered us.

Where would we be if she had been leader since 2015? In power for a start, in Europe, out of austerity...

Maybe people didn’t want to vote for someone who fucked over the disabled.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

I voted for Yvette Cooper for the leadership. Unfortunately the three quid Trots outnumbered us.

Where would we be if she had been leader since 2015? In power for a start, in Europe, out of austerity...

Maybe people didn’t want to vote for someone who fucked over the disabled.

What?

[Abernathy]

As some of you may know, I work for an arms-length govt. funded healthcare org.

My manager let slip today that we’re getting a new commission of work from the NHS, based on a likely incoming policy shift in the next 12 months - i.e. getting ahead of the game.

Nothing unusual there. Except - the incoming policy in question is not Tory. It’s a Labour one.

To expect an election some point soon and to predict a winner is one thing. To start putting funds in place to get work started in anticipation of that before the end of the financial year is something else.

It looks like the wait may not be too long. Spring, maybe?

You may be right, though he will want to see some improvement in the economy and possibly the polling gap before doing so. His "five pledges" seem, objectively, to be completely fucked.

[Andy McDandy]

I've long argued that any policy described as a "long term plan/decision" is pointless, because all it's saying is don't expect any progress or return in the near future. I think that's now cutting through to the electorate as a whole.

[Boiler]

Yet haven’t we long berated politicians for short-termisim? The phrase “make your fucking mind up” comes to mind here.

[Andy McDandy]

If they really were making decisions and putting in motion things that would deliver benefits over years or even longer, I'd not mind. But recently it's just come to mean doing something shitty and trying to excuse it by promising jam next decade.

[Boiler]

I voted for Yvette Cooper for the leadership. Unfortunately the three quid Trots outnumbered us.

Where would we be if she had been leader since 2015? In power for a start, in Europe, out of austerity...

Maybe people didn’t want to vote for someone who fucked over the disabled.

What?

Have you forgotten the Work Capability Assessments for ESA introduced by Atos under her watch? The ones that led to suicides?

https://www.theguardian.com/society/joe ... ty-benefit
https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/ ... l-approved

Maybe some of you here haven't lived/been in a relationship with a disabled person but New Labour were every bit as much a bunch of bastards as the Tories prior to them. I do recall Blair saying "scroungers cost hospitals"; I remember the disabled chaining themselves to the railings near Downing Street.

Oh, and @Oboogie - thanks for your BBReaction to my post. My public reaction to you is that I think you're a cunt. Cheers!

[Abernathy]

Well, the other thing hobbling Sunak and his party’s prospects is of course credibility.

Johnson lied through his teeth about nearly everything as a matter of course (got all the big calls right, my arse). Brexit was, demonstrably now, the biggest pack of lies in political history. Braverman is transparently lying to further her personal political ambition.


How in Dawkins’ name could anybody believe a single word that Sunak says, let alone decide to vote him back into government ?

[Andy McDandy]

"Got all the big calls right" - another clever phrase, as it means absolutely fuck all. Aside from the fucking laddism of it, it reduces all major decisions to essentially a coin flip. "Was lucky slightly more than 50% of the time" doesn't have the same ring to it. And who decides if a call is big or not? Urgh.

[mattomac]

As much as we believe differently, people generally vote for the leader or at least for their positions.

No one can guarantee he will be leader within 6 months of the election either side. Both Johnson and Corbyn looked stuck in.

Only one guy I expect will be there at the close of the next parliament even if Sunak was to win.

[Oboogie]

Oh, and @Oboogie - thanks for your BBReaction to my post. My public reaction to you is that I think you're a cunt. Cheers!

Fantastic, well done you.