My point is that if Meacher was popular locally because of his Corbynesque agenda, why are people suddenly turning away now they have the chance to vote for that agenda nationally?

 

I'm sure there are various complex reasons for that including the vacuum left by Meacher not being there anymore, but first of all let's wait until Thursday to see what actually happens.

 

Wednesday will be interesting with the leader and the foreign secretary giving competing speeches in the Commons :o

You're joking, right?

 

Yes I'm joking, just enjoying pointing out hypocrisy as always - when people whinge about foreigners coming over taking jobs they usually mean low-paid eastern Europeans, rather than over-paid non-EU's. That said I def would tax foreign-owned companies denying UK residents property by investing in it and pushing up prices so much as to be unaffordable. They can definitely piss off, they bring nothing of value to the country... :o

I'm really looking forward to the "Blairite" candidate being blamed for only delivering a 1,500 majority.

I'm really looking forward to the "Blairite" candidate being blamed for only delivering a 1,500 majority.

omg same

You're partly playing the Tory press game here. He questioned the validity of a general shoot-to-kill policy, a policy which doesn't currently apply. The problem goes back to my point which started this discussion. He fell into a trap and failed the express his views coherently. He has little experience or training in handling interviews, and it shows nearly every time. In his attempts to answer the question he was asked, rather than answering a completely different question, he just makes himself look a fool.

 

This is all very worrying. At the moment, anything the Lib Dems say goes unreported. The media in England act as if only two parties exist in the country. With Corbyn making so many basic mistakes, the prospect of the Tories winning a larger majority in 2020 is all too real. Even if they split over the EU referendum, we all know that will be down-played if the press can still portray Labour as a shambles.

 

McDonnell, of course, has also shown his lack of experience as a senior politician. His attempted Mao "joke" might have worked better if his delivery was better, but probably not. There are better ways of attacking Osborne for costing up to China than quoting a murderous maniac. While Osborne was speaking, McDonnell should have torn up his script, including the Mao "joke", and ridiculed Osborne for a massive U-turn. Of course, the Budget and the Autumn Statement are two of the hardest parliamentary occasions for the opposition as they don't see the statement in advance. That's why you need "grown-up" politicians to do the job. Assuming he is still leader by then, Corbyn needs to do a lot better when he responds to Osborne's next Budget.

 

Yes there's a fine line between "refreshing open-ness" and "gullibility". The media very much has consigned the Libdems into the shadows. Jezza comes over as a pleasant, likeable shambling elderly uncle who means well but is a bit eccentric. Labour need a sharp-toothed velociraptor, preferably one with common sense and a conscience, to slash at the Tories who are getting away with murder. Quite. Literally.

 

 

Blairite candidate in oldham? Momentum were there at the weekend to help his campaign, we really need to get away from blairite-Trotskyite etc theyre all LABOUR candidates!

Blairite candidate in oldham? Momentum were there at the weekend to help his campaign, we really need to get away from blairite-Trotskyite etc theyre all LABOUR candidates!

It would be nice if some more of Momentum's members put their money where their mouth was and started knocking on doors rather than hiding on Twitter.

Think there was busloads of them in Oldham at the weekend according to labour list today.

Think there was busloads of them in Oldham at the weekend according to labour list today.

That's nice. I wonder where the other hundred thousand are.

I'm not sure if it's physically possible to fit more bullets in the foot. Corbyn's just said in an interview that we need a ceasefire with ISIS.

I'm not sure if it's physically possible to fit more bullets in the foot. Corbyn's just said in an interview that we need a ceasefire with ISIS.

 

Did he really say that? I understand his ideology, but you keep that stuff out of the media.

 

Not sure how you can expect to win a general election in the future when coming out with those kind of statements.

I'm not sure if it's physically possible to fit more bullets in the foot. Corbyn's just said in an interview that we need a ceasefire with ISIS.

As an aspiration, it's sort of OK. As a realistic prospect, it's a non-starter. As a vote-winner, it's off the scale, and not in a good way.

Did he really say that? I understand his ideology, but you keep that stuff out of the media.

 

Not sure how you can expect to win a general election in the future when coming out with those kind of statements.

I miss Ed Miliband.

I miss Ed Miliband.

 

Ed Miliband - most reasonable Labour Leader since John Smith. Not a great accolade, maybe, but in retrospect... :o

Eds revenge was the change in the voting system leaving the way open for the left :P

Eds revenge was the change in the voting system leaving the way open for the left :P

 

Corbyn still would have won the leadership under the old system, if I recall correctly.

Corbyn still would have won the leadership under the old system, if I recall correctly.

Nah - £3 supporters would have been limited to having 10% of the vote. It got worked out that his MP advantage meant Andy Burnham would have won.

Nah - £3 supporters would have been limited to having 10% of the vote. It got worked out that his MP advantage meant Andy Burnham would have won.

 

Ah, my mistake, I hadn't taken into account the MP's 1/3 of the votes. Still, makes you wonder how Andy Burnham would have been getting on by this stage of his hypothetical candidacy.

Ah, my mistake, I hadn't taken into account the MP's 1/3 of the votes. Still, makes you wonder how Andy Burnham would have been getting on by this stage of his hypothetical candidacy.

Likely in the false dawn stage of luke-warm apathetic popularity. I have a feeling he'd have actually been able to make some running of his own on the tax credits thing. That aside I reckon it would've been mostly underwhelming.

 

I'd take underwhelming in a heartbeat over what we've got now though.

Don't like Burnham, too slippery came through with James Purnell and like him very ambitious!

 

I see the PM has been very un-PM like this evening and said anyone who votes against the bombing is guilty of sympathising with terrorism - idiot!