General British politics discussion thread

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

Just in case anyone's worried about the Russians eavesdropping, Boris handed everything over to Zoom. It's amateur hour.

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/04/01/zoom_spotlight/

They're not the only ones, the NZ govt got caught using it to in a similar manner and have had to refer it to the GCSB to see if zoom actually is secure enough to ever use for govt again. Maybe it's a 5 eyes thing...

Anyone watching the Labour Party Leadership results? Due any minute

devnull wrote: »

Good to see that Momentum and the Corbynistas are taking the result well (check some of the replies)
https://twitter.com/UKLabour/status/1246375178684239874

They're all going to George Galloway's party apparently
https://twitter.com/WorkersPartyGB/with_replies

Lol the idiots cannot see 2 feet in front of them, moving to another party while FPtP is still running is absolutely pointless

Yes, at least we will now have a sensible opposition party that can actually win votes... and seats, and finally be able to hold the Tories to account.

The two traditional big parties in the UK have been utterly daft the past few years... the Tories were allowed get away with blue murder the past while, at least Labour have finally copped themselves on and will hopefully drift back towards the centre and appeal to the masses in the UK.

The first thing Labour needs to do is get rid of Momentum and the grip they have over the party, it's clearly been an absolute failure. Time to bring back the many sensible moderate members of the Labour party, and finally clamp down on things like anti-semitism, threats of de-selection, etc. The problem with the left is that the first item of the agenda is the split and they would rather be in opposition to retain ideological purity over a bit of compromise so they can actually achieve something for the people they claim to represent.

devnull wrote: »

Good to see that Momentum and the Corbynistas are taking the result well (check some of the replies)
https://twitter.com/UKLabour/status/1246375178684239874

They're all going to George Galloway's party apparently
https://twitter.com/WorkersPartyGB/with_replies

Apparently Starmer's job is to continue with Corbyn's plans. I'm not sure they understand what a change in leadership is. Following that logic; if/when Labour gain power again, it'll be their job to continue implementing the policies the Conservatives had been carrying out before them.

Overall, I'm glad Starmer is leader. From what I've seen he's the candidate least beholden to stuff like identity politics.

I know his name is mud among Labour supporters, but Tony Blair nailed it when he said Labour would never gain power again while they are seen to be overly focused on things like Transgender rights, race, gender quotas etc. Not because these are all necessarily unworthy causes, but the number of votes Labour will gain by making them central planks of their policies is tiny. They're also more likely to lose more votes than they gain, because people feel that Labour are focusing on issues that don't affect the vast vast majority of people.

devnull wrote: »

Good to see that Momentum and the Corbynistas are taking the result well (check some of the replies)
https://twitter.com/UKLabour/status/1246375178684239874

About as well as the centrists did with Corbyn?

fiveleavesleft wrote: »

Was that not one of Blair's great failings also?

I don't see much future in the Labour party to be honest, the calibre of people in the leadership contest was abysmal.

Amazing to think the party was born with a man named Keir & now may die with a man named Keir.:D

Blair won 3 elections, including 2 huge majorities. Corbyn respectably lost one election, and got slaughtered in another.
It's fair to say Blair's policies resonated far more with the electorate than you claim.

Joe_ Public wrote: »

Personally i dont want starmer to be either blair or corbyn. I want him to be his own man and steer a course that can bring as many from the left together and those who dont like it can go elsewhere.

As tragic as it is, the current plight does at least offer the prospect of a clearer vision going forward, one that can unambiguously point to the role true socialist ideals are playing in supporting families through the crisis. I think that will be sellable. Keeping the conservatives away from the nhs should be implanted on every uk citizens brain once this is all over and done.

He needs to win back the Northern voters who always voted Labour until this time.

Just winning over more remainers and the cities won't do it.

I just can't understand why people in the North and the Midlands voted for them... but the fact is they did. They need to find a way to get them back on the fold.

They should try and blunt the appeal of the SNP, but that's difficult really, Scotland is going on a very different course to the rest of the UK (certainly England) in any case and nothing less than full EU membership will do there. But Labour in power, or looking like they could be in power, will win over some because it's much easier to sell the idea of independence with the Tories in.

Corbyn had too much left wing political activism from his past that the UK media were able to hammer

The right wing media won't be able to do the same to an ex army labour leader.

I dunno if marxist is meant as a pejorative term but i wouldnt make an awful lot of views politicians may have held as students. John Bercow was a leftie when he was at college, even Boris johnson was said to be a radical once upon a time. Students edge away to fringes as there's no excitement in the centre. Starmer was one of those who joined the initial heave against corbyn, then accepted role in shadow cabinet while ensuring he kept strategic distance from the leadership whenever possible.

That suggests a deeply cute, pragmatic core that might well stand him in good stead for the challenge ahead.

Dont forget Angela Rayner as deputy, very popular and capable politician who commands respect on all sides. They could make a good team. Here's hoping anyway.

I guess you could interpret that different ways. It's not exactly murdoch putting blair on speed dial territory yet! But bottom line I'm not going to sweat the small stuff a day into a guy's leadership. The last one was barely into his acceptance speech when the campaign to oust him was put into gear. This leader will get his chance and i say that as someone who was more sympathetic to corbyn than most round here.

I dont see a "cull". He will keep RLB, i think, and others like Dawn Butler and Thornberry who have been ok. Analise Dodds seems to be the tip for shadow chancellor. I'm not sure Jess Phillips will get a call. Could be wrong, though.

Tom Mann Centuria wrote: »

You're hopefully right, she's a dreadful, shallow self publicist who is awful when interviewed in any detail at all, unless she can answer "Babs". Her leadership challenge was cringe worthy. I'd take any old school Blair loyalist over her, at least they actually believe what they say and are articulate enough to put it across.

I'm not that strongly against her but i definitely do find myself cringing at some of the stuff she does. I'm just very curious what starmer might see there if anything.

Overall it's not bad. Nandy is very capable, Reeves very meh for me and dont know much about that home Secretary guy. Dodds i have nothing against at all.

Reeves is an odd one with the large scale job losses that are sure to follow this virus.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/rachel-reeves-says-labour-does-not-want-to-represent-people-out-of-work-10114614.html

Quite safe and solid appointments otherwise, Nandy's soundbite about Catalonia and Scotland didn't do her any favours, but the underlying point was a fair one. I'd expect to see at least a couple of people of colour in positions left to be filled. Allina-Khan (spelling) and my other guess an arch europhile like Lammy.

Prime minister Boris Johnson has been Admitted to hospital for tests. That’s a concerning Development.

Did Yvette Cooper get anything important?

I always thought Labour made a massive blunder not picking her to replace Ed Miliband in the first place.