Politics at Westminster | BREAKING: UKIP

Hull is a great place.

The local stand up is pretty good as well

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Shame on you Wales . Not for voting in a UKIP member but bringing back that sleazy Hamilton.
 
Yet another Tory U turn. They are now saying that they will not be forcing all schools to become Academies. Mps already spinning it as Nicky Morgan listening to the people .
 
Yet another Tory U turn. They are now saying that they will not be forcing all schools to become Academies. Mps already spinning it as Nicky Morgan listening to the people .

It is a change brought about by Tory MPs though, not Corbo. Just like with tax credits and the budget, the opposition opposition has been from within.
 
It is a change brought about by Tory MPs though, not Corbo. Just like with tax credits and the budget, the opposition opposition has been from within.
In total fairness to Jez, and I'm not exactly his greatest fan, his first PMQs on academies was by far his best and gave Cameron plenty of discomfort. Second one was rubbish, but credit remains for the first.

That's where my fairness ends, because there's a Momentum bellend on BBC News now that is aggravating me.
 
In total fairness to Jez, and I'm not exactly his greatest fan, his first PMQs on academies was by far his best and gave Cameron plenty of discomfort. Second one was rubbish, but credit remains for the first.

That's where my fairness ends, because there's a Momentum bellend on BBC News now that is aggravating me.

I agree, Corbyn has improved at PMQs, however i don't think he's been particularly good at brining pressure to bear.
 
It is a change brought about by Tory MPs though, not Corbo. Just like with tax credits and the budget, the opposition opposition has been from within.
Never mentioned comrade Corbyn. But the stance Nicky Morgan was taking on this was very much we are going ahead with this regardless.
 
Anyone else thinks Nicky Morgan looks like Danny Alexander?
 
So ultimately the Tories ended up losing more seats than Labour, yet our wonderfully impartial media beats the Labour gloom and doom drum.

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It is a change brought about by Tory MPs though, not Corbo. Just like with tax credits and the budget, the opposition opposition has been from within.

Not sure that's right, the only reason those Tory MP's can force the U turn is because of Labours position and I don't think the Tories can claim any credit at all for the measures being stopped when it was clearly the Tory Govt's idea to introduce the measures in the first place. To me it is bizarre thinking to suggest otherwise.
 
There might have been less opposition from within, and maybe from without, if some of the major changes in health and education had been in the Tory manifesto.
Putting them forward so soon after an election strikes of dishonesty, and any Tory MPs against can reasonably say it wasn't what they campaigned for.
Next U-Turn anyone?
 
Not sure that's right, the only reason those Tory MP's can force the U turn is because of Labours position and I don't think the Tories can claim any credit at all for the measures being stopped when it was clearly the Tory Govt's idea to introduce the measures in the first place. To me it is bizarre thinking to suggest otherwise.

Obviously they can't take all of the credit, for the media were also very energised, but it is also the case that Governments prefer to avoid embarrassing rebellions. There is ample disunity surrounding the EU Referendum after all, and they won't want to exacerbate the problem. And with the recent budget fiasco in particular, dissatisfaction went right to the Cabinet level. So whilst the Government's credibility rightly suffered as a result, the standing of MPs was not so tarnished. They were talking about this on the New Statesman pod as it happens: the panel cited the change in policy on child refugees, and how Corbyn had not positioned Labour to be seen as the victors if you will.

It should be interesting to see if the recently announced u-turn on rural broadband, prompts a further revolt on the backbenches.
 
When was the last time a labour opposition lost seats mid term and went on to win the next election?

When was the last time the Conservatives got an absolute majority? It's quite obvious that the situation this time around isn't a simple continuation of old trends.
 
When was the last time the Conservatives got an absolute majority? It's quite obvious that the situation this time around isn't a simple continuation of old trends.
The last time they got a thumpingly huge majority was after the last time the opposition lost seats in council elections.

Worth mentioning again that Labour probably need to win Kensington, Basingstoke and Canterbury now to get a majority.
 
Barring an insane swing, it's obvious that Labour isn't winning 2020. It's perfect for centrists to have a Corbyn as leader in 2020 to destroy the left-wing for another few decades.
 
Barring an insane swing, it's obvious that Labour isn't winning 2020. It's perfect for centrists to have a Corbyn as leader in 2020 to destroy the left-wing for another few decades.
Not really...
Given the infighting with the conservatives at present I think 2020 would be winnable for say Dan Jarvis
A Corbyn lead party at a general election and it may take a decade to rebuild from the likely disaster that will be
 
Not really...
Given the infighting with the conservatives at present I think 2020 would be winnable for say Dan Jarvis
A Corbyn lead party at a general election and it may take a decade to rebuild from the likely disaster that will be
Out of interest why ? I've see Jarvis name brought up a few times but bar the ex army stuff(Presumably Tory's and media won't hit him as hard)I'm not sure why he's been mentioned so much.
 
Out of interest why ? I've see Jarvis name brought up a few times but bar the ex army stuff(Presumably Tory's and media won't hit him as hard)I'm not sure why he's been mentioned so much.
Popular in the public eye and a good speaker

And incredibly hard for the conservatives to target... Ex Parra widow and single father... Imagine Cameron trying it on at pmq's... It would be a conservative car crash (though better than Boris or Gideon who I can actually see coming off even worse)
I think most of the Labour party (bar some of the corbynistas) could get behind him as a unity candidate as well if somebody else initially challenged Corbyn.
 

That's the point.


Popular in the public eye and a good speaker

And incredibly hard for the conservatives to target... Ex Parra widow and single father... Imagine Cameron trying it on at pmq's... It would be a conservative car crash (though better than Boris or Gideon who I can actually see coming off even worse)
I think most of the Labour party (bar some of the corbynistas) could get behind him as a unity candidate as well if somebody else initially challenged Corbyn.

There is no evidence that PMQs affect anything. The 2nd part of the problem is on the labour party which is clearly out-of-sync with its members.
 
Popular in the public eye and a good speaker

And incredibly hard for the conservatives to target... Ex Parra widow and single father... Imagine Cameron trying it on at pmq's... It would be a conservative car crash (though better than Boris or Gideon who I can actually see coming off even worse)
I think most of the Labour party (bar some of the corbynistas) could get behind him as a unity candidate as well if somebody else initially challenged Corbyn.

Stick a nice little short before PMQs with his story and he'll get through to the final no problem even if he can't sing for shit.
 
Barring an insane swing, it's obvious that Labour isn't winning 2020. It's perfect for centrists to have a Corbyn as leader in 2020 to destroy the left-wing for another few decades.

You have to ask yourself whether with this kind of thinking there is anything the left wing of the Labour party can do which they will take responsibility for. You got your man elected and if it turns out to be a disaster then some how it isn't because of your world view and the policies you push being unelectable or the fact your man is not very bright, not at all charming and totally unsuitable as a candidate for PM. No no lets make it about those terrible centrists and their obvious plot to get Jez elected to take the blame for an inevitable defeat four years hence.

How about Jez shows some leadership, develops policies people can vote for, drops the ones people can't vote for and stops putting embarrassingly bad spokes people out like Diane Abbott.
 
There can be disagreements but when people in the party so clearly don't have respect for each other it will under-perform massively.
 
You have to ask yourself whether with this kind of thinking there is anything the left wing of the Labour party can do which they will take responsibility for. You got your man elected and if it turns out to be a disaster then some how it isn't because of your world view and the policies you push being unelectable or the fact your man is not very bright, not at all charming and totally unsuitable as a candidate for PM. No no lets make it about those terrible centrists and their obvious plot to get Jez elected to take the blame for an inevitable defeat four years hence.

How about Jez shows some leadership, develops policies people can vote for, drops the ones people can't vote for and stops putting embarrassingly bad spokes people out like Diane Abbott.

What is the "left wing" anyway? It seems to be >50% of party members last anyone checked.
It's supposed to be automatically assumed that putting up policies closer to the Conservatives without wearing that label will win elections. But it's not worked in the last 2 general elections. And that's the kind of context-free analysis that has accompanied these local elections.
 
Fwiw I do think Labour is too left-wing, and I think the Tories are almost dead centre/ centre-right in the UK currently. I remember reading polls about individual policies and I don't think the country is leftwing enough for a real Labour party to make an impact.
 
What is the "left wing" anyway? It seems to be >50% of party members last anyone checked.
It's supposed to be automatically assumed that putting up policies closer to the Conservatives without wearing that label will win elections. But it's not worked in the last 2 general elections. And that's the kind of context-free analysis that has accompanied these local elections.

Right so its the context free analysist's fault now?

The Labour party does this shit every 40 years and I have been voting for them long enough to know the cycle.It seems to me you want to play pretend.Lets elect a guy who is unelectable and then lets blame everyone else when he does disastrously in elections.

I'm sure there are people from the left wing who I could, as a life long trade unionist and Labour voter vote for but Jez isn't one of those people. It isn't the public's fault or the media's fault. The guy is sub standard as a potential PM.

The context is that if we don't elect the Labour leader we get Gideon or Boris.

If those are the choices what part of making the Labour leader electable don't you get?

Keep pressing the point that Jez failing is the fault of the Labour MP's or the right wing media or perhaps we can cut to the chase and just blame all the eligible voters in the UK who keep not voting for the people you like. Or you can accept that your views and probably mine too are not going to get a PM elected so lets find the nearest that will and keep working on it. Rather than this pile of steaming shite.

I guess it all seems so obvious to you until the elections start and the reality check arrives. I hope I'm wrong but the Labour party is about to fall off a cliff in its support and unless Jez is removed it looks unavoidable to me. The London major has done everything he can to distance himself from the Labour party leader because he wanted to get elected.

What is that saying and why on earth can't you understand it?
 
I don't think anyone left of Blair, would stand a chance. Nothing to do with Corbyn and his personal baggage.

Elections are won by low-information voters, and in a right-wing country, something has to go extraordinarily wrong for the Conservatives to lose.
 
Even all the supposedly viable Labour leaders are a bit dull though, aren't they? It's quite telling that most of them are only at all likely to get in off the back of the Tory party being absolutely terrible. Factors that are apparently in favour of Dan Jarvis generally have nothing to do whatsoever with his actual politics, Chuka Umunna lasted about two days before deciding he didn't really want to go for leader, and the other leadership candidates themselves were all absolutely trounced convincingly by Corbyn.

Again, I think this is a major part of why so many people within Labour struggled to get enthused. Candidates like Jarvis and co are generally advocated because they're the only option to stop the Tories. Not because of any actual enthusiasm to see them succeed or to run the country. The Labour party often kind of feels like it's there just to act as the big party which aren't the Tories, in case the Tories feck up enough that Labour will get into power. It's easy to see why Corbyn supporters are disillusioned with such circumstances. And it's not their duty to get a more politically viable candidate into power - it's up to those who support supposedly more viable candidates to actually join the party and show the same enthusiasm that members displayed for Corbyn.
 
Even all the supposedly viable Labour leaders are a bit dull though, aren't they? It's quite telling that most of them are only at all likely to get in off the back of the Tory party being absolutely terrible. Factors that are apparently in favour of Dan Jarvis generally have nothing to do whatsoever with his actual politics, Chuka Umunna lasted about two days before deciding he didn't really want to go for leader, and the other leadership candidates themselves were all absolutely trounced convincingly by Corbyn.

Again, I think this is a major part of why so many people within Labour struggled to get enthused. Candidates like Jarvis and co are generally advocated because they're the only option to stop the Tories. Not because of any actual enthusiasm to see them succeed or to run the country. The Labour party often kind of feels like it's there just to act as the big party which aren't the Tories, in case the Tories feck up enough that Labour will get into power. It's easy to see why Corbyn supporters are disillusioned with such circumstances. And it's not their duty to get a more politically viable candidate into power - it's up to those who support supposedly more viable candidates to actually join the party and show the same enthusiasm that members displayed for Corbyn.

But that is the Tory default position.Labour is in the IDS moment when they can't accept that the candidate they want is unelectable to the wider public.

That's fair, as long as they then don't complain about it when the candidates they plump for don't get elected.
 
But you know what... You don't win elections by appealing to the politically engaged
And he has the background to create a movement a Corbyn never can

I hope that he proves that he can before he becomes Labour leader, I'll have to see it before I believe it. At the moment his background is the main plus point anyone seems to mention about him and I don't think that will build a movement on its own.

Frankly he seems like he could be more of a "chosen one" due to his background than anything else if you get what I mean, sound familiar?
 
I hope that he proves that he can before he becomes Labour leader, I'll have to see it before I believe it. At the moment his background is the main plus point anyone seems to mention about him and I don't think that will build a movement on its own.

Frankly he seems like he could be more of a "chosen one" due to his background than anything else if you get what I mean, sound familiar?
I agree with this at the moment, a backstory isn't much use unless it's combined with good political instinct, ability to build a strong team around him and an actual message he can convincingly sell. He'd almost certainly stop the leaking of support to UKIP, but winning back votes from the Tories is something else entirely.

I still think the next leader's going to be someone on the soft left though, an Ed with better presentation and leadership qualities. Not enough to win, but capable of regaining lost ground and carving out a way forward.