Off Topic Political Debate

Art has always worked for me
I do not know much about Corbyn re censorship but suspect he would on the whole be opposed to it (although feel he may want to ban Trump which would be wrong).
I would allow a Polish politician to electioneer in Britain if they so wished. Can't think it would attract large crowds though.
Whatever Charlie Hebdo published in France should be allowed unless it contravened laws.

 

SH. Momentum are not taking over the party. No councils are being taken over by momentum - just locals taking back control. Corbyn has often talked about making the leadership more responsive to the grassroots, and that is exactly what is happening, but I am sure that this democratization will be interpreted by you and the right wing media as a sinister takeover. Corbyn has actually managed to turn the Labour Party into the largest political party in Western Europe against a backdrop of the lowest rate of party membership in Europe. From inertia he has brought action - there are around 30,000 members of Momentum - but altogether 400,000 members who have joined as a result of Corbyn - mostly young people who have been given hope. Maybe the old guard of Labour should ask why they were not able to create anything like this and actually galvanize people into political activity.

 

Ah Cologne - I see you still like party membership figures

 

Oh dear yes, they are always not far away!!

 

There are an awful lot of Labour moderates including senior figures who would disagree with you on Momentum's stranglehold on the Labour Party since they took control of the NEC last week.

The moderate old guard of Labour managed to govern and stay there a long time. One term of a Corbyn / McDonnell government would banish it to the wilderness for another extended period.

 

I should worry more about the Conservative Party SH. With such small numbers they are ripe for takeover - and it is happening. As long as you live a 2 party system in the UK. you will have a certain amount of entryism in politics - it happens in most of Europe's big parties. I do not know if Momentum have their own membership cards, or if they constitutute a 'party within a party' but this is perfectly legitimate - in the Tories you have had the 'Monday Club' for example. The Labour Party itself grew up within the Liberal Party of the 19th Century - called the 'Radicals', and so they can hardly complain about others doing the same. As I said in my last post - with 600,000 members then takeover is not a realistic possibility, with the dwindling geriatrics of the Tory party it is.

 

The moderate old guard (a polite word for a right wing Blairite faction) had made Labour unelectable, and were not able to either galvanize the young and had become an electoral liability. They offered no real alternative to the Tories. Corbyn has trebled the party membership, has more support in the party than any other leader and has taken the parties electoral support back over the 40% barrier. For the Blairites this must be very bitter - they had been undermining Corbyn's leadership, predicting massive defeat all along the way, yet have been forced into silence since the election.

 

Interesting research shows that there was no greater numbers of the under 25 year old voters at the last election. It was thought that maybe this produced the surge in the Labour vote, but this research shows it was not so. So why did the surge occur? It can only be that that your average Joe decided to support Corbyn. Corbyn was a dead and buried politician a week before the election, yet he did well enough to deprive the government of a majority. If he keeps to his promise to be led by the membership, and only a small proportion are from Momentum, then he has to change his personal views to suit those members who are turning in large numbers against Brexit. It is made be made easier for him as research shows that his heartlands in the north are turning far quicker than any other part of the country.

 

There are relatively few people in the UK motivated enough to actually join a political party. OK, for now the excitement of Momentum seems to have galvanised Labour membership - but will it still be there in 10 years. Who knows - but I doubt it.
The Tories have always appealed to the older voter and Labour more to the young and I suspect that will continue.
However there are 25 million voters in the UK and these are the people who count.

 

The Blairites managed to do rather well for a long time. In the past Labour shifting to the left has resulted in heavy electoral defeat. I do not believe the UK public want to return to the sort of industrial strife seen decades ago. I do not think there is public support for allowing a relaxation of the present industrial relations laws which have been in place since Thatcher's days. The Tories had a lousy election last year but they still managed to gain their highest percentage of votes for 30 years.

 

I think most people would agree that the Tories fought a terrible election and they lost it rather than Labour won it. Even so Corbyn was quite a revelation in the campaign.

 

You have overlooked the fact that John Major had more votes in 1992 than May managed last year. He had the same bunch of 30-40 MPs, similar to today who were anti-EU and had the strength to face them down by calling a leadership election. May would hardly dare to call such an election at present, although it is difficult to see a politician who could heal the divisions in the party.

 

Despite the Tories own goals, they consigned the Labour Party to its third successive electoral defeat plus ensuring the Lib Dems remained a tiny protest political party. I get the feeling that Corbyn has reached his zenith, all downhill from now on.

 

Now this is what I'm talking about! Trying to, anyway!!

 

It wasn't just Corbyn who rose to the occasion Leo (sorry, your majesty) Labour had 6-7 times as many campaigners on the streets in the marginals. This is a trend which will not be reversed.

 

When are you going to set up a round table on here, I fancy being Merlin

 

You can be in charge of political party membership figures.

 

Sadly the British have successfully whitewashed history...... and let us not forget the riches many so called aristocratic families made out of slavery....

 

At last a non-bipartite approach to world government!

 

Just my reality!!