Off Topic Political Debate

The UK voted to leave the EU, that is still on track.

 

I asked what the bespoke deal is that you voted for.

 

I voted for the UK's red lines as set out in the Mansion House speech.

 

Come on SH, you also voted for a bespoke deal. Surely you can explain what it is and how things are going with it.

 

Sorry, really busy onsite with important meeting with architect and main contractor pm. You will have to read the papers and watch the news for an update.

 

Bloody racist.

 

Did he assist in helping the murderous Mugabe gain power?

He has a history of supporting terrorists.

 

Was it the Young Conservatives in the 1980s who called for Mandela to be hanged?

 

Why not, he was a terrorist in those days.

 

Corbyn has never done anything more than put forward ideas. He may have been a sympathiser with people's goals - but has never justified their means. This is, however, a long way from a certain MT - who openly called a terrorist ''a true friend'', invited him to her house for tea, and lobbied against his prosecution for war crimes.

 

Anti-apartheid when Thatcher was labelling Mandela "a terrorist".

A leading campaigner against Chilean dictator Pinochet, while Thatcher and fellow Tories supported him. Pinochet was arrested in London in 1998.

Supported LGBT community at a time when Tories would label anyone who did so to be ''Looney Left". He voted against the bigoted Clause 28 Conservative legislation to demonise homosexuality.

Supported miners during their 1984 strike. All claims he made at the time, labelled as 'fear-mongering', turned out to be true.

Opposed the propping up of Saddam Hussein while British government was supplying him with arms.

Accused of being a 'lunatic' when campaigning against Saddam Hussein's genocide of Kurds.

Campaigned against Birmingham Six and Guildford Four miscarriages of justice. Tories at the time maintained the convictions were "safe".

Drew immense criticism from Conservative MPs for entering talks with Sinn Fein. Not long after this, still in the 1980s, the Conservatives entered secret talks with Sinn Fein. Since then the Queen and Prince Charles have met leaders of Sinn Fein.

Opposed New Labour’s introduction of university tuition fees, which explicitly broke Labour’s 1997 election manifesto pledge, as well as all of the subsequent increases. Fees were then trebled under New Labour before being trebled again by the coalition government, leaving the average student in £53k of debt.

Argued against PFI funding building of new schools and hospitals, which was used partly because New Labour had committed itself to Tory spending plans. We will end up with £54billion assets costing £300billion.

Opposed the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan. Most people at the time were in favour. By 2009, public opinion had reveresd and people's hindsight brought them round to Corbyn's position.

He saw through the ‘dodgy dossier’, the claims of weapons of mass destruction and campaigned and voted against the Iraq war in 2003.

He helped to organise the biggest demonstration in British history and remains a leading figure in the Stop the War Coalition.

In favour of public ownership of railways, utilities, with the majority of Britain now in agreement. British Rail cost the taxpayer a quarter of the subsidies we pay the private sector to run our Railways. Despite promise that increased competition would lower fares, they have increased vastly, year on year.

Long-term campaigner against nuclear weapons, now the majority of the British public are against £100billion spend on new Trident system.

 

please log in to view this image

 

And what did he do besides this? He's just like the Romans

 

The Labour Party have now lost one of the best parliamentarians over the last 40 years, Frank Field. He has cited two main reasons, the anti semite stance within the party and the local infiltration of Momentum within his constituency. He will stand as an independent.

I would be amazed if the good people of Birkenhead failed to back him against the official Momentum LP candidate.This is the second LP MP to resign, it is expected more will follow.

Field raised concerns about the 'thuggish conduct of some members in his local party and the lack of action against them.Deputy leader Mr Watson said 'This is a serious loss to the party. It is a wake up call, we cannot afford to lose people of such weight and stature'

 

You never give it a rest do you ! Bearing in mind that he has become something of a social conservative in recent years and that there have even been attempts to get him to defect to the Tories he may just feel that the present Labour Party is not his home any longer ie. he has probably been looking for an excuse for this action for quite some time. Good luck to him - anyone can have that feeling about party membership, I have it some times as well. Rather a pity that he has jumped on the 'Anti Semitism' bandwagon to do this though - a concocted, conspiratorial accusation if ever there was one. As for the 'thuggery' - where are the marks, the black eyes etc. to justify such vocabulary. Or maybe he is just sour that he lost a confidence vote in his constituency party after siding with the government on Brexit votes. A confidence vote which is a perfectly democratic principle in constituency parties - maybe this is his idea of thuggery. If so it is not mine.

 

You have denigrated a thoroughly decent man and politician who has done more for social justice in the UK in the past decades than almost anybody else.
This is just the start of the Momentum purge on decent moderate MPs. The traditional Labour voters will not forgive or forget this behaviour, it will just result in a Tory government ruling much for longer.

 

Would you dispute the fact that constituency parties should have the right to give votes of 'confidence' or 'no confidence' to their local MPs ? They are the people who should be controlling their candidates and if a Labour MP is not representing the wishes or views of his constituency party members then he should go - recall and deselection are part and parcel of democratic politics. You can call it 'purging' if you like, that is your concern. He probably saw what was coming and jumped before he was pushed. He had, in effect, parted company with Labour's core values long before rebelling over Brexit and was Tory in all but name. In a constituency such as Birkenhead this can only rankle with constituency party members.

 

Now to add insult to injury Frank Field wants to hold onto his seat in Westminster as an independent - yet wants to remain in the party ? How is that possible ? If you jump ship in midstream then you hand back your seat and it then goes to a by election. He was elected on a Labour mandate, and they paid for his campaign - if he now continues to sit as the MP for Birkenhead then this no longer fulfills the mandate given by the electors of the constituency.

 

I have seen the results of a few activists in local branch union meetings. The policies that emerge do not represent the rank and file. If Frank Field gets an opportunity to challenge the 'official' new Momentum backed Labour candidate I would expect him to win, let us see who the constituents prefer.