Off Topic Politics Thread

Can we have less of this Blair bashing? If he had not joined up with the US in invading Iraq, his legacy would have been outstanding. Unfortunately, he is tarnished with that and not the outstanding work his administration put in on Northern Ireland.

 

He will, despite the outstanding achievement of the Good Friday Agreement, always be remembered as a war criminal for the illegal and unnecessary invasion of Iraq, which has led, among other consequences, to the formation of IS.

 

Just imagine if he had followed the example of Harold Wilson who told LBJ to go and do one when seeking help in Vietnam. A most under-rated PM. Like Corbyn, he came from the left and the right-wing media tried to portray him as a Soviet spy.

 

Only if you choose to remember him so. I keep banging on that not everything is black and white.

Too many people in Labour look at moderation, instead see Iraq and use it as an excuse to support someone who's astoundingly ineffectual as a leader.

Vin

 

Not bashing him, simply pointing out that he, unlike the majority of Labour’s rank and file, didn’t have a Socialist bone in his body. He was tolerated as leader because, after decades in which the UK electorate had been seduced to the right, he was seen (with justification) as an election winner.

Yes, he did some very good things - so did Gordon Brown. But in many ways his period in power will be seen by history as a wasted opportunity for the left.

How many council houses did his government build, for instance? How much anti Trade Union legislation did he repeal? What did he do to prevent NHS hospitals becoming private Trusts? Who’s government introduced University tuition fees? Who benefited most, and at what cost to the taxpayer, from the introduction of PFI on the London Undergound and other public building initiatives?

The bloke was basically a liberal in charge of the Labour Party. Nothing wrong with being a liberal, they have some good ideas, and a noble tradition. But if you’re a liberal, why not join the LibDems? I would argue btw, we saw their true colours when they quickly embraced austerity, and rushed to privatise the Royal Mail (even Thatcher hung back from that).

 

I remember well in 1990 planning an electoral assault on a little Suffolk seaside town that is called locally Islington-on-Sea due to it's wealth. My colleague on the local council who subsequently became leader at the age of 27 and myself discussed our strategy. I was quite well known as I ran a local business and I quite deliberately ran a very mild campaign stressing Liberal as opposed to Socialist values. I won with a majority of 29 and was the first Labour councillor ever to win that ward.

When Blair took over he adopted exactly the same strategy and that led to the winning of many seats that Labour had previously never got a sniff in. We were convinced that this was the way to do it. I still think that if Blair had hung on for a fourth GE, or Brown had called one on taking office, then we might still have a Labour administration.

 

With D-Day looming, and unless Johnson manages to do brilliant pirouette and extend Article 50 or revoke it, I expect people to panic buy in the near future as fears of shortages build up post Brexit. I am hoping against hope that our superb PM has that Damascus moment and sees the light. If you are there God, now is the time to enter the life of one Boris Johnson to enable him to see the light and the folly of Brexit.

 

So Corbyn has laid his cards on the table. Vote of "No Confidence," "General Election," "Second Referéndum" with more options. I hope that is clear enough and does enough to encourage people to swing behind Labour as I fear a vote for the Lib Dems in marginals would result in the Tories being returned to office when quite frankly they deserve the proverbial lynching as in 1997. Nobody would shed any tears to see the likes of Royston Smith ousted. Itchen has to be number one on Labour´s list because without it, JC will not be forming a Government.

 

I have said for ages that Corbyn should step aside. I had admiration for the way he mobilised support among younger voters leading up to the 2017 GE, but his stance on Brexit has been divisive and not at all that expected of a leader and potential PM.

It’s possible to be critical of both Blair and Corbyn.

Remember, not everything is black and white.

 

Plagiarism!!!

 

Interesting

 

Corbyn is by no means perfect but I think that he has the motivation to even up society and make life a bit more secure and tolerable for the weakest and most vunerable and that is my primary concern in the UK apart from Brexit of course. Another term of the Tories will just bring more heartache and suffering to millions at the bottom.
I couldn't give a monkey's whether Jewish people have misinterpreted his criticism of the Isreali Government and support of Palestinian rights as "anti-semitic" which the Tory party and right wing media have milked and stoked up shamelessly for two years.
I still don't like the old fashioned way that he runs the Labour Party though and he should aim towards making it a much broader church and unfortunately I think that he has lost the voters over his muddled stance on Brexit too. Probably a good time for a change of leader.

 

I'll just add that the Labour party probably needs someone directly in the middle of Blair and Corbyn politically moving forward and it is imperative that they get it right because a Boris election victory would be a disaster for the majority of UK citzens.

 

An interviewer asked Jason from Sleaford Mods what he made of Corbyn. An interesting reply, I thought. He said he didn’t have much time for any politician, but what he heard from Corbyn was a bit of compassion and humanity, and the world could always do with a bit more of that.

 

His heart is certainly in the right place but his judgement on certain matters is questionable for a leader of a political party who has ambitions to be PM IMO.
My fear is that he has the air of an unelectable Michael Foot about him now, his big opportunity was back in 2017 and I think it may have passed now and the Labour Party need to become electable again...and fast!..

 

Freedom of movement will end on 31st October in the event of Crash Brexit:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-49393556

Doesn’t apply to citizens of the ROI, although how that applies to non-Irish people crossing the Irish border isn’t clear. Those 70 million Turkish immigrants we were promised still seem to have a clear run...

 

Usual fudge rather than clarity today: Corbyn said Labour would be Remain if it came to no deal but wouldn't say what he'd support if Labour negotiated a Brexit. Think that through. If Labour won a GE and negotiated a Brexit he wouldn't say on which side they would campaign regarding their own deal. Jesus.

Vin

 

I like the irony here, but is the sentiment so terrible? I teach kids whose parents have lived here 30 years and need a translator to speak at parents evening. My family are immigrants but speak perfect English.

Multicultural Britain requires the willing integration of immigrant groups. Simply moving here but ignoring British culture and language is a bit like moving to Spain and speaking only English... and who isn't embarrassed by those expats?

 

https://fullfact.org/immigration/immigrants-learning-english/#