It's only disgustingly right wing if you take it from a point of reference of extreme left, Strolls To some, Liz Kendell is disgustingly right wing. The pregnant Luciana Burger is having a difficult time with Corbyn's mobsters, isn't she? Agree, the QT Labour rep was a thumping great eejit
[ I didn't have a problem with the audience Goldie, my comment was just a little dig at you, as I'm sure you realised. As a point of fact, Luciana Berger is not pregnant, she's actually on maternity leave. I hope she isn't being bullied in any way, but the fact is Labour MPs who plotted against Corbyn in the past have a decision to make, don't they? Hopefully it won't come to this, but if they aren't happy with Corbyn's new-found authority, they should consider resigning. It seems Momentum's 'list of 49 MPs who should join the Liberals' referred to by Stan was posted by a small local group and has been disavowed by the national movement. It has now been taken down. There are obviously divisions in the Labour party, and Corbyn should be doing his best to bring people round, but the schisms in the Tory party are far greater it seems to me.
I sensed it might have been a dig at me I see Jeremy Paxman agrees with my view on BBC politics. Not sure whether that's a good thing or not... The divisions in the Tory Party are there, but won't show yet. Once the EU proposed deal begins to materialise, feathers may fly (Hopefully, Anna Soubry gets a good plucking). Labour's problems are more immediate, it seems to me, and I can't see them being resolved now that Corbyn is more firmly ensconced without constant internal running battles (if the Blairites decide to hold on, to regain the Labour name) or a split and formation of a new party. Politics at the moment is not dull
If the 'plotters' make a decision to stay they will just be following the example of Corbyn et al who were for decades MPs in a party which had policies they didn't support and frequently voted against, especially when that party was in government. But they stayed, not trying to change it from within as at least the 'plotters' were, but simply to continue picking up the taxpayer faded MP pay check because they would never be elected unless they stood for Labour rather than under their own banner. Why shouldn't the moderates have the same privilege? The 49 list wasn't disavowed by national Momentum, it just said it's up to local Labour organisations to decide what they wanted to do. Corbyn has declared himself 'neutral' on the issue.
Maybe Corbyn et al considered, as do I, that New Labour wasn't Real Labour. It had been hijacked and is now returning to what it should always have been. They are now standing under their own banner and are very electable. About the 49, I read this in the Guardian...... A Momentum group in South Tyneside posted a list on its Facebook group of 49 MPs, including Chuka Ummuna and Chris Leslie, that they said should leave Labour to “join the Liberals”. The post was taken down and disavowed by the national movement, which is working to dispel the idea that it wants to see MPs deselected. https://www.theguardian.com/politic...n-fear-deselection-after-get-on-board-warning
In the Times "Mr Corbyn's office claimed to be neutral on the question of deselection. Momentum is not campaigning for the deselection of individual MPs but a spokesman said it 'supports local initiatives that make sure members have a say in how their party works and who represents them'". Corbyn was out of sync with the leadership way before New Labour. Even as chair of Hornsey Labour Party pre being an MP he insisted on giving Tariq Ali, then a member of the International Marxist Group, party membership even though the National Executive Committee had ruled against it. But do you agree that those who disagree with his agenda have exactly the same right as he did when he didn't agree with the leadership to stay in the party? It strikes me that a party which could have Anthony Wedgewood Benn and Roy Jenkins in the same cabinet is a pretty broad church, and strengthened by that breadth.
It seems to me that there's a lot of hysteria in the press (and on here - Goldie describes them as mobsters) around the activities of Momentum, which simply exists as a grassroots campaigning group seeking the election of a Labour government under Jeremy Corbyn. They seem to me to have been pretty effective in the recent election, which may be why the right-wing media are so scared of them. Perhaps they really are the seditious bully-boys that they are painted as and I am just being naive, I don't know. I have no personal knowledge of how they behave, contrary to Col's suspicions. Yes, I do agree that those who disagree with Corbyn should remain in the party if they choose, but they should acknowledge that it was the Corbyn manifesto that saved their jobs.
Several MP's,Tory and Blairite Labour, have had premises attacked. Most recently, masked vandals attacked Sarah Woollaston's offices and painted slurs on the walls. Sheryll Murray had swastika's engraved on posters and received violent threats. Jewish politicians have come in for a torrent of abuse. Using barely disguised language, John McDonnell encourages it imo. Irresponsible doesn't begin to describe it.
It seems to have been established that attacks on Labour eg Angela Eagle, were Momentum orchestrated, which also has had anti-semitic members. The Tory incidents of vandal need to be looked at. It's becoming a national issue. Theresa May was interviewed about it at lunchtime.
A bit circumstantial to pin all this on Momentum if you ask me, Goldie. Where criminality has occurred, the individuals responsible need to be identified and charged.
This will be the answer. Better security, cameras etc to try and catch offenders, and it may change the face of politics in the UK. There will come a time, if it hasn't arrived already, when everyone knows who is doing this. We will certainly be able to see who is inflaming it.
Extremism shouldn't be justified just because the perpetrators are left wing. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-40531321 Can't believe this is happening either for attending a rally.
