[winhill]

Burgon on the prospect of a 2019 election and Labour's 'success' in 2017:
https://youtu.be/9MHNbwE2Sb0?t=90

Burgon insists he never said Zionism is the enemy of peace:

https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1118058819928711168/pu/vid/1280x720/A3ChpyjOtXcfj8tf.mp4?tag=8

[TobyD]

Just read a summary of the PM's responses to BBC interview this morning.  A nice roll call of a few recycled lies from his campaign, not saying anything about anything that might be mildly controversial,  and the absolutely risible assertion that the middle east is a safer place after the recent assassination and aftermath. 
The latter is so most depressingly inaccurate and bone headed thing I've seen uttered recently by any political leader who isn't Trump.

[ali k]

Every response he gave was basically a summary of the arguments for and against.

The only thing he had an opinion on was the fucking Big Ben chimes.

[TobyD]

The only thing he had an opinion on was the fucking Big Ben chimes.

Yup, this is going to be the next five years, bread and circuses to keep the proles entertained while Priti, Dom and Dom get on with fucking the country with free market libertarianism.

[Oldmanmatt]

I find Priti to be rather alarming.

Completely bonkers.

Not the most nuanced analysis, but...

[tomtom]

My survival strategy:
laa laa laa laa laa nothings happening.
Repeat above for five years.

[TobyD]

My survival strategy:
laa laa laa laa laa nothings happening.
Repeat above for five years.

At least we don't live in China and Huawei are monitoring all of our thoughts and arresting people for pre crimes because they control our infrastructure.  O wait...

[Oldmanmatt]

My survival strategy:
laa laa laa laa laa nothings happening.
Repeat above for five years.

At least we don't live in China and Huawei are monitoring all of our thoughts and arresting people for pre crimes because they control our infrastructure.  O wait...

La la la la la la la.....

[TobyD]

My survival strategy:
laa laa laa laa laa nothings happening.
Repeat above for five years.

At least we don't live in China and Huawei are monitoring all of our thoughts and arresting people for pre crimes because they control our infrastructure.  O wait...

La la la la la la la.....

You want to watch out for that sort of talk, they have re-education camps for that. You'll have to listen to Brexit church bells for hours at full volume whilst being water boarded

[tomtom]

I've seen the lie of the land - and joined the brexit commissars group. I'm waiting for YODEL to deliver my braid and epilettes as I type.

The excitement is palpable.

[winhill]

Interesting replies, I feel that if RLB is picked, they've as good as lost the next election based on her adherence to the Corbyn line, and not even addressing anti-Semitism.

It loos like Wrong- Daily could well win it, the PLP only selects the candidates and they've got it wrong on the last 4 occasions IIRC. According to a Survation Poll of members she's got the numbers, even with Starmer getting a raft of 2nd prefs won't be enough. 34% remained undecided though so perhaps that could be enough.

Maomentum have apparently said tonight that they'll back RLB but that could be more about they're own survival rather than anything else, if they're not connected to an individual then what are they?

The one question I haven't seen asked is; What would happen if the new leader goes into an election with the kind of unpopularity figures that Corbyn had? Is there a plan to step aside?

RLB and Burgon are the only 2 who haven't been savaged by the Left, even Rayner, once the RLB dream team, has been done for voting for Burnham in 2015, even though no-one, least of all Corbyn thought he'd win.

[TobyD]

Re Labour leadership, having heard Lisa Nandy interviewed by Nick Robinson on political thinking, I think she'd be an excellent leader. Far more impressed by her than any other candidates so far, though I feel more naturally inclined to go for Starmer or Jess Phillips, Lisa Nandy sounds like she actually has plans and a real vision, as well as coming across as very human and down to earth.

[seankenny]

I thought this was good, and rightly excoriates the Labour membership:

https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2020/01/will-keir-starmer-be-labours-hero-of-retreat/

Naturally the people who should read and reflect on this probably won’t. But there you go.

[tomtom]

I thought this was good, and rightly excoriates the Labour membership:

https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2020/01/will-keir-starmer-be-labours-hero-of-retreat/

Naturally the people who should read and reflect on this probably won’t. But there you go.

Its alright - though to be fair - its hard to NOT exoriate the labour party / membership over whats happened in the last 4-5 years!

Personally I'd like Nandy to get the job - but I don't think she'll get it...

Meanwhile, now Royal silly season is ending its nearly Brexit day...

[spidermonkey09]

I thought this was good, and rightly excoriates the Labour membership:

https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2020/01/will-keir-starmer-be-labours-hero-of-retreat/

Naturally the people who should read and reflect on this probably won’t. But there you go.

I think its a bit much to compare the fallout from the election to the aftermath of Franco, the USSR and apartheid. That kind of pointless comparison helps nobody. The piece contends that if there was any justice, Phillips would be winning. I don't agree with this; her performance and subsequent rapid withdrawal suggests to me that her skills are basically mouthing off from the backbenches. Much like Corbyn himself, you could argue. She is beloved by a certain kind of centre left commentator and Sunday Times magazine columnist by literally no one else!

I'm torn between Nandy and Starmer. She sounds good on the radio and says all the right things but I feel like Starmer will appeal to Middle England a lot better. I think if I was voting tomorrow I would go for Starmer but plenty of time for that to change.

[TobyD]

I'm torn between Nandy and Starmer. She sounds good on the radio and says all the right things but I feel like Starmer will appeal to Middle England a lot better. I think if I was voting tomorrow I would go for Starmer but plenty of time for that to change.

Lisa Nandy did a pretty good job of putting Piers Morgan in his place. On Nick Robinson's podcast she discusses her considerable enthusiasm for Britney Spears; what better recommendation could you want for a politician?

[TobyD]

I thought this was good, and rightly excoriates the Labour membership:

https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2020/01/will-keir-starmer-be-labours-hero-of-retreat/

Naturally the people who should read and reflect on this probably won’t. But there you go.

Its alright - though to be fair - its hard to NOT exoriate the labour party / membership over whats happened in the last 4-5 years!

Yet in a recent poll, Labour members apparently cited Corbyn as their favourite leader of the last century,  and Blair as the least. 

[TobyD]

A neat analogy for this years decision making on Brexit,  HS2, Huawei
...:
Boris Johnson may have given his strongest hint yet that he intends for HS2 to go ahead after telling a 10-year-old interviewer that the way forward was to “keep digging”.

The only thing he seems to have missed is prefixing keep digging with "we are knee deep in this shit so might as well...."

[chris j]

Yet in a recent poll, Labour members apparently cited Corbyn as their favourite leader of the last century,  and Blair as the least.

With Ed Miliband  a close second and a quarter of members polled not knowing who Clement Atlee was...

It shows how much the party membership has changed in the last few years I think. It's entirely possible the party as it stands might not be willing or even see the need to change direction.

[Offwidth]

That's really sad for me given I see Atlee's post war government as the most important and transformative we have ever had.

At a tangent .....and with the context of the BBCs tactic of eviscirating it's own news output before Boris can get round to it ... there was an interesting piece on a media monster from the Grauniad.

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/feb/02/good-morning-britain-piers-morgan-the-wake-up-call-we-deserve

[TobyD]

Yet in a recent poll, Labour members apparently cited Corbyn as their favourite leader of the last century,  and Blair as the least.

With Ed Miliband  a close second and a quarter of members polled not knowing who Clement Atlee was...

It shows how much the party membership has changed in the last few years I think. It's entirely possible the party as it stands might not be willing or even see the need to change direction.

It's very easy now to write off the labour party, the candidates for leader may have the genuinely new thinking necessary for them to not self destruct but seem unwilling to really voice it, too afraid to lose membership support.

I noticed an opinion article in the guardian, claiming that there is no evidence that left wing policies lost labour the election.
Do they not think that perhaps the election result was pretty compelling evidence? Or losing the last election as well? Or the implosion of most left wing parties across Europe over the last decade?
I'm not saying that a manifesto based on the same convictions couldn't win, but banging away with a socialist framework of thinking a century old is not going to fly. People who used to vote labour are very concerned about immigration, like it or not, and whether or not this is justified. Lecturing them about free movement isn't going to win votes, however much Labour may believe it. (NB I'm not saying that Labour should just echo Priti Patel or that I agree with this view, but that a different solution needs to be thought of) 

Having said all that give it 6 months.... After the European election in May last year, the conservatives looked like they'd split up and never win again.

[Offwidth]

No 10 trying to exclude journalists prompts a walk-out.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/feb/03/political-journalists-boycott-no-10-briefing-after-reporter-ban

[TobyD]

No 10 trying to exclude journalists prompts a walk-out.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/feb/03/political-journalists-boycott-no-10-briefing-after-reporter-ban

I've seen that reported as well. I think avoidance of scrutiny is the most distasteful and concerning single thing about this administration. I wonder which reporters still attended the briefing and didn't walk out?

[James Malloch]

No 10 trying to exclude journalists prompts a walk-out.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/feb/03/political-journalists-boycott-no-10-briefing-after-reporter-ban

I've seen that reported as well. I think avoidance of scrutiny is the most distasteful and concerning single thing about this administration. I wonder which reporters still attended the briefing and didn't walk out?

I think I read that everyone left and the briefing didn’t go ahead

[Paul B]

As did I although another report I read suggested that only occurred due to the presence of the uninvited group with a similar briefing going ahead the previous week.