If Corbyn is toppled I would now make Benn favourite to succeed him as leader before 2020. He is moderate enough to appeal to Blairites and Brownites, while also serving Corbyn in his Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Foreign Secretary and an experienced hand who was a Cabinet Minister too, his last name would also mean he would automatically get the left back on board after any coup. So Hilary Benn to be Labour's Michael Howard in 2017/18 if the polls fail to lift? You heard it here first
Dan Jarvis on AQ still showed he has it in him to be leader. I think Lab could learn some ruthlessness from his SEMOD approach.
Very nearly squared the circle of calling for unity while stating he wouldn't support Jezza.
All Lab supporters want (presumably?) is a sensible person with a heart who goes in to bat for the needy, eschews the priveleged, constructs policies which reflect this but doesn't go crazy with it, and comes from the real world. Not too many of those around atm but he is one.
@tnewtondunn: EXCL: Jeremy Corbyn to appoint a Minister for Jews in a bid to defuse criticism of anti-Semitic links; http://t.co/73CKQG7NFo
Will they push foward policies that help identify who are jews? Muslims have the niqab etc so maybe Labour will conclude that jews need a sign on their clothing? Innocent face.
I've got a horrible feeling a Minister for Muslims is next up.
This reminds me of Ken Livingstone's mayoralty - with everyone split up according to race/religion/sex/gender etc (Harman's 'protected characteristics') and money and resource being allocated along those lines. Creates horrid disharmony.
@SkyNewsBreak: Sky Sources: Andy Burnham, Hilary Benn and Angela Eagle expected to remain in Jeremy Corbyn's shadow cabinet
Andy Burnham showing the backbone and good judge of character for which he is justly famous....
Can we just call him "Reek" now and get it over with?
He always said he would stay in the Shadow Cabinet even if Corbyn won
Terrible error by Burnham.
Corbyn is looking wobblier by the minute. Even if Jihadist Jez wants to stay until 2020 (and he does) I now reckon he will be gone by 2017 or before. Any MP who agrees to serve in his Shadow Cabinet will be hideously tainted. Tsk.
Next Labour majority? 2035.
Assuming you are who I think you are then why should anyone be listening to what you have to say about the Labour party, Mr Thomas?
I think Andy's right to stick it. Remember everyone that Corbyn was swept in with 60% of the popular vote. Those now removing themselves are unlikely to be popular with rank and file. They're the old new labour guard who are getting expunged as Labour rediscovers its identity after the hideous Blair tory years.
"Assuming you are who i think you are"?
We all know who Sean is, it's not a secret!
I have to say, Estobar is a wonderfully entertaining addition to PB. reminds me a little of the long departed ben_M
Even Ben M thinks Corybns a disaster.
Does he still post on PB. Haven't seen him in a while.
I occasionally chat to him on twitter, he said he wanted to take a break away from politics after the events in May. Whilst the result was not unexpected to him, he still didn't enjoy it.
If Corbyn is toppled I would now make Benn favourite to succeed him as leader before 2020. He is moderate enough to appeal to Blairites and Brownites, while also serving Corbyn in his Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Foreign Secretary and an experienced hand who was a Cabinet Minister too, his last name would also mean he would automatically get the left back on board after any coup. So Hilary Benn to be Labour's Michael Howard in 2017/18 if the polls fail to lift? You heard it here first
Dan Jarvis on AQ still showed he has it in him to be leader. I think Lab could learn some ruthlessness from his SEMOD approach.
Very nearly squared the circle of calling for unity while stating he wouldn't support Jezza.
All Lab supporters want (presumably?) is a sensible person with a heart who goes in to bat for the needy, eschews the priveleged, constructs policies which reflect this but doesn't go crazy with it, and comes from the real world. Not too many of those around atm but he is one.
If Corbyn is toppled I would now make Benn favourite to succeed him as leader before 2020. He is moderate enough to appeal to Blairites and Brownites, while also serving Corbyn in his Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Foreign Secretary and an experienced hand who was a Cabinet Minister too, his last name would also mean he would automatically get the left back on board after any coup. So Hilary Benn to be Labour's Michael Howard in 2017/18 if the polls fail to lift? You heard it here first
Dan Jarvis on AQ still showed he has it in him to be leader. I think Lab could learn some ruthlessness from his SEMOD approach.
Very nearly squared the circle of calling for unity while stating he wouldn't support Jezza.
All Lab supporters want (presumably?) is a sensible person with a heart who goes in to bat for the needy, eschews the priveleged, constructs policies which reflect this but doesn't go crazy with it, and comes from the real world. Not too many of those around atm but he is one.
Where did it all go wrong (and I didn't think this piece could get any more funnier with age)
That is a frightening responsibility. The young princes who now stride the parade ground with the confidence born of aristocratic schooling can never be afraid. They never have been. Like latter day Pushkins drilled in the elite academy of Brownian blitzkrieg, they are bursting with their sense of destiny. It’s not the Milibands, the Ballses or the Burnhams who are unconsciously nervous. This is the moment for which they were created. They are ready.
Like millions of others, I joined the ranks of reluctant Conservatives at the last election. To the haters on the left, I have sold my soul and turned to the dark side. And I'll do it again, because the left has nothing to offer. Here comes the abuse...
I first realised that I was Tory scum on the weekend after the general election. The losing side was throwing a terrible tantrum. "F*** TORY SCUM", they sprayed on a Whitehall memorial dedicated to the women who fought in the Second World War. Well, that's me, I thought. They are definitely talking about me. Because whatever these people believe, I know that I will always be on the other side.
Like eleven million of my countrymen, I had voted Conservative because the alternative felt indistinguishable from national suicide.
This is That Tony Parsons who wrote for the Mirror for 25yrs.
Bloody hell. Parsons won't be getting many dinner-party invitations after that. When did this Damascene conversion happen? The last political pronouncement I heard him make (some years ago) he was calling Chris Patten a racist for writing 'Peking' instead of 'Beijing' in his autobiography.
Where did it all go wrong (and I didn't think this piece could get any more funnier with age)
That is a frightening responsibility. The young princes who now stride the parade ground with the confidence born of aristocratic schooling can never be afraid. They never have been. Like latter day Pushkins drilled in the elite academy of Brownian blitzkrieg, they are bursting with their sense of destiny. It’s not the Milibands, the Ballses or the Burnhams who are unconsciously nervous. This is the moment for which they were created. They are ready.
Pretty much from the moment he clicked [POST] it was downhill all the way right to the point and still is could get worse (if Jezza actually makes it through to face the electorate in 2019/2020)
Minister for 'Faith Minorities'? So Christians as well, then, right?
Corbynites as well, I guess.
Atheists?
or cheese makers...
Spectator I: I think it was "Blessed are the cheesemakers". Mrs. Gregory: Aha, what's so special about the cheesemakers? Gregory: Well, obviously it's not meant to be taken literally; it refers to any manufacturers of dairy products.
Where did it all go wrong (and I didn't think this piece could get any more funnier with age)
That is a frightening responsibility. The young princes who now stride the parade ground with the confidence born of aristocratic schooling can never be afraid. They never have been. Like latter day Pushkins drilled in the elite academy of Brownian blitzkrieg, they are bursting with their sense of destiny. It’s not the Milibands, the Ballses or the Burnhams who are unconsciously nervous. This is the moment for which they were created. They are ready.
If Corbyn is toppled I would now make Benn favourite to succeed him as leader before 2020. He is moderate enough to appeal to Blairites and Brownites, while also serving Corbyn in his Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Foreign Secretary and an experienced hand who was a Cabinet Minister too, his last name would also mean he would automatically get the left back on board after any coup. So Hilary Benn to be Labour's Michael Howard in 2017/18 if the polls fail to lift? You heard it here first
Dan Jarvis on AQ still showed he has it in him to be leader. I think Lab could learn some ruthlessness from his SEMOD approach.
Very nearly squared the circle of calling for unity while stating he wouldn't support Jezza.
All Lab supporters want (presumably?) is a sensible person with a heart who goes in to bat for the needy, eschews the priveleged, constructs policies which reflect this but doesn't go crazy with it, and comes from the real world. Not too many of those around atm but he is one.
Minister for 'Faith Minorities'? So Christians as well, then, right?
Corbynites as well, I guess.
Atheists?
or cheese makers...
Spectator I: I think it was "Blessed are the cheesemakers". Mrs. Gregory: Aha, what's so special about the cheesemakers? Gregory: Well, obviously it's not meant to be taken literally; it refers to any manufacturers of dairy products.
There really should be a book on what Labour MPs are going to be first to resign the whip. I mean I know we are talking about a group of people who supported Gordon Brown blindly and then thought Ed was a good idea but there must be limits.
"Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every politician around the world instead of taking pride in the size of their armed forces did what the people of Costa Rica have done and abolished the army and took pride in the fact that they don’t have an army, and that their country is near the top of the global peace index. Surely that is the way we should be going forward.”"
How can you have a shadow minister without a minister to shadow?
I suppose on the basis the opposition is supposed to be a potential government, a shadow minister could merely be to indicate a minister you intend to appoint once you are in position. Not usual, to be sure, but I can see it.
@SkyNewsBreak: Sky Sources: Andy Burnham, Hilary Benn and Angela Eagle expected to remain in Jeremy Corbyn's shadow cabinet
Andy Burnham showing the backbone and good judge of character for which he is justly famous....
Can we just call him "Reek" now and get it over with?
He always said he would stay in the Shadow Cabinet even if Corbyn won
Terrible error by Burnham.
Corbyn is looking wobblier by the minute. Even if Jihadist Jez wants to stay until 2020 (and he does) I now reckon he will be gone by 2017 or before. Any MP who agrees to serve in his Shadow Cabinet will be hideously tainted. Tsk.
Next Labour majority? 2035.
Assuming you are who I think you are then why should anyone be listening to what you have to say about the Labour party, Mr Thomas?
I think Andy's right to stick it. Remember everyone that Corbyn was swept in with 60% of the popular vote. Those now removing themselves are unlikely to be popular with rank and file. They're the old new labour guard who are getting expunged as Labour rediscovers its identity after the hideous Blair tory years.
"Assuming you are who i think you are"?
We all know who Sean is, it's not a secret!
'We all know' makes it sounds very cliquey. As a newcomer to this right-wing cabal give me a chance to catch up.
So, you didn't know whether it was a secret or not.
Michael Crick wrote a tweet with, possibly, very mildly regrettable wording, and the heated replies to it from Corbynistas are ... not very moderate. Actually reminds me of the twitter-beatings some people got from the Scottish Nationalists. Really quite unpleasant tone, from Irish Republican supporters to "Anti-Zionist" activists.
Minister for 'Faith Minorities'? So Christians as well, then, right?
Corbynites as well, I guess.
Atheists?
or cheese makers...
Spectator I: I think it was "Blessed are the cheesemakers". Mrs. Gregory: Aha, what's so special about the cheesemakers? Gregory: Well, obviously it's not meant to be taken literally; it refers to any manufacturers of dairy products.
"Well, blessed is just about everyone with a vested interest in the status quo, as far as I can tell"
"Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every politician around the world instead of taking pride in the size of their armed forces did what the people of Costa Rica have done and abolished the army and took pride in the fact that they don’t have an army, and that their country is near the top of the global peace index. Surely that is the way we should be going forward.”"
Yes, He's only gone and appointed John McDonnell Shadow Chancellor
Classic McDonnell quote.
"It's about time we started honouring those people involved in the armed struggle. It was the bombs and bullets and sacrifice made by the likes of Bobby Sands that brought Britain to the negotiating table. The peace we have now is due to the action of the IRA."
"Corbyn has appeared as a guest on Russia Today, and in a tweet urged followers to watch the station, arguing it provides a more "objective" coverage of world affairs than Western media."
I urge everyone to watch it too. Nothing to do with it being objective - it's patently not. But neither is our own media. Therefore it represents a useful counterpoint. We don't have to seek out our own propaganda; it's all around us.
There really should be a book on what Labour MPs are going to be first to resign the whip. I mean I know we are talking about a group of people who supported Gordon Brown blindly and then thought Ed was a good idea but there must be limits.
I doubt it. These are MPs we are talking about, folk who, with the very rare exceptions, are content to say anything to anyone for the sake of £60+K a year plus expenses. I would offer a modest wager that there will be no defections from Labour in the next 12 months.
And... that's it. It's truly over for Labour. And the membership is going to increasingly consist of the Corbyn lefties, and there's not going to be a change to the leadership election rules, so there's no turning back. After Corbyn there will be another Corbyn.
The centrist/moderate Labour MPs might as well become independents or form a new party.
the restoration of progressive income tax of 60% on incomes above £100,000 ... For those at the top it means ending the bonuses and limiting high salaries to no more than 20 times the lowest paid in any company or organisation.
For all others it means replacing the minimum wage with a living wage and a living pension and living welfare benefits, reducing the working week to 35 hours, closing the gender pay gap, controlling rents and energy prices, and restoring rights at work" http://www.johnmcdonnell.org.uk/2012/05/radical-alternative-to-austerity.html
Last job was apparently Shadow Minister for Preventing Violence Against Women and Girls. Elected in 2011. Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury? Is this a joke?
Comments
still, plenty to be going on with.
Corbynites as well, I guess.
This reminds me of Ken Livingstone's mayoralty - with everyone split up according to race/religion/sex/gender etc (Harman's 'protected characteristics') and money and resource being allocated along those lines. Creates horrid disharmony.
Dreadful idea all round.
Hahahahahaha!!!!!!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-3232213/Corbynmania-like-gales-laughter-PMQs-SIMON-DANCZUK-Labour-MP-Rochdale.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-3232215/More-positions-Kama-Sutra-not-job-Comment-JOHN-MANN-Labour-MP-Bassetlaw.html
That is a frightening responsibility. The young princes who now stride the parade ground with the confidence born of aristocratic schooling can never be afraid. They never have been. Like latter day Pushkins drilled in the elite academy of Brownian blitzkrieg, they are bursting with their sense of destiny. It’s not the Milibands, the Ballses or the Burnhams who are unconsciously nervous. This is the moment for which they were created. They are ready.
http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/conference/2007/09/labour-majority-increase
You sound like a ZA denier!
Bloody hell. Parsons won't be getting many dinner-party invitations after that. When did this Damascene conversion happen? The last political pronouncement I heard him make (some years ago) he was calling Chris Patten a racist for writing 'Peking' instead of 'Beijing' in his autobiography.
Spectator I: I think it was "Blessed are the cheesemakers".
Mrs. Gregory: Aha, what's so special about the cheesemakers?
Gregory: Well, obviously it's not meant to be taken literally; it refers to any manufacturers of dairy products.
One of them (swiftly deleted) asked me if I was Jewish?
Of course I'm fully prepared personally, but like so many things; scaling up to a national level may not be so straight forward.
If he hasn't actually said it I thought I had heard it had been reported.
I for one was not.
https://twitter.com/ericjoyce/status/643174464793001984
"Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every politician around the world instead of taking pride in the size of their armed forces did what the people of Costa Rica have done and abolished the army and took pride in the fact that they don’t have an army, and that their country is near the top of the global peace index. Surely that is the way we should be going forward.”"
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/6637495/Corbyn-Britain-should-abolish-its-Army.html
"Oh. Fuck. Me!"
If Mike Myers made a spoof movie of the Labour party, it wouldn't even hold a candle to what is actually happening right now.
https://twitter.com/labourpress/status/643176246826942465
I'm dumbfounded.
Women free
And you thought it appropriate to name him.
Charming.
Shadow Chancellor
John McDonnell MP
Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Seema Malhotra MP
Shadow BIS
Angela Eagle MP
the Eagle has landed...Business.
https://twitter.com/MichaelLCrick/status/643127647690752001
GO will be in a good mood this evening.
George Eaton @georgeeaton 8m8 minutes ago
Diane Abbott tipped for shadow communities and Catherine West for shadow international development.
This is hilarious!
Can you imagine the mood in Chez Mandelson tonight? :^O
Iceland has no military budget and no Armed Forced.
"It's about time we started honouring those people involved in the armed struggle. It was the bombs and bullets and sacrifice made by the likes of Bobby Sands that brought Britain to the negotiating table. The peace we have now is due to the action of the IRA."
Or maybe Labour will be merging with Sinn Fein as they are now becoming indistinguishable...
This is actually quite sickening.
Edit -ethic minorities. Almost as bad really.
The centrist/moderate Labour MPs might as well become independents or form a new party.
a Robin Hood tax on financial transactions,
a Land Value tax,
the restoration of progressive income tax of 60% on incomes above £100,000
...
For those at the top it means ending the bonuses and limiting high salaries to no more than 20 times the lowest paid in any company or organisation.
For all others it means replacing the minimum wage with a living wage and a living pension and living welfare benefits, reducing the working week to 35 hours, closing the gender pay gap, controlling rents and energy prices, and restoring rights at work"
http://www.johnmcdonnell.org.uk/2012/05/radical-alternative-to-austerity.html
"Oh. Fuck. Me!"
Or as they say in the Ministry for Jews 'Oy Vey'....and a Happy New Year
Plus, although she can be irritatingly sanctimonious, I don't think she comes across as "demagogic" like some hard-lefties do.
Eagle has worked for COHSE...
Last job was apparently Shadow Minister for Preventing Violence Against Women and Girls. Elected in 2011. Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury? Is this a joke?