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Beginning to distrust Jeremy Corbyn

(1001 Posts)
M0nica Mon 08-Aug-16 19:57:08

What ever else I may think about JC, I did believe he was a man with principles, who stuck to them.

However, I am beginning to doubt that he is the sea-green incorruptible he is made out to be. Last year he said on television that he saw no case for appointing new peers and would not do so. Now he has nominated Shami Chakrabati fora peerage.

We now read that in a news interview he has suggested he could remain at the helm of the party even after a general election defeat.

rosesarered Thu 11-Aug-16 09:05:51

Well, he got his wish of 'died in a ditch' anyway.

rosesarered Thu 11-Aug-16 09:04:54

Or even a first class one!

rosesarered Thu 11-Aug-16 09:03:49

Thanks for the Farron info dd which confirms what I have always thought, that he is a fist class pillock.

Anniebach Wed 10-Aug-16 23:32:12

All through much of this thread I have brought up the eighties , suppose so much was reminding me of now and then

POGS Wed 10-Aug-16 23:26:48

DD. 21.58

The link was interesting.

If you remember I posted on the other Corbyn thread how MP Frank Field underwent a hostile deselection threat from the Militant brigade decades ago. Indeed history repeating itself .

The latest vote for places on Labours National Executive Committee was interesting.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-37020815

On Monday, six NEC seats were up for grabs for representatives from constituency Labour parties - all of which were won by members of the Grassroots Alliance, which is backed by Momentum, Mr Corbyn's network of supporters.

Anniebach Wed 10-Aug-16 22:18:57

Thank you for the link Daphne, so seems history is being repeated . Reading the link all one has to do is change dates and names , same dirty tricks

daphnedill Wed 10-Aug-16 22:09:24

Some bedtime reading grin....

24 things you didn't know about Tim Farron

1. He wears Doc Martens at all times
If he needs to visit the Cenotaph, Mr Farron has promised that they will be ‘polished.’

2. He was an aspiring rock star
Throughout the 1980s, Mr Farron fronted a band that was written off as a ‘fourth rate New Order’ but still secured a recording session with Island Records. The band was at various times called ‘Fred the Girl’ and ‘The Voyeurs,’ but its most recent name is unknown. This is mainly to stop curious voters running across videos of the band that Mr Farron claims are still on Youtube.

3. He is deeply Christian
Farron discovered Christianity when he was 18 after stumbling across a Bible on a rainy day during a family holiday to Singapore. He was baptised three years later, and despite wavering faith throughout his 20s firmly re-committed himself to Christianity at 30 and has remained devout ever since. His religion has caused some to worry that he might hold ‘illiberal’ social views, and critics point to his 2007 vote for longer waiting times on abortion and a series of notable abstentions on key LGBT rights bills as confirmation of their fears.

4. He represents Westmorland and Lonsdale
In 2005 Mr Farron ended 95 years of Conservative dominance when he defeated Tory MP Tim Collins by just 276 votes. By the 2010 election, this majority had increased to over 12,000.

5. He is a vegetarian
His strict eating habits have led some of his colleagues to describe his campaign trail as a ‘rubber tofu circuit.’

6. He voted against the tuition fee hike
Mr Farron’s lack of a ministerial position made it easier for him to vote against the 2010 rise in university tuition fees, which he described as "the poll tax of our generation". While he says he regrets putting some of his colleagues in a difficult position with some of his more outspoken criticism on the subject, he maintains that they made the wrong decision, stating that the Lib Dems should have "died in a ditch" to keep their promise to scrap fees.

7. He was born in Preston, Lancashire
He was born on 27th May 1970, the same year as prospective Labour leader Andy Burnham, and is now aged 45.

8. He graduated from Newcastle University
In 1991, the politics student was the first Lib Dem to become president of the Newcastle University Union Society, having joined the party five years earlier at age 16.

9. He does not plan to have a shadow cabinet
The former Shadow Minister for Minister for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs has admitted that the Lib Dems do not currently have enough MPs to shadow the government. Instead, he plans to pick a limited number of issues, like A&E waiting times or poor housing, and campaign for them heavily across the country.

10. He’s a father of four
He lives in Milnthorpe, south Cumbria with his wife Rosie, daughters Isabella and Gracie, and sons Jude and Laurie.

11. Abstained in a gay marriage vote –but regretted it
Although Mr Farron eventually voted in favour of the 2013 Marriage Act, he abstained on the third reading of the bill, a decision that he now says he regrets. He states that the decision was motivated by a desire to protect the right to consciousness of religious minorities, but that if he were to do it again would vote in favour of equality.

12. He is not afraid of party controversy
Not only did he oppose the trebling of tuition fees, but Mr Farron also rebelled against his party by voting against Secret Courts and becoming one of only two Lib Dems MPs to oppose the bedroom tax, which prompted one senior Lib Dem to declare ‘Which bit of the sanctimonious, God-bothering, treacherous little **is there not to like?” He caused further controversy earlier this year by rating the Lib Dem’s handling of coalition politics two out of ten.

13. He is a Blackburn Rover supporter
As well as being a lifelong fan and spectator, Mr Farron is also a keen football player himself.

14. He does an excellent impression of Nigel Farage
Mr Farron was consistently chosen to play Mr Farage in Nick Clegg’s practice debates in the run up to the election, partially because the pair has been described as ‘natural antagonists.’ Mr Clegg commented that the then-President of the Lib Dems had been ‘so convincingly brilliant at copying Nigel Farage’ that it was ‘terrifying.’

15. He was convinced to join the Liberals by a Labour activist
While browsing a societies fair at his sixth form college in Leyland, the student was engaged in conversation by young activist and future New Labour Special Advisor Derek Draper. Mr Farron has said that within minutes, he had decided to join the Liberal party. When asked about the decision, he declared that Labour “weren't a liberal party. And they are still not.”

16. He was a busy MP
His office has completed 70,000 pieces of casework, over ten times that done by the average MP.

17. He was brought up by a single Mum
After his construction worker father worked out, Mr Farron was raised by his mother, who he describes as a ‘Guardian-reading, liberal type.’ He is deeply protective of her, and emotionally hit back against David Cameron’s criticism of single-parent families after the 2011 riots.

18. His karaoke song of choice is the Waterboy’s ‘The Whole of the Moon’
He has been known to be an enthusiastic singer at the Glee Club.

19. Supports the EU quota system
Mr Farron became the first senior British politician to back the proposal, and called for the UK to welcome 60,000 non-EU migrants to help alleviate the current immigration crisis in Europe.

20. Refuses to enter another coalition without proportional representation
Despite his criticism of the previous coalition, Mr Farron will not rule out entering into another one in future. However, he insists that the automatic introduction of proportional representation would be a non-negotiable precondition to any such co-operation.

21. He once worked in higher education
During his early forays into politics, Mr Farron was also working at Lancashire University from 1992-2002 and St Martin’s College, Ambleside from 2002-5.

22. He has promised that 50 per cent of target seats will be represented by women
Mr Farron has echoed Nick Clegg’s claim that the Lib Dems are ‘too male and too pale.’ Not does he plan to increase representation of women, but he has also vowed to ensure that 10 per cent of target seats will be represented by black, Asian and minority ethnic (BME) candidates.

23. He U-turned on the 50p tax rate
Despite describing the coalition government’s abolishment of the additional tax bracket as "morally repugnant" and "economically witless" in 2011, in June of this year Mr Farron stated that he would not support its re-introduction.

24. In 2015 he won his seat with a 51.5 per cent majority
In a year that saw the Liberal Democrats decimated, he was their only MP to retain his seat with a majority of over 50 per cent.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/liberaldemocrats/11741946/24-things-you-didnt-know-about-Tim-Farron.html

daphnedill Wed 10-Aug-16 21:58:14

I don't know how true this article in the New Statesman by Ann Carlton, Ralph Miliband's former research assistant, is but it's quite an interesting read...

How Tony Benn’s deputy leadership campaign was defeated

www.newstatesman.com/politics/elections/2016/08/how-tony-benn-s-deputy-leadership-campaign-was-defeated

nigglynellie Wed 10-Aug-16 21:22:01

I'm not surprised ab! Tony Benn was a very attractive man. Apparently Jilly Cooper met him at a party and like you was a bowled over by this charismatic, charming and extremely handsome young man! Not sure that JC would have the same effect!
I can understand the footpath episode. After all they are a political family and undoubtedly people would have walked there deliberately just to catch a glimpse of them, which would have been pretty trying! These days of course, security would be a big issue.

POGS Wed 10-Aug-16 21:14:00

Interesting the GMB Union are backing Owen Smith not Corbyn.

Anniebach Wed 10-Aug-16 20:59:43

Petra, thank you, I slapped C4 news on record. So Corbyn ran a campaign from his home to keep the militants in the party , so a trot supporter

Anniebach Wed 10-Aug-16 20:27:45

I met Benn and his wife at Foots house and I confess ---Benn charmed me , he was so charismatic , I think I fell a little bit in love grin ,

petra Wed 10-Aug-16 20:11:21

Whenever is see the name 'Benn' I can't help but think what a two faced bunch they are.
I don't know if it's still the case, but for years no one was allowed to walk along the sea wall outside one of their homes, Stansgate Abbey, in Essex. It didn't bother them that this was a public foot path. This stretch I front of the farm was a mile long, so you had to de-tour all the way round the farm.
All this was going on while Hilary Benn was Secretary of State for the enviroment.
They obviously didn't want the Hopi polloi anywhere near them.

henbane Wed 10-Aug-16 20:06:40

As yggdrasil implied earlier, the Lib Dems were well to the left of the Labour party during the New Labour phase, which is why the supporters they had gathered abandoned them when they formad a coalition with the Conservatives rather than with Labour. Perhaps they will now move left again, to try and pick up the middle ground.

Jalima Wed 10-Aug-16 19:54:14

Tim must be thinking hard because I haven't heard him say much lately

daphnedill Wed 10-Aug-16 19:50:59

If the LibDems have any more intelligence than a goldfish (and I think they do) they'll be thinking very hard right now about how they can win some of their 2010 seats back.

daphnedill Wed 10-Aug-16 19:48:58

Yes! That's more or less what I mean, Jalima. I would also add that most people don't like racism or any other form of discrimination.

petra Wed 10-Aug-16 19:37:59

Tom Watson fighting back ( with evidence) channel 4 news now.

Jalima Wed 10-Aug-16 19:33:20

They may pick up some more MPs too!

Jalima Wed 10-Aug-16 19:32:36

Of course, one could compare Corbyn in some ways with Anthony Wedgewood Benn who became more left-wing as time went on. He was feared by many, never became leader of the party although I think he was Chairman at one time.
In some ways, on paper, there must be similarities between Tony Benn and Jeremy Corbyn, but somehow Benn had more appeal and more charisma and charm - and was a Christian. Not that that is a plus or a minus point but was underlying many of his beliefs I think. Many people disagreed with his politics but all admired him; unfortunately I don't think the same can be said about Jeremy Corbyn.

Anniebach Wed 10-Aug-16 19:28:56

Jalima, I think the Libs are going to pick up votes

Jalima Wed 10-Aug-16 19:21:31

i don't remember putting that hmm in dd
please disregard!

Jalima Wed 10-Aug-16 19:20:57

hmm If by that you mean the majority (not all) of the country are moderate, then that is probably right daphnedill.

I think the majority are decent people, want to work and provide for their families, happy to pay what they think is a fair amount of tax to fund essential services and happy to help anyone in their hour of need. Dislike scroungers, bankers, dislike tax avoiders and those who walk all over others to get rich.
If that is Torylite then that can't be a bad thing.
I would say it is Lib Dem and moderate Labour too.

Anniebach Wed 10-Aug-16 19:20:10

Lazigirl, I do understand , sadly I don't see a return to less confrontational politics .

I have never said most of his supporters are trots, my fear is that those who are now in will cause trouble . They are already working on the party deselecting MP's who are not on the left. There are good, caring MP's who are centre

Nothing I want more than a Labour government who will stick with socialist values but the party needs millions of votes to gain power, we have lost Scotland and will probably lose over thirty more when the boundaries are changed . This is why I believe a party which has gone back to the far left will not win. The young have no knowledge of the eighties , the elderly do and they are far more likely to vote .

If Corbyn promises to build ten million houses and a leader who could possibly win ptomises to build five million houses then better we have five million houses than dreams of ten millions which will never come true . It's difficult for me to move to the centre but better a centre labour government than years of a left wing opposition , people are suffering and it's heart breaking . I may be proved wrong but I truely believe Corbyn cannot win a general election , sorry

daphnedill Wed 10-Aug-16 19:06:23

The trouble is that the voters are Tory-lite.

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