Momentum are getting stronger

From The Times:

Jeremy Corbyn faced controversy last night after it emerged that he spent part of Monday evening with a journalist who denies the Srebrenica genocide, defends the Assad regime and suggests that the murder of the Labour MP Jo Cox could have been a conspiracy.

Mr Corbyn was pictured at a restaurant in his constituency of Islington north with Marcus Papadopoulos, a frequent contributor to Russian state television. Mr Papadopoulos said that they had spent the evening together but a Labour spokesman said that Mr Corbyn’s party had been joined only briefly by the controversial journalist.

Is this brief meeting at a restaurant with a man who has no direct influence on British politics the same as being invited as guest-of-honour to a black tie dinner - held by a UK group whose intention is to influence UK policy, and one of whose senior officers calls for voluntary re-patriation from the UK of non-EU migrants?

I don't think a list of every dinner with every politician with people who hold 'extreme' views would be a good use of my time or add anything to a debate.

I think it's part of their job to engage with people who are extreme. It keeps them inside the political process and helps them to feel heard, which is a good thing.

It was most certainly not a good thing that the BBC was so keen to offer umpteen opportunities for the appalling Nigel Farage to air his poisonous views for so many years. The BBC has a lot to answer for. Extreme views like his, if given the oxygen of publicity, can be dangerous and destructive.

He was on the other evening and in my view came close to inciting riot and violence.

"whose intention is to influence UK policy"

There are lots of organisations that want to influence UK policy. That's not a crime either.

Whether they do have any influence is another matter, but they have every right to try if they think it's important enough.

TBG seems, so far, to have had bugger all influence on repatriations and immigration so I'm not going to start panicking about them yet.

I think I've got the message that you think JRM is nit far short of a devil incarnate, eloethan.

Oh good, it's moved on to the dreaded Farage. I'll bugger off now.

But before I do, just think! Until a few weeks ago all I knew about Jacob Rees-Mogg is that he existed. Such an education, Gransnet is.

I am not the only one who is supicious of Rees-Mogg's denial of all knowledge of the BTG's values and objectives. The BTG itself re-published an article that strongly implied Rees-Mogg pleaded ignorance of the Group because he was leaned on by senior Conservatives.

You say "I will continue to think both JRM and JC are decent men until they are proved guilty of actual crimes." On every political thread on which you have posted you have been consistently critical of Corbyn and Momentum. I realise you are trying to demonstrate neutrality but your Gransnet political input indicates otherwise.

I don't think Rees-Mogg is the devil incarnate but I do think he's a very blinkered and backward-looking man who believes in a hierarchical social and political system based on lineage, and achieved by means of legitimising and reinforcing inequality.

Did you also know that he has been reprimanded more than once for failing to declare his financial interests in debates when he put forward arguments that supported his financial interest?

Oh well all adds the the hundred of millions I suppose.

My post was to bags

If Rees-Mogg is elected leader of the Tory party, what does that say about Tory voters as a whole? What does it say about UK society as a whole?
We will be even more of a laughing stock than we are already.

It would never happen even the Tories aren't that hell bent on self destruction

I'm not trying to demonstrate my political neutrality, elo. I'm just not interested enough in people like JRM to be bothered with raking up muck (true or not) about them. As I said, I knew bugger all about him before this thread and I intend not to think about him much in the future. Waste of brain space.

In contrast, I care very much about the Labour Party, about what and who is/are driving it, so I'm critical of what I see as its bad side, like quite a lot of other lifelong Labour voters and even Labour MPs, I think you'd find if you could be arsed to rake around as much as you seem to about Tories.

You have a different point of view from mine is all it boils down to so kindly keep your judgmentalism about me to yourself. Actually, I'm quite flattered that you've even rubbed two brain cells together with regard to my political views. Why do you care enough to keep analysing and going on about "what they must be" according to Eloethan? ???

I don't think Eloethan needs to rake around. She has told us often enough that she is a member, I think.

I don't see your posts as caring at all about the Labour Party, as much as about your dislike of Corbyn.
I dislike Tories; you dislike real socialist Labour.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=MtN1YnoL46Q

I'm the duck. People who take it upon themselves to tell me what I think are the lemonade stall man, except they never seem to do the friendly bit ???

Don't think anyone needs to 'rake around' to find stories about Tories; the papers are full of them at the moment as they fight like a bag of cats.

Actually Baggs I think it is important to know about people like JRM because the policies he holds dear are at the heart of Conservatism and always have been. If you don't know your enemy you can't hope to defeat them. As for the Labour Party, if you regard Momentum as the "bad' side of it you are effectively disagreeing with all the young people who came out to vote in force for Labour at the last election and who see Labour as a real source of hope. That is socialist Labour as dj said. I have said before it is impossible to occupy the middle ground it has been firmly taken over by the voice of the Conservative party (although their actions might differ). Offering real hope and opportunity in the shape of socialist policies is the way forward, fear of those policies is an idea implanted by the right wing and needs to be questioned. There is an awful lot of speculation and hype about what Momentum might be up to but very little real evidence, and an awful lot of right wing propaganda in newspapers.

Since you profess to care so much about the Labour Party, I still can't help but wonder why you spend so much time on here criticising it.

I did not "muck rake" about Rees-Mogg. I referred to an event that happened and which was the subject of an article in The Independent.

If you wonder why Rees-Mogg is of interest to me and other Labour Party members, perhaps this coverage from the somersetlive website will enlighten you (and there are plenty of similar comments in the national press too):

"The past few weeks has seen North East Somerset MP Jacob Rees-Mogg become a social media celebrity.

"It has been an extraordinary month or so for the Conservative politician, with his Instagram and Facebook accounts gaining thousands of followers .......

"With the mood of the nation turning against Prime Minister Theresa May's leadership, the odds have been slashed on Mr Rees-Mogg taking over the reigns [sic] in Government. "

If there is any possibility that this man might be deemed a suitable candidate for Prime Minister, it is important that people are aware of what he actually believes in, which is quite evident from his voting record. His eccentricity and olde worlde persona do seem to bring him some novelty value. People tend to like a bit of a "character", and not to see their more unpleasant characteristics and beliefs (I am sure that, had Boris Johnson not been "a character/bit of a laugh" his abysmal performance as Mayor of London would have led him to fall by the wayside a long time ago.)

There are plenty of Conservatives on here who are more than willing to throw muck at the Labour Party, Corbyn, Momentum, et al, and deride their every move, and - unlike you - I don't feel the need to join them. I prefer to back a party that wants to call a halt to the policies that have brought the NHS to its knees, severely damaged every area of educational provision, starved our local authorities of cash and so prevented them from providing vital services like day centres for the elderly and Meals on Wheels, voted against any measures that prevent the exploitation of tenants, and generally acted for the benefit of the privileged at the expense of nearly everybody else.

As Anoosh Chakelian said in the New Statesman:

"Rees-Mogg’s voting record, and which bills he chooses to filibuster, undermine his persona as a loveable toff. He voted against same-sex marriage, has talked out bills to scrap the bedroom tax, teach first aid in schools, and others, voiced support for Donald Trump, and called for his party to collaborate with Ukip."

I really don't understand the little film you posted. Perhaps you'd like to explain it to me, or - if you decline - perhaps someone else could.

That was to Baggs by the way.

Apparently he has a twitter account trying to attract the young it's called MoggMentum last time I looked he had 2k followers. probably his children. I can just imagine the sort though. Do remember that cartoon character in the BEANO he reminds me do much of him.

Wonder away, eloethan. I get it and that's the important thing. I suspect that anniebach gets where I'm coming from too.

trisher, good point. I'll keep a look out for interesting stuff about JRM that isn't a harangue from another gransnetter (I don't mean you).

Don't you think Mogg men tum is interesting bags?

I think it's hilarious

I hope you will post what you find on here for us, bags.
I like a laugh.
Lord Snooty, do you mean, whitewave?