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Voting for Jeremy Corbyn - the political equivalent of buying a Harley Davidson

(705 Posts)
kittylester Sun 17-Sept-17 18:18:55

A quote from an article by Nick Cohen in Saturday's (I think) Guardian

My phone isn't letting me do links - sorry! But try googling it if you are interested.

Maggiemaybe Mon 18-Sept-17 10:08:31

Really? When even The IMF has said that austerity policies are unnecessary and don't work? Which experts have supported it?

Maggiemaybe Mon 18-Sept-17 10:09:53

amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jul/07/imf-austerity-doesnt-work-immigrants-working-class

grannysue05 Mon 18-Sept-17 10:48:00

I suspect this thread was started as a humourous one, and not intended to start a fierce political debate.
We all vote for what we believe in but sadly, these days, there is nobody out there with the ability to 'steady the ship' .
This system of (really) only two parties is dated. I wish there was another way.

trisher Mon 18-Sept-17 10:50:32

Actually the article itself is quite interesting once you get past the absolute hatred of Corbyn and find the real question that is debatable, which is why are so many middle class older people moving back to Labour? Having dissed us for not being working class-arguably the working class as such has virtually disappeared-he then makes some valuable points that the people who expected to have some sort of stability in their lives, educated, owning their own house, wanting the same for their children and grandchildren now find themselves supporting children heavily in debt, unable to afford housing and GCs looking forward to the same. The response being to vote Labour. I think it's much more complicated than that. I think there is a generation raised in a welfare state who have watched it steadily eradicated and desperately are looking for someone to save it, because they know the benefits it conferred on them. In other words a spirt of altruism which has always been there is beginning to rise again. Thank goodness
As for being like buying a Harley No way. It's more like clubbing together to buy an ambulance and driving to the rescue.

Anniebach Mon 18-Sept-17 11:17:39

It's clubbing together for strikes, broken promises ,very powerful unions.

trisher Mon 18-Sept-17 11:25:56

Unions that brought working men, proper jobs, proper wages, equal wages for women and better working conditions for all. Really Anniebach for a Labour supporter you are dissing the very basis of the working class movement. This fear of Unions was started by Margaret Thatcher and perpetuated by the Conservatives. They are working people who have a right to a voice, rather than the rich and powerful who have their money to influence governments.

Anniebach Mon 18-Sept-17 11:44:43

I fully support unions, I do not support unions controlling the government .

Thatcher did not cause a labour government to force the people of Aberfan to pay for the removal of the tips , a labour government did because the unions were in a battle with the NCB.

Thatcher did not cause unions to leave the dead unburied, unions did.

Unions drove the Labour Party into the wilderness years and the same will happen again .

This is no defence of Thatcher just a few acts which brought misery to the country by unions controlling the government

MawBroon Mon 18-Sept-17 11:48:19

Cheaper though. Whether less dangerous is debatable grin

trisher Mon 18-Sept-17 11:53:39

You brought the Unions into this Anniebach make your mind up. Still I suppose your support for them is much like your support of the Labour Party. Just not understandable to most of us.

Anniebach Mon 18-Sept-17 12:34:09

My support for the Labour Party is still strong, I cannot support the momentum party. I assume you will have knowledge of the arrangements for the party conference next week? Momentum has done as promised last year and taken it over, Khan and Burnham are not allowed to speak. Centre left MP's are to be silenced.

I wish they would do the decent,honest thing and call themselves the momentum party and sod of.

Your posts about me not being Labour are ridiculous, I have not changed, I am not and never have been a supporter of militants or communists.

trisher Mon 18-Sept-17 13:04:38

Even Sadik Khan agreed it was a good idea to have ordinary members of the party speaking at the conference. Presumably you think they shouldn't have a voice? I think younger members of the party will be pleased that it isn't just the standard voices, that can be heard anyway, speaking.
You apparently don't support the Unions either, so I do wonder which areas of the Labour Party you do support? (apart from Tony Blair of course).

nightowl Mon 18-Sept-17 13:40:10

Was Tony Blair Labour trisher? I must have misunderstood. I thought he was Maggie Thatcher's 'greatest achievement' (or so she said) grin

lemongrove Mon 18-Sept-17 13:43:38

anniebach has just stated that she supports the unions, but not, as I would agree, the unions running the country.
I imagine that Khan and Burnham are toeing the Party line,
But must secretly be fuming, given their political experience, having to give the floor to young Joe Bloggs who knows very little.
Momentum are now in control of the Labour Party and will be doing all in their power to consolidate their grip.

Anniebach Mon 18-Sept-17 13:45:57

The ordinary members will be momentum members , the whole conference is rigged

Anniebach Mon 18-Sept-17 13:49:15

I support unions, I support labour MP's, I do not support unions controlling the government and I do not support militants and communists.

lemongrove Mon 18-Sept-17 13:53:05

Perhaps Corbyn will ride into Conference on his Harley.grin

durhamjen Mon 18-Sept-17 14:24:28

This is why unions are needed.

" Official figures released this week show that 16.9 per cent of workers were employed in the public sector in June – a 0.1 per cent fall on the previous quarter.

This is the lowest share since the ONS’s current records began in 1999 – and historic Bank of England data reveals it is the lowest share since 1947, the year before the NHS was founded. [1]

Even under Margaret Thatcher the public sector’s share of employment did not fall below 20 per cent.

Just under a million public jobs have been lost since 2010 due to funding cuts, privatisation and outsourcing.

The majority of the jobs lost have been in local government. [2] "

durhamjen Mon 18-Sept-17 14:25:34

www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/bulletins/publicsectoremployment/june2017

Anniebach Mon 18-Sept-17 14:36:52

Has anyone said unions are not needed? What is not needed is a union controlled government and puppet Corbyn is their dream come true . Thornberry is already being tipped as the next leader, something I said months ago.

gillybob Mon 18-Sept-17 14:45:22

David Milliband would have been a perfect Labour leader.

trisher Mon 18-Sept-17 14:46:26

nightowl I asked about Blair because I have yet to discover what sort of Labour Party Annie supports- Blair was the furthest to the right I could think of, but yes, you are right, he was regarded by Thatcher as her greatest achievement
Arguably lemongrove politics should not be about listening to those in power, or those proposing to be in power, but those people listening to ordinary men and women, who have experienced the problems of everyday life, and then doing something about it. Not using party conferences as a platform for people who speak publicly everyday makes a welcome change

Maggiemaybe Mon 18-Sept-17 14:48:46

I think I'd agree with you there, gillybob, though sadly we'll never know for sure.

nightowl Mon 18-Sept-17 15:08:24

I know trisher. I share your confusion about Annie's politics confused

durhamjen Mon 18-Sept-17 15:20:02

It's a bit unusual to be in favour of unions but not in favour of what unions do, being affiliated to the Labour Party.
Maybe Annie would prefer it if they were affiliated to the Tory Party.

Talking about Tony Blair, have you seen that his favourite PR group has got itself into a spot of bother?

Anniebach Mon 18-Sept-17 15:24:01

My politics are just that MINE, that you claim they confuse you is rubbish sorry, quite simply I am not a supporter of militants or communists, I am not far left, those are the politics of yester year.

I do not trust Corbyn, he will promise anything to gain power and will just dance to Len McClusky's tune.

I will continue to post my views on militants , communists and momentum, really they are one and the same