Corbyn's Magnetism

BBC website GG www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-43462223

For all those who think there are no decent options available at the moment, it's good to know that you're not a lone voice.
52% of people are dissatisfied with May and 52% are dissatisfied with Corbyn. There's a bit of me that thinks this could be just over half the people in the survey saying 'they're all rubbish!'

www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/comment/labour-s-moderates-have-hit-breaking-point-2dbdx26l9

Mr Corbyn’s real problem, however, is not the imagery used to portray him by others but the opinions that he and those around him hold. Nobody manipulated the Labour leader’s Commons response to the Salisbury attack, in which he urged the prime minister to continue “robust dialogue” with Vladimir Putin. Nor did anybody misrepresent his subsequent article raising concerns about “flawed intelligence and dodgy dossiers” after the revelation that a nerve agent had been used, as if the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq was in any way relevant to the actual use of chemical weapons on the streets of Britain.

Yet Labour MPs who signed a Commons early-day motion unequivocally accepting the Russian state’s “culpability” for the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal have been subjected to a barrage of abuse. As one former minister puts it: “The instinct is to support Russia because your enemy’s enemy is your friend. It’s not anti-war, it’s anti-West.”

Moderate MPs are biding their time because they believe that they can have more influence over the Brexit negotiations from within the official opposition than as a separate grouping or new party, but many admit this cannot last until the next election. Several senior figures say they would find it impossible to campaign for Mr Corbyn to become prime minister, knowing that there was a real chance he could get to No 10. As one MP put it: “If I’m honest, I think he would be a threat to national security.”

The equivocation over Russia followed revelations of his membership in an antisemitic Facebook group. “Every week it gets worse and it’s going to carry on getting worse,” says one MP. “The question we keep asking ourselves is can we save the Labour Party or should we do something else?”

Interesting article Primrose, thanks

Thank you Primrose, robust dialogue with Putin? Suppose he will sort out Syria with robust dialogue too

For Labour MPs who feel increasingly as if their party has been stolen from them, last week was a tipping point.

I am not a member of the Labour Party, as I have said before. Obviously those who are/have been, presumably the majority of posters on this thread, feel they have more skin in the game. The above was the line that stood out for me more than anything from Primrose's link. Otherwise it was just an attack on Corbyn and I don't find that at all interesting; it just seems to reflect some sort of flaccid paralysis of the Conservative Party who, I notice, are by no means "all in it together".

The Labour MPs who feel that their party "has been stolen" from them are the same - or of the same beliefs, as those who stole it from the party members in the first place. Get out and get on with it would be my advice, but then ... I am not a Labour Party member.

"Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said the UK must still deal with Russia despite "all fingers" pointing to it over the Salisbury spy attack. He said he would "do business" with Vladimir Putin but assertively and on the basis of the UK's values.
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell says he believes Mr Putin was responsible."

No surprises there then.

Thinking of Corbyn engaged in robust dialogue, the same man who when asked a question by one female reporter said - your harassing me, and hid behind a glass door.

The far left caused the 1983 disastrous election result, the left of centre won three consecutive elections

No, there aren't any surprises in that Chewbacca. I find it good to see at least one politician, Corbyn in this instance, not talking a lot of BS. Don't you think we will have to do business with Russia Chewbacca or would you like - well what exactly would you like them to do.

Nothing is likely to happen, if the government has a sane head when dealing with this, until the OPCW analyses their samples. We need the rest of the world backing us on this. There are still questions to be answered. Radio 4 broadcasted an really interesting interview yesterday while they were trying to find out if reports that Porton Down scientists are not able to identify the nerve agent as being of Russian manufacture, and have been resentful of the pressure being placed on them to do so. Porton Down would only sign up to the formulation of "a type developed by Russia" after a difficult meeting where this was agreed as a compromise formulation

The interview was with a risk consultant who had been an inspector for the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

... they'll be able to produce and characterise the sample and then come back. It's really a question then as to whether that characterisation is sufficient to support the UK's assertion or it's slightly more generic term of just saying a nerve agent that appears to be of the characteristics of Novichok.

The tension they you mentioned between Porton and the Government is entirely credible; I don't know whether it's true or not, but it's entirely credible where scientists are always looking to ensure that degree of accuracy whereas politicians do thrive a little more on ambiguity.

This is really not about whether belittling the leader of the opposition is clever - it rarely is and, as these things do, usually tell us more about the belittler than the belitted. It's about whether you want another war or, at the least, a cold war. That certainly would not be clever.

The first quote seems to come straight from Craig Murray's blog GGMk2. Was the 'risk consultant' just reading out his blog post?

Which Radio 4 programme was it?

Shame that they only focus on one aspect of his conspiracy theory. Discuss all of it and see if his story holds up.

"When Amber Rudd said the government were reopening investigations into possible missed political assassinations, I suppose I should have realised it wouldn't be the cases of David Kelly, Willie Macrae and Hilda Murrell."

"Remarkable correlation between Labour MPs who attacked Corbyn in EDM wanting no investigation into Salisbury before firmly attributing blame, and parliamentary Labour Friends of Israel, I wonder why?"

I have no idea why the BBC would want to promote his rubbish.

"Get out" seems to be the message of the LP at the moment. If you're the 'wrong sort' of Labour.

Sickening, this is Corbyn's kinder politics ?

I don't know why anyone is surprised at Corbyn's reaction in the Commons; he is simply doing what he has done all his life: opposing the current view.

As a back bencher of no interest to anyone other than his constituence but as leader of the opposition party ?

Momentum are carrying out what they said they would do in 2017, clearing out all they don’t like in the LP Office.
Moderate Labour MP’s will have to do something long before the next election, this latest debacle ( Russian poisonings) must have made a lot of people rethink if Corbyn should ever be PM.I certainly hope so anyway.

They certainly are lemon. With big banners and megaphones, for the avoidance of any doubt! It's really sad - staffers for Corbynista MPs are cheering on twitter and saying it's fantastic that they've gone. What is interesting is now there is no pretence, so they obviously feel they're in control now.

eazybee The clue is in the title- The Leader of Her Majesty's most loyal Opposition. It's what he is meant to do. Present the opposing view. It's called democracy.

Oppose the government regardless ? No that is not what a leader of the oposition must do regardless .

Except in cases of extreme emergency, or war Annie that is what he has to do. If not who will speak and ask the difficult questions?

I forget , Abbott said , the attempted murder of three people and endangering the lives of innocent uk residents was just an incident. Trisher you will defend that man regardless

He didn't ask difficult questions , he spoke against what the majority of the parties MP's said

You can dislike the man as much as you want Annie but he has a job to do and he is doing it. In the face of rampant jingoism, media condemnation, some of his own party and people who do not understand democracy he has simply asked that there be a proper investigation into what happened and that we should not have an instant knee-jerk reaction. It is what many people want. It may not be pandering to the mob who clamour for instant action. It is speaking up for the more circumspect amongst us who prefer to know all the facts before we act. Are we not entitled to a voice?

I've decided to stop answering stupid questions Primrose. Ask pleasantly if you want an answer.