The Labour Party

A Conservative Lincolnshire councillor has been suspended after tweeting that Labour Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, “should be swinging from the gallows like Saddam Hussein”.

Councillor Roger Patterson, who is President of the Gainsborough Conservatives and sits on West Lindsey District Council for Scampton ward, sent out the now deleted tweet which said Mr Corbyn “betrayed his country”.

It is good that this Tory councillor has been suspended by his party, but the fact that he could have ever thought it acceptable to use such vile language is a sad reflection on the coarsening of our public discours in recent years. The right wing media have a lot to answer for.

Worse than Glyn Secker who has been chosen to give training to Labour Party members, he said ‘Jews are in the gutter and part of the problem ‘

John McDonnell

"I was up in Liverpool a fortnight ago where Alec McFadden, one of our organisers, launched the Sack Esther McVey Day on her birthday.

"I spoke at a packed public meeting. There was a whole group in the audience that completely kicked off quite critical of the whole concept, because they were arguing 'Why are we sacking her? Why aren't we lynching the bastard?'"

At least the Conservative Party took an interest in doing the right thing.

McDonnell won't even apologise, of course in the Labour Party you are either ' only joking', or ' have been on a journey'.

Are there any others on here- who are not anti-Corbyn, who agree is is a great activist, that all the antisemitic accusations against him are nonsense - and yet also agree that it is time for him to make way for someone new- a fresh start- and someone who will be crystal clear in their intentions, off that bleeding fence - and ready to campaign whole-heartedly for the future of the country, out of the grubby hands of Trump and worse.

I wish somebody male or female would come from out of the shadows and claim the leadership. I have somebody in mind.....lets see.

He is utterly utterly hopeless and too old.

jura2 I completely agree with you. I joined the Labour Party after he was first elected because I was impressed with him at that time. However, I, like many of my Labour friends have become disillusioned with him because of his fence sitting.

I've just returned from lunch with a group of friends, most of whom are left of centre. None of them liked Corbyn and said they wouldn't vote for Labour in the next GE. My argument is that Corbyn has a much better shadow cabinet than the Tories had under TM and now have under BJ and that it is a government that we should be voting for and not just a future PM. I can't see anyone dislodging him as leader at the moment because of the divisions that would cause. In any event the party needs the younger (Momentum perhaps) members to go out campaigning if a GE is called.

Who in the shadow cabinet ? Yes Emily Thornberry and
Keir Starmer but ?

Any suggestions jura?

I used to think Keir Starmer, sensible and intelligent, but I'm afraid that he lacks charisma

Dinahmo, your experience with left /former labour voters is mirrored across the country. You’re right that labour policies are good but the leader is hopeless. He’s also increasingly invisible and irritable. Is he depressed? I no longer care what his problem is. If he’d any integrity he’d resign and leave room for a younger, more dynamic leader who would seek consensus, be clear about leave or remain (remain for me) and be confident enough to take Flashman
On

Iam64 You're right, but who would that younger leader be?

Before the leadership election I had hopes for Chuka Ummuna until he stood down. I've changed my mind about Yvette Cooper and think that she would be good and it's a pity that David Milliband isn't an MP.

Anniebach I think the two you mention are better than any on the Tory front bench. I'd add John McDonnell and Tom Watson. Barry Gardiner. Dianne Abbott - no. Apart from that most of them are OK but, I'm ashamed to say, I do dislike one or two because of their appearance. I can't stnd Rebecca Long Bailey's eyebrows! Mea culpa.

He is not invisible hear in the North. Manchester yesterday and Liverpool the day before.

Dinahmo, those you name have experience , most of the shadow cabinet do not. Tom Watson most certainly will never be leader , John MacDonald would get the backing of the Unions.

No one from the back benches with experience would get the union vote. It will be decided by Momentum and the Unions.

The U.K. votes not just the north of England

I am aware of that Anniebach Just pointing out that Jeremy Corbyn has not been in hiding, but there has not been much on the news about these northern events.

ilovecheese a leader needs to venture further than the north and London.

The Sheffield Hallem bi-election I would think see a Labour loss to Lib Dems. I say Labour loss as O'Mara was sitting as an Independent on leaving Labour.

Whilst I should be sympathetic to the reason why O'Mara is leaving I admit I am struggling as Jared O'Mara should never have been a candidate and dare I say it for Nick Clegg to loose to him was a bit of a travesty.

Now Nick Clegg is earning mega nucks with Facebook I guess he won't be standing but Lib Dems will win I'm sure.

Unfortunately Tom Watson has lost credibility.
He should never become leader.

He never will be leader

Tom Watson .

Too much baggage but he gets away with it so anything could happen.

He will not get away with this and become leader.
A pity, but if he did, it would definitely be an election-loser.

The party needs to move from the far left to gain votes around the country.

I cannot understand why there is so much speculation on this forum in regard to a new Labour Party leader. Jeremy Corbyn has stated that he will not be standing down until the Brexit crisis is resolved, and It is very unlikely there will be a vote of no confidence brought forward and held among Labour MPs in the House of Commons.

Even if a vote of no confidence was brought about and commanded a majority, I have no doubt that Corbyn would call a leadership election, stand again himself and win another overwhelming majority by way of the grassroots activists and the affiliate members.

As for Tom Watson now having any chance of becoming leader, that I feel is pure fantasy due to his recent self inflicted problems that in all probability will result in him losing the position of Deputy Leader and possibly facing deselection by his constituency party.

The grassroots membership of the Labour Party and broader movement in the country now have a set of policies that they believe represents true Labour socialism for those working members and their families. Those policies will be placed before the wider electorate in any forthcoming General Election.

Even if the Labour Party were then to lose that election, then I also believe those policies would still remain the same and on offer to the electorate into the future.

Gone are the days of witnessing the Labour executive cosying up to the bankers and multi-national company executives in the hope of getting donations and future jobs, while at the same time totally ignoring the wishes of the rank and file activists and affiliate members who have paid subscriptions to the party funding for over one hundred years.

The Blair days are over, the remaining Blairites in the party will soon be shown the door (hopefully) and in that the Labour movement and party has returned to its core root beliefs.

In the above, the Labour party will remain for the foreseeable future, and that's the way it should be.

The Labour Party has returned to its core root beliefs?

The 60’s and 70’s ,Harold Wilson , James Callaghan, in the control of the unions, strikes , strikes, strikes, then further left with Michael Foot , this all brought us the Thatcher years.

Then Neil Kinnock, John Smith, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown
which brought the party 3 consecutive general election wins.

The country has moved on since 1945. We do not have
flat caps, pigeon lofts, terrier crossed dogs , workman’s clubs where women were banned.

It isn't difficult to understand why ''there is so much speculation on this forum in regard to a new Labour Party leader'. Several posters have commented that their friendship groups are discussing desperation with the current leadership and the need for a new leader.

Read a newspaper, listen to a radio phone in, the news etc and the subject of Corbyn's poor leadership of the Labour Party is constantly referred to.

It's interesting that in the desperate times we're now facing, Grandad states that even I the LP loses the next election, its current policies (and leader?) would remain in place. It isn't the policies so much as the leadership that I hear people express genuine concern about. I'm not alone in feeling absolute despair that the focus seems to be on blaming "Blairites" for any difficulties faced by the current leadership. It's like the Conservatives constantly referring to the 'no money left' note, or blaming the LP for the collapse of the economy. Get over this and start to seriously look at what loyal labour voters are saying.

I don’t know one rank and file activist or affiliated member who has been in the Labour Party for over 100 years