Sensible discussion on Labour Leadership hopefuls

Unions choose which candidate to support to stand for the leadership,
I think candidates need 2 unions. As they need , I think, 21 MP’s.

When it comes to voting for the leader members have a vote.

I expect Unite to support Long Bailey to stand for the leadership, I would be such a happy Welsh Rarebit (happy bunny) if she failed to have enough support to stand

If people think Ian Duncan Smiths plan was right wing, they should read franks proposals. He makes Ian look like a Pussy cat.

I am getting so emotional thinking of past and present labour
MP’s.

Gordon Brown, David Blunkett,Alastair Darling, the adorable
Donald Dewer, Robin Cook , Mo Mowlam , so many great
politicians.

I remember Mo at a party conference joining Welsh night,
shouts of - out, your not Welsh, Mo said - prove it ?

Now we have Long Bailey etc.

Yes, we have different people, that is just life. We all have to deal with what we have, not what we wish we could have. It is the same for everyone,.

I think we are back to that belief that everyone agrees with your views Opal. Of the "people" in the street half of them don't want nuclear weapons. Are you prepared for only half the nation to be represented yet again?

I wonder how many present voters in the LP look back, Annie? Most like to understand the party's history if not the histrionics we sometimes get on here but that is all it is to them. The majority are looking at the future.

Anniebach
It's enough to make you weep, isn't it.

It is Meryl Streep , Just thinking of the shadow cabinet now
and the back benchers many of whom have experience and
been MP’s longer than 4 years .

I agree Annie

Some Tories must wish they could pay the Labour leader to stay on longer than April, especially after he used the first Prime Minister’s Questions of 2020 to ask the Prime Minister continuously about the legality of General Solemani’s assassination.

The tone he took may not be a surprise given his past work for Iranian state TV as a paid presenter, a fact Mr Johnson did not hesitate to remind the House of Commons of!

True Urmstongran. and Long Bailey gives him 10 / 10 as a
leader, depressing

Was Soleimani's murder legal, then Ug?

Seems to be debatable

politics.froodl.com/world/middle-east/was-qasem-soleimanis-assassination-legal/

I'm wondering if Trump's assertion of 'planned attacks' on the US is somewhat in the same category as those famous 'weapons of mass destruction' which excused the war with Iraq... He's another of our contemporary liars-in-office

GGMK3 - maybe we should have a referendum on it?

If it’s debatable MaizieD I’m pretty sure I’d be one side of it and you t’other.

Well, as you are prepared to put your faith in a liar, Ug and I'm not, I think you're absolutely right about which side I'd be on.

No need to be on the side of right is there UG is there when you can feel you are on the side of the winner. This often seems to be all that matters to you. Majorities are not always right you know; just look at history.

Not true GG13 as when I cast my vote to Leave the EU I certainly didn’t think I was going to be on the ‘winning’ side. Not by a long chalk! No wonder I was joyous. It was such a shock. Remember David Dimbleby’s face early that morning? I do.
?

growstuff Quote [ Anniebach Does Unison have more votes than UNITE (it has slightly more members)? [ End Quote.

Growstuff, it is not the total number of members that any individual union has that effects the strength of that unions vote in any Labour Party leadership campaign. It is how many of those members pay the political levy that is the important element.

With UNISON they have 1.3 million members of which approximately fifty percent pay the above levy. Therefore six hundred fifty thousand are entitled to vote in the forthcoming leadership election.

However, with the Unite Union, they have 1.2 million members of which eighty-five percent pay the political levy. Therefore just over 1 million of its members will be entitled to vote in the forthcoming leadership.election.

Of course, many of the above members will not wish to vote based on passed polling records. Therefore I believe in this election affiliated members must register that they wish to cast a vote by indicating such on the Labour Pary or their own union's websites between the 15th and 16th of January.

I have already received an email from my Union Branch stating the above and that just replying "yes" to that email prior to the above dates will register me as wishing to vote. I will then receive electronically all the campaign information from the candidates and be able to vote online when the poll opens.

It has also to be remembered that it is "one member, one vote. So the General Executive of any affiliated union can nominate a candidate as their preference for leader (as UNISON has done), but as with any union, the members can and will vote individually for whoever they prefer.

Further information in regard to Labour Party affiliated members voting in leadership elections and information on the political levy can be found by following the below links:-

unitetheunion.org/what-we-do/unite-in-politics/unite-and-the-labour-party/

www.unison.org.uk/about/our-organisation/political-affiliations-and-support/

Thanks Grandad for your explanation. I do realise that facts often have a pretty low currency on GN and giving links and explanations is of course absolutely no substitute for believing ill informed posts. I can’t believe some posters were talking about the ‘Union block vote’.

Thank you for the clarification Grandad.

I found this article:

www.newstatesman.com/politics/2013/07/myth-trade-union-block-vote

My understanding was (and is) that the unions play an important part in supporting candidates in the first place, but the votes are the responsibility of individuals.

Why is there still a myth about a block vote?

Because people like to demonise unions

Anniebach know what you mean about the quality ( or lack of it) amongst Labour MP hopefuls, and heard today that the creepy Barry Gardiner ( haha! No chance) has thrown his hat into the ring.?

Barry Gardiner? Eeeeewwww, no thanks, even Emily Thornberry is better than him, and I don't say that lightly!

definitely lack of it lemon

Must clarify ( or the pedants will be out in force).....Barry Gardiner wants to put himself forward as a candidate and is at the moment trying to find out how many would support him before ‘declaring’. Let’s hope nobody at all does.?

Oh the quality of comments from the right wing - I’m quite overwhelmed, I’ll go and have a sit down.