Labour sacks shadow transport minister who backed strikes.

The Tories have completely reversed these gains

Totally agree Dickens 09.43.03

It is so easy to forget what a Labour government will do for the working man.

The last Labour government drastically reduced child and pensioner poverty, built and renewed thousands of state schools, put the NHS into a better place than it had been in for decades. Tax was overall not reduced, but the burden was realigned from the poorest to the wealthiest.

That is why unions support the Labour Party, it is not just a narrow focus on trade disputes, it is much more than that.

So it is all right to castigate Boris Johnson relentlessly for his relationships, real and imagined, but not to even comment on Angela Rayner and her lack of morals

Personally, I'd prefer it if we left the private lives of both out of the equation. We cannot possibly know all there is to know about the personal relationships of either of them, and unless they are breaking the Law - or pontificating on the morals of others - they should be allowed to conduct their private lives... privately.

Media headlines talking about a "boyfriend" or previously (in Johnson's case) a "mistress" is just prurient tittle-tattle, and it muddies the waters of important political issues. And I'm also mindful of the fact that there are children involved in all this mire of speculation.

Yes. Let’s cut off all of Labours funding and allow the billionaire, tax evader newspaper magnate supported Conservatives to govern in perpetuity. Can’t you see this is what the government want. And some of you are just playing into their hands.

Linfreed I'm not a labour voter or supporter but I am a socialist who believs that the unions gave us all the rights we enjoy and will lose without them .Things like equal pay,holiday rights ,sick pay the 40 hour week ,should we just abandon these and let the tories take us back to Victorian times?

If they cant support the Unions why are the unions supporting them? Most people who pay union dues believe the money thats sent to the Labour party will be used in part to support the the unions during disputes .

IF they want to distance themselves from the unions then the cash flow from the unions needs to stop INSTANTLY .

Its not being "steeped in the past" to have a system that supports and gives a voice to the working population ..and its not* communist* to be in one .Its common sense ,especially given the xtreme right wing politics at play now ,the tories will strip rights from us all without a second thought ...they've already made a start

This thread is like reading The Guardian. Honestly, is there anyone on here who is not a Labour Party supporter, or at least neutral?

I would like to see a wide range of opinions, not just flag waving socialists.

Why don’t you just ask him. And tell him how to run the country if he becomes PM as well…..

Strikes

Why doesent Starmer commit to at zero to very low cost - creating a public supplier AND creating a state owned renewable generation company.

And speak out not choose to stay silent on what's happening to our NHS and support the strikers there will be many more

I think that we are definitely into a period of trade dispute, and for this reason I think that Starmer is right in not standing on the picket lines.

This will become quite unsustainable.

Whitewavemark2

foxie48

I think it was the right decision and it's about time we stopped defining labour as "For the working man" and Conservative as "for the rich", it may have been appropriate in the past but it is not relative now and we need political parties to reflect that change. Strikes harm everyone and those that can do the most harm benefit tbh I'm not happy with that, why should a train driver have more "clout" than a care worker?

Because they are unionised. That is an argument for unions.

And IMO that is exactly why the LP needs to be seen as independent of the Unions. With union membership at around 23% of the working population the LP has to be seen to represent a wide spectrum of voters and MPs standing on the picket lines gives the wrong message. My view won't be popular with the left but I'd like to see a Labour government in power rather than a LP steeped in the past and permanently in opposition.

MaizieD Wed 27-Jul-22 18:53:08
Maudi

He's Angela Rayner boyfriend he left his wife and family for her. Rayner should be ashamed of herself in my opinion, I bet she supports the strikes. If Labour ever got into power God help us with her as Deputy PM.

Good heavens, Maudi. Are you for real? There are times when you sound like a parody account on twitter.

So it is all right to castigate Boris Johnson relentlessly for his relationships, real and imagined, but not to even comment on Angela Rayner and her lack of morals.

Hopefully Annie and by your analysis, the summer of discontent will see the Tories out of power for the next 18 years at least, since it’s their doing.

Iam64

Starmer is rock and hard place. The minister went on the picket line and gave multiple unauthorised interviews. He knew he’d be sacked. The left are brewing a leadership challenge for September’s conference. Like that’s going to help defeat the awful tories ?

Spot on Iam64. It had to come.

Who was the last far left PM ?

This from We Own it on energy is very interesting

Two things public ownership and the NHS Does Starmer support these?

Yesterday in the Guardian we pointed out that the Labour Party is missing a trick by failing to commit to public ownership of energy. In particular, there are two policies it could commit to at zero to very low cost - creating a public supplier AND creating a state owned renewable generation company.

Countries all around the world choose to use public ownership of wind, water, solar and geothermal power as a tool - especially those who are climate leaders. State owned energy generation can speed up the green transition while creating jobs, boosting the economy and returning a profit right back to that country.

weownit.org.uk/blog/guess-which-top-10-green-energy-countries-doesnt-use-public-ownership

"We've just had the biggest legislative change in parliment in the last decade that has now become law that completes the replication of the American system the creation of public private entities integrated care systems that effectively denationalises the NHS that turns it into a set of 42 budgets which are going to be controlled by the private sector run like the rail franchise system they'll have their own negotiating postions there will be a loss of national bargaining for the staff and the budgets that will be given over will be fixed from which they can withdraw a profit and the main way they are going to do that is to screw down the turns and conditions of the staff and deny care to the patients now where is Stamer on any of this he is delibritly silent on this major change that has happened hoping nobody notices. What we have in effect is an attack on the standards of living on the population at a time when everybody is already struggling. This government has doubled down on the class war and I'm afraid Starmer is not on our side" from Dr Bob Gill.

Starmer is rock and hard place. The minister went on the picket line and gave multiple unauthorised interviews. He knew he’d be sacked. The left are brewing a leadership challenge for September’s conference. Like that’s going to help defeat the awful tories ?

According to some, we are about to enter a 10 year recession, so any government will find it very difficult.

annibach will said and observed! I was there and the reason I haven't supported Labour since. They are there for the few , not the many...or aspirational

It would be inappropriate for a Transport Minister to go on a picket line; I can understand that Starmer wanted to establish that Labour is fit to govern and would uphold appropriate behaviour. But I can absolutely understand why some Labour supports are not happy.

Casdon

Kandinsky

What is happening to the Labour Party?
A party born out of the trade union movement.

Why do you care Kandinsky, when you have made it abundantly clear that you’ve always been a Tory voter?

I think anyone can comment on any Party regardless of how they vote themselves.

Both Tory and Labour have morphed into a different party from their originals. We should notice, and we should comment, because we may be governed by either one in the future and our lives will be impacted to some degree by their policies.

Anyway, isn't Kandinsky a former LP supporter?

Kandinsky

*facts about how the Labour Party was founded*

A couple of quick google searches ( not that anyone who supposedly supports labour should need them, but there we are )

History

1) The Labour Party was born at the turn of the 20th century out of the frustration of working-class people at their inability to field parliamentary candidates through the Liberal Party, which at that time was the dominant social-reform party in Britain. In 1900 the Trades Union Congress (the national federation of British trade unions) cooperated with the Independent Labour Party (founded in 1893) to establish a Labour Representation Committee, which took the name Labour Party in 1906.

2)
In 1899, a Doncaster member of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, Thomas R. Steels, proposed in his union branch that the Trade Union Congress call a special conference to bring together all left-wing organisations and form them into a single body that would sponsor Parliamentary candidates. The motion was passed at all stages by the TUC, and the proposed conference was held at the Congregational Memorial Hall on Farringdon Street, London on 26 and 27 February 1900. The meeting was attended by a broad spectrum of working-class and left-wing organisations—the trades unions present represented almost half of the membership of the TUC.[21]

I’ve tried to find something online ( when searching ‘how was the Labour Party founded’ that doesn’t include trade unions, - just to please you WW but I can’t.
So maybe you need to find out more about the party you support.

?? you do seem to be getting your knickers in a twist over my knowledge of the Labour Party.

Would it help if I told you that I studied all political parties at degree level?

I could drone on all day if you wish, but I always think a short succinct sentence is more effective, don’t you?

As some wise sage said learn to let go?

The winter of discontent November 1978 - February 1979

May 1979 Margaret Thatcher won the general election

Labour out of power until 1997