Jeremy Corbyn vs Angela Eagle

I feel like some switch has flipped and pretty much all politicians have become anachronistic overnight, absurdities suited to some alien age

xp
tbf he was probably repeatedly trying to press the speed dial button to daddy.

As it stands, Corbyn can't even form a functioning opposition let alone win an election. The fact that *everyone knows that* and yet he still overwhelming favourite to beat whichever of Smith or Eagle remains in the race suggests that something else is going on here.

When he wins, Labour MPs will finally need to pull their heads out of their arses and address the bigger issue, namely the complete atrophying of trust between a majority of Labour members and their MPs. The party will continue to cling to Corbyn like a life raft until someone can convince the party that they aren't going to pull some shit like abstaining on the welfare bill again.

The approach - essentially insulting Corbyn supporters as cultists, entryists, fatasists, Trots, misogynists, etc rather than trying to make any kind of case for them to reconsider their support - has shown how little they have in the cupboard other than 'electability' which nobody really believes either.

correct

I assume a lot of Corbyn's following is like me: not buying into any personality cult (lol) but implacably opposed to virtually everybody who's lined up against him in politics or media

^^^

sure they make themselves look more and more like what they are, but you get the feeling they'd break the party up rather than allow it to fall into the hands of dangerous lefties anyway

― the lion tweets tonight (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 12 August 2015 21:35 (11 months ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

gosh I was otm a lot last year

The idea that people have been sucked into a leftist cult by the charismatic Corbyn is quite hilarious. If the Labour Right were any good they would have no problem drumming up a 100000 "entryist" supporters of their own, if there isn't that tiny number willing to get behind them than their constant talk of electoral credibility is nonsense.

I'd vote for anyone that could convince me they were socialist. Other than that I have no unusual affection for Corbyn, and there are lots of failings on his part. I don't really see much of a personality cult to his supporters, but I might interact with different sections of his support than others.

My feeling is that people support Corbyn because neo-Labour wouldn't be arsed with actually representing the left/workers and would use his resignation/defeat to tell members and the electorate that winning is about tacking to the centre.

I assume a lot of Corbyn's following is like me: not buying into any personality cult (lol) but implacably opposed to virtually everybody who's lined up against him in politics or media

― PLPeni (Noodle Vague), Tuesday, 19 July 2016 10:29 (2 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

p much

Radio 4 says Eagle's about to make a statement, likely to be a withdrawal

the eagle has crash-landed

never really took off tbh

failed to cash in on this year's Eddie the Eagle mania

Failed, to cash in on this year's Eddie the eagle mania

thanks, better

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l298/Caldoria/Animated%20graphics%20interchange%20format%20images/CryingEagle.gif

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roPQ_M3yJTA

This is like when the Boo Radleys split up. My hometown can shuffle off back into obscurity again now.

What a disaster for manufacturers of all-pink Union Jacks.

Labour Party: still hating women in 2016

I much prefer Eagle to Smith.

To me it is like choosing between standing on cat-shit or dog-shit, but Smith is much more vile.

Sure; it wasn't meant as an endorsement of Eagle.

of course, I know you meant as a person rather than as a politician.

http://home.bt.com/images/labour-leadership-contender-owen-smith-would-renationalise-the-railways-tomorrow-136407410761610401-160717230029.jpg

i like a man who is prepared to roll his sleeves up and point a lot at imaginary things. he's very dynamic, don't you know?

oh that's straight out of the Blair playbook. not sure about the moustachioed woman on his left tho

They've got a hundred and however many MPs to choose from, it's genuinely astonishing to me they've settled on one this mediocre.

hey there's time for some more comedy candidates yet

what the PLP is doing, i just can't

has there ever been an example of this sort of party undermining, cutting one's nose off to spite one's face? ever?

i mean SURELY the politically expedient grown-up thing to do would be to thrash this out privately and publicly stand together apart from a few free votes "of conscience". i mean even by their own standards of craven self-interest this is completely self-defeating?

Corbyn is too popular to be removed through normal channels. At least, for now. They need to present the party as publicly on the verge of splitting to pressurise soft Corbyn supporters into voting for a 'unity' candidate. It has to be messy and melodramatic or it won't have a hope of working. The interesting question isn't so much the means but the timing.

Popular / stubborn. The plan was clearly for him to resign quietly.

it's incredible that labour were handed one of the biggest open goals in recent political history with the fallout from Brexit and they've still managed to smash he ball not just over the crossbar but right out of the stadium

brian

When he wins, Labour MPs will finally need to pull their heads out of their arses and address the bigger issue, namely the complete atrophying of trust between a majority of Labour members and their MPs.

They couldn't even organise a coup properly, and I can't see them doing this. Too many years of mutual contempt.

Corbyn and team have to prepare the ground for a split.

Piece today is a preview: http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jul/19/the-fight-for-labours-soul-what-the-partys-brutal-1981-split-means-today

A split does no one any favours other than the Tories really. I just can't see any wing of the party going for it, Corbyn is a 70 year old man, he isn't going to be around forever, and the landscape can change very quickly indeed.

He's 67! I don't see there being a split either.

split isn't in anyone's interests bar the tories and scottish nationalists

youd have labour safe seats going to the tories with the vote-splitting of the core labour vote from corbyn's continuity labour vs sdp2 vs ukip

Landfill indie putting its queer shoulder to the wheel: http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jul/19/liberals-celebrities-and-eu-supporters-set-up-progressive-movement?CMP=twt_gu

"The initiative has the support of Jonathon Porritt, the environmentalist, Caroline Criado-Perez, the feminist writer, and Luke Pritchard from the band Kooks, as a space for people who want a voice for openness and tolerance."

I think that Beckett piece is correct in saying they moved too fast for Corbyn, before he even had a chance too fail. Blaming him for Brexit when his figures were the same as Sturgeon's wasn't too smart either.

Chuka was openly ridiculing Corbyn on R4 to the amusement of IDS, this was the day before the referendum and he was allegedly on the programme to give reasoned arguments for Remain - which by the way he didn't do very well and was more into some IDS bantz. For me these people can go form Continuity Labour, even if it means 2 more terms of Tories.

^ Yeah, this is kind of what I really struggle with.

I can get that anyone might think "Corbyn will never win a general election." But getting rid of him seems to be so much more important to members of his own party than anything.

Perhaps I am naïve.

Corbyn isn't going to be around for ever, but if he wins he could be around for 2-3 years and he'll introduce further changes - or certainly press hard. Can the rest of these idiots really put up with that? It only helps the Tories but the coup was awful timing (as Calzino and Beckett and many others say), they couldn't bide their time post-Brexit vote and milk Cameron's resignation. Why would they wait for a turn of events to weaken the trust between Corbyn and the membership. They might be lucky but its a big if.

I don't see the Tories being all nice and united either btw. Gideon was meant to be PM-in-waiting not too long ago. They just got rid of the PM after a year 'governing' in a (albeit tiny) majority.

These idiots have done plenty to help the Tories already. Not only Post-Brexit but also over the non-debate around Trident yesterday. Now off to the wilderness of a weak challenge to the leadership. This will only strenghten the bonds between the membership and Corbyn's team, give a further boost to Momentum, and of course even before the changes there was a healthy boost to the membership. Incredible idiocy.

not sure about the moustachioed woman on his left tho

that's no ordinary moustachioed woman - that's THE MILIFAN

lol and i've just realised looking back at that picture, he obviously said "round up some young people for me"

god imagine being full of youthful idealism for Owen Smith