it is almost strange how sanguinely the media watches these tools rail against democracy, against mass engagement, against the intrusion of the unwanted governed into the sovereign territory of those who govern. almost strange. aristocrat recognise aristocrat, I guess.
― Len Bincowank (Noodle Vague), Friday, 26 August 2016 14:09 (seven years ago) link
it's like a supercharged extension of peter mandelson's "they have nowhere to go" thesis
― conrad, Friday, 26 August 2016 14:15 (seven years ago) link
But along with the beating of official breasts and the show of distress at the hollowing out of mass politics, there exists in the practice of organized democracy a clear tendency to match citizen withdrawal with elite withdrawal. That is, just as citizens retreat to their own private and particularized spheres of interest, so too the political and party leaders retreat into their own version of this private and particular sphere, which is constituted by the closed world of the governing institutions.
Disengagement is mutual, and for all the rhetoric that echoes on all sides, it is general.
Peter Mair, calling it.
― Len Bincowank (Noodle Vague), Friday, 26 August 2016 14:31 (seven years ago) link
Just come acro0ss the quote from Yesterday where JC says he doesn't consider himself wealthy or highbrow that has since been contextualised with his £138k salary. I'm assuming he was trying to highlight that art was supposed to be for everybody but wonder what mileage is going to be made by his critics and for how long.
― Stevolende, Sunday, 28 August 2016 11:54 (seven years ago) link
I WONDER HMMM MAYBE A LOT WILL BE MADE OF IT, MAYBE NOT SO MUCH WHO CAN SAY
― illegal economic migration (Tracer Hand), Sunday, 28 August 2016 12:10 (seven years ago) link
please god let this be true
https://twitter.com/charlotte2153/status/769965335411847170
― soref, Sunday, 28 August 2016 19:17 (seven years ago) link
at least gove's 'nubile young girl' moment was 25 years ago right
― imago, Sunday, 28 August 2016 19:20 (seven years ago) link
a Smith supporter who attended the event is on twitter saying that Smith did respond to someone asking if they could ask him a personal question by saying "29 inches - inner leg measurement of course", but didn't actually point to his groin. The Smith supporter is complaining that "they can spin anything"
― soref, Sunday, 28 August 2016 19:57 (seven years ago) link
https://twitter.com/Rachael_Swindon/status/770001414978433024
― xyzzzz__, Sunday, 28 August 2016 22:04 (seven years ago) link
Wait, Smith was within heckling distance yesterday?
― Ben Lincowank (Noodle Vague), Monday, 29 August 2016 05:39 (seven years ago) link
Mr Balls offers his reflections as MPs prepare to return to Westminster, and he prepares to appear on Strictly Come Dancing.
― conrad, Monday, 29 August 2016 07:31 (seven years ago) link
wasn't he considered "devoid of connection to the reality of people's lives" in the Labour stronghold he contrived to lose last year?
― calzino, Monday, 29 August 2016 07:56 (seven years ago) link
― soref, Sunday, August 28, 2016 8:57 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
I can't see how that would make the quip that much less sleazy.
Unless it's understood that things are getting that bad in the Smith camp that he's relying on donations of trousers.
Did the actual question get asked. It wasn't something more along the lines of 'Now that your career's over what are your plans?' or something was it?
― Stevolende, Monday, 29 August 2016 10:53 (seven years ago) link
I just think he looks like a short Eric Morecambe.
― Mark G, Monday, 29 August 2016 12:49 (seven years ago) link
well he was born there.
― Acting Crazy (Instrumental) (jed_), Monday, 29 August 2016 17:44 (seven years ago) link
Just reading Ed Balls' claims that he barely spoke to Miliband in the run-up to the 2015 election and reminded of the suggestion that Corbyn and Watson couldn't agree to meet without others present ... and ... and ... not really sure what I am trying to articulate but ... it all seems a bit ridiculous.
Like, I assume those of us who have jobs speak to the colleagues we need to, even the ones we detest?
― djh, Monday, 29 August 2016 20:23 (seven years ago) link
ed balls thinks the tories deserve to be in government
― conrad, Monday, 29 August 2016 20:29 (seven years ago) link
a True Labour man through and through
― Len Bincowank (Noodle Vague), Monday, 29 August 2016 20:32 (seven years ago) link
the latest yougov poll has Corbyn 24 points ahead now and Smith on course for a dismal defeat.
"When Labour moderates come to survey the ruins of Mr Smith's leadership campaign, they'll have to ask themselves one question: what future do they have in the party? A renewed mandate will allow Jeremy Corbyn to double down with his agenda, driving out the last vestiges of Blairism and reshaping the party as he wishes. He'll have no need to be comradely towards anyone who disagrees given he has on the membership on side."
It will be an interesting show if Corbyn finally abandons his inclusive and democratic approach and starts liquidating the moderates. Gonna be pulling me up a deck chair if this starts happening.
― calzino, Wednesday, 31 August 2016 11:49 (seven years ago) link
idk if it's the same poll but there was another figure circulating that Smith had the backing of 68% of members who joined prior to 2015 - which will add to the narrative about entryism when he does eventually lose.
― On a Raqqa tip (ShariVari), Wednesday, 31 August 2016 11:53 (seven years ago) link
I thought it would be higher than that tbh, albeit from a much smaller section of membership.
― calzino, Wednesday, 31 August 2016 11:57 (seven years ago) link
Why does this take so long? A week to vote, a week to count at most. The end of September? The delay just damages the party. How many people didn't vote in the first couple of days?
― two crickets sassing each other (dowd), Wednesday, 31 August 2016 12:05 (seven years ago) link
Wasn't the late September date to tie in with the conference?Has that actually been cancelled now? In which case they could actually move the announcement forward presumably.Or are there caches of people who don't vote until the last minute.
Presumably also more pressing concerns now that Parliament's back out of recess after the summer.
― Stevolende, Wednesday, 31 August 2016 12:10 (seven years ago) link
no the conference hasn't been cancelled
there's no reason to move the announcement
it shouldn't make any difference when people vote
― conrad, Wednesday, 31 August 2016 12:12 (seven years ago) link
It lengthens the period of instability.
― two crickets sassing each other (dowd), Wednesday, 31 August 2016 12:20 (seven years ago) link
There's an offer for cheap Virgin trains to the conference on the Labour Party homepage.
I take it they must have sorted out the trouble the organisers were having with getting a security firm for the conference then.Thought people were saying it was a bit late to do so.
― Stevolende, Wednesday, 31 August 2016 12:30 (seven years ago) link
they signed a contract with the venue's existing security company last week http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-37195378 it was a bit late yes
― conrad, Wednesday, 31 August 2016 13:16 (seven years ago) link
shame was looking forward to california hells angels doing security
― I like it when you shoot inside me Dirk (Bananaman Begins), Wednesday, 31 August 2016 15:05 (seven years ago) link
All those momentum thugs fed on a diet of Falafel burgers will not get their day life isn't fair I tells ya!
― xyzzzz__, Wednesday, 31 August 2016 18:53 (seven years ago) link
http://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/scalefit_630_noupscale/57c84f63180000b429bce9f0.jpeg
poll
― soref, Thursday, 1 September 2016 16:33 (seven years ago) link
I think Matt DC posted something on this thread a few weeks ago about imagining all Owen Smith quotes being read out in the voice of Alan Partridge, seems increasingly prescient
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CrV1-WTVUAAJdmy.jpg
― corbynite, shite (soref), Friday, 2 September 2016 11:46 (seven years ago) link
What a sniggering empty moron he is. Btw does anybody remember That's Life's Doctor Cox?
― wan bobolink (Noodle Vague), Friday, 2 September 2016 16:24 (seven years ago) link
The Blue Labour cru (motto: "family, faith and flag" iirc) are already lining up against him. Lots of people sharing Rowenna Davies' article saying she will vote for him but he is essentially Corbyn 2. 0 and 'radical change' is needed.
― On a Raqqa tip (ShariVari), Friday, 2 September 2016 16:31 (seven years ago) link
Obvs nothing says engaging with the man on the street like a paywalled article in the Financial Times, but there you go.
― On a Raqqa tip (ShariVari), Friday, 2 September 2016 16:39 (seven years ago) link
xps. the suggestion that the massively popular leader of Scotland, who is a woman, should shut up, is pretty ugly. smith might also want to consult the majority that the snp has over his party in both the scottish parliament and westminster constituencies that cover millport
not xp. god is that really the blue labour motto? hard to tell what's satire or not when talking about labour
― ælərdaɪs (jim in vancouver), Friday, 2 September 2016 16:39 (seven years ago) link
obviously Smith's core socialist values include playing tribal bullshit politics, gentle misogyny and calling out parties that carried out leftist policies while his own party were playing Tories in disguise
― wan bobolink (Noodle Vague), Friday, 2 September 2016 16:44 (seven years ago) link
just a fatuous valueless joke of a man
― wan bobolink (Noodle Vague), Friday, 2 September 2016 16:45 (seven years ago) link
Yes that Sturgeon gobstopper thing is totally gross.
― Acting Crazy (Instrumental) (jed_), Friday, 2 September 2016 16:46 (seven years ago) link
http://www.bbc.co.uk/staticarchive/e2f58a2f792b966c56aa086fb602a62b875af53a.jpg
"I am normal. Women, know your place."
― wan bobolink (Noodle Vague), Friday, 2 September 2016 16:48 (seven years ago) link
Did he get into some kind of surreal internet beef with Sturgeon or was that totally unprompted? Because it's just bizarre out of context.
Is there time to start a Normal Owen Smith Twitter account?
― Matt DC, Friday, 2 September 2016 16:53 (seven years ago) link
I mean presumably she gets to take the gobstopper out when Smith needs the votes in any putative hung parliament.
― Matt DC, Friday, 2 September 2016 16:54 (seven years ago) link
i think we all know Owen's never gonna be in that position. including Owen.
― wan bobolink (Noodle Vague), Friday, 2 September 2016 16:58 (seven years ago) link
tragically, Doc Cox is still alive. Probably doing some routine with a spinning bow tie whilst joshing about how big his dick is somewhere. Yes, definitely a credible comparison there.
― calzino, Friday, 2 September 2016 16:58 (seven years ago) link
maybe Owen's just having some fun with the part now.
― wan bobolink (Noodle Vague), Friday, 2 September 2016 16:59 (seven years ago) link
the tweet is from April this year, so presumably he was in Millport campaigning for Labour in the Scottish elections and that's why he mentioned Sturgeon. but it's still pretty bizarre
― corbynite, shite (soref), Friday, 2 September 2016 17:06 (seven years ago) link
I hadn't seen the first responses under the tweet (again from back in April) which are maybe the best part
http://i.imgur.com/upiu3xe.png
― corbynite, shite (soref), Friday, 2 September 2016 17:11 (seven years ago) link
I figured he came up with the 'joke' ('a gobstopper, need to say it's for somebody') then eliminated targets he couldn't get away with. Though finding out it's from April scuppers that a bit.
― two crickets sassing each other (dowd), Friday, 2 September 2016 18:07 (seven years ago) link
Some of you ppl know this photoship business right? Can someone fix that time stamp for today at 9am. I need to laugh a bit more.
― xyzzzz__, Friday, 2 September 2016 18:23 (seven years ago) link
Luke Akehurst@lukeakehurst.@jk_rowling has made me cry on the coach on way home with her list of amazing things Labour did in power. Contrast w now devastating.
.@jk_rowling has made me cry on the coach on way home with her list of amazing things Labour did in power. Contrast w now devastating.
― xyzzzz__, Friday, 2 September 2016 20:02 (seven years ago) link
wtf
― poor fiddy-less albion (darraghmac), Friday, 2 September 2016 20:09 (seven years ago) link