bojo is king, brexit is on, stuff is fvcked, tomorrow starts here -- new govt new thread new battle

one might argue that leveraging a turn as the comedy act on a popular reality TV show into a job presenting political commentary disguised as documentaries was a populist move but that would be cynical and paranoid

populism should only be a bad word when it is connected to profusely sweating ugly-fuck ex-pols who will do anything to raise their media profile. When it is connected with popular policies that strengthen the social fabric of the UK and improve citizen's lives ... it's actually a fucking good word.

https://tribunemag.co.uk/2020/01/rebecca-long-bailey-labour-leadership-socialism

For some, there will be a temptation to compromise on our anti-racist and internationalist principles. Let me be clear: as leader I will never throw migrants or BAME communities under the bus. Never again will our party put ‘controls on immigration’ on a mug. It would be a betrayal of our principles, and of our core supporters and activists. We must defeat Johnson and the nationalist right, never pander to them.

Rebecca Long Bailey "I have decided to stand for election to become the next leader of our Party. I don’t just agree with the policies, I’ve spent the last four years writing them." pic.twitter.com/j3YQXF2Ukj

— Ilyas Nagdee (@ilyas_nagdee) January 6, 2020

"Many candidates in the leadership election say they will not return to the triangulation and Tory-lite policies that held our party back before Jeremy. But we need a leader that can be trusted with our socialist agenda."

This is key for me. ken loach style vids pulling at yr heartstrings aside, the records of some of the other candidates doesn't quite match up to their bullshit patter and they aren't trustworthy in the least.

Lavery has endorsed RLB.

where does that leave Swindon Muppet and her merry band of CW apologists?

The gaps for me are: councils, deselectin and these anti-Semitic cranks but it's not even midnight yet

Very nicely coordinated huh?

I think (completely unbiased) that is quite a strong pitch! But tbh I was expecting to be underwhelmed and be on the defensive - but that is the strongest pitch yet because a lot of it isn't posturing, revisionist bullshit for starters!

I have just released a statement regarding the Leadership of the Labour Party. It has been truly humbling to receive so much support from our fantastic members and my @UKLabour colleagues. Please read the full statement below 👇 pic.twitter.com/fPDl53FD3g

— Ian Lavery MP (@IanLaveryMP) January 6, 2020

sale of fred perry shirts in Swindon has just taken a serious dive.

It matches my strong feelings that yes the election result was awful, but we need to plug on and not capitulate to the right of the party - who have consistently proven they are the worst and most clueless people in UK politics.

the crank left bloc can't go to remainer Clive can they? Nandy would seem the only logical beneficiary of Lavery dropping out but she's no friend of CW. Where do they go now?

https://t.co/qO0YQNK1of pic.twitter.com/eScCHjqXTs

— THE MIDNIGHT RIDER (@wariotifo) January 6, 2020

RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB RLB

— Lara McNeill (@lara_eleanor) January 6, 2020

otm

Tell ‘em RLB. That’s my number one.

I haven’t rushed to announce my candidacy because I wanted to take time to reflect following the devastating results in December. I didn’t emerge from the election with a ready-made leadership campaign because my every effort during the election went into campaigning for a Labour victory. I’m not driven by personal ambition, but by my principles and an unwavering desire to change our country and our world for the better.

the crank left bloc can't go to remainer Clive can they? Nandy would seem the only logical beneficiary of Lavery dropping out but she's no friend of CW. Where do they go now?

they dislike RLB because she was part of the "AS witch-hunt" against comrade CW - so where do they go?

Hopefully a very long way away and focus on something else.

I'm mistaking shitty individuals for a whole voting bloc there, although tbf there might be numerous people who agree, but hopefully they are just a noisy minority.

Out the door marked exit hopefully.

I reckon Rayner is looking like the popular deputy choice. Especially after seeing one of her male co-runners (Ian Murray) dismissed as a "a pickled egg covered in pubes"!

That's no contest, if the bookies haven't stopped taking bets on it they soon will.

yeah even the Guardian commenters like Rayner

Without getting too corny Rayner has lived and made mistakes and overcome a shit start in life without succumbing to rugged self-made individualist tosser speak like some do. She's become quite a force. Even melts who initially underestimated her and were condescendingly insulting to her now realise she's pretty special and much cleverer than her detractors, and people across the whole class spectrum seem to like her apart from media class tories who still try and condescend her as much as possible. Good luck to her I say and never change!

I still bristle at that moment when bbc Tory twat asks her if she'd nationalise sausages.

Graun's nose out of joint because of RLB snub? yep: they've put a vacuous Clive Lewis (more yawnsome Progressive Alliance bollox) piece above her launch. Fuck 'em.

Oh, dear. The importance of semi colons in a tricky list, @guardian. Not a good look for @RLong_Bailey’s campaign! pic.twitter.com/QNgMlAJnxZ

— Apala Chowdhury (@raspberryberet2) January 7, 2020

yes, this classy touch by the Graun as well.

"Not a good look for her campaign" is such a dumb and extremely twitter thing to say about it though.

oh yeah it was just the first screen grab I found!

they've added a semi colon now.

Fight the power <3

Clive babbling on about imaginary progressive alliances and PR! Gimme a break we've got five years of hard-right untrammelled Toryism with a huge majority ahead and he thinks it's time to talk about electoral reform.

Lol Tim Montgomerie got sacked for saying the quiet part a bit too loud?

Rayner's launch is only for Deputy but its been more impressive than any of the others. She is pretty much a shoo-in for the position and it may be sensible for her to be taking it slowly.

It's insane how nearly all the leadership contenders have been in Parliament less than five years. That doesn't feel long enough to me but I suppose says a lot about the state of the PLP before 2015.

Also I’m sorry to say Stephen Bush is bad now

Life hack: If you find yourself understandably unwilling to publicly criticise the flaming reactionaries repeatedly published by the prominent UK political magazine you politically edit, simply beat up on the vastly more benign editor of an amateur soft left politics website!

— Lafargue (@Lafargue) January 7, 2020

RLB pitch strong. “... people across these islands are sick of the British state’s distant and undemocratic institutions. They have no trust in politicians to deliver, and have a deep desire for political as well as economic transformation.” 👌🏻

xxp Cameron is your obvious precedent, becoming leader of the opposition four years after election

Cameron probably not the best precedent if we're talking inexperience tbh.

Is RLB currently being attacked both for conceding too much ground on antisemitism allegations and not conceding enough ground on antisemitism allegations?

it's almost like the attacks aren't being made in good faith

only getting attacked from two sides? They haven't even got started yet!

Lack of experience in parliament is a pretty good thing to me when you are looking at transformation of the country.

See D. Cameron.

Absolutely love too see the silence on this from everyone very concerned about racism in public life

Very insensitive statement from Johnny Mercer. "Blood on the carpet"? The guy couldn't be any more crass if he tried. pic.twitter.com/Omo8iylSMl

— Sorcha Eastwood (@SorchaEastwood) January 3, 2020

I mean he certainly transformed the country but more a series of blunders than design.

There's probably an argument that if you want to transform the country properly then deep knowledge and understanding of its institutions, and the people in them, is essential because *these are the things that are going to get in your way* and you need to know how to tackle that. We'll see how Dominic Cummings gets on with the civil service, I suppose.

The only genuinely nation-changing PMs of the 20th century had been in Parliament 20 years at least before running the country - the only equivalent figures on the Labour benches lack the kind of transformative drive we're talking about, or they're lifelong backbenchers, or they were in the Shadow Cabinet for the last five years and aren't running anyway.

problem is most of the time served PLP only want to reform their own party leadership, they couldn't give a flying one about transforming the country.

xp he’s already been slapped down by no 10 for freelancing and it’s not happening