"we'll change the things that need changing and that's all we'll change": the paSUKification of post-brexit politics 2021

Ally of Keir Starmer says of this intervention: “This will help other unions decide that they don’t want to be vassals of Unite anymore.”

it's amusing that they were trying to spin Graham's victory as a good result for Starmer only a month or so back

And what do you think that's going to do. V clear the course has been set and they'll do as much as they can between now and the next election.

I would like one of the journalists with access to Keir Starmer to ask a few serious questions about his various promises of unity, a common social programme, an end to internal faction fighting & so on after the evidence of recent months.

— James B (@piercepenniless) September 21, 2021

CONFIRMED: Keir Starmer is pushing for a move back to the electoral college for electing Labour leaders

As reported, it means ditching the 1-member-1-vote scheme. The default would be 1/3 MPs, 1/3 unions, 1/3 CLPs ... but TULO/Starmer may negotiate different make-up altogether

— Rachel Wearmouth (@REWearmouth) September 21, 2021

maybe Bush should do a fact-checking audit on Kieth and count his lies rather than counting phantom policies. Because he did deny this was on the cards a few months back.

Bastani going on about "hope lessons are learnt for the next 10-20 (hope it's the former)" provoked some grim lols, heating will be unaffordable for many this winter.

If I was going in to my first major conference as leader, having failed to set out any kind of agenda in the preceding 18 months, I probably wouldn’t want it overshadowed by a massive row over who gets to choose my replacement but credibility isn’t Starmer’s most pressing problem, I guess. It’s money. Donors need to be reassured that their investment is secure in the long term.

yeah OMOV was probably the only thing keeping the big donors away after Corbyn was finished off.

Just spoke to two key Starmer allies who are philosophical about early union opposition to electoral college

Even if it doesn't pass, coming close would demonstrate to the public that "everything that went wrong in 2015 is over"

getting a bit of early copium in like as if a defeat wouldn't make him look even weaker, perhaps this isn't going to go well for them.

In a parliamentary system, it’s politically sensible & more democratically optimal for MPs to have an important say in choosing the leader of their party. They are much more in touch with the electorate than party members.

— Sonia Sodha (@soniasodha) September 20, 2021

look, she spelled big business wrong

lol, why bother having an electoral college at all, in that case?

Wait, it's good to be in touch with electorate because they should define policy? What would be the most democratically optimal way of allowing them to do that, Sonia?

the impeccable logic here is when you become a member you are no longer a real person, you are now some kind of activist and out of touch with real people. But if you were drawing a huge salary and topping it up with gifts from property developers and enjoying gratis hospitality packages from bet666, then you are more in touch with real people.

Someone like Sonia Sodhu has no idea what or who real people are anymore, it's just guesswork.

2015 line is so fucked. Can you imagine saying this shit on the doorstep?

telling voters in the metropolitan cities that are still largely red that they were stupid to vote for them and telling swing voters in blue zones that Labour used to be shit but honest we're good now is inspirational stuff

telling voters in the metropolitan cities that are still largely red that they were stupid to vote for them

Telling them they're not going to be listened to anymore because they're not real enough to be real people.

I have recieved a number of emails from CLP delegates to conference who have recieved suspension of membership notices today.

Reasons for suspension will follow a week later - prob after conference.

They have incurred travel costs and accommodation to add to poor mental state

— Mish Rahman (@mish_rahman) September 21, 2021

I know I know I know but can you imagine the media coverage if they'd done this to the melts under Crumhorn?

it's almost hilarious how much of a lying bastard Kieth was in the leadership campaign, lol he didn't just take those wallets out of the membership's pockets - he took their shoes off their feet as well and left them looking like the most gullible dupes since that guy who got sold the Eiffel Tower for scrap metal!

xp, I may have missed it but I am not sure anyone other than the local press remarked on Kate Osborne being sent a dodgy notice of investigation. It’s extraordinary.

that's what friends are for

See here for the details. What is happening now is scaled up and with an even more malicious agenda. Permanently depriving members of a meaningful say in a party and driving many of them out. Who would take these people at their word? https://t.co/7j90PyRBCq

— Simon Vessey (@Simon_Vessey) September 21, 2021

one of the grown ups has yet to include an explanation to their reasoning on why OMOV is fine for the other two main parties but not the Labour Party without sounding incredibly condescending towards the electorate, or even just incredibly stupid.

Also it was the Lab right who insisted on OMOV in 2014, to appeal to the ‘sensible’ membership?

yeah and lol Luke Akehurst was all for it at the time.

Neil Coyle, 3 weeks ago

I think Starmer (&, importantly, voters) want conference to be about projecting our vision for improving the UK - not internal rule changes & the latest factional BS from those who seem unable to accept Corbyn is not even in the PLP any more, let alone leadership. https://t.co/w0tbzFtsm7

— Neil Coyle (@coyleneil) September 2, 2021

Members are not voters

They are barely human.

it depends on the quality of the members, the cheapo ones that only pay £2.42 a month are mostly provincial idiots/benefit scroungers/entryist trouble causers and are not sophisticated enough to make an informed choice in a leadership election. I jest here but I've seen Starmer supporters post almost exactly the same.

I'd have more respect for them if they were a bit more open about their hatred of democracy and desire to be lorded over by corrupt political elites.

the word "prick" doesn't cover the enormity, but he doesn't deserve more than a diminutive. fuck this prick.

Keir Starmer backs excluding trans women from some ‘women-only spaces’ https://t.co/YiPEFNoulu

— The Independent (@Independent) September 22, 2021

This is abysmal clickbait from The Independent.

I did click but there were loads of ads and the text disappeared somewhere, the quote at the top looks pretty damning.

they've tried to backtrack it a bit by saying it is “massively overwritten” and Keith supports the Equality Act re: female spaces. Perhaps he could show he's really upset about it by removing the whip from Duffield.

lol The Independent onslaught of ads and vids is too fucking much.

It’s their standard M.O to tweet a provocative headline and make their actual website unreadable.

The Equality Act has a default assumption that all spaces defined as single-sex should welcome trans people unless there is an objectively justifiable reason why that couldn’t be the case. Corbyn and Miliband both supported this and the only thing Starmer seems to have said is that the policy hasn’t changed.

the real news is the refusal to do anything about duffield, only talking about the need for respectful debate etc. which is pathetic

the statement he put out is just committing to their existing policy which is mostly alright, but the emphasis on the 'single-sex exemption' just fuels the deranged transphobe misinterpretation of it unfortunately, which duffield has been heavily promoting of course

i probably would have expected worse from starmer at this point really, i'm surprised he didn't actually concede further ground to the transphobes or just commit to a vague review of the policies that inevitably ends in watering them down or some other nonsense

despite the UK's huge media transphobe industrial complex, most libs/melts I know still haven't drunk that particular kool aid and I think keith knows he'd alienate these types if he went full duffield

i'm not saying i was expecting him to go full duffield, just expectations for him are so low that making actual concessions to the transphobe wing of the party seemed very possible

A senior Labour MP has told the BBC she is frustrated with the “oxygen” that the row over Rosie Duffield’s views on transgender issues was getting.

She added: "It's all the same arguments as the gay panic in the 80s rehashed."https://t.co/jpLRJe2baz

— Ione Wells (@ionewells) September 20, 2021

like the state of things is that senior mps apparently aren't even willing to put their names to criticising duffield. while she's just a backbencher she clearly enjoys significant support from some sections of the party

was interesting to see LRM two days ago criticising her but not daring to actually name her

It’s bi-awareness week.
Erasure is as describing bi “men who marry women” as “appropriating gay culture” & “cosplay”: its bi-phobia.
How we ensure everyone’s rights are protected is a sensitive debate made harmful by misinformed inputs by straight people about bi or queer people. https://t.co/hRV6UYA0YA

— Lloyd Russell-Moyle MP🌹🏳️‍🌈 (@lloyd_rm) September 20, 2021

I imagine the reason is some focus group has led them to believe the red wall proles are all for stringing up trans women from the nearest lampposts.

More likely they’re angling for some of the Harry Potter money.

Sounds like serious pushback to Starmer rule change plans in TULO meeting, with even friendly unions asking for a pause, union source says.
Trigger ballots cd still get thru in a slimmed down package, but elec college reform may be "dead in the water". Ball in Starmer's court

oh dearie me

I did click but there were loads of ads and the text disappeared somewhere, the quote at the top looks pretty damning.

― edited to reflect developments which occurred (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Wednesday, 22 September 2021 bookmarkflaglink

One day all newspapers will be like this.

by the sounds of the way things are going the main reporting on the conference is going to be a lot of "Starmer EC plan defeated by unions" headlines. lol the guy is an imbecile

perhaps he's misjudged how the more right-wing unions would respond to it, but being the leader he should be on top of these things before briefing the media on what he's planning to do. he's incompetent.

There's a lot of nonsense being spoken by the Labour leadership & its friendly media about how Keir fixing the leadership election rules for his faction is intended to empower trade unions. It isn't, and it won't. It's just a factional power grab. Here's why. >

— Alex Nunns (@alexnunns) September 22, 2021

good Nunns thread on unions + how EC reform is not even in the interest of right-wing unions like GMB

https://t.co/aozIybI9Yl pic.twitter.com/wXekzhEVE1

— pez (@periuspb) September 22, 2021

once you've been DPP and had dinner with the MI5 boss, for the rest of your life you feel like a gangster. That Politics For Ali is a garbage account - but good work there I suppose!