have you quit the labour party yet?

melts

I didn't vote (because I don't vote in polls almost never) but this is really good.

When a left-wing friend stood for election in my union, he had massive support. His opponent had none. On the day of the election, the right-wing branch said there’s an allegation of corruption against him. No details were given, but “we must suspend the election for a month”.

— Tony Collins (@_tony_c_) April 14, 2020

can't remember if i voted in this or not but -- im not going anywhere yet, although the sub fees would be handy for a sandwich. But I'll wait til the NEC vote at least, and/or Suck Here goes full mask off.

I suppose Magid Magid could always Green leader

with no conference this year is there anything to even do as members

Forward Momentum Vs Renewal Momentum poll

fwd ftw

yeah it's a weird contest but it's no contest

Our fantastic new Shadow Cabinet are also going to be running a series of online policy discussions

lol I'm still getting emails in my junk folder from Sir K despite cancelling the dd months ago. Maybe you shouldn't have put Reeves in there if "fantastic" was your goal, arsehole! I agree with what reeves said in 2015 now tbf, Labour isn't the party for the likes of me at all anymore... no problemo.. bye !

This person has criticised forward momentum here a bit.

https://tribunemag.co.uk/2020/05/where-momentum-went-wrong

I really like this piece.

Yeah I saw that. I think it's pretty astute on how momentum fitted into the UK left over the last decade, the changes and continuity, and some of the structural problems given the nature of the org. I think he tends towards a narrow prescriptive - 'rigorous'! - workerism that has no chance of building an effective coalition though.

I am not sure what could build an effective coalition but I liked most of his five points. Good luck to him.

I'm just thinking that the vagueness/openness of Momentum was a big part of what made it unique and large, the narrower it gets, the more it becomes like just another pre-2015 leftist org. the fourth and fifth points seem like vague dreams rather than plans (if there's one thing I've learned about 'the masses' it's that they don't exist), but the third seems clearly right to me. I think there's a balance between decentralization on one hand and having some high profile figure heads to keep some good energy going at a national level, but building better-organised central bodies for educating ppl/dealing with trade unions etc. seems unappealing to me as a main focus, even if it might be necessary. the best momentum things imo were just creating ways for people to network and get involved as they saw fit.

The 4th is a bit of a non-starter. I read the 5th as developing responses to how the right utilise the at times positives that people can throw at things, such as 'flexible working' and the like.

the biggest problem with all of this is still the assumption that working with Labour is still necessary or desirable (or that it ever was tbh)

if the legacy of corbynism becomes people who once knew better banging their heads against the wall of this miserable party for the rest of their lives then what a disaster

why are even the "radical" parts of the UK Left so damn conservative

xxp if that means reworking/redefining flexible working into something un-shit rather than telling ppl they are wrong for wanting it then I am onboard. reading 'mass engagement in community organisation' just makes my eyes glaze over though at this point.

David Evans

fuck this clown car party

At this point I don't give a shit about Labour getting into power any more, fucking Starmer regime is going to be even closer to Blairism than Milliband was. Starmer has made me despise them more than the Tories tbh

some of the worst Tories in this country are basically 80% of this cunt's shadow cabinet

New: David Evans just hosted a Zoom all for staff alongside Starmer and Rayner. He said:

- Labour must get back to winning elections
- wants to professionalise HQ
- accepts there's a diversity issue and wants to make it a key indicator of his performance

there is an incredibly intelligent idea, try and win an election rather than fucking sabotage and undermine an election campaign and the leader at every opportunity ... fucking tool

Don't know who Evans is. Who is he? What does he know? Does he know things? We may never know.

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/660/cpsprodpb/1A05/production/_112516660_davidevans.jpg

he's got a winning mentality and he evolves ..he doesn't revolve... tbh all I can add is he is a melt and looks like a complete twat!

I'm sure his hair has sealed the deal with Starmer.

"must get back to winning elections" has always meant "...by becoming conservative party lite" and no difference now.

Now is not the time to point fingers about the annexation of Naboo. I propose that we work with our learned friends from the Trade Federation on a comprehensive inquiry into these allegations pic.twitter.com/xWvoAvbobh

— Professor Piss Shitty (@DrFuck_) May 27, 2020

should i see professor piss shitty's other tweets (as found at the @DrFuck account)

he's one of my few non-bot followers on twitter so obv he's a top class poster!

i don't understand Star Wars jokes tbh

I disenfranchised myself last week. Mainly for pecuniary reasons, but I don't think my vote will count for much anymore. They are going to sew this up tight. Besides which, as I replied to the admin bod who emailed me, Starmer seems to have access to the wallets of some very well-off ppl so I think my pitiful pounds are needed by me more than you, currently. Commit to raise the ""living wage"" though and I might be able to afford to come back.

xp how about this

I like to retweet my Ian Nairn joke every now and then for the 7 people who get it. pic.twitter.com/oE1QgoeCOK

— Richard Littler (@richard_littler) May 25, 2020

lol ok i get that one

lol

I don't really get Star Wars jokes with less than obvious geek references but am just an easy mark for any Starmer shop if it makes him look like a twat. And erm some crap jokes have a potency to them yo know ... no not really a hill to die on!

no i know what you mean calz, even without understanding the references to the detailed politics of George Lucas's chef d'oeuvre i do get the general "Starmzy is a pusillanimous melt cunt" bit

the biggest problem with all of this is still the assumption that working with Labour is still necessary or desirable (or that it ever was tbh)

Interested in whether you think parliamentary politics in general are a dead end for the left or whether you think it is the rotteness of the labour party specifically.

As an outsider before moving to the UK I'd only ever voted for minority parties - centre left equivalents of labour in Portugal and Germany always being some shade of neoliberal, getting into a coalition and effecting some change that way seemed the only way for the left to influence things at all from a parliamentary pov. Corbyn was very energizing for people outside the UK as well because of the possibility of a real leftist agenda allied to a party with an actual large, consolidated base.

also somewhat bemused that the main protest I could make now aside from leaving the party - not voting - would only mean one vote less for Diane Abbott, so if it were to count at all (aware it wouldn't) it'd be sending very much the wrong message

yeah but imagine if your abstinence meant one less vote for Barry Sheerman or Streeting and bearing in mind most of the PLP are complete arseholes!

I'm not going to support a diseased party that needs to die and keeping this rotten game going.

my man Pennycook is one of the good seemingly-ok ones, gonna keep the faith for now i think. is one of the momentums wanting to stay in labour and the other wanting to splinter off?

I think the left should put on a unified front saying they will only vote for a labour party committed to bringing in PR so that coherent & representative parties are possible and then you can have a formalised alliance between different elements of the left as opposed to the current factional shitshow, otherwise yes it's pointless

bingo

have been delving into that excellent Pimlett book on Harold ov Hudds recently. Didn't know when he was part of a trade envoy in in postwar Soviet Union that very sneaky snake in the grass Mikoyan tried to get him pissed on vodka and he ended up drinking him under the table, probably absolute bollox like, but it makes a good story.

Entertaining book that - George Brown OMG!

not got to much of him yet, but I recall someone mentioning he can tell a good story or two

the man the phrase "tired and emotional" was invented for

i believe to explain why he was spotted literally face down in the gutter

I've just got where he is a rising star under the tutelage of Cripps who he worships a bit, and who is a very interesting commie from back in the day who much preferred eating raw vegetables much more than getting shitfaced and falling asleep in the gutter!

Two more different characters than George Brown and Stafford Cripps it would be difficult to find.

even as a kid i knew it was silly to accept a peerage then call yrself "lord george-brown"