The height of the silly season approaches. Perhaps this year we thought it would all be about Germans getting lynched on Greek holidays or vice versa.
Instead we are treated to Grade A* charade of a leadership election by the Labour party. The candidates appear to be the wife of someone who would have been OK, a token northerner who can wear a suit, a muesli eating character straight out of Viz and an earnest handwringer whispering against the gale.
It's brilliant fun, I was a bit sad when UKIP had their 'Farage Farrago' but by comparison they handled it like a grown up bunch of adults.
But would it be right to waste £3 on the Labour election? Whilst I was not that interested a week ago the writings of the likes of Lord Finklestein and Matthew Parris are normally a good sign of what to do - i.e. the opposite. They are very keen on trying not to stir up the far left.
However, the far left are well stirred up, there is this thing called the Scottish Nationalist Party and they show no signs of giving up and going home for a hot toddy.
So they are wrong, as always.
But can Jeremy Corbyn win, are the early 1980's back in fashion to that extent - its quite likely, more so than the 1990's being back in fashion as it is too soon for that.
What would a Corbyn win mean, well for me it would mean a lot of very easy blog posts for a few years. For UKIP it would mean a lot of very easy votes to sweep up and for the Country, not much as the Tories are the Government anyway for the foreseeable.
Should I waste £3. Given I am not a member of any party currently, joining Labour is not even morally dishonest - people have lots of varied reasons to join political parties after all......
20 comments:
I think the economy will go *pop* in this term of office and that could change everything.
As it is:
- welfare up
- immigration up
- debt up
- energy (green costs) up
- house inflation up...
700 jobs lost in the steel industry owing to green targets. Never mind. New coffee shop 'apprenticeships' staffed by migrants topped up with in work bens should make up for that.
Blair advising Labour not to lurch Left ? But Labour are meant to be socialist. This is what is wrong with politicians. They should stand or fall on what they believe in. Not go adjusting their political position to suit the voting markets to get the job.
If a politician can't get the votes standing on ideas that they believe in then they should accept that they are the wrong product and stand down from politics altogether.
Leave them to it.
No matter how things turn out, the left wing of the Labour Party are obviously feeling antsy so even if Corbyn loses they'll be causing a fuss. Wouldn't be too shocked to see another SDP moment really, this one backed by the Unions who'll leave Labour and then have to find another raft of excuses as to why the public don't vote for them in droves.
All of Labours options, bar Corbyn, stink of temporary leader, whilst JC would oversee a sinking in the polls until HMS Leftys hit the 2020 election iceberg.
And for every percentage drop in the polls, I hope they yank Owen Jones out in front of the cameras and give him a suitable egg on face interview.
I think the economy will go *pop* in this term of office and that could change everything
gotta be a scenario, I agree Kev - the only near-certainty was, 2015 was going to be OK: but we've had the 'guaranteed-to-get-a-bit-better' phase
next question is: before or after referendum?
also (with or without *pop*) will there be rioting? and, again, +/- referendum?
A leader who believes in things (albeit odd things), and who isn't a proven hypocrite (unless I've missed something).
Could be an attraction just for the novelty, I even agree with some of what he says, might vote for him myself as long as I believe not too many other people will do the same...
I would rather have Jeremy Corbyn than any of the other 3 pale Blair imitations. At least he has some beliefs and sticks to them instead of bowing to whichever way he thinks the wind is blowing. For the first time in my life I found myself agreeing with John Prescott on the Today programme this morning when he said Tony Blair was wrong to to say anyone voting for Corbyn needed a heart transplant. How he (TB) lives with himself I do not know after what he did to Iraq and how he lied to parliament and to the country to get people to agree with his policy. I never trusted him from the moment he appeared on the scene and how he managed to get to and keep the position he did still amazes me. How he has the nerve to stay in the public eye and not to slink away in disgrace still amazes me. Even worse how does he still have people listening to a word he says.
Anyway (rant over) if you want to pay your £3 subs for a bit of mischief making I would say it would be £3 well spent.
£3.
Corbyn or beer, Corbyn or beer, Corbyn or beer?
Decisions decisions.
Just reading 'No suh thing as society' the 1980s.
Which isn't as good as it's supposed to be.
If you are used to Sandbrook's detail, its all very thin.
However, the opening chapters deal with Labour's terrible shock that it didn't win the 1979 election. And although history and hindsight paint the true picture of a labour government that had lurched from crisis to crisis. Had had to admit that it was impossible to 'spend their way out of debt'. Union dominated, bankrupt and tired of minority rule with waring coalition allies.
The 1979 opinion polls and newspapers though,have a different story.
Callaghan a long way ahead of Thatcher in leadership.
Labour ahead of tories on both the economy and industrial relations.
No wonder the activists felt cheated of a victory.Like the Milimen do today.
Their guy was supposed to win. Almost all the polls and opinions said so.
Labour are at a 1980 moment for sure.
So ..Corbyn up everyone. It may lead to an SDP moment
{but it won't.}
Labour's swing to the left is to get away from the Trotsky Tories and the Scottish Nasty Party. Its going to get crowded over there which will leave vast swathes of the right for UKIP or even a sanitised EDL
How people laughed when I drew Foinaven in a sweep for the 1967 Grand National. JC might be worth a small outside bet for 2020.
Dem - agree who knows what events can happen by then- Labour only need about 3% swing against tories to get him a PM in a coalition with SNP. Not exactly a remote possibility.
@Demetrius: If only I'd taken the 200/1 early price on Corbyn, could trade off at around 5/2 now - hindsight is a wonderful thing). However I do think that political betting is the way forward. My nag selctions are fun but patchy at best.
I'm having a flutter on the Lib Dems autumn conference.
I reckon the catering for ALL the Liberal MPs will be one thin crust Hawaiian and one deep pan cheese and tomato. With 2 sides of garlic bread.
If I was a party member I'd vote for Corbyn, on the basis that he actually believes in something. Better that than another wannabe heir to Blair. As for left wing beliefs, holding such beliefs and being able to enact them are two very different things as Alexis Tsipras has been finding out.
I can't stand Corbyn's politics and he has some very strange "friends" but my goodness he actually stands for something, doesn't he? And he isn't 12 years old either. Cooper's a dozy uninspiring drudge, Burnham has presided over mass deaths in the NHS and attempted to cover it up, and as for Liz Kendall, who the fuck is she? She's only been an MP for five minutes. I can't imagine her running a tuck shop, never mind the government.
Corbyn might be just the man to destroy the property bubble, which is what this country really does need.
*ahem* Point of Factual Order - "National", not "Nationalist".
Corbyn - conspiracy or cock-up? Why are all the rightists (Bliar, the Tories, et al) all loudly trumpeting about how he'll be the worst possible thing for Labour? Are they scared that perhaps presenting the population with a clear alternative (rather than multiple shades of the same shite-in-a-suit like we had for the last few elections with LibLabCon) might actually mean the Tories lose next time out, as the population get fed up of the "big business and my mates first" decisions being taken by the Cons?
You know, little things like:
- overturning the neonicotinoid pesticide ban, so that farmers can use them widely & eradicate the wild bee population once & for all;
- completely privatising the NHS;
- finally and completely monetising education, hauling us back to Victorian times so that only the hereditary rich have a hope of success in life( Can't have those uppity proles getting ideas above their station, what?)
- slashing/burning the arts & culture.
I despair. And I anticipate a fully-capitalist/free-marketeer flaming also. Must choose my audiences better.
as a courteous host I interpose myself between you and the flamers, Kynon - feel free to vent here any time, actually our audience is happy to hear, errr, a balance of views
there are many here who would be happy to debate the 'monetisation' of education and probably bees as well
(just choose your words better (+:
Kyanon all reasonable enough, but slash and burn arts culture. I am a TOTAL PHLISTINE and belive in no subsidy for arty farty types at all. They can all go find some philanthropists if they are so so keen to hang around smoking dope and being cool.
Apart from that, fair do's to your list...
The courtesy of ND and CU is in stark contrast to many of the left blogs (Socialist Unity a fine example) where debate is allowed inside a very narrow Overton Window and anything outside is deleted.
I thought it was the Varroa virus that was doing for bees, via a parasite on imported Indian bees that European bees can't cope with. We've had more bees in the garden this summer than for years, happily.
@Nick Drew - my thanks for your hospitality, and my apologies for my choice of words; I suspect I meant either commercialisation or commodification of education. Mind you, the root of that does also lie with the Nu-Labour Red Tories, with their "50% of school leavers going to university" bollocks, the resultant conversion of polys/colleges to universities, and the introduction of tuition fees.
@CU - do you aim that only at those who wish to create new works of art & culture, or are you including things like museums & galleries?
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