Op-ed: According to an ICM poll Monday their latest poll figures suggest the Labour party is not as far ahead as it should be at this stage of the political game. ICM quote: ICM Phone: CON 38%, LAB 33%, LDEM 7%, UKIP 13%, GRN 3% ICM Online: CON 36%, LAB 31%, LDEM 7%, UKIP 16%, GRN 4% The problem with polls is they are not reliable but they are usually used to suit. Ahead of the GE 2015 pundits were predicting a hung parliament and then miraculously as the actual polls closed switched to show a majority Tory vote which proved to be correct. That means the latest ICM polls can and will be viewed to suit but may be flawed. One writer at the Labour List, Luke Akehurst, a man standing for election to the NEC, Labour's governing body, was quick to respond to the polls tweeting: "Corbyn should put party above faction & resign. He has wrong politics to win an election, & lacks skills & experience to lead effectively." Why would a man who feels this way want to work as part of Labour's NEC? But Mr Akehurst has been saying similar for some time; he has openly showed a lack of respect for the party leader and more. I imagine that may appeal to those actively working to oust Jeremy Corbyn as party leader but will anger many more supporters and voters. Currently the Tory party is not just split it is disintegrating mainly over the EU referendum. Now could be the perfect time for Labour to unify and organise but many will think it will be a case of fighting a losing battle as self-servers within the party continue on their merry way. Tuesday Akehurst posted "Time for a reality check: Labour is plunging to historic lows" at the Labour List a website that often bears little resemblance to the Labour party and its supporters; it often reads more like an opposition publication. One can almost read the glee Mr Akehurst feels in posting yet another damning report undermining Corbyn's leadership. Akehurst may choose to believe that "ICM are often described as the gold standard of opinion pollsters in terms of accuracy" but we do not. He adds "And ComRes also showed us 5% behind this week" for good measure. Jeremy Corbyn has been party leader since September 12, 2015, and has faced a barrage of criticism from day one; criticism from within the party but mainly employees such as politicians not supporters and voters. He was elected with a huge mandate but some people will not be happy until he is ousted and the party split. You could understand that if attacks were coming from the Tory party but they are not. In January 2016 the Telegraph ran a live blog titled "Labour revolt: Shadow minister quits on live TV in fury over Jeremy Corbyn's revenge reshuffle - live." It is telling that report included tweets from Akehurst and some of his little gang. Jamie Reed @jreedmp tweeted "So people who campaigned, worked & sacrificed so much to establish the UK's most redistributive gvt ever are now 'hard right'. Inexplicable." And accepting the prompt John Woodcock MP tweeted ""Hard right" in British politics means the BNP. Shadow chancellor on media about his own MPs - destructive madness." Yet it appears fine for those three men to call Mr Corbyn's supporters hard left which following that logic must mean we are all raving communists? As a handful of disgruntled Labour activists and politicians jockey for position we the ordinary voters and party supporters are watching. That is not any sort of threat but a reminder that YOU are not the party. We are all the Labour party and without supporters the Tories will be in office for decades. Perhaps those planning a coup or coups think they can act this year and give themselves time to recover before the 2020 scheduled election but they are wrong. A coup could be that straw that breaks the camel's back for many Labour supporters. Those touted to replace Mr Corbyn may appeal to floating voters but will offer little to socialists or left-wing politics supporters. We do not need another centre right of politics party; we need a left wing political party in government and with help from those riding the gravy train that could become reality. Having tweeted for Corbyn to resign Akehurst back pedals slightly in his report Tuesday saying: Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell have two and a half weeks to turn round our performance and win the May elections. How do you feel Comrades when you read that?
Oh the arrogance. I doubt Akehurst et al will be delighted if Labour does well in the May elections but it will shut the coup gang up at least temporarily. Most times we blame the right wing MSM for undermining Corbyn and causing party splits but who do we blame when it is these people and includes one man expected to be elected to the NEC? What future for the NEC and more importantly what future for Labour? Related: Open Letter to BDS, the Labour Party, NEC hopefuls Left Futures- Young Labour in Left landslide but chaos, manipulation & smears mar NEC election
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Op-ed: Sitting down to watch PMQs Wednesday, BP pills to hand, the Times so-called Labour list of MPs who support Mr Corbyn and those who do not had pretty much passed me by. So I watched PMQs without background knowledge of what was to come. Initially, when pumped up and full-bladdered Cameron launched his attack on the Labour Party and Mr Corbyn the party leader I assumed it was from information of a different sort; information gathered via social media and earlier reports or just more Dodgy Dave theatrics. But as we now all know it was a list published in Rupert Murdoch's Times which meant that old foreign billionaire was again undermining British democracy. Local MP John Prescott was on the ball when he noticed a tweet from one Labour MP John Woodcock which was picked up by another Tory mouthpiece Guido. Having blocked Woodcock on Twitter some time ago I did not see it but the fact I felt I had to block a Labour MP tells you all you need to know; the only two Labour MPs blocked are those who have attacked Mr Corbyn online. Mr Woodcock quickly deleted the tweet but it was too late. It was picked up by the mainstream media who ran with it. Lord Prescott tweeted an accusation that Woodcock’s tweet was a prompt for the press and he may have been right. Politics as we know is a dirty business but some politicians days are committing political party suicide. Was the list real or a fake? The list looked like a fake, little more than a smear campaign. Thursday the fall out continues but what the publication of the list should do is spur Labour on to unite behind Mr Corbyn. In unity we win in division we fail. It was sad but not unexpected to see another labour list, a website that claims to be Labour supporting but so often tends to be anything but, posting a report on the list with attacks aimed at the Corbyn leadership. The Labour List also publishes articles from Labour politicians which probably says it all about those who take part; unless they distance themselves from such websites we will draw our own conclusions. As I said, sad but predictable. When you have such enemies within you are setting up Corbyn, the party and its supporters to fail and all for your own personal idea of the political direction the party should go. You can protest as much as you like that Mr Corbyn will not win elections but such negativity will make sure that is what happens. He was democratically elected and your self-serving politics simply help the over funded Tory machine do well at the polls. Like so many you work from behind and lack the support, balls and determination to have become party leader post GE2015. You prefer though to try to scupper Mr Corbyn to get your vision of the Labour party elected. Spitting on the democratically elected party leader is not a good look. The electorate who tune in to PMQs see a Tory party in disarray shouting and bawling the odds plucking unverified figures out of well-rehearsed game plans; they see theatrics bordering on a Whitehall farce courtesy of the Tory party. Cameron has the look of a man who does not care as post the EU referendum he will decide when to step down. Wife Sam Cam may already be packing. If you do not tune in to PMQs and only watch snippets shown on news channels don’t expect a full picture just the bits that suit the Tories. One conclusion Time IPhones, IPads etc. were left at the door when MPs enter PMQs. Kids cannot take such technology into exams and the Tory children in the House along with their opponents should not be able to either. Advice Grow up. |
British political scene
The next General Election in the UK may not be scheduled any time soon but the British political landscape is changing. With that in mind this blog will concentrate on the political scene but with a left wing perspective. Opinion pieces and news will bring you the stories that the MSM prefer to ignore. Archives
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