Labour Party Desolation v3: Abstainence Makes the Farce Grow Stronger

[NoSleep]

Why doesn't somebody just ask for the numbers?  This isn't Stalinist Russia.

Labour went for decades not declaring their membership figures in the past; essentially concealing a massive decline (in the millions, IIRC), then started declaring again in the 1980's (when it was down to six figures). Could be a return to the good old days of hiding a massive decline. The Labour wiki page figure of 580,000 is from April 2020 and the previous figure from January 2020 was 585,000 (from memory).

Where's the figures for this alleged ">100,000"?

[SpiderChrist]

No, they're not. The centrist dinner ladies want you to leave. Stay in the party.

I've never been a member of the Labour Party and I've fucking left.

[Blinder Data]

RE: membership figures, according to this NEC report from September Labour has approx. 560,000 members.

I found this article interesting, mostly because it says all the same things I've been saying about Brexit and elections, plus it's written by someone on the left: https://labourlist.org/2020/10/its-time-to-bust-the-brexit-betrayal-myth-of-the-labour-left/

[NoSleep]

It fails to mention the hijacking and weaponisation of the remain campaign simply to oust Corbyn; that was no "myth". It was not "triangulation" to recognise why the red wall voted to leave (which has far more to do with the effects of Tory austerity and neglect in their areas).

[idunnosomename]

The Starmer cultists have harassed journalist Jon Stone from Twitter, all for saying you don't really need an SUV in Kentish Town.

So much for a kinder, gentler politics.

seems he deactivated his account which seems a bit of an overreaction to a group of centrist dads going "well actually I live in Haringey and I have two! Such reverse snobbery!"

[Buelligan]

RE: membership figures, according to this NEC report from September Labour has approx. 560,000 members.

That's pretty vague, in fairness.  Using words like approximately and around, giving no dates, always the sign of someone seeking to disguise or hide something.  What somebody needs to do is say something like, on the first of each and every month, I will publish the exact number of fully paid-up members who are entitled to vote.  Surely, in this age of computers, that is not unrealistic.

It fails to mention the hijacking and weaponisation of the remain campaign simply to oust Corbyn; that was no "myth". It was not "triangulation" to recognise why the red wall voted to leave (which has far more to do with the effects of Tory austerity and neglect in their areas).

Indeed it does, I wonder why.

[bgmnts]

I quit my membership as soon as Corbyn lost to be honest. No shame about that for me.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Just seeing it was a Deliveroo worker Kieth knocked down while trying to perform a u-turn. Further evidence he doesn't care about the precariatat.

https://newsopener.com/uk/keir-starmer-crashed-into-cyclist-while-trying-to-perform-a-u-turn/amp/

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8885945/Sir-Keir-Starmer-crashed-cyclist-trying-perform-u-turn-witnesses-claim.html

[holyzombiejesus]

EHRC report tomorrow. Today's like Christmas Eve for cunts. Bet certain types will be setting their alarm clocks nice and early.

[idunnosomename]

this ham-man's not for turning (safely and checking for other road-users)

[Sebastian Cobb]

He is very reactive, to the point of dealing with things after they've happened. Would've probably failed his hazard awareness.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

RE: membership figures, according to this NEC report from September Labour has approx. 560,000 members.

I found this article interesting, mostly because it says all the same things I've been saying about Brexit and elections, plus it's written by someone on the left: https://labourlist.org/2020/10/its-time-to-bust-the-brexit-betrayal-myth-of-the-labour-left/

One fairly serious clanging problem:

it suggests that saboteurs pushed the party from a Brexit position that would have won the election to one that was bound to lose. It does not add up.

That's a straw man. I didn't see anyone privately confident of that, especially not after the Tories defeated the Brexit party by becoming them. What is clear is that a policy which clearly meant prolonging the Brexit outcome further was devastatingly unpopular vs a campaign solely about saying let's get it over with. It is also clear this change of position was imposed against the leadership's wishes and better judgement, and partly orchestrated by Keir Starmer, a man who apparently knows all about winning.

It's easy to construct a convincing rebuttal against a stupid point of view that wasn't widely held.

[Kelvin]

It is also clear this change of position was imposed against the leadership's wishes and better judgement, and partly orchestrated by Keir Starmer, a man who apparently knows all about winning.

Imposed? This line gets put about a lot, but it's overly weighted against Starmer, for obvious reasons. Corbyn was leader of the party, and his team had control of it's decision making. Starmer, among many others, was pushing for a disastrous position, but it was Corbyn's choice and Corbyn's responsibility to get right, and his terrible tactical manoeuvring in that area cost Labour - and the left - incredibly heavily. I despise Starmer and his ilk and admire Corbyn greatly, but I will not excuse Corbyn for making such a grave error of leadership, even if the blame is not entirely his, and must be split between Corbyn's team, the PLP and, lest we forget, the membership. All three are responsible for our current mess, and Corbyn should not get a free pass for something so colossal. 

[Jerzy Bondov]

It's hope that kills you.

You must be immortal

[Buelligan]

Imposed? This line gets put about a lot, but it's overly weighted against Starmer, for obvious reasons. Corbyn was leader of the party, and his team had control of it's decision making. Starmer, among many others, was pushing for a disastrous position, but it was Corbyn's choice and Corbyn's responsibility to get right, and his terrible tactical manoeuvring in that area cost Labour - and the left - incredibly heavily. I despise Starmer and his ilk and admire Corbyn greatly, but I will not excuse Corbyn for making such a grave error of leadership, even if the blame is not entirely his, and must be split between Corbyn's team, the PLP and, lest we forget, the membership. All three are responsible for our current mess, and Corbyn should not get a free pass for something so colossal. 

Why not?  He gets a free pass on everything else.  He's been untouchable right through the piece, why should we pin any blame onto him for this alleged failing when he's walked free of criticism for so long?  Take your blame and pin it back on poor harried Keith, the sin donkey.

[Kelvin]

Why not?  He gets a free pass on everything else.  He's been untouchable right through the piece, why should we pin any blame onto him for this alleged failing when he's walked free of criticism for so long?  Take your blame and pin it back on poor harried Keith, the sin donkey.

Pin it on all of them. Pin it on Keith absolutely, highlight his hypocrisy, incompetence and deviousness, shout it from the rooftops, call a cunt a cunt.  But don't forget that Corbyn and the membership were all to blame too, just as much, in their own different ways.   

[DeadJefferson]

EHRC report tomorrow. Today's like Christmas Eve for cunts. Bet certain types will be setting their alarm clocks nice and early.

Can't wait, it's like Christmas coming two months early.

Tick tock, tick tock.

[pancreas]

Imposed? This line gets put about a lot, but it's overly weighted against Starmer, for obvious reasons. Corbyn was leader of the party, and his team had control of it's decision making. Starmer, among many others, was pushing for a disastrous position, but it was Corbyn's choice and Corbyn's responsibility to get right, and his terrible tactical manoeuvring in that area cost Labour - and the left - incredibly heavily. I despise Starmer and his ilk and admire Corbyn greatly, but I will not excuse Corbyn for making such a grave error of leadership, even if the blame is not entirely his, and must be split between Corbyn's team, the PLP and, lest we forget, the membership. All three are responsible for our current mess, and Corbyn should not get a free pass for something so colossal.

Every fucking cunt was to blame, myself included to a very small degree, in congratulating Nick Brown for keeping people voting against May's deal. In retrospect we should have backed May's deal—but then that might have fucked the cat completely as well. The SNP/LDs should have voted for a Customs Union. It goes on ... McDonnell has more blame than most—which he's accepted fwiw. Corbyn was the only one saying the right things ... as usual. But I don't think there was anything he could do, really. What could he have done? Said: we must vote for May's deal??

[Paul Calf]

Brexit fucked us. It fucked all of us. There are probably 10,000 people in the whole country who won't get fucked by Brexit. They'll just get richer.

[Famous Mortimer]

No, they're not. The centrist dinner ladies want you to leave. Stay in the party.

Leave and join an organisation that agrees with you. Labour does not.

[Buelligan]

EHRC report tomorrow. Today's like Christmas Eve for cunts. Bet certain types will be setting their alarm clocks nice and early.

I don't know why, what can they possibly gain whatever it says? 

[pancreas]

I don't know why, what can they possibly gain whatever it says?

A week-long self-sustaining symphony of disingenuous pearl-clutching?

Thank fuck I never read the guardian any more. Twitter might be a particular trial.

[Buelligan]

Heheh, exactly.  I mean what else can they throw?  And to what end?  The only people looking forward to such an event are obviously imbeciles.  And, whilst I feel quite compassionate towards imbeciles, I am not even vaguely interested in their opinions, political or moral.  Unless they're funny, of course.

[Johnny Yesno]

Every fucking cunt was to blame, myself included to a very small degree, in congratulating Nick Brown for keeping people voting against May's deal. In retrospect we should have backed May's deal—but then that might have fucked the cat completely as well. The SNP/LDs should have voted for a Customs Union. It goes on ... McDonnell has more blame than most—which he's accepted fwiw. Corbyn was the only one saying the right things ... as usual. But I don't think there was anything he could do, really. What could he have done? Said: we must vote for May's deal??

Corbyn was an evil remainiac to brexiteers and an evil brexiteer to remainers. In a country split pretty much down the middle, too few voters trusted him. And why was that? Could it have been the constant smears, perhaps?

[greencalx]

EHRC report tomorrow. Today's like Christmas Eve for cunts. Bet certain types will be setting their alarm clocks nice and early.

That came out of the blue. Will be interesting to see what it says. My expectation is that it will be sufficiently nuanced that all sides will be able to say it confirms their existing position.  This in fact has already started with Ashworth saying "I haven't seen the confidential report, but it's a disgrace".

[Johnny Yesno]

Apparently, the Labour leadership saw the draft report in July.

[Wacky Homemade Badges]

It's 2020. Everyone will ignore what it says and follow their gut.

[BlodwynPig]

You must be immortal

I hope so....

....


AGHHHHHHHHHHH

[BlodwynPig]

I don't know why, what can they possibly gain whatever it says?

It will be a vague tutting at Corbyn without sticking any knife in, with nary a glance at the truth culprits and liars.

[greencalx]

The Guardian is already wanking itself into a frenzy. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/oct/28/labour-figures-braced-antisemitism-inquiry-rule-party-acted-unlawfully