Labour Leadership : Reboot 2019

[sally maclennane]

I didn't think Emily Thornberry was in with the Momentum lot?

[nineseven]

Up-to-date info on membership and voting here. Apologies if this has been posted before.

https://www.politics.co.uk/comment-anal ... es-it-work

My first instinct would be to back Starmer.

[Chicky]

I didn't think Emily Thornberry was in with the Momentum lot?

She’s definitely a Corbyn supporter even if she isn’t fully Momentum. I don’t trust her anyway.

[Morganna]

I have just rejoined.

I'm sure you all wanted to know that .

[Bat Macdui]

Dan Jarvis is an interesting idea. Is he high profile enough though?

I think new will actually be really helpful this time round. No known allegiances. I don't think he's known for being raging Blairite? And he's not Momentum affiliated.

He's also a really good choice for against Johnson. Military, down to earth, white, male, attractive. Maybe Andy Burnham can take him to get his eyebrows done for some good press shots. For the record, I would obviously love a woman to be leader, but I'm being horribly realistic and the end goal is a Labour government. And I don't think - at this point - a woman would get elected in a GE. Which totally fucking sucks.

Lisa Nandy is my MP. I think she's good, but I don't think she's leadership material. She clever, involved, and a bloody good constituency MP and I think she might make a good go at some kind of rebuild role. But I also think she's more about moderation, negotiation and compromise and at the moment we need someone to walk into the NEC and say 'time's up, you fuckers', not have an eight hour meeting with them on the minutae of the global oppression of the workers. She needs a good shadow cabinet job whilst someone else gets on with sacking anyone who ever even thought about being nice about Chris Williamson on Facebook.

[Ella77]

For the record, I would obviously love a woman to be leader, but I'm being horribly realistic and the end goal is a Labour government. And I don't think - at this point - a woman would get elected in a GE. Which totally fucking sucks.

Agreed. I also really like Jess Phillips, but I'm not sure she's leadership material yet. One day hopefully though.

[Pippedydeadeye]

I think ex-military or ex-DPP would play really well against Johnson too, so you’re right Bats. Someone needs to do some headcracking amongst the idiots that aren’t focusing on being the main party of opposition.

[smalex]

For the record, I would obviously love a woman to be leader, but I'm being horribly realistic and the end goal is a Labour government. And I don't think - at this point - a woman would get elected in a GE. Which totally fucking sucks.

Agreed. I also really like Jess Phillips, but I'm not sure she's leadership material yet. One day hopefully though.

Why do you think that? (non-combative question). I really want to make the right choice but it's so difficult. I like her so much, but I also want labour to be a party who might be able to win.

I don't know whether we should look for the best qualities in general or if we should look for the best qualities to beat Johnson. Because they might not be the same things necessarily.

As a more general question- once Brexit actually happens, and let's presume we don't have another election for 4-5yrs, so we've had several years of experiencing Brexit, the white hot desire of the leavers to actually leave will be sated, I wonder if having been a staunch Remainer will seem so important?

[Bat Macdui]

I don't know whether we should look for the best qualities in general or if we should look for the best qualities to beat Johnson. Because they might not be the same things necessarily.

Both. A compromise between the two. Nuance soup again.

As a more general question- once Brexit actually happens, and let's presume we don't have another election for 4-5yrs, so we've had several years of experiencing Brexit, the white hot desire of the leavers to actually leave will be sated, I wonder if having been a staunch Remainer will seem so important?

We won't know til we get there whether Brexit is still an issue. It depends on what Johnson does, how we leave, how people perceive the impact of that and who they blame if it's fucking awful. It seems possible it might have gone away as an issue, but it's also possible it'll get blown right back the fuck open and be raw again. I know we're all sensibly hunkering down for five years but if we come out with No Deal in December and the country actually explodes, Johnson's term could be shorter. It's all still very unpredictable really.

I'm not keen on Kier Starmer though I think he could possibly do the purge job, if not the leading us to victory job. I'm just not sure how well he might go down in Wigan, and more importantly, in Workington, Darlington and Blyth. And he has so much baggage, with Remain and being in Corbyn's Shadow Cabinet.

[smalex]

True. That's my fear about Starmer too. He's not Corbyn but he might have an air of knowing better than you.

If the country implodes in a storm of no deal, we're still stuck with the fixed term parliament act aren't we. I agree it probably going to be so much chaos it's impossible to know.

[Bat Macdui]

True. That's my fear about Starmer too. He's not Corbyn but he might have an air of knowing better than you.

Something innate and northern working class in me reacts to him as 'that posh cunt who helped fuck this all up'. He was in shadow cabinet. He was complicit. That said, Workington voted for Johnson, also posh cunt who fucked it all up, so what do I know?

If the country implodes in a storm of no deal, we're still stuck with the fixed term parliament act aren't we. I agree it probably going to be so much chaos it's impossible to know.

Thing is, I can't see any usual route for it not to go five years. BUT. It might get to 3 and Johnson decides he's having another punt, to try and get 8 years. I can't see the Tories rebelling enough to kick him out as leader BUT they might, because even with a majority of 80 or whatever, he's in a party made up of swivel eyed loons and back stabbing bastards. The Union (breakup of) could cause a massive, massive constitutional mess. Variables. All over the shop.

[Chicky]

Jim Pickard just tweeted that there have been 24,000 new labour members since last week.

[Morganna]

I like Starmer, but I don't think he should be leader, for the reasons Bats gives. We need a new start, and much as it's not fair, Starmer is associated with now, which will soon become the past.

I also wonder if we do need a Northerner. It shouldn't make a difference, but I think there is so much resentment and feeling of being ignored and left behind in the north that maybe it does.

[Ruby]

Jim Pickard just tweeted that there have been 24,000 new labour members since last week.

You have to assume that at least a third of those will be complete weapons though.

I agree about Jess Phillips and Lisa Nandy. I like them, but I almost don't want them wasted on a brief, failed leadership. I do feel that someone with longer experience and/or proper skull-cracking union work would be better suited.

[Ruby]

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[Loralei]

Emily Thornberry has officially announced that she's standing.

[Bat Macdui]

Manchester for Europe emailed me to tell me to rejoin (already have) and said something about a rule change from 6th January which would have an impact on whether people rejoining in January could have a vote in the Leadership election. I'm not sure what they meant - is this the same as your January 20th cut off, Marth? I am just wondering as I was going to email the deadline to my vacillating Manager, who is one of the sensible ones (not an absolute weapon).

[Marth]

I don't know. The 20th would be two weeks after if they announce the timetable on the 6th. Sooner rather than later to join I would say.

[Bat Macdui]

Thanks. Our local CLP chairman rang R this afternoon to welcome him and ask why he joined! R told them he wanted rid of Corbyn and the CLP chap told him he wouldn't be able to vote. I think R just got stalked by Momentum.

[Marth]

Thanks. Our local CLP chairman rang R this afternoon to welcome him and ask why he joined! R told them he wanted rid of Corbyn and the CLP chap told him he wouldn't be able to vote. I think R just got stalked by Momentum.

Bloody momentum. I can’t bear this blind devotion to a leader who has lost us two elections. Apparently it’s all a massive conspiracy and everyone else’s fault apart from Corbyn.