Nick Timothy: Why I have resigned as the Prime Minister’s adviser
http://www.conservativehome.com/pla...-resigned-as-the-prime-ministers-adviser.html
http://www.conservativehome.com/pla...-resigned-as-the-prime-ministers-adviser.html
General Election 2017 | Cabinet reshuffle: Hunt re-appointed Health Secretary for record third time
- Thread starter altodevil
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Here we fecking go!
He won't have written the headline but there is literally nothing there to explain his reasoning for resigning
How does thay top number make sense? (0.67x0.48)+(0.45*0.52)= 0.65?
The problem here is that you're confidently trotting out the same mantra from 6 months ago, as if a major shift in political norms hasn't just occurred. It has. Yes, there is still a fair support for a centrist Labour, but the momentum is unequivocally with Corbyn now. The last time the youth vote propelled a seemingly doomed party into relevance, it was Clegg's Lib Dems, and you've just seen what happens when they feel their loyalty is betrayed.
Corbyn needs to stay on. Even his in-party detractors admit that. It's not remotely a stretch to claim he could, and probably would've won had he had the support of his party and an even share of the press from day one. The problem was never him. In fact it was everything but. Were he to hand off power, as @ArmchairCritic suggests, theres no one else in his cabinet with near enough clout to follow through. The likes of McDonnell and Abbott are cult figures (and weaker speakers) riding the slipstream of his appeal. A hand off would only work if an umblemished protege were to suddenly emerge, or someone like Sadiq put himself in the frame. A swift change to centre now would create an immediate backlash. Unquestionably.
Where you've hit on a semblance of truth, is in the idea that the likes of Chuka et al need to be brought back into the fold, softly and conciliatory, if Labour are ever going to win an outright majority. The dissenters need to fall in line behind Corbyn, first and foremost, but the hardline left also need to be gracious enough to let them.
While I can't begrudge the valedictory mood of @Dobba @DenisIrwin et al - who deserve their moment of smugness (and as someone who wobbled at times, but still voted for Corbyn in both leadership elections, and swallowed my pride to vote for Kate Hoey in Lambeth, I share a lot of it) - in the long run they'll need to accept that many of Jezza's detractors were voted in on their own merit (Chuka, for example, is hugely popular in my neighbouring Streatham, regardless of Jez) and that trying to vindictively strong arm or shame them out of the party is both counterproductive and vaguely Trumpian in approach. Corbyn has every right to lord it over them, but doing so will only weaken his integrity, and any future Labour push for a next-election majority. Even people like Owen Jones - whose been a massively influential champion of the youth Labour vote - spent many months being called "Blairite scum" for wavering in his support of Jez. All that needs to stop. It's the worst and most publically damaging aspect of the left, and will only curtail our momentum.
The Right have always been better than us at uniting their disparate factions in the corse of winning power. We need to to at least try and do the same. Even if just for show. Because while this election has unquestionably empowered a Corbyn-led Labour, it hasn't proved it can win a majority against a candidate with more substance than a Dark Crystal-era Jim Henson puppet of an evil bird henchwoman.. Both sides need to suck it up to some degree, and pull together to make this happen.
The ball's been hit hard into the PLP centrist court now, for sure. But if they hit it back, the Momentum/Unite side need to start a rally, rather than a fight.
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Someone please remind me.
Who stabbed who's back in the last leadership contest, Give or Boris?
Who stabbed who's back in the last leadership contest, Give or Boris?
There is a 500'000 strong petition to stop the Tory - DUP coalition of mayos.
Gove stabbed Boris in the back by announcing a couple of hours before he was meant to. I'm not entirely sure why it stopped Boris, but it did.
Would vote for a Mockers-led Labour tbf.
Though that asterisk is weirding me out.
Though that asterisk is weirding me out.
Nail on the head as per usual.
'A majority (59.48%) of Tory members now believe Mrs May should resign, according to a snap survey by the Conservative Home website yesterday.
It found that just 36.66% of the 1,503 respondents believe she should stay on.
The survey had not been carried out as a weighted sample as people self-selected to vote in it.
Editor Paul Goodman said the results were "astonishing" and "the most damning finding in one of our polls that I can remember"'.
http://www.itv.com/news/update/2017-06-10/poll-finds-conservative-supporters-want-may-to-resign/
It found that just 36.66% of the 1,503 respondents believe she should stay on.
The survey had not been carried out as a weighted sample as people self-selected to vote in it.
Editor Paul Goodman said the results were "astonishing" and "the most damning finding in one of our polls that I can remember"'.
http://www.itv.com/news/update/2017-06-10/poll-finds-conservative-supporters-want-may-to-resign/
The danger is in the next conservative leader taking the central position, and gaining the support of those blairites.
Right now its a big, empty space with only the (rather useless) Lib Dems sometimes occupying it on a few policies.
The central position is, by definition, the position the average person in this countey holds. One of Corbyn's most successful policies has been the central one; that there will be a brexit and we'll be in the single market, and we'll get a deal, and don't you worry about a thing love.
That's not to say the manifesto hasn't done well, it has, but i would put it down more to its positivity, and giving people a clear choice than because it's lefty.
If the next PM manages to take the central position; softer Brexit, softer immigration, less cuts, more positivity... Labour could be in trouble
I'd run if I could write all my policy in the golden hours of a weekend binge... Thought tbf, give Trump another 6 months and that'll be de rigueur political practice.
I have just read that the labour party has had 150000 new members join in the past 3 days.
And that's true. Her approval ratings were through the roof; they fell gradually but are well above water even after this disaster.
Now, both parties have an increased %age because of the UKIP collapse, and a smaller LD, Green, and SNP decline. It seems to be a return to 2-party politics at least for a while (in terms of votes if not seats). This is much better than 2010 (with Liberals on the rise as an alternative to Iraq/2008-tainted Labour, and the "caring conservativism"/we're all in this together from Cameron trying to appeal to the centre better.
Oh god, what are they doing
On a tangent, if a Leaver Tory were to take over from May, framing a few big spending pledges around that £350m (18bn per year) might be quite successful. Bullshit obviously as we haven't left and we didn't give that much to the EU anyway, but plenty voted on the basis of it and would respond to it as a promise being kept.
On a tangent, if a Leaver Tory were to take over from May, framing a few big spending pledges around that £350m (18bn per year) might be quite successful. Bullshit obviously as we haven't left and we didn't give that much to the EU anyway, but plenty voted on the basis of it and would respond to it as a promise being kept.
I have a horrible feeling Labour will shoot themselves in the foot sooner or later. Quick, someone lock Ken away and tell him not to mention Hitler.
I think something worth considering in regards to the electability of Corbyn is the vote in London. Typically London is always quite strong in favour of Labour, being a liberal, urban area and all, but it's always had its fair share of Tory pockets too.
Nevertheless, Labour's showing on Thursday was superb (taking Kensington for example) and I reckon Brexit had a lot to do with it. Liberals in London, whether on the left or right economically, were mostly strongly against Brexit, and the Tory pursuit of a hard Brexit since last June has seen a fair share of disillusionment among a fair share of London liberals who likely plopped for Cameron but abhor May. @Jippy is pretty much the personification of this, actually.
In typical circumstances a lot of these voters would be ardently against Corbyn's leftism, but many of them appear to have been alienated from the Tories to the point where Labour's socially liberal stances outweigh what they believe to be the negative left-wing economics. And I'd imagine it's something that applies in a number of England's important big cities, wherein socially liberal people who dislike Corbyn will vote for him anyway because they prefer him to the alternative. It's something that's a massive boost for him. I kind of underestimated the extent to which he'd win over that sort of vote, but if he can keep it then he's arguably a lot more electable than we'd otherwise think.
Nevertheless, Labour's showing on Thursday was superb (taking Kensington for example) and I reckon Brexit had a lot to do with it. Liberals in London, whether on the left or right economically, were mostly strongly against Brexit, and the Tory pursuit of a hard Brexit since last June has seen a fair share of disillusionment among a fair share of London liberals who likely plopped for Cameron but abhor May. @Jippy is pretty much the personification of this, actually.
In typical circumstances a lot of these voters would be ardently against Corbyn's leftism, but many of them appear to have been alienated from the Tories to the point where Labour's socially liberal stances outweigh what they believe to be the negative left-wing economics. And I'd imagine it's something that applies in a number of England's important big cities, wherein socially liberal people who dislike Corbyn will vote for him anyway because they prefer him to the alternative. It's something that's a massive boost for him. I kind of underestimated the extent to which he'd win over that sort of vote, but if he can keep it then he's arguably a lot more electable than we'd otherwise think.
The feck is going on now, i can't take much more worrying
They're preparing a bid.
If this whole situation was a storyline from 'Yes, Minister' people would complain it was too far fetched.
So basically May did the statement to announce herself as the winner to sure up her position, even when she hadn't arranged the deal to secure her government.
She is basically Wile E Coyote running off the cliff at the moment, hoping that if she doesn't look down then she will keep on running.
She won't last the month.
All mostly true, but still kinda hanging on to the outdated pre-Brexit, pre-Trump, pre-Corbyn model of rational vanilla politics IMO. Yes, the center is still where we're eventually heading (swings and roundabouts and all) but the entire purpose of the Labour Party is to push that center further and further left. Even Tony Blair, the hated horned demon centrist of the Corbyn uprising, was the only reason Cameron's Tory Government legalised Gay marriage. Any self respecting Tory would've spat their caviar flavoured Champagne in your face had that been suggested before a decade of Labour rule. And a soft, centrist Labour rule at that.
That's what it's about. Right now both sides are so polarised that rushing to claim that void too soon would lose votes either way, but Labour are in the better position of the two IMO.
Even a centrist Tory leader would be seen as necessitating yet another election, another embarrassing policy climb down and their 3rd leadership in as many years. Sure, some people may be placated, but many would also see them as an omnishambles, and the reason we're spending precious millions on endless party political dick-swinging.
Hence why it's never been more important for Labour to find a way (any way!) to push in the same direction. To enact that shifting of the status quo. Many of us thought it'd be a decade before we had a chance like this, but we've been granted it now, so feck pessimism, all hands to the pump comrades! I can see how many would see the DUP coalition as a step backwards, but the night is always darkest before the dawn [/batman]
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It changes little, so far as the structural political disparity is concerned. Piecemeal devolution, driven by the reigning expedient of the moment, is no way to go about business.
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Theresa May does not appear to think she's embarrassed herself enough, it seems.
I wonder if there are enough Tory rebels brave enough to scupper the queens speech in the house in order to force May out and elect a new leader to essentially force a general election. They could be thinking they could get their majority back with a much better campaign and a more friendly manifesto. They should be able to piss all over Labours too as changing it for another GE would be an easy target for Tory smearing.
Parklife!
Think it's worth examining what caused the surge and what just came along for the ride. The nationalisations seemed to play no part, maybe railways on the Southern rail line from Brighton upwards, but overall not a lot. Defence policy was actually basically centrist, renewal of Trident (even if Corbyn couldn't always say it himself) and 2% defence spending was literally in Liz Kendall's leadership platform. Immigration was to the right of Ed. Leaving the single market. The benefit freeze was retained, leaving the overall distributive effects almost as regressive as the Tories, barring a quick hit on the richest. The triple lock was a coalition policy.
Answer to me overall seems to be plain old services. Health, education, policing. It didn't even matter that most people didn't believe they could fund it in the end, as most just wanted to hear someone try and were repulsed by the Tories bread and water offering (their school breakfast policy cut through as much as the social care one, in just as bad a way).
Come on Ubik you can get away with that one. You know what centrist defence policy of the last 17 years has been like, with Corbyn it would completely different.
You're talking foreign policy, not defence. (I can agree that Corbyn's non-interventionism played well.)
640000
Saw Isabelle Oakeshott on Question Time Friday and I got the same impression I get of her whenever she appears in the media. And that's that she is a fundamentally stupid person with a poor grasp of reality who got far because editors who've employed here have, at one time, fancied a go. She's such a self-entitled, sneering, Prefect type but there's absolutely nothing behind there. There are other journalists, many female, who make the same points as she does but in a way that doesn't make as if she's just memorised a talking point. Easily one of the most detestable journalists regularly on TV and if she was 10 years older, had greying hair and a wart on her face she would never have a job as a prominent journalist, much less one that gets regularly featured on TV.
The archetypal fecking idiot who's been promoted well above her intellectual pay-grade because of her looks.
The archetypal fecking idiot who's been promoted well above her intellectual pay-grade because of her looks.
Aren't they the same ? Are you putting counting Trident as defence as well ?
Although I agree if we are talking about local policing it wasn't partially Left at all.
No, different secretaries of state and government departments, separate budget lines etc. Trident's under the remit of the Defence Secretary, it's why Clive Lewis resigned from the role and why Nia Griffith overruled Thornberry on it during the campaign.
She's like an absurdly right wing Janet Street-Porter.
Of course. 80% of voters don't read the manifesto of the party they're voting for. And that's generous. At most they crib it from the news or absorb it second hand. The right wing media (hock, spit) scored a massive own goal in over emphasising the "unrealistic" flaws in the costing of Labour's policies, because all most people took in was the fact Labour had some positive policies, and they were more or less "costed"...Whilst the Tories just had some vague horrible Tory shit they couldn't even account for.
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