UK General Discussion: 2019 and onwards, The End of May

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Anyway. Mark Field. Yikes.

[CumbrianLefty]

More alarming than what he did, is all the right wingers backing him all guns blazing.

[Former President tack50]

https://twitter.com/EuropeElects/status/1142462197701984256

Big if true. I guess indyref 2 will not happen in Scotland but rather in Wales? Lol

Also, I guess this is good news for Plaid. When is the next Welsh devolved election coming?

[YL]

More alarming than what he did, is all the right wingers backing him all guns blazing.

Some of the stuff today on Johnson is even worse.

[CumbrianLefty]

As are some of the defences.

Still, unearthing old Allison Pearson tweets is proving an amusing pastime.

[America Needs a 13-6 Progressive SCOTUS]

https://twitter.com/EuropeElects/status/1142462197701984256

Big if true. I guess indyref 2 will not happen in Scotland but rather in Wales? Lol

Also, I guess this is good news for Plaid. When is the next Welsh devolved election coming?

I thought Wales was the strongest area for Brexit...

[IceAgeComing]

Nah; behind large chunks of England.  I imagine that this is a Brexit motivated change that is temporary although who knows: especially if things go downhill in the long run.  Certainly good news for Plaid if they can manage to utilise it to their advantage.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Not seen the full survey, but 'excludes 29% who did not answer' is, for the record, a pretty huge red flag for what is technically a serious constitutional question.

[Statilius the Epicurean]

Doesn't English independence poll somewhere in the 30s?

[beesley]

All Labour MPs have been asked to signal their intention to stand again (or not.) Jim Fitzpatrick (Poplar and Limehouse) and Ronnie Campbell (Blyth Valley) have already announced their intention to stand down.

Some MPs are at risk of being deselected. Kate Hoey, Roger Godsiff and Virendra Sharma look the most likely (Hoey for voting with the government on Brexit, Godsiff for his Anderton Park incident, Sharma for being a bad MP,) but Peter Kyle, Angela Eagle, Alison McGovern, Kerry McCarthy, Catherine McKinnell, Darren Jones, Neil Coyle, Wes Streeting, Barry Sheerman, Vicky Foxcroft, Louise Ellman (likely standing down anyway), Anna Turley, Helen Goodman, Shabana Mahmood, Liam Byrne (also likely to stand down), Liz Kendall, Paul Williams and Jo Platt are also potential candidates, although of course some of these are far less likely. Some of the likeliest candidates for this left to join CHUK/TIG (Joan Ryan and Gavin Shuker.)

[CumbrianLefty]

Chris Leslie was also a dead cert for deselection.

(not least because he hardly ever visited his constituency, according to at least some accounts)

Some of those you list are actually pretty safe barring a total meltdown of non-Corbynism in the party.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The reality is that selection issues are mostly about ambitions and egos - everything else simply provides a pretext. So the critical issue in most cases would be whether there are serious contenders lurking around who fancy their chances.

[beesley]

Chris Leslie was also a dead cert for deselection.

(not least because he hardly ever visited his constituency, according to at least some accounts)

Some of those you list are actually pretty safe barring a total meltdown of non-Corbynism in the party.

It wasn't a list of people who were likely to be deselected, moreso those who could face selection battles. Most of them would win.

Chris Leslie was understandable since I don't think local members ever warmed to him that much - he was parachuted after losing Shipley anyway.

The reality is that selection issues are mostly about ambitions and egos - everything else simply provides a pretext. So the critical issue in most cases would be whether there are serious contenders lurking around who fancy their chances.

Exactly. There are rumours of battles for MPs like Foxcroft because it's possible someone credible could challenge her. Likewise, Virendra Sharma will face a selection battle because therei s bound to be someone more interested in actually representing the people of Southall than he is.

[DaWN]

What a terrible, terrible party

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-48778129

[CumbrianLefty]

I agree, not great - looks like a shabby little deal brokered by that most principled of politicians, Keith Vaz. At the very least Williamson should have had to show contrition a la Naz Shah to be let back in.

But the fact that so many - including loads on the Labour and normally pro-Corbyn left - have reacted as they have to this news shows the essential falseness of your claim.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The arrogance is extraordinary. Beyond that there's not much worth saying.

[CumbrianLefty]

The arrogance is extraordinary. Beyond that there's not much worth saying.

Don't know if arrogance is quite the right word here........insouciance may be a better one.

[YL]

I agree, not great - looks like a shabby little deal brokered by that most principled of politicians, Keith Vaz. At the very least Williamson should have had to show contrition a la Naz Shah to be let back in.

But the fact that so many - including loads on the Labour and normally pro-Corbyn left - have reacted as they have to this news shows the essential falseness of your claim.

I wouldn't go as far as DaWN, but decisions like this one do suggest the cultists (as opposed to the wider left) are essentially in control.  And what I've heard from people who have been involved with the Labour Party locally fits with that, I'm afraid.

We will see what happens with the deselections.

[beesley]

There is a big difference between Chris Williamson and the #GTTO cultists on social media like Rachel Swindon than people with similar beliefs to Corbyn like Naz Shah, who made an effort to reevaluate her stance. That's why this is a terrible decision.

[Silent Hunter]

Yep, a mere slap on the wrist isn't enough here. Can Labour not fine its MPs?

[parochial boy]

As much as anything, the number of, um, unforced errors that Labour manage to make is impressive

[Silent Hunter]

Corbyn has been doing that since he was elected leader.

Anyway, quite a few Labour MPs are not happy with this decision:

Open letter to Corbyn calling for Williamson to lose the whip

[CumbrianLefty]

I agree, not great - looks like a shabby little deal brokered by that most principled of politicians, Keith Vaz. At the very least Williamson should have had to show contrition a la Naz Shah to be let back in.

But the fact that so many - including loads on the Labour and normally pro-Corbyn left - have reacted as they have to this news shows the essential falseness of your claim.

I wouldn't go as far as DaWN, but decisions like this one do suggest the cultists (as opposed to the wider left) are essentially in control.  And what I've heard from people who have been involved with the Labour Party locally fits with that, I'm afraid.

We will see what happens with the deselections.

So who are the "cultists", exactly?

As the reporting of this has now made clear, had Williamson's case been judged by the people who were originally meant to have considered it there would almost certainly not have been the same decision. One of the replacements who decided to let him back in was Keith Vaz, who whatever else he is (and "an unprincipled charlatan on the BoJo level" would certainly not be unfair there) wouldn't meet most people's description of a "cultist".

Increasingly this looks like cock up rather than nefarious triumphalist conspiracy.

[Silent Hunter]

One of the replacements on the plan made clear her opposition to the EHRC investigation of Labour.

[CumbrianLefty]

I would argue that is a legitimate position, even if you don't agree with it.

(as is not agreeing with the IHRA definitions of AS, something Lisa Forbes was slagged off for)