UK General Discussion:The Rt. Hon Alex Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, Populist Hero

[EastAnglianLefty]

With the usual discussion around the NHS in THIGMOO it does seem interesting how few people in the UK are aware that GPs are private- I recently spoke to a family member who was shocked that there GP was closing (and being replaced with some strange sounding company in the next village)

I've long thought that if you want to run a campaign on nationalisation, the priority shouldn't be the utilities but rather things that people mistakenly assume are nationalised anyway - i.e. GPs and universities.

[CumbrianLefty]

Corbyn rumours running amok in the last 24 hours.

[Cassius]

If true, the treasury must be salivating at the prospect of hundreds of lost deposits.

[(no subject)]

My favourite media stuff up is from here in the Antipodes in 2016. And it was committed by our paper of record not Murdoch:

[Silent Hunter]

He is a head in a jar, isn’t he?

[Torrain]

Corbyn rumours running amok in the last 24 hours.

This the story about Corbyn considering creating his own spin-off party, right?

Feels a bit odd given that his first few elections were fought in the environment that created the Social-Democratic Party, and the last couple have been fought amidst the smoking remains of The Independent Group and the Lib Dems. Surely he has to realise by now that such movements are a lost cause?

Truly, I can see no way adding a fourth party to the British Left (fifth depending if you count the SNP) increases their political prospects, while the Tories have no real opposition on the Right. Maybe those 2017 crowds chanting his name just broke Corbyn, and he's desperate to front a party to get some of that old adulation back again.

Also... If he just wanted to burn the Labour Party, a new party would do that, but arguably not as much as him joining the Green Party (alongside Long-Bailey and a few others), then splitting the hard-left vote squarely between himself and Labour (while the mainstream left and soft-left mostly stay with Starmer).

It just feels bizarre.

_{Let alone him considering using his "Peace and Justice Movement" as the framework. Nothing would encapsulate the stereotype about Corbynite self-righteousness more than declaring themselves the political personification of peace and justice...}

[Cassius]

Would the Green Party actually want Corbyn et al though?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

It should probably be noted that one of the few things the infamous Labour Party Rule Book is clear about is that campaigning for, or even endorsing, a candidate running against an official Labour Party candidate is grounds for automatic expulsion. In other words, a situation like this would put an awful lot of people in a very difficult position and for that reason alone it doesn't feel likely. Though it wouldn't surprise me if some of the more delusional people in his circle think otherwise. Fundamentally, though, how likely are any to speak to the Telegraph?

[cp]

It should probably be noted that one of the few things the infamous Labour Party Rule Book is clear about is that campaigning for, or even endorsing, a candidate running against an official Labour Party candidate is grounds for automatic expulsion. In other words, a situation like this would put an awful lot of people in a very difficult position and for that reason alone it doesn't feel likely. Though it wouldn't surprise me if some of the more delusional people in his circle think otherwise. Fundamentally, though, how likely are any to speak to the Telegraph?

A rule they're happily bending to welcome back the Libdem/TIG turncoats from 2019 who left in a huff over Corbyn.

[Fubart Solman]

I have it on good authority that the new party will be called Red Enthusiasts Support Palestinian Equality and Control of Territory.

Or “Respect” for short.

^{Source: made it up}

[YL]

Meanwhile, partygate seems to be breaking out again.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

A rule they're happily bending to welcome back the Libdem/TIG turncoats from 2019 who left in a huff over Corbyn.

Have any of the MPs who joined TIG been readmitted? I wouldn't be surprised if it eventually happens (at least half of the lower profile SDP defectors rejoined Labour from the late 80s onwards) and would even be mildly surprised if Mike Gapes at least doesn't, but I've not heard of it happening yet. Anyway that's a different rule and has always been interpreted pretty loosely by leaderships of all stripes. I think the only time this rule was waived was during the first London Mayoral election.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Meanwhile, partygate seems to be breaking out again.

A curious increase in the amount of relatively baseless shit-stirring wrt Labour in right-leaning papers did make me wonder whether... and here we are!

[Silent Hunter]

Respect was the name of the party George Galloway was in during the 2000s and 2010s after his expulsion from Labour (for calling for British soldiers in Iraq to disobey orders, inciting Arabs to attack them, threatening to stand against Labour and backing a non-Labour candidate). That stood for Respect, Equality, Socialism, Peace, Environmentalism, Community and Trade unionism.

He got elected as an MP under that banner twice - 2005 and a 2012 by-election, but the party folded after Corbyn became Labour leader.

[Silent Hunter]

A rule they're happily bending to welcome back the Libdem/TIG turncoats from 2019 who left in a huff over Corbyn.

Have any of the MPs who joined TIG been readmitted? I wouldn't be surprised if it eventually happens (at least half of the lower profile SDP defectors rejoined Labour from the late 80s onwards) and would even be mildly surprised if Mike Gapes at least doesn't, but I've not heard of it happening yet. Anyway that's a different rule and has always been interpreted pretty loosely by leaderships of all stripes. I think the only time this rule was waived was during the first London Mayoral election.

Don't think so.

[Blair]

Funnily enough they briefed yesterday about chucking him under the bus and making him an ambassador- hard to see the second part happening now.

[Conservatopia]

This is just another of those stupid stories written for people who are interested in politics but don't have a clue.

A couple of months ago it was two Labour MPs about to defect to the Tories.
Last month it was some Tories ready to defect to Reform UK.
Last week it was a group of Red Wall Tories planning on defecting to Labour.
This week it's Corbyn starting a new party.

Next week we can look forward to Layla Moran joining the Ulster Unionists or some such nonsense.

[(no subject)]

He is a head in a jar, isn’t he?

To be fair to the Herald, When has being dead for years stopped someone commenting on current events?

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/snare-drummed/

[Statilius the Epicurean]

This is just another of those stupid stories written for people who are interested in politics but don't have a clue.

A couple of months ago it was two Labour MPs about to defect to the Tories.
Last month it was some Tories ready to defect to Reform UK.
Last week it was a group of Red Wall Tories planning on defecting to Labour.
This week it's Corbyn starting a new party.

Next week we can look forward to Layla Moran joining the Ulster Unionists or some such nonsense.

Also the one about Scottish Labour standing pro-indy candidates, LOL

[Continential]

This is just another of those stupid stories written for people who are interested in politics but don't have a clue.

A couple of months ago it was two Labour MPs about to defect to the Tories.
Last month it was some Tories ready to defect to Reform UK.
Last week it was a group of Red Wall Tories planning on defecting to Labour.
This week it's Corbyn starting a new party.

Next week we can look forward to Layla Moran joining the Ulster Unionists or some such nonsense.

Nah, it will be about Tories planning to run a serious campaign in Northern Ireland.

[Fubart Solman]

This is just another of those stupid stories written for people who are interested in politics but don't have a clue.

A couple of months ago it was two Labour MPs about to defect to the Tories.
Last month it was some Tories ready to defect to Reform UK.
Last week it was a group of Red Wall Tories planning on defecting to Labour.
This week it's Corbyn starting a new party.

Next week we can look forward to Layla Moran joining the Ulster Unionists or some such nonsense.

Nah, it will be about Tories planning to run a serious campaign in Northern Ireland.

Tories run a serious NI campaign.

2024(?) Results: 2% and UUP gets no seats because of it.

[Blair]

I would be very worried if I was in the Government that the only person actually trying to defend the PM is Michael Fabricant.

And he was doing a pretty awful job of it.

There’s still a chance that the report will be the typical Westminster fudge but equally I could see the report saying that the prime minister did attend his party and they did breach the rules in which case I would expect that there to be a no-confidence motion.

[Blair]

The interesting thing and something that lots of people said when it first came out all appears to have come from leaks within the Government.

[Pericles]

The interesting thing and something that lots of people said when it first came out all appears to have come from leaks within the Government.

None of the main leadership contenders seem to have been implicated, so it would probably be one of their supporters. Who benefits from bringing on a leadership contest this year?

[(no subject)]

This kind of creating an internal enquiry solely to kill press stories is so precisely “Yes, Prime Minister”. Sad that we can’t ask Eddington and Hawthorne about it…