This Once Great Movement Of Ours

[Estrella]

Bishop Auckland is basically Ohio right?

Not sure you get cornfields that far up in t' north. Maybe the new GMO regulations are a part of the Tory strategy to Americanize British politics.

Anyway, about the article.

John McTernan, a political strategist and onetime aide to then-Prime Minister Tony Blair

At first I wanted to stop reading right here, but I decided to go on. The article doesn't say anything too stupid, but that's because 1) it quotes actual Brits rather than overpaid Clintonite consultants and 2) it doesn't say anything, period. It's just a string of platitudes about voters not knowing Labour policies, the need to rebuild and whatnot.

[JimJamUK]

“Voters at the East Stanley Working Men’s club were not impressed by Keir Starmer, and look likely to deliver another landslide for Conservative leader and local MP Hillary Rodham”.

[CumbrianLefty]

Its not *quite* as bad an article as the blurb makes it appear, but is still short of real insight.

[Torrain]

Guardian piece today on the patchiness of British devolution, particularly in England.

Most notable is the speculation from Andy Burnham’s allies in Westminster that Harriet Harman could stand down early to open up a seat for Burnham if Starmer is forced to fall on his sword, thus permitting him (as a sitting MP) to run in the ensuing leadership race.

Any merit to this at all- or just wishcasting? My assumption is that Burnham would wait for a Manchester seat, rather than be parachuted into London of all places. But if Starmer has to go, would there be a sense of urgency that caused the party to take drastic action?

[Secretary of State Liberal Hack]

Very weird comment.
https://twitter.com/HackneyAbbott/status/1531168330010308609?t=HpR4W6DNxEagci4-3...

[EastAnglianLefty]

Guardian piece today on the patchiness of British devolution, particularly in England.

Most notable is the speculation from Andy Burnham’s allies in Westminster that Harriet Harman could stand down early to open up a seat for Burnham if Starmer is forced to fall on his sword, thus permitting him (as a sitting MP) to run in the ensuing leadership race.

Any merit to this at all- or just wishcasting? My assumption is that Burnham would wait for a Manchester seat, rather than be parachuted into London of all places. But if Starmer has to go, would there be a sense of urgency that caused the party to take drastic action?

Why would Harman need to stand down when Tony Lloyd is clearly not going to be well enough to run again?

[Leading Political Consultant Ma Anand Sheela]

Noted internal allies *checks notes* Andy Burnham and Harriet Harman.

[CumbrianLefty]

The Harriet Harman who deliberately, totally cynically, and utterly disastrously counter productively shafted Burnham's chances in the 2015 leadership contest, you mean? *That* Harriet Harman??

Why are so many Westminster gossip mongers so utterly ignorant of even totally basic stuff like this? The kindest thing you can say about them is that they have the collective memory of a goldfish.

[Blair]

Some of us are old enough to remember when Graham Stringer would stand down for Andy, or god forbid when Barry Sherman would do so to allow David Miliband back.

The Harriet Harman who deliberately, totally cynically, and utterly disastrously counter productively shafted Burnham's chances in the 2015 leadership contest, you mean? *That* Harriet Harman??

Why are so many Westminster gossip mongers so utterly ignorant of even totally basic stuff like this? The kindest thing you can say about them is that they have the collective memory of a goldfish.

I’m glad I’m not the only person in the Labour Party who forgave Harriet for this! It is also completely in character as well.

[Torrain]

Cheers for the breakdown. I’m always amazed that however much news I consume, the inner workings of Labour are still alien to me. The volume of party lore, factions, grudges - it’s a lot.

[Leading Political Consultant Ma Anand Sheela]

It's really quite noticeable that, at a time when so many of Labour's most obviously rising stars are women (some of whom I personally don't rate at all, but a lot of people do), people are most focused on a man who's still under 40 but acts like he'll die if he isn't promoted tomorrow and a man whose last leadership campaign put even David Miliband's effort to shame in terms of how spectacularly it imploded.

[Blair]

It's really quite noticeable that, at a time when so many of Labour's most obviously rising stars are women (some of whom I personally don't rate at all, but a lot of people do), people are most focused on a man who's still under 40 but acts like he'll die if he isn't promoted tomorrow and a man whose last leadership campaign put even David Miliband's effort to shame in terms of how spectacularly it imploded.

This is actually a very good point- unlike others Wes did not have to spend years as junior minister for shipping or some other pointless role. He was promoted very quickly and has been given imo one of the most important jobs for a Labour Government- the only time I see him talking about his brief it’s with a touch of self promotion.

I suspect he was given Health because of Omincrom and the need for someone who could handle h the endless media.

Andy Burnham to his credit seemed to love being Shadow Health Secretary.

[Secretary of State Liberal Hack]

It's really quite noticeable that, at a time when so many of Labour's most obviously rising stars are women (some of whom I personally don't rate at all, but a lot of people do), people are most focused on a man who's still under 40 but acts like he'll die if he isn't promoted tomorrow and a man whose last leadership campaign put even David Miliband's effort to shame in terms of how spectacularly it imploded.

This is actually a very good point- unlike others Wes did not have to spend years as junior minister for shipping or some other pointless role. He was promoted very quickly and has been given imo one of the most important jobs for a Labour Government- the only time I see him talking about his brief it’s with a touch of self promotion.

I suspect he was given Health because of Omincrom and the need for someone who could handle h the endless media.

Andy Burnham to his credit seemed to love being Shadow Health Secretary.

I misread this as junior minister for sh**tposting and did a double-take.

[EastAnglianLefty]

It's really quite noticeable that, at a time when so many of Labour's most obviously rising stars are women (some of whom I personally don't rate at all, but a lot of people do), people are most focused on a man who's still under 40 but acts like he'll die if he isn't promoted tomorrow and a man whose last leadership campaign put even David Miliband's effort to shame in terms of how spectacularly it imploded.

This is actually a very good point- unlike others Wes did not have to spend years as junior minister for shipping or some other pointless role. He was promoted very quickly and has been given imo one of the most important jobs for a Labour Government- the only time I see him talking about his brief it’s with a touch of self promotion.

I suspect he was given Health because of Omincrom and the need for someone who could handle h the endless media.

Andy Burnham to his credit seemed to love being Shadow Health Secretary.

I misread this as junior minister for sh**tposting and did a double-take.

Yeah, everybody knows that's a cabinet role.

[CumbrianLefty]

It's really quite noticeable that, at a time when so many of Labour's most obviously rising stars are women (some of whom I personally don't rate at all, but a lot of people do), people are most focused on a man who's still under 40 but acts like he'll die if he isn't promoted tomorrow and a man whose last leadership campaign put even David Miliband's effort to shame in terms of how spectacularly it imploded.

In their own ways, all the leadership hopefuls apart from the actual winner did that in 2015 (and you can certainly include C*u*a U*u*n*'s abortive, and still mysteriously terminated, effort there)

It remains an absolutely remarkable episode in so many respects.

[Blair]

Quite a funny thread from the NS; I can remember when they attacked Miliband in 2014 for being an 'old Hampstead style socialist' who didn't understand the Working Class.

I also frequently remember the claim that Ed's leadership did not have enough ideas/policies or themes- the same was ofc said about Smith, Brown and Kinnock at various stages.

It goes onto to claim Labour is 'idea free'... the week after the Government took their flagship policy of the windfall tax, which the party had actually been much better than usual at communicating!

It's strange because there is a very valid criticism that Starmer's leadership lacks an explicit political coherence, especially on the economy but it just seems like every Labour leader faces this weird double standard where they need to have 100 policies, an overriding 'narrative about the country' but all in a way that is easy to communicate and understand.

https://twitter.com/NewStatesman/status/1531537436404228097

[Blair]

Based on this Neal Lawson article which seems to be the same thing he's been saying for well most of my adult life.

https://www.newstatesman.com/comment/2022/05/where-are-labours-big-ideas

[EastAnglianLefty]

It's Neal Lawson, who was a joke a decade ago and has only got less relevant ever since.

[JimJamUK]

Based on this Neal Lawson article which seems to be the same thing he's been saying for well most of my adult life.

www.newstatesman.com/comment/2022/05/where-are-labours-big-ideas

“The tragedy, of course, is that this is the very moment for big thinking and big ideas. An age of permanent crisis – the crumbling global order, climate crisis, pandemics, the tech revolution, ageing populations – demands equally big answers… the Brazilian philosopher Roberto Unger and many more have ready-made responses but Labour is stubbornly disconnected from such global debate… It does so at a time when Joe Biden in the US and Olaf Scholz in Germany have purposefully reached out to the radical left for energy and ideas and won”

Nothing says a crap article quite like listing on-trend crisis and then telling Labour to go speak to a philosopher. Of course they’re divorced from the global debate, they’re not seeking to win a world debating competition, they’re seeking to win a British election and make life a bit less crap for ordinary people. And are Biden and Scholz really the best examples he could think of radical left ideas men? Biden is a generic Democrat (if unusually in a Labour party mold) while Scholz is a bland centrist technocrat governing with little coherence and certainly no big ideas. At least Lawson got his proportional representation plug in there, cos it was about as interesting as the rest of article.

[Pericles]

Labour should just remember they can win by default, as the ALP just did, and that is the most reliable path for an opposition party. They just need to be not toxic, or less toxic than the Tories. It amazes me how people who get paid for their takes pay so little attention to current politics.

[Secretary of State Liberal Hack]

Turns out Tony Blair is speaking at a conference I'm attending, I don't know what he knows about mordern technology but I figure I might as well watch it given how much the organizers must have paid him.

[Secretary of State Liberal Hack]

Tony Blair praises digital identiy card and talks about mistaken ideas about privacy in the UK preventing Id cards. Praises gaming for creating online communities and relationships

[Lord Halifax]

Tony Blair praises digital identity card and talks about mistaken ideas about privacy in the UK preventing Id cards. Praises gaming for creating online communities and relationships

Blair seems to be the kind of person that has terrible opinions on everything.

[CumbrianLefty]

Who has written the same article more times in centre-left publications - John Gray or Neal Lawson?

[LabourJersey]

Tony Blair praises digital identiy card and talks about mistaken ideas about privacy in the UK preventing Id cards. Praises gaming for creating online communities and relationships

Tony Blair is a Gamer/Pro-Gamer?