Yay! The Blairites are knifing themselves
These coups are brilliant for two reasons: (1) they’ve flushed out and killed off the most annoying Blairites: Purnell (though he may come back under D Miliband), Hazel Blears, Charles Clarke, Hoon etc. I doubt many in the party will shed tears for them, and the stench of betrayal is all around them.
(2) They make it more likely that a coup will happen still (have to agree with John Rentoul) and a new leader will try some semblance of making a clean break from Brown & Blair (there’s no other way) in order to make the electorate listen, very briefly, to why people should vote Labour. Brown isn’t doing a good enough job.
The big story of yesterday was how long it actually took the cabinet’s big beasts to come out in support of Brown. If they were all planning to keep their powder dry until the election then I think they’d sound much more supportive.
Ipso facto, another coup attempt between now and the election is likely.
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Filed in: Party politics
I think you mean . . .
“Yeh, Labour are knifing themselves”
At least when they’re fighting amongst themselves; they’re distracted from destroying any more of the country and its long suffering people.
How about . . .
“Yeh, less than 6 months left of this venal, corrupt & sleazy Labour Government”
But will the new lot lurch even further to the right?
Staggering political idiocy is how I’d characterise this latest ‘coup’ attempt. What Hoon and Hewitt were thinking is beyond me, the time and opportunity to change leader is long gone, Labour have to just get on with the election fight and stop this silly playground politics.
Excellent! Keep it up Labour!
Ipso facto, another coup attempt between now and the election is likely.
I would say do you wanna bet, but then again Labour knows no bounds for self-destructive potential.
Think the impact on polls is exaggerated - most people rarely pay attention to this sort of insider Westminster stuff.
MM - who is the new lot? Hoon and Hewitt weren’t exactly left wing?
you must be delighted, sunny, as surely if the blairites have failed in their putsch, the time is now ripe for the evident power vacuum to be filled by…. progressive london!
yes, that’s right, why not have a go yourself, i’m sure that your fellow travellers like ken livingstone, george galloway, lutfur rahman, andy newman and kate hudson will support you - as will their fellow “progressives” anas al-tikriti of the muslim brotherhood (that’s hamas to the rest of us), the venezuelan ambassador (a three-hour hail to el presidente!!!) and abdul bari of the jamaat-i islami, sorry, mcb, with every assistance from the tuc, the green party and of course the “islamic republic” of iran.
hurrah!
b’shalom
bananabrain
you won’t even notice how quick the revolution will be BB
“poop-poop!”
b’shalom
bananabrain
Why are “progressives” still in bed with followers of the Muslim Brotherhood and others with links to various Islamist outfits, Sunny? And with George fucking Galloway? You better slap on that flea repellent Sunny and hold your nose.
Sunny, what I meant to ask was: is this failed coup, and any ones likely to occur in the near future, a push to the left or the right? As you say, Hoon and Hewitt are hardly progressives, so within Labour, is there a panicky urge to tack right?
marvin - yeah dude, didn’t you know I’m his biggest fan?
Sunny, what I meant to ask was: is this failed coup, and any ones likely to occur in the near future, a push to the left or the right?
I don’t think its worth seeing them in economic terms, because neither Hoon and Hewitt and their former brethren have deep ideological differences over where the party is going.
Which is why the likes of Jon Cruddas and Mcdonnell always scoff when this issue comes up. The difference is in presentation, and the rebels are right in saying that while policy is fine (I disagree on that) the presentation and communication is terrible (agree).
Labour will tack left after the election for various reasons, as the Tories did after they lost. That is the nature of politics.
It depends on whether the left can exercise enough influence on Labour that it will stay that leftie course or go back to right-wing narratives.
Sunny, you do realise that Labour tacking left (after ‘79) and the Tories tacking right (after ‘97) leads to years in the political wildnerness? “Staying on the leftie course” equates to permanent opposition.
What confused me was that Patricia Hewitt said it. She is right, but I have long believed that everything she says is wrong by definition.
Sunny, you do realise that Labour tacking left (after ‘79)
Depends how you phrase your arguments. I’m not in favour of union militancy, BTW
Sunny - I’d like to come in on this but I’m not sure what you mean by, ‘a new leader will try some semblance of making a clean break from Brown & Blair (there’s no other way) in order to make the electorate listen.’
What is this clean break - something more, ‘left?’ (whatever that means) something for the Iraq war obsessives, something that will bash the banks or what? All of these?
There seems to be this rather touching idea that somehow all the left and Labour’s problems can be thrown at the feet of, ‘Blair and Brown,’ seemingly leaving aside that those two were at the top of the Labour Party over three election victories. Not to mention that their difficulties don’t seem to equate to strong polls for the hard left.
It may well be that the professional malcontents give off the impression that all of this can be reduced to personalities - that is sad. But when you talk about this clean break - what is it you mean? I am always very guarded about this idea of a clean break - it is clean until the next hobby horse for the professional malcontents to ride comes along. It’s events dear boy - not personalities.
Oh and Sunny, you are not serious that you think that this increases the likelihood of a leadership change are you?
Sunny H - wouldn’t share a platform with Rod Liddle.
Happy to share one with Hamas and Jamaat-i-Islami types.
“Progressivism” in a nutshell!
Speaking of Rod Liddle, according to the Guardian, he could be the next editor of … The Independent!
Hahaha hahaha hahah hahaha hahahah, hahaa hahahah hahaha. Hah! How funny would that be? !
Sunny, have you dropped out of the hilariously titled “progressive London” yet? Or do you plan to nice chat with Hamas and George Galloway about how they are going to get Labour to win the next general election?