The Phillip Lee defection and the Lib Dems

Not sure if it was clear from my post that I was saying she joined the Lib Dems via Change, like Chuka. She was originally elected on an all women shortlist but I don’t know if she has ever commented on transgender women and all women shortlists.

Oops - crosspost with the same news...

I saw it at least half an hour ago then came here to see if there was any further info - it is funny how two posters can come up with the same thing at the same time

This response stood out. People generally seem very unhappy about prorogation and these swops are adding to a feeling of disenfranchisement. I'm becoming worried which is counter to my usual 'it will all come out in the wash'.
twitter.com/sarasa191/status/1169552400715325441

Luciana B left Labour to join Change. She is good on mental health and women’s pensions, not sure about other women’s issues. She has had some shocking antisemitic abuse. Her grandfather (I think) was Manny Shinwell, a very important Labour MP so it was a huge thing for her to leave Labour.

Oops - crosspost with the same news...

It has been somewhat overshadowed by the Jo Johnson resignation, but Luciana Berger has now joined the LibDems as well : twitter.com/lucianaberger/status/1169551188016152576?s=20

Grateful if anyone knows anything about her thinking, GC or otherwise

twitter.com/lucianaberger/status/1169551188016152576

Luciana Berger has joined now. I don't know anything about her.

That is a great summary. Can see myself muttering 'as DonQuixote says, nothing says.....' a lot!

Interesting point made up thread about the insistence that a person adheres to every policy

Nothing says Liberal like intolerance of unpopular views on issues of conscience.

Is that really all they've got?

DonQuixote I think he also did not vote in favour of gay marriage (not sure if he abstained or voted against.)

Interesting point made up thread about the insistence that a person adheres to every policy (apologies to poster, I am on phone and can't scroll back and keep what I've typed here.)

If I were Vince Cable, I'd be responding to some of these statements in the immortal words of Alistair Burt earlier today:

I've listened to the honourable gentleman [Bill Cash] involuntarily for years. I've no desire to listen to him voluntarily.

Sarah Brown has become the latest TRA to quit the Liberal Democrats

So, reading her* departure message (If you ignore all the bits which start with I, it's actually very succinct) it seems that Mr Lee wanted HIV and Hep B screening for immigrants.

I don't think she understands what screening means since she complains:
Note there is nothing about ....screening. It's just "prove you're free of these diseases before we let you in"

Clearly it's unthinkable that a doctor might be concerned with public health policy, so they've concluded he's homophobic. Is that it? Is that really all they've got?

*Caveat pronounor

the Right wing does have something of an advantage politically in that it feels able to compartmentalise things, whereas the Left sometimes seems hamstrung by it's need for totally political on-message purity or else GTFO.

That's quite an ironic statement, given that the Tories have just booted out people who've been utterly loyal for years, including recent senior ministers, for putting country before party in one vote. The Tories currently make Momentum look like moderate centerists.

Intolerance and factionalism seem to be the fashion these days: Anarchists seem to have strict codes of conduct, Liberals are anything but. No party seems to believe in pluralism and tolerance.

His constituency voted leave, so I suppose he was never going to be their choice again.

It wasn't that clear cut. There were several wards that were counted in with Wokingham so Bracknell came out Leave, while ironically Wokingham, under Redwood came out Remain.

I assume he will lose the seat in an election.

It is unlikely he will be PPC for Bracknell Forest at the next election. It is far more likely that if he wishes to stand again, which is far from certain, that it would be in another more viable constituency. Bracknell is so fucking Tory, you could stick a blue rosette on a sheep and they'd vote for it.

I think Red has a crystal ball. The flouncers will soon be back. They have a taste for being big fish in little pond.

That's a bit of a result. The toxic and misogynistic LGBT group have been responsible for representing the Lib Dems as an anti-women and dangerous to children political party - so many women have left the party because of their influence. Given the LD's awful history in relation to safeguarding and sexual harassment of women, the loss of
these leadinglights dim bulbs represents a bit of progress.

I'm sure Vince can rise above that wounding jibe

Sarah Brown has become the latest TRA to quit the Liberal Democrats – as Aimee Challenor owns Vince Cable with a retort as biting as 'fuck this so hard' t.co/l1eFq8qQTH

Also, could it be that Lee was staying silent on LGBTQ issues because he felt that was what his voters would want? Cowardly, but not proof he's a bigot of some kind.

Plenty of LGBTQ people remain within the Tory party despite there being non-supportive members in it... the Right wing does have something of an advantage politically in that it feels able to compartmentalise things, whereas the Left sometimes seems hamstrung by it's need for totally political on-message purity or else GTFO.

thanks Wurzel.

Sarah Brown official flounce statement
m.facebook.com/SarahOnAMountain/posts/10156971320939230

Rather than realise they needed to fix this, the parliamentary party doubled down and closed ranks.

This is symptomatic of the way the LGBT+ branch of the party has been treated for years, and it was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Unlike other diversity strands, we didn't receive funding from the central party. It was a constant bugbear that the party seemed to regard us as a body that followed them round cleaning up messes they made when they did something that affected LGBT+ policy without consulting with us first, and thereby getting it wrong.

Every time this would happen, we'd meet behind closed doors with them, express our frustration, they'd promise to do better next time, and then not do better.

And now we lost our chair, one of the most passionate and principled liberals I know. I was going to stay, even after that, but instead of responding with reflection to what had happened, the parliamentary party closed ranks around Lee.

Really surprised at Brown resigning. Brown is not one to give up power.

From the article, Brown states: "I'm not out to nuke my bridges here, but I felt I had to do this, and I needed to explain why. My accommodation for Bournemouth is already booked, so I'll be there anyway, just not in the conference venue".

Sounds like someone who wants to be "persuaded" back in. And will use their presence/not presence at conference to engineer just that.

Zoe O' Connell is one of Brown's partners, so Brown will still be pulling the strings.