Anyone leaving Labour party with Chuka and his mates?

[longwayoff]

I am seriously worried. Politics across the West is an utter mess - thanks Putin, nice work - and I can't see that this will help. It will split the left vote and right-wing ideology will continue stomping its way to more power. We are asterisked all ways from hell to breakfast.

Ghost Not because of the SDP though, but because of a lack of appeal by Labour under Neil Kinnock.

I'm actually glad that he and his other long term conspirators have gone. I volunteer for a union and this lot, plus the Tories and a couple of Lib Dems MPs have been actively been undermining us in Education Sector /Academy Bankruptcy. They have been organising to set this 'sub' party up since the membership supported Jeremy.

So happy and feel justified to have just joined the Labour Party online two minutes ago.

There are a lot of centralist types who feel they have nowhere to go at the moment. Staying as we are isn't helping us at all so maybe a new force is politics, not an extreme one, will be a good thing. Its certainly going to hell in a handbasket as it is.

Website link theindependent.group

I would rather have their kind of hypocrisy than the hypocrisy of a party which frames itself as the voice of the underprivileged whilst being virulently anti seminitic and misogynistic.

Not because of the SDP though, but because of a lack of appeal by Labour under Neil Kinnock.

That doesn't really address the problem of the alternative - Thatcher. By the same principle that this independent group splits the opposition parties and maintains May. Like most things in British politics at present an ultimately pyrrhic victory

Just because you do not understand our political system does not mean MPs should resign.

We elect individuals not parties. If you don't understand that that's on you.

Ignorance doesn't change the rules.

I hope this is the beginning of a shake-up which will give rise to a new party I can stomach voting for.

The current party is not sustainable. I'm glad it's splitting but I find chukka abominable....

I agree with Longwayoff. I would admire them more if they were prepared to trigger a by election which would give the voters in their constituency the opportunity to decide whether they wish them to represent them as independents. But of course they're not doing that.

Did anyone notice policy of any kind in these speeches? Did I miss something?

Not a party member. Consistent Labour voter until now.
I'd prefer them to fix the party from within.
I'll never vote Labour as long as Corbyn is leader.

Cons are laughing into their Port. Those Tories named have never had any intention of joining in this nonsense but they have just tricked a load of pretend Labour twits into playing their hand and undermining their Party's views and role in the negotiations. Lynton Crosby must be laughing his socks off - dumb arse suckers.

I would rather have their kind of hypocrisy than the hypocrisy of a party which frames itself as the voice of the underprivileged whilst being virulently anti semitic and misogynistic.

Absolutely. And throw in a dose of hypocritical with that, too.

took Momentum all of 2 minutes to start attacking those MPs

can Labour SERIOUSLY not see what they look like to most people?!

@Janecon No, because they don't have to under the rules. Should every MP resign and force a by-election whenever they don't vote with their party? If so, almost every MP in the House would need to resign - in particular, oh the irony, Jeremy Corbyn, whose voting record against his own party in the past is astonishing.

Agree Verity if no Tories join the breakaway 7 will be left pissing in the wind.

Just seen this on Facebook then followed up on BBC news -

First thing I noticed? All blairites

They were never true labour/socialists so as far as I'm concerned they're no loss BUT it's shitty timing of them!

Yes British politics needs a shake up but huge dissection with just over a month to brexit is NOT the time to do it, and I find myself - as my gran did when news of the Gang of Four broke - feeling it's a cowardly and traitorous action.

I disagree that an MP should be allowed to keep their ticket if they change allegiance, the reality is voters tend to vote for the party not the person. Especially in a GE.

"Chuka Umunna's main objective is the further promotion of Chuka Umuna." Totally agree

"Good riddance to the careerist shite." Hear hear!

"Yes, Corbyn's rise to the party leadership was meteoric, wasn't it? How long did it take him, 50 + years? He joined the Labour party when he was at school, same as I did, and stuck with it all through the Blair years when many on the left felt it was hopeless.

Chuka Umunna, otoh - less than 10 years an MP and already threatening to flounce because he can't get his own way.

One thing that long association with the Labour movement has taught me is that no-one is bigger than the party itself." This!

I do think Corbyn is now unelectable but because of the sterling job the msm have done on him rather than anything specific he has/hasn't done.

They've ALL been ridiculously ineffectual at dealing with brexit, but that's largely Cameron & Mays faults for putting party before country - before the PEOPLE of this country.

The anti-semitism is appalling but all the parties have their own issues
with racism with the possible exception of the greens. That SHOULD be addressed but I find it shocking that people DON'T think the tories are racist!! They're also misogynist, elitist and disablist!

Other than that I still prefer true labour. My voting record is "floating" but that's mainly due to blairism. Would NEVER vote Tory.

Those of you supportive of chuka etc and not of Corbyn but say you've voted labour all your life - I'm genuinely curious when you turned 18/first voted, were any of you pre Blair?

"Then suddenly Chuka Umuna pulled out most unexpectedly. Something about being unhappy with the level of scrutiny. I wonder what's changed?" Yes I remember this. The rumour was a skeleton in a relatives closet, I wonder if that relative has recently/since passed?

Iirc he said something on bbcqt to this effect, that it was one thing his life being scrutinised as he's chosen to go into politics but that he didn't feel he had the right to force that spotlight on someone who hadn't chosen that career path.

Just read this too

"saying that the party needs to be "on the side of those who are doing well." Definitely not a socialist

"Now wait for the likes of Woolastone, Soubry and Allen to leave the Tories and it really starts to get interesting" normally I'd say "one can only hope" but again...brexit timing!

"The seven already have their Independent Group website up and running" which strongly indicates their claim of not intending to set up a new party is a lie.

Yea I'm not buying whatever they're pretending to sell.

"I'm genuinely curious when you turned 18/first voted, were any of you pre Blair? "

Yes. Pre Kinnock, actually.
Chukka makes me nervous in it. But he's the only one I don't particularly like.

"Ignorance doesn't change the rules." Missing the point - we think those rules are wrong!

I don't see why these mps couldn't just join up with the lib dems? Seem to have similar views and policy ideas to them and surely they would be stronger under a parties banner then a group of 7 independents

In some of my more fantastical moments, I sometimes think this could be the beginning of the British revolution. Other countries lopped the heads off their aristos, or got soundly beaten and demolished in world wars and built their countries from the ground up. Britain never did that, soldiering on with vague compromises, traditions and an unwritten constitution.

And the result is Brexit, which is precipitating massive change, whichever side you're on. We're not used to that in this country. Absolutely anything could happen. I've got my fingers crossed for proportional representation at the very least.

I for one welcome a new centrist party and will be watching with interest. I thought Chuka spoke extremely well and said exactly what I've been thinking. I also have to admire a woman who's 8 months pregnant and subjecting herself to this amount of press attention, so respect for Luciana.

Totally agree with you Graphista.

Seem to have similar views and policy ideas to them and surely they would be stronger under a parties banner then a group of 7 independents

because they want the limelight and not to be absorbed into an already existing party that gets limited press coverage.

Absolutely not. I once went to talk given by the late great Tony Benn and he said splinter groups were a terrible idea and issues should always be resolved within the party.

I can't stomach Luciana Berger. She is the ex girlfriend of Tony Blair's son and was parachuted into a Labour safe seat thanks to that. She has consistently claimed that the party is anti-Semitic when in reality it's just pro-Palestine.