To feel very sad that Margaret Becket isn't deputy leader of the Labour Party, instead of Angela Rayner?

[MaMaLa321]

I listened to Margaret Becket's speech at the start of the Labour Conference this morning. Reasoned, intelligent and temperate.
(I watched it live, and can't find a link yet - apologies).
Then read the transcript of Angela Rayner's speech at what seemed to be a fringe meeting yesterday, which was the absolute opposite. No reason. No intelligence. Just a rant.
I'm very off the party at the moment, but Beckett made me think again, while Rayner - well - who would that attract, apart from those who were already going to vote Labour (and feel very smug about it in the process)?
Of course, the latter speech gets loads of media coverage, which is just what the Party doesn't need.

@HappyToPayForAdultSocialCare

I'm not a Labour supporter (though I did vote for them in 2019, instead of my usual Green vote) but I did think Angela did a good job in PMQs last week. I like Starmer too - but his MO of giving Johnson et al enough rope to hang themselves probably isn't enough for the average voter, they want him to have more 'bite'. But I also despair at the electorate - people thought a party led by Johnson was a party worth their vote...

I agree. Rayner was on fire in PMQs last week and she made mincemeat of Raab.

For Labour to be electable, they need to get Andy Burnham back into Parliament and elect him as leader ASAP. Ideally they’d get Ed Balls back too.

The thing about fringe events is, there is cheap wine and an end-of-day atmosphere of “it’s just us now” - and a lot of the time, it is. All you need is one journalist in the corner though.

For Labour to be electable, they need to get Andy Burnham back into Parliament and elect him as leader ASAP. Ideally they’d get Ed Balls back too

Andy Burnham would likely be more competent but he is no less careerist and happy to jump on bandwagons. Like Rayner he has also spent a lot of the last year undermining Labour leadership, just does it with more subtlety and tactics than Rayner.

I am so angry at Labour condemning us to a decade of the Tories because they can't get their house in order. Come back David Miliband!

For Labour to be electable, they need to get Andy Burnham back into Parliament and elect him as leader ASAP. Ideally they’d get Ed Balls back too.

^Absolutely this!! Or David Miliband/Hillary Benn. I also rate Yvette Cooper in how she comes across.

It all started going downhill when John Smith died.
The calibre of all this lot is so poor.

I loved John Smith.

@Biker47 I’m not a fan of Rayner, but this comment of yours is disgusting: Especially one with a background such as hers. What you are saying here is she shouldn’t call someone scum because her background makes her scum. It’s the only way to interpret it.
Someone from a poor background who made some mistakes is not scum. I’m more inclined to think that someone such as yourself with those views deserves to be called it, to be honest.

@Fluffycloudland77

I loved John Smith.

We would likely live in a very different country if he hadn’t died when he did. A better one, for avoidance of doubt.

Rayner is pure trash!

@Kittii

No politician should be calling people scum.

No politician should be calling gay men "bumboys" or black children "picaninnies" either, but that didn't stop our PM from saying those things.

If someone doesn't want to be called scum, it's probably best that they don't act like scum - racist, homophobic scum, at that.

I find this all a bit ridiculous. I think if we heard any politician doing a rabble rousing speech in the Commons before broadcasting of debates happened wed all be shocked now. Thats why they resisted broadcasting for so long!

I can't believe that anyone thinks that Kate Hooey had any credibility at all.

Did he do that in TV, as the deputy leader of a political party @LakieLady?
Whilst obviously i wouldnt condone language like that, In Angelas positions, whatever you may think of the Tory, s you just cannot publicly say that, it just makes you look ignorant and unintelligent.

@x2boys

Did he do that in TV, as the deputy leader of a political party *@LakieLady*? Whilst obviously i wouldnt condone language like that, In Angelas positions, whatever you may think of the Tory, s you just cannot publicly say that, it just makes you look ignorant and unintelligent.

He's widely documented as saying it, but people it seems are willing to find a way to excuse it.

He's said plenty in public to indicate he is totally unfit to lead the country but people will still find excuses to vote for him.

I'm not a fan of Boris either. But I don't think his bad behaviour excuses Angela Rayner's bad behaviour.

They are a shambles. Instead of concentrating on getting electable again, it's all about socialist infighting.
I just can't see anything other than a Tory government from here on in.

@C8H10N4O2

For Labour to be electable, they need to get Andy Burnham back into Parliament and elect him as leader ASAP. Ideally they’d get Ed Balls back too

Andy Burnham would likely be more competent but he is no less careerist and happy to jump on bandwagons. Like Rayner he has also spent a lot of the last year undermining Labour leadership, just does it with more subtlety and tactics than Rayner.

And?

I would just like somebody I could vote for.

@ilovesooty just out of curiosity, have you read the article BoJo penned? Also, trying to find a nice way to put this, is your mother-tongue English? Because the sneering WITHIN the article is NOT directed towards those so many think it is.

I'm not a fan of Boris either. But I don't think his bad behaviour excuses Angela Rayner's bad behaviour.

^I agree with this. Plus, Labour have to win over those voters who abandoned them for the Tories. Angela Raynor calling her opponents’ scum’ isn’t going to achieve this.

We have a panic buying food and supply crisis, 100 deaths a day and queues in the cold outside A&E and we're all talking about Raynor being a bit rude at a meeting? ?

I assume AR isn't trying to win over middle of the road voters - she's concentrating on segments of the party. Short sighted in my view.

Yes Andy Burnham probably needs to be the new leader. I think he's quite blood thirsty and that's what might work. I'm not a fan (quite the reverse) but can see the appeal.

Personally I'd like to see Yvette Cooper as leader. Starmer should still have a role but then I'm one of the few it seems that like his manner and his focus on details but I can see it's not cutting across.

@PermanentTemporary

We have a panic buying food and supply crisis, 100 deaths a day and queues in the cold outside A&E and we're all talking about Raynor being a bit rude at a meeting? ?

Maybe join one of the many, many we are all doomed Brexit threads if you dont like this one🤷‍♀️

I’m watching the conference in despair tbh, seeing Infighting, petty insults, lack of vision, clarity and focus.
It’s so depressing. Labour should be surging in the polls, instead they appear unelectable.
I hope Andy Burnham makes a return ASAP