The Westministenders Hunger Games continues. Hunting for the Opposition.

[RedToothBrush]

THE BREXIT FALLOUT OUT CONTINUES - THREAD EIGHT!

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Each of the parties seem to have a taken a very different style to their leadership contests.

The Tory party have been well documented as doing in the classic style of Hamlet. After the entire Conservative Party have spent two weeks stabbing each in the back and front, May steps forward to take the crown for herself.

But what about the others?

The UKIP leadership contest seems to be in comedy style of Peter Kay’s Phoenix Nights. In a strange turn of events, that no one predicted and seem quite absurd, they seem to be changing their rules so their new leader must have been a member for 5 years. The punchline is this rules just about everyone out, apart from Neil Hamilton and Steven Woolfe. As BigChocFrenzy points out, we are expecting Arron Banks to hand out the brown envelopes. We are just waiting for the poorly thought out, and badly booked racist band to turn up and make everyone cringe in horror and distract everyone from UKIP's candidates and their manifestos in the process.

Meanwhile Labour Party decide to do what they thought was Star Wars Panto. After spending a week going “She’s Standing”, “Oh No She’s Not” Angela Eagle is declared the Empire Strikes Back candidate by Diane Abbot. Well if she’s the rebel leader, then who is Darth Vader and the Emperor?

Unfortunately, you’d be forgiven for thinking the performance is starting to look more and more like a re-enactment of One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, by the minute:

A battle of wills between two forces locked together in a room with ultimately different and opposing self-interests. This is only resolved when the new leader to the dynamic who sought to upset the institution, and give the others their freedom, is lobotomised and subsequently killed in an act of mercy. His murderer manages to escape the prison to the cheers of those still stuck inside.

The Greens of course are a foreign language film, no one has heard of and no one is really that interested in watching.

The Lib Dems are merely sat in the audience. With Tim Farron heckling.

But where is Gandalf?

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At least some sanity has returned and we now have some leaders. May can now get stuck into the job of handing the nightmare that is Brexit whilst making herself at home at Number 10. Rumours are circulating that it’s been left a bit of a pigsty.

We will follow May, on her new adventures to foreign lands to persuade Merkel and Juncker to hand over a mythical unicorn to the UK. Meanwhile will we continue our own hunt for the opposition, whilst we all consult our dictionaries for the meaning of the word ‘Brexit’ in bafflement in the wake of ‘Brexit means Brexit’.

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Sense of humour compulsory. No experience necessary though

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/eu_referendum_2016_/2682358-The-Westministenders-Media-Baron-Hunger-Games-continues-Is-it-about-to-all-implode?pg=1 Previous thread 7

Jim Waterson ‏@jimwaterson · 3m3 minutes ago
Labour NEC to vote "shortly", according to a Corbyn source.

Is this THE vote, or the one about whether they can have a toilet break?

What I think the PLP are hoping for is this that JC will be replaced by an interim leader.

Then, there will either be a split (most likely) or everyone knuckles down under the new interim leader.

After a certain amount of time, once a suitable candidate has been identified, interim leader will stand down and the new leader will be elected.

Whether any of this will transpire is anyone's guess!

Going with the Gandalf theme, the purpose of the vote is probably to decide which of the NEC are orcs.

It would make sense if she were something in agriculture, what's that called now, is it still Defra? I'm a farmer and I do not want someone as weak and urban as her. Why is agriculture treated with such disdain?

"'m not entirely comfortable with the discourse of "treason" because it suggests loyalty to Corbyn personally. The Labour Party is not a monarchy, and Labour MPs have every right to decide they don't trust his leadership."

Chal - agree 100% with this.

Going with the monarchy theme the Momentum plan of de-selecting MP's not loyal to Corbyn is very much an "off with their heads" anti-democratic stance. It's like watching Queenie having a strop on Blackadder.

derxa - Why is agriculture treated with such disdain?

Less people to piss off directly. Indirectly of course it screws everyone up. Leadsom should not go near the department. It will be one of the hardest to sort out.

I'm afraid I can vouch for ShoeMe's description of a Corbynista-inflected CLP meeting.
I'm not going into details: I'm less brave than her.
I went into the meeting in two minds about my support for him - and emerged desperately hoping he'd step down.
It's really not nice.

Jim Waterson ‏@jimwaterson
One source: Understand Jeremy Corbyn will himself be getting a vote in NEC. Also promised "shortly" means about 30mins.

George Eaton Verified account 
‏@georgeeaton

Corbyn is on the ballot - Labour rebels lose by four.

Venus I am a member of Momentum and I am not a Corbyn supporter. I am also a member of the Labour party and I am not a Corbyn supporter.

The black and white, them vs us, politicking is very dangerous. If anything this is about freedom of dissent within the party. That has always been there. I never remember being called a traitor when I spoke out against Blair or resigned my membership because of the Iraq war - really I wasn't. I can not fathom why I am now

I'm really sorry, I did not mean to sneer at agriculture in any way, but at my own lack of knowledge of what Govt Depts are called. As I understand it Leadsom represents a highly rural constituency and therefore has a vested interest in getting agricultural policy right. Sorry to have come across like I thought agriculture deserved her.

TBH I can't really think of a job she can do, though to be fair I don't know what she has been like as Energy Minister.

Well that's it then - cheers Jeremy after 116 years you are the man to split the party - Kudos. Let's hope Karma comes and bites ya

Won at NEC by 18-14 votes.

I can see the virtues of Corbyn being on the ballot but I am really worried about Labour's future now.

I have resigned from the Labour Party recently.

"the party now also has a massive credibility gap"

Yes, but that's not because of secret ballots in the NEC.

It's because of the climate of harassment and intimidation within the Labour Party that made it necessary
It's because JC still acts as an irresponsible maverick backbencher with an unruly fan club, instead of the Leader of the Opposition
It's because more than 80% of Labour's MPs, who know him in rl, voted No Confidence in their leader - Labour must sack him (or all 172 of them)
It's because the Labour Party is a total shambles, with continual ideological battles that renders them completely irrelevant during such a critical time for the UK.
When the future of the UK, even whether there will still be a UK, is being decided, Labour have chosen a self-indulgent civil war with no end in sight.

I am beyond disgusted with Labour

If TM calls an early GE, Labour would need a miracle to avoid a humiliating defeat.
They don't deserve that miracle. Or a unicorn.

I have come to be a Corbyn hater. I still think it's the right decision. Regretably, I think a split was on the cards either way.

A Labour split and no credible Left-wing Opposition. This is terrible.

Well it's done.

It's down to the PLP to get one decent candidate now to fight JC.

I don't think that's Eagle sadly.

Hopefully we can get enough new members to unseat JC - otherwise that's the LP finished.

BigChoc, I am inclined to agree with you. What an utter bloody shambles.

BigChoc Hear, hear.

I am free to join the Unicorn Party.

You raised the issue of process. I cannot see how due process is not being followed.

I've explained it twice now. At no point did I mention anything about Angela Eagle not being entitled to run. Indeed, throughout the previous 7000+ posts I have argued repeatedly that anyone who wants to challenge Corbyn's leadership should get on and do so.

Anyway, it seems those terrified secret voters have coped. May the best man (or woman) win.

I'm not a Corbyn hater, but I do think things could have been done differently on both sides.

At this point, I think Labour just needs a strong leader and everyone else needs to bloody well fall in line and that's it. Any more mutinies need tossing over the side of the ship.