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

Laura Kuenssberg ‏@bbclaurak 3m3 minutes ago
NEC Still apparently has to agree cut off date for new members joining so might still be awhile before we hear from Corbyn

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.
I think so. I'm scratching my head. Here is a man who did not for the Iraq war and who holds to essential Labour policies and he's a pariah.

This bodes really I'll for who will get the name, the heritage, the member lists, the data, and the money.

This is so terrible.

Luke Akehurst
‏@lukeakehurst
Suggest people hang on to hear the process rules on freeze date and £3 supporters. Rather important.

If TM calls an early GE, Labour would need a miracle to avoid a humiliating defeat

Back tracking to Ed Miliband's resignation, they didn't seem to have a credible PM then either.

I think JC got in because people felt that if they couldn't have a Labour PM, they wanted a strong opposition. However, I don't think 80% of MPs have been plotting to get rid of him for the last 9 months. I think they have come to that conclusion faced with the prospect of an imminent general election.

I agree with you herecomesthesun.

I think it's a vain hope that AE will not be subject to misogynistic and homophobic abuse though. I sincerely hope it doesn't happen, but I fear it will.

Will those 172 just call themselves say the Real Labour Party and form the new Offical Opposition

How does that work? Would there have to be 172 by-elections? What happened when Carswell joined UKIP?

Thebathroom To be fair I first joined after John Smith died I think it was a 6 month time span - I know I couldn't vote for Blair - and I wouldn't have. At the time was a Trade Union fanatic and liked Prescott (I know I know)

McDonnell pledges to sign up 'even more members'
Shadow chancellor tweets...
Posted at
20:08
Follow
John McDonnell MP ✔ @johnmcdonnellMP
Jeremy on the ballot. Democracy prevails. We will use leadership election to sign up even more members & prepare ground for General Election
8:04 PM - 12 Jul 2016

John McDonnell MP ✔@johnmcdonnellMP
Jeremy on the ballot. Democracy prevails. We will use leadership election to sign up even more members & prepare ground for General Election

FWIW, I think there has been a massive upsurge in all areas of public life in violent (physically, but more commonly verbally) responses to any kind of dissent. People seem less capable of, or perhaps less inclined to bother with, proper debate. Stella Creasey got death threats and rape threats for suggesting Jane Austen should be on the next £10 note ffs. The world is changing in terms of how people negotiate disagreement. I think the causes of that are complex and multifaceted and probably worthy of their own multi-author tome thread.

Is JC winning really a sure thing? There have been a LOT of people joining Labour recently - they're not all for him.

Perhaps this could be TM's first thing - stand firm on this type of behaviour. Make it clear that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated and that we are not leaving civilisation behind when we leave the EU, so kindly retain your civility.

I know we're not supposed to be harking on about the past but I do wonder what might have been if John Smith hadn't died so young. A very sad loss.

What is the objection about secret ballots?

It's not how the NEC is supposed to vote. Transparency, innit.

I don't make the rules.

red on Gorton, I was going by the MEN, who said :
It is understood the in-fighting is not the result of hard-left ‘entryism’ blamed for CLP rows in other areas, but rather long-term manoeuvering ahead of the seat becoming vacant.

Although a CLP suspension is unusual, this is not the first time Gorton has repeatedly faced such sanctions over the years, dating as far back as the 1980s.

I do not know if this is true, but it looks like it may be possible it is more the result of long term issues and a local party that has always had problems?

I know we're not supposed to be harking on about the past but I do wonder what might have been if John Smith hadn't died so young. A very sad loss

YY

George Eaton ‏@georgeeaton 4m4 minutes ago
NEC voting now on membership freeze date for leadership election.

My problem with JC being on the ballot is that it doesn't address the fundamental issue.

Is it ok to have a party leader who has the support of the membership but not the support of the PLP?

Going back to the membership and reconfirming that he does have their support doesn't answer the question.

And personally I think that no, it's obviously not ok, because it's absolutely impossible to lead a parliamentary opposition if the parliamentarians have no trust in your leadership. And even more impossible to be credible as a government-in-waiting.

Well, I joined Labour this week - before there was any talk of a freeze on voting. And I am sure that the right to vote for leader was mentioned on the website.

And no, I wouldn't intend to vote for JC.

But I would feel that I had been mislead by the website if not allowed to vote.

on tomorrow:
Sam Macrory ‏@sammacrory 13m13 minutes ago
#PMQs will have one lot of MPs sitting behind a leader most wish wasn't going & another lot sitting behind a leader most wish wasn't staying

He's off to a Momentum rally.

The Liberals and sufficient Labour MPs could join the Tories to call a GE, under the terms of the Fixed Parliament Act.

TM may feel pushed into a GE, even if she'd personally rather get on with the job.

• The Liberal party, several Labour politicians, peers, umpteen journalists on left & right .... many voices saying she has no mandate, because the 2015 Tory manifesto never covered Brexit or making the huge changes required to implement it.
  They are quoting her old comments about Brown not having a mandate

• The HoL will be able to block laws / repeals not in the manifesto, especially of an appointed PM.
  e.g. block repeal of European Act, required for A50

• Her majority is only 12, not enough to pass controversial laws, especially if she has rebellions from her swivel-eyed wing. She needs both the numbers and the moral authority of a big majority to make major changes

• Her own party are pushing to take advantage of Labour shambles. Their big chance to humiliate Labour and get a thumping 100+ majority.
  Her slogan:
  "They can't run even their own party. How could they run the country ?"

Is JC winning really a sure thing?

As much as anything, what's important is what any potential challengers think the answer to that question is. I believe Angela Eagle was a stalking horse to get us to the point of today's vote on whether Corbyn is entitled to be on the ballot. If he was excluded from it, I think we would have seen the real challenger/s emerge and Eagle drop out. Now he is on it, it will be interesting to see what happens next. Will anyone else challenge? Or will they decide he's a shoo-in and keep their powder dry for another time. And if the latter, will Eagle go through with it or drop out too? And if everyone melts away into the shadows they will then face a choice of SingTFU, or resigning the whip, with all the implications that brings.

I would like politics to get a bit less interesting tbh, as I have a great deal of work I should be doing.

MrsLupo It is getting wearing, all the constant change. And the thought of it all being complicated by a GE makes me feel exhausted.