The Westministenders Hunger Games continues. Hunting for the Opposition.

[RedToothBrush]

THE BREXIT FALLOUT OUT CONTINUES - THREAD EIGHT!

--------------------

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?

--------------------

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’.

--------------------

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

So couldn't they all switch to LD and that would then be the opposition?

If the Labour rebels go to LDs or as another recognised party, they'd become the Opposition, I think. If they all just resigned the whip and milled around voting however they fancied, SNP could make a good case for it, as I don't think Labour would be able to field a shadow Cabinet (which they don't entirely have at the moment)

On a sort of unrelated-but-not-really note, I was thinking of doing an Open University course, and now I'm thinking Constitutional Studies could be quite interesting. I don't think I've had that thought since History A Level!

I joined a few weeks ago, the assumption has been the rise in numbers have all been pro Corbyn but not the case for me.

Now I am torn, I can afford the £25 but I deliberately became a member not a supporter because I disagreed with the supporter status getting a vote. If I vote in this election it will because I buy supporter status.

Jim Waterson ‏@jimwaterson 3m3 minutes ago
I can't believe I'm going to have to pay £25 to register @hayleycampbell's cat in this Labour leadership election.

re: www.buzzfeed.com/jimwaterson/cats-always-need-better-vetting-procedures?utm_term=.wbB06J5M8#.ejLYO9kNa

Ginger - yes they could. Technically. But there are the assets in the LP to be argued about. And the soul. I know it sounds strange but that would be harder to give up I think - like the kids

Would they all be able to sign up to the Lib Dems? I suppose they could if they left the Labour party and paid their dues to LDs.

Its being suggested that the labour party rule book apparently suggests you can't be a member AND a supporter.

So if you were a member who joined between 12 Jan and now, you technically shouldn't be allowed to vote by the rule book!!!

100,000 joined since the referendum.

FFS!!! Labour and their fucking rule book

I think resigning the whip alone will cause too many issues and they won't do that - if nothing else they themselves lose all power. So it will be left to split or defect - en masse - but not necessarily to the same parties. I think they will fight it out to get their house back from Jezza. They just need a freaking leader!

The MPs, Peregrina? I think the LDs would probably bite their hands off, they've got little chance of regaining power any other way.
Whether it turns out to be a good thing for the LDs in the long run is another question entirely. They'd become a very different party.

Red that makes sense - so it hasn't really changed since the 1990's then when I first joined

Shame no one told anyone tho

Well that's my dilemma sorted!😕

Ridiculous that someone who takes full membership has less rights than a supporter.

Well, I paid 47 quid for a year's membership on 9th July. But I checked the website before I joined and it did say I would be allowed to vote for the Leader. So I think they are obliged to let me vote n'est-ce pas?

Can I resign my membership tomorrow and become a supporter on Thursday?

They haven't thought this one through have they?

I am confused too. Does that mean only £3 members can pay extra to vote? What a fuck up. It should be all or nothing

@colouringinagain In my dream world, the LibDems and Greens would get together with the disenfranchised MPs in the PLP to form a positive new opposition party. I can dream...

Me too!

Cheaper options than paying £25 to be registered supporter: join affiliated union, join Fabian Society 😉

Swedish I love the Fabians - was looking today - I may join them too for the hell of it

I joined recently as a full member and now am unable to vote... I'm furious! Labour has just disenfranchised 100,000 new members by retrospectively changing the rules stated on their website - surely they can't do that? This is shambolic.

Only hope now resting in a progressive alliance. The Lib Dems are looking more appealing by the day!

I copied that from Twitter - hope it's useful

I think the rules have always been the way - which is why I couldn't vote in the 1990's (and I didn't know at the time either). But they haven't made that clear in any way.

So, this £25 thing seems to be generating almost as much anger as the whole ballot thing. Picture is a copy of what is supposed to be the timetable for the leadership ballot. Seems very drawn out and quite complex.

This seems to be a commonly held view on Twitter:

Julian W ‏@Jules141 2m2 minutes ago
The Labour party, having run out of own feet to shoot, have moved onto the upper body/head. #LabourNEC

I've been away camping with very little phone access.

Just catching up.

I thought of you all when I heard AL had dropped out of the race whike I was at the shops

DoinIt welcome back - I hope your trip was fun