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

Why is the Labour Party allowing more entryism? Or does the NEC want to encourage this as it has a much more pro-Corbyn make up, but by extracting a higher price in the process and swelling party coffers!

And what happens if and when Angela Eagle is deselected? Let's say she won, has the support of her MPs but can't fight the General Election as someone else is selected to represent the party in her constituency! That's every bit, if not more absurd than th current situation with JC!

The a Labour Party is well and truly f**ked!

I seen on fb tonight, true red rosette wears saying they want to ditch their membership and say they are going to join the Lib Dems, after saying Labour have killed themselves entirely for at least for a generation.

They voted for Corbyn last year.

Its awful.

I hope they sit it out for the time being, as Labour need them right now.

Peston on FB
I have now spoken to more Labour people about what happened at the NEC between 2 and 9.30 (with no break for food). And I now realise that my earlier description of it as an omni-shambles was generous.
The first six hours of discussion was all about whether Corbyn should automatically be on the ballot - with a whole series of prior votes on which lawyers' views should be seen and heard and whether the votes should be secret.
One of my sources said those who oppose Corbyn have been subject to frightening intimidation and abuse. So it was vital that the names of those voting against him should not go on the public record.
In the end, the NEC voted to vote in secret. And then it secretly voted that Corbyn would automatically be on the ballot.
And then it became clear that the secrecy was pointless, because all the union representatives voted as per the way they had been mandated to do, and in favour of Corbyn. So Corbyn loyalists will know exactly who went against their will.
The anti-Corbynistas on the NEC tell me they are bracing themselves for terrible social media bullying, and abusive texts.
However in the final hour the Corbynistas, so cock-a-hoop at their victory, took their eye off the ball. And they didn't stick around to prevent the burial of Ed Miliband's scheme to allow a vote to those paying just £3.
The price of the vote has been hiked to £25 - and there are only two days to buy the vote in that way and become a so-called registered supporter.
The Corbynistas were also unable to prevent the exclusion from the leadership vote of all proper members who joined less than six months ago.
I am told this six-month threshold for voting has long been the norm for most Labour votes - though it was suspended for last summer's leadership poll that ushered in Corbyn.
So, on reflection, whether you see the reversion to a more conservative voting system as gerrymandering will depend - obvs - on whether you are with Corbyn or against. Since it was the Miliband "democratic revolution", now overturned, that brought in Corbyn as leader.
The practical consequence of all these NEC shenanigans however are to strengthen Corbyn and weaken that large majority of Labour MPs who want him out.
A contest between Corbyn and Angela Eagle looks inevitable - although I would not yet rule out Owen Smith having a tilt as the candidate to the left of Eagle and the right of Corbyn.
There will be more soap opera to come before we knows whether there is any chance of Labour surviving in anything like its traditional form.

For the record, the Beige Party sounds pretty appealing right now - I'd vote for it if a GE was called tomorrow.

At least if Labour ever agree a position in Trident and Jezza finds himself in power (derisive snort) we know he has no compunction about using the nuclear option. He just nuked the PLP.

Why are any of these people in charge of anything? I mean, really, truly why them? Do none of them have a clue?

Newsnight were in wallasey earlier, looks like AE will almost certainly face a vote of no confidence, they said they would then expect her to resign, like she thinks jc should. Although he hasn't, so maybe she won't, then they'd have to deselect her, which is what they won't do to him.

Does that make any sense?

A couple of earlier posts expressed the need for a centrist party to assemble to form a credible opposition. The Greens are petitioning for such an alliance:
action.greenparty.org.uk/

A hostile takeover.

My Twitter feed is now full of 'save the Labour Party, sign up to vote' pleas.

Why would I want to save the Labour Party? Run a country? They can't run themselves! They should split rather than this unedifying spectacle.

Does that make any sense?

Yes. If you are on crack
They are now parodying themselves in ever increasing absurdity.

Political satire will never live up to the last 3 weeks. It is now a dead genre.

True, red. I'm still gonna buy private eye though, just to see them try!

Parliament and GEs really matter !

If Labour had won another 6 or 7 seats from the Tories in the 2015 GE, then:

• we wouldn't be crashing out of the EU, pound crashing, jobs going, frantically looking for a Brexit plan
• we wouldn't have a major increase in open racial abuse
• we wouldn't have seen the the far right trying to make their choice the new Tory party leader.
• we wouldn't have JC as Labour leader, endless months of internal party warfare and total impasse.
• Miliband would have stayed on and moved policy moderately leftwards with consent of PLP and membership

Think what might have been

Martin Lewis says new members have a strong case for a refund on his opinion.

Anyone fancy doing the who is threatening, to take who to court, summary in the morning?

I think I count:
Momentum threatening to sue Ben Bradshaw
Labour Party might take NEC to court to get Corbyn off the ballot
Corbyn might take the NEC to court over who can vote
Members signed up since Jan might take the Labour to court

Anyone else I've missed?

Cliff Richards is suing the BBC - too far off topic? Hard to tell these days.

I was sneering at the Tories not having a national membership list which is why a members vote would have taken so long.
However, even if it had gone to members, they still look paragons of efficiency to the chaos that is a Labour election.

The Tory system has a very good balance between MPs and members. I wish Labour would copy it.

You have to admire the ruthless efficiency with which the Tories dump candidates or leaders as soon as it is clear they are a liability.

I'm trying to imagine Labour deciding on strategy to negotiate Brexit if they were responsible for it.
All I can visualise is Merkel drumming her fingers and Juncker pissing himself laughing.

Red Labour on Facebook are recommending people join up for 50p per week to unite community.

red Maybe NEC members who voted against JC might sue if they experience harassment ?

You have to follow the link on this Fabian Society page to have a vote in the LP leadership contest.
www.fabians.org.uk/news-labour-leadership-election-and-the-fabians/

One reason for the actions of the PLP that is sometimes overlooked:
the boundary changes scheduled for 2018. There will be 50 fewer seats and many will be redrawn.

They fear that if Corbyn isn't removed, his supporters would use the opportunity and make sure those of his critics who are in badly affected seats would not be selected as candidates.

In danger:
Hilary Benn, Chuka Umunna, Tristram Hunt, Chris Leslie, Emma Reynolds, Liam Byrne, Stella Creasy, Vernon Coaker, Alison McGovern, Mike Gapes.

JC had spoken against deliberate deselection, but nothing about this. So they drew their own conclusions.

In contrast, Cameron promised that no sitting Conservative MP would be “left behind” and they'll switch to constituencies where the Tory MP retires.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/jeremy-corbyn-national-executive-committee-nec-how-he-triumphed_uk_57856207e4b08078d6e765d3?ycx1ihi6jcr82gldi

I wish there was less emphasis on 'two female members' feeling intimidated.

A more gender-balanced cabinet - TM expected to fill key cabinet positions with female allies
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jul/12/theresa-may-set-to-fill-key-cabinet-positions-with-female-allies

20 pages in and I'm only just arriving. It gets more and more surreal.

I registered as a £3 supporter last year and voted then (not for Corbyn) so am assuming I will get to vote again? With no £25 fee hike? Once again I won't be voting for Corbyn. Would never have imagined it would turn out like this though.

Marina Hyde's description of the NEC is absolutely the best !
"Eyes down, apocalypse bingo players: Labour’s Jedi council has spoken"

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jul/12/labour-leadership-nec-jeremy-corbyn

Sadly, she also reminded me of the 1976 Labour leadership contest, in which the candidates were Jim Callaghan, Tony Benn, Roy Jenkins, Tony Crosland, Denis Healey and Michael Foot.
Great political talents

The current Labour troubles look like mice squabbling over a chunk of Cheddar by comparison.

Grim but true from the Guardian's outlook on TM:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jul/12/theresa-may-tory-prime-minister-englandd_

"... the practical pursuit of English politics – the business of designing competing policies, arguing their merits and negotiating compromises to see them enacted – looks now almost entirely contained within Conservative circles. "

Interesting that some of those who supported Cameron's policies didn't think much of him as a leader:

".... MPs who supported Cameron’s policies but were disappointed by his inattentive, complacent and elitist manner."
Well that explains cocking up the referendum

"Many were frustrated by the outgoing prime minister’s habit of punishing obedience and rewarding misbehaviour – neglecting or demoting those who showed quiet diligence, while lavishing concessions on rebels."

He sounds like a Disney Dad.
I hope TM will be a responsible adult. Not many of those about.

Owen Smith expected to announce leadership challenge today, according to BBC news.

Which presumably means it'll actually happen sometime in August.