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

Owen Smith is standing, it seems. www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk

X post!

Please can all Remainers write to your MP regarding the Sept debate. I think we may have a tiny chance here.

Is all the criticism of Corbyn from the press and social media and wherever else just dismissed by him and his supporters? Does none of it get through at all to even make them pause?

Given that everything in the press, the BBC, masses of social media etc sets out how Corbyn is killing the Labour Party, I just don't understand how anyone can be so convinced they're right, that millions are just waiting for a chance to vote for them and that everyone who says not is a traitor. Don't they step outside the bubble for a moment?

unicorns - yes, it is all dismissed. Everything is a plot or a plan by blairites, Alistair Campbell and the media who all want to keep him quiet. There can be no outside of the bubble because inside the bubble is perfect and everyone outside is wrong and just doesn't get it.

It is actually scary to read some of it because there seems to be no connection to reality at all. And most of it is not about Labour, it is all about JC.

I was thinking that that alone makes him utterly unsuitable to actually be in power, but of course democratic power isn't what they want is it. They want revolution.

twitter.com/rosschawkins/status/753095645175640064
2 srcs say NEC suspended all CLP & branch meetings till new leader elected because of concern about harassment, intimidation and bullying

It really does have all the hallmarks of Militant Tendency reborn. Only this time, it's got a grip. I'm starting to think the only solution may be to leave them the keys and walk away. Can't believe I'm saying this

But I still think leaving Corbyn off the ballot paper would have been even worse. He wouldn't have gone quietly and he'd have been the martyr. At least now he has to go through the motions of a democratic campaign and we never know, it may not be quite as triumphal as his last one.

I hope he's enjoying the adulation now as I think history will judge him harshly.

I hope he's enjoying the adulation now as I think history will judge him harshly

I agree. Same goes for ShinyDave.

Bathroom, I literally just got an email from my CLP about next meeting so they didn't get the memo if that is the case.

Dunno, thegirl, am reading news while eating toast. My keyboard is fucked!

Anyway, post-NEC JC and JMcD went to a rally in JC's honour (at this point, I'll just say, I still can't find any comment he's made about Theresa May, our new PM), where JC [[http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/jeremy-corbyn-celebrates-his-victory-over-fing-useless-labour-mps-who-plotted-against-him_uk_578571e7e4b0daae46fa86af told]] the crowd 'we don't throw abuse around', and JMcD said 'As plotters they were fucking useless', whilst Mark Serwotka said 'fuck you to Tony Blair' and called Neil Kinnock a disgrace to Wales'

But they don't throw abuse around.

If 172 MPs became the whatever party, leaving Corbyn and Diane Abbott on their own, pretending that they'd won, who would be leader of the opposition?

Leader of the whatever party surely, as they have the most opposition MPs and are therefore able to form a shadow government? Just guessing of course (as is everyone I imagine)

will union members be able to vote in the leadership election? I'm a unison member (not a corbyn supporter or even a labour supporter anymore thanks to him but I'd return to labour with a decent leader)

Noble - the 172 would become the opposition once they are not in the same party as the man that destroyed the Labour Party

Watching Stephen Kinnock on Good Morning Britain. He's supporting Angela Eagle apparently. Piers Morgan tore into him and asked him if he really thought that Eagle had the competence that Corbyn did not. Morgan said that Eagle had the presence of a limp rag and you could see the fear flash over Kinnock's face.

If the 172 MPs resigned and became Independent, then they wouldn't be a party, would they? So, it would come down to the rump of Labour vs. SNP.

That's a bit of a question noble. Diane thinks it would still be JC, because once he's been given it, it can't be taken away (seriously, that is about the strength of her argument), but it looks like if would depend if the 72 join or form another party. If they do, the leader of that party can ask the Speaker that they be made the official Opposition, as they will be the largest party not in Government.

This is what the SNP tried last week, but it failed because those 72 MPs are still under the Labour whip, so Labour are still the largest.

John AshmoreVerified account
‏@smashmorePH
McDonnell won't go on BBC with Alison McGovern. "We don’t want 2 be in position where the Tories were a few weeks ago, fighting on screen"

(politicsHome)

I have yetto recieve anything either from the CLP re cancelling.

I would encourage anyone who is a member of their local CLP to write to them and insist on no motions regarding Jeremy Corbyn to be discussed until the time that their safety and wellbeing can be guaranteed. This is actually serious and they can not ignore it or will have to provide adequate security. It also prevents intimation and hijacking of meetings by Momentum until this shit can be sorted out. Yesterday would have galvanised them more

Except how many of the 172 will survive deselection? They won't be MPs any more.

I think the Labour party has to use the selection process now and make Corbyn give an account of his performance as leader. Give him plenty of rope. It's a forlorn hope, I know.

"We don’t want 2 be in position where the Tories were a few weeks ago, fighting on screen"

If it wasn't so serious, it would be a joke. I didn't like Tony Blair, but he did maintain the discipline to get his party elected. (Which then became Tory Lite, but that's a different matter.)

Re leader of the opposition

Although there has never been a dispute as to who holds the position, under the Ministerial and other Salaries Act 1975, the Speaker’s decision on the identity of the Leader of the Opposition is final.[1]

So Bercow will decide thus Jeremy is after causing a constitutional crisis as well. Wanker

Deselection dosn't stop them being MP's It stops them being Labour MP's

As my CLP and many others can not guarantee members safety I fail to see how anyone can, in the short term, be deselcted

bonnie - yes union members can vote.
If you paid £3 last year to vote but have not joined since, you can only vote now if you pay £25 next week.

Peregrina - I honestly don't know about that, it looks like they have to be a 'party' but I think it may just be "one of those things that would never happen here" so we didn't account for it.