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Frank Field Resignation

43 replies

MsDidoTwite · 30/08/2018 18:46

My support for Labour has declined in recent years but I've always had a deep respect for Frank Field. He's always been a great local MP and a Labour party stalwart. If the party to which he's dedicated himself for so long has lost his confidence, it doesn't bode well. Very sad that it's come to this.

OP posts:
Childrenofthesun · 30/08/2018 18:48

He voted with the Tories on a key vote that they could have lost - it might even have brought down the government. I think he jumped before he was pushed.

HollowTalk · 30/08/2018 18:53

Yes, well Jeremy Corbyn had a reputation for not always voting with Labour, so he can't really talk, can he?

It really is a bad sign, though, that FF feels he has to go. Mind you, I'm so disenchanted with the Labour Party right now I can't see myself voting for them in the next few years. Or anyone else, for that matter.

Wilma55 · 30/08/2018 18:57

I thought we were getting a by election but he's only resigned the labour whip and will sit as an Independent

VeryBerryAugust · 30/08/2018 23:10

The MP for Barrow in Furness, John Woodcock now sits as an independent too.

SinisterBumFacedCat · 31/08/2018 00:39

Massive Brexiter, Farage has just been praising FF on twitter.

As if he really gives a toss about racism Hmm

Havabiscuit · 01/09/2018 00:36

I think FF has lost his way over the past few years and moved well to the right.
It’s just time he retired but he is nasty to take a side swipe as he does so.

Havabiscuit · 01/09/2018 00:42

Also have a look at this from Jo Bird. A Liverpool Councillor

“I am a newly elected Labour councillor who is Jewish, in a ward bordering Birkenhead. Frank Field MP chose to use antisemitism as his excuse to resign from the Labour whip. I am frankly fed up of anti-Jewish racism being used as a political weapon to attack Labour Since Jeremy Corbyn was elected leader a few years ago, my Jewish lived experience is a ‘broad church’ Labour Party showing solidarity and support to the many as well as the Jews. More than 100 members from all wings of Wirral Labour Party worked together to elect me, in our successful local by-election this month. We spoke with over 2,100 residents and I heard no-one raise the issue of antisemitism. Unlike Frank Field, my constituents’ highest priority is ending cruel Conservative government cuts to services we all rely on”

Why isn’t this reported in the main stream media? Wrong sort of Jews again I guess!

PerkingFaintly · 01/09/2018 00:55

Field was one of the architects of the disastrous disability benefits restructuring around 2008, and has since spent the Tory govt years whining about the awful impact of the restructuring. Tory austerity has made things worse, but the deeply flawed system was created by Field and friends.

So when I saw him whining about Corbyn I wondered what the kicker would be. Turns out, oh, Field nominated him for leader.

So, no change there.

Deeply hypocritical man who publicly postures at being a rescuing hero when he's the person who created the situation in the first place.

PerkingFaintly · 01/09/2018 01:11

He's bloody good at PR, though, and at placing stuff in the media.

Want to know about the history of the welfare state? Along with the world wars, and the Vikings, and Florence Nightingale? Well you might turn to the BBC History site for a historical appreciation.

Except that the "history of the welfare state" is written by one Frank Field, and makes no attempt to be anything other than a polemic in favour of his views.

www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/modern/field_01.shtml

PerkingFaintly · 01/09/2018 01:25

That polemic also offers a glimpse of how Field and others have tried to shoehorn words like "fraud" into discussion of benefits.

"to raise the question of fraud was to be automatically deemed politically unbalanced"

No dear, talking about actual fraud (deception for personal gain) has never been deemed wrong. What you were raising the question of – and actually implemented – was cutting the amount of money disabled people had to live on per week, and for many disabled people removing it altogether by changing the criteria.

The only "fraud" in this discussion was the one perpetrated by your own pen.

wirralwirral · 01/09/2018 01:32

Keep an eye on Wirral Leaks for the full story soon Smile

wirralleaks.wordpress.com/

VeryBerryAugust · 01/09/2018 14:47

Frank field is a decent man.

I know extremists locally have had him in their sights for decades.

These latter posts are no surprise.

PerkingFaintly · 01/09/2018 19:31

If the content of the "latter posts" doesn't come as a surprise to you – ie you know his record on welfare restructuring – how do you claim he's a "decent man"?

Or are you just attempting to smear me as a "local extremist". Good luck with that. He's not local to me: he came to my notice years ago for the harm he was inflicting nationally.

Like I said, he's good at PR and placing stuff in the media.

Indeed over the years I've noticed quite a theme of posts on MN saying just "Ooh, I don't think much of the Labour Party, but Frank Field's a wonderful man." Usually remarkably short on detail of what he's actually done to be so wonderful. Just say he's a wonderful man.

I've been waiting for years for him to move to the Tories, the natural home of the ideology he actually professes. I'd put money on him standing for them within 12 months. Obviously with much martyrdom and heroism and fanfare.Hmm

PerkingFaintly · 01/09/2018 19:34

Perhaps you'd like to discuss his use of the word "fraud" in that piece he wrote for the BBC History pages, and come back to me and tell me how decent he is?

PerkingFaintly · 01/09/2018 19:46

I'm a disabled person who strangely enough has not magically become not-disabled by the cuts to disability benefits: I've just been made poorer and much less independent.

Dealing with the (entirely foreseeable) consequences of the restructuring has meant the tiny bit of life I do have has been completely overtaken for months at a time dealing with the latest waves of forms, official complaints, appeals, and sorting out DWP lies. I should have spent today doing a further Subject Access Request to the DWP to get specific details of their falsification to the medical report by the ATOS assessor; I know they altered the report because the admission is buried in the material from my first SAR. But I've had to rest today because I left the house two days ago and haven't recovered yet.

But Brutus is an honourable man.

ICantBelieveIDidThis · 01/09/2018 21:41

Daily Mail and Sun are 'reporting' that up to 30 Labour MPs could be deselected.

www.theguardian.com/politics/labour

It's already being reported as 'fact' by news aggregate sites.

Central to this is Jon Lansman, the founder of Momentum.

What kind of system allows someone who isn't an MP to have such an influence over a party.

ICantBelieveIDidThis · 01/09/2018 22:18

www.ft.com/content/076cf26c-ab6f-11e8-94bd-cba20d67390c

Gushpanka · 01/09/2018 22:22

Havabiscuit

Maybe this gaslighting and dismissal of Jewish experiences of anti-semitism in the Labour Party is part of the problem?

One MP, who loosely identifies as Jewish, saying that she has not experienced anti-semistism is not proof that there is not a problem. This is the same person who believes that anti-semitism is "privileged racism' which suggests a very weak grasp of history. And people sometimes do some very convoluted mental gymnastics to believe what they want to believe.

Sorry, anti-semitism is a huge problem in the Labour party currently, facilitated by Jeremy Corbyn.

Havabiscuit · 02/09/2018 18:47

gushpanka
I’m a member of the Labour Party and I don’t see it. I did see Rabi Sachs ( the long time Conservative supporter) this morning perpetuating the row. I’ve seen the reporting of long ago tenuous links that “ some one” has searched hard for. It’s politics behind this, there is no more anti semitism in the Labour Party than anywhere else

Gushpanka · 02/09/2018 20:37

God, even corbyn has adnitted there is a problem with anti semitism in the labour party. One which has grown under his leadership.

Just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean its not there.

Stop gaslighting Jewish accounts of anti semitism in the Labour party.

BMW6 · 02/09/2018 23:55

I am sad to see the Labour Party becoming an irrelevance in the near future. I am 60 so have been voting for 42 years. I am a floating voter - whichever party you represent, you need to win my vote.

Current Labour not winning my vote at all.

Havabiscuit · 03/09/2018 00:29

There is racism in society. With the huge membership Labour has now it’s going to be represented. I don’t see it as the huge problem it’s made out to be by the MSM. I see more examples of racism in UKIP or for that matter in the Tory party for instance. Who can forget Boris and his picanninies?
The wider electorate can see through this nonsense as well or the polls would be moving in response to the news stories.

BMW6 · 03/09/2018 00:36

Hmm here is the essence of the problem......

Havabiscuit · 03/09/2018 00:40

So let’s have some proof of anti semitism. Not an allegation or a tenuous link from years ago. The “problem” is hyped beyond belief.

BMW6 · 03/09/2018 00:53

You have got this the wrong way round - i dont need to prove Labour is anti-semitic.
You want my vote.
You need to prove that you are not.