Your Corbyn/Sultana Party - Discussion thread - Part 2

[fromorbit]

The YP starting conference is in the ACC in Liverpool between 29-30 November so only three weeks off. With competing factions involving Islamic conservatives, every variety of Marxist/Communist, former Labour members, trade union activists, entryists from SWP and SPEW, splitters from the Scottish Greens, trans activists and actual left wing feminists [not the nice kind] it is difficult to underplay how much controversy there is likely to be. So we will need a second thread in advance.

Thus far following the internal drama of the UKs newest left party has taken a whole thread. It has been a wild ride and the party still does not have a name.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5394557-your-corbynsultana-party-discussion-thread

It's not often I say this about Jacob Rees-Mogg, but I think he was a model of how to respond when he was grilled on his views on abortion. He said, I have my personal views which are informed by my faith, and those views are well known, but we live in a parliamentary democracy and I recognise that neither the party nor parliament agree with my views. That's constitutionally correct and the small-l liberal position.

There seems to be a strange view in some bits of the centre-left that if you allow just one person into parliament who has the wrong private beliefs then we're just five minutes away from some Handmaid's Tale dystopia. A more sober person would say that there is virtually zero chance of parliament legislating for these things we're meant to panic about.

So it's quite difficult to hold strongly Christian beliefs and be active in Labour/LibDems/SNP/Plaid/Greens unless you're willing to lead the kind of double life that gay politicians used to lead. Tories or Reform don't have any theocratic tendencies, but they don't make believers unwelcome.

Also, Humza Yousaf's private beliefs are probably at least as socially conservative as Tim Farron's, likely more so, but he's never been challenged on them like Farron was. If you're an orthodox Muslim in politics you might be expected to stay in your lane and not express certain views, but you won't have inquisitors trying to know if you hold those views privately. It's a double standard, and a very obvious one.

I agree about the importance of distinguising between socialism and social democracy and wish more people would do so. However on point of historical fact, the original Labour party clause IV stating its aim:

"To secure for the workers by hand or by brain the full fruits of their industry and the most equitable distribution thereof that may be possible upon the basis of the common ownership of the means of production, distribution and exchange"

was adopted in 1918 pretty much as soon as Labour became a significant party, and remained in its rulebook right up until the Blair years. The last part is literally the textbook definition of socialism.

I think we should be a bit wary though of equating Hussein & his Muslim base with Dobbin types though. Cousin marriage, wider women's equality issues (veiling, sex segregated runs etc, male clan leaders controlling everything,) Palestine as an indeprndent state and so on...would Dobbin's Catholic positions have been so extreme?

Palestine as an independent state = "extreme"? 😳

I'm sorry for the Palestinians' situation with thr state, bit a 2 state solution is not viable now. It would be run by Hamas. I hope they will have a state one day but not the way things are now.

Also it's not extreme to support a 2 state solution, but the sectarian overtones of Gaza Independents are extremely undesirable

I agree mostly...I think the key thing is when the Gaza Independents start promoting cousin marriage etc & saying we MUST accept those Muslim norms, that crosses a line. Whereas if they are pro life or anti same sex marriage,,they're entitled to express that view (as some religious Lords etc did at the time), though both are settled (though as I've said

The trans issue wasn't even some mainly-religious issue but one that most people hold (if they're sane...) so I did strongly sympathise with the way Hussein was treated on that.

On Forbes vs Yousef, I thought he was at least publicly pro those things (or maybe he fudged it by missing the vote?). Whereas she was more open (as she was entitled to be). Probably Labour could tolerate quietness(even hypocritically) but protested openness. After all, Adnan Hussein being a Muslim didn't stop them criticising him for not being TWAW

Jesus.

You know the vast majority of nations in the UN (now including Britain) already recognise Palestine as a state, right?

Misguided moral judgments aside, how can you describe a position supported by a such a majority, including by centist non-entities such as Starmer's Labour, as "extreme"?

That doesn't stop me from thinking it's extreme. Starmer has made a bad mistake...Wouldn't be the first time the UN has made a very unwise decision, either. Their decision to declare Zionism a form of racism would be another one (which is not to say racist Zionists are non existent- but Zionism itself is not intrinsically racist). You must remember Arab nations can influence the UN vote, and many do have unduly negative views on Israel, sometimes tipping into outright anti Semitism.

Oh I hadn't realised that was in their founding statement!

Big development - note who has decided this not the party members, but it occurred before conference. Big blow to ZS. More evidence to suggest YP is even before conference being directed in particular ways. More to the point it is after two of the biggest critics of ZS have left. Anyway it gives the party members an interesting choice.

Your Party rules out co-leaders
At conference this weekend, members will choose between single leadership or a “collective” model
Your Party has ruled out a co-leadership model under draft guidance released this evening. Members will select the exact model of leadership at the party’s inaugural conference this weekend, but the New Statesman understands co-leadership will not be one of the options.
Instead, members will be asked to choose between a single leadership model, or a “collective” leadership model. Under both options, party members will elect a Central Executive Committee (CEC) in the first months of this year which will include a party chair and deputy chair as well as other officers (none of whom can be Members of Parliament).
If members choose Your Party to be led by a single leader this weekend, then the party will hold a leadership election in January next year. If members choose the “collective” model, then the party’s CEC will become the public-facing leaders of Your Party, meaning no MPs will be involved in the party’s leadership.
A Your Party source told the New Statesman that the decision to rule-out the co-leadership model was made as “we want to end the psychodrama, not institutionalise it.” Zarah Sultana, the MP for Coventry South who has been co-founding the party alongside Jeremy Corbyn, has long made clear that co-leadership is her preference. Corbyn is less convinced, although he has maintained that whatever structure the party opts for should be chosen by members. The source added that the decision to rule out the co-leadership model from the draft guidance “shows you can’t force someone to be co-leader with you who doesn’t want to be.” ....

After the conference this weekend, the party’s establishment will be steered by a group which includes all three Independent Alliance MPs – Corbyn, Ayoub Khan and Shockat Adam – and a group of party members chosen through sortition (a process which allows you to select a random yet representative selection of the population). Zarah Sultana voluntarily left the Independent Alliance on 18 September, and is not expected to be part of this group.
More
https://archive.is/a6xY0

Does Zarah not want to be Supreme Leader then? Surely that’s open to her if the leader option is chosen. And we keep being told how much support she has.

I can’t imagine what could possibly go wrong with a random collection of members being in charge of the conference. Or a CEC being in charge of the party. Sounds like Sultana is being sidelined completely which is not what I thought would happen. Does she still have all the money? She has overplayed her hand massively. I wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't survive as an MP until the next election. I wonder how long she has spent in her constituency doing her actual job?

More coverage;

‘Your Party’ Could Be Led By Ordinary Members With MPs Barred From Running
Ahead of the 2026 May local elections, Your Party conference will also debate whether the new party should endorse Independent council candidates or only those standing under the party’s own banner.
A Your Party spokesperson said: “The mainstream parties are failing us because they are run by and for billionaires and corporations, not ordinary people.
“Your Party will be different, relentlessly accountable to its members and the communities we strive to represent.
“Our founding conference will be a festival of democracy, showing how we can build a real alternative to a broken Westminster model.”
PoliticsHome understands that a conference agenda will be released on Tuesday, four days before the conference begins on Saturday.
Your Party’s Liverpool conference is expected to include speeches from both Corbyn and Sultana, as well as MPs Shockat Adam and Ayoub Khan.
The other Independent Alliance MPs, Adnan Hussain and Iqbal Hussain, are not expected to attend the conference after both quit the party amid disagreements with Sultana.
Over 2,000 delegates are expected to join, down from an original ambition of 13,000, after rows over money and Your Party sources reporting that organising the conference on a “shoestring” budget has been difficult.
Sultana has announced that she will be holding a rally in Liverpool on Friday evening, bringing together supporters who aim “to push Your Party towards an unapologetically socialist, anti-Zionist, anti-imperialist programme”.

https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/your-party-led-ordinary-members-mps-barred-running

If you look back earlier in this thread it was pretty clear ZS had lost ground and alienated others and the conference was set up in a way which potentially marginalises her and others in her faction.

The thing for ZS is she can still get some of what she wants IF ordinary members want it. She can push to either be leader or on the committee, however she really seems not to be a team player which might not help her. My guess is people will choose Corbyn or others who are less dramatic and seem sound. We will see.

Yes I think they will choose Corbyn as leader. I cant imagine Sultana and her TWAW faction sticking around to compromise. It will be interesting how they think they can show us how democracy works considering the laughable shambles they have demonstrated so far.

There's definitely a story to be told about how Sultana started out with lots of good will and has alienated almost everybody she's come into contact with.

Meghan Markle could take her course.

Ahahahhahaha!

I'm expecting lots of angry tweets from Madam Mao

Zarah now backs collective leadership. Clever move. However she didn't have much choice really.

Sienna Rodgers
Nov 26
Sultana – who has wanted co-leadership with her & Corbyn leading – comes out in favour of collective leadership, ie no MPs leading

(Obv this doesn’t rule out her still running if YP members vote for the single leader option – and she’d be able to point to this in that campaign)

https://nitter.net/siennamarla/status/1993603608512782585

The Revolutionary Communist Party after flirting with YP for ages has now denounced it before conference.
In July, it appeared that’s what was beginning with the launch of Your Party, and the Revolutionary Communist Party welcomed these developments. Unfortunately, over the last four months, this potential has been driven into a ditch.

Today, no-one is talking about the new party; or if they are, it’s not to say anything good. The antics of Corbyn and Sultana have isolated their party from the mass anger that exists in Britain today...
Our task now is to prepare for that movement, in whatever form it takes, by strengthening the forces of communism. Today, that means steering clear of petty squabbles amongst reformists and focusing all our energy on building the Revolutionary Communist Party.

[This matters to virtually no-one except to those who like watching tiny left groups squabbling. Also doesn't mention RCP was very involved in the daft online squabbling which wrecked YP. RCP formed in 2024 was formerly Socialist Appeal which came out of Militant.]
https://communist.red/where-does-the-rcp-stand-on-your-party/

The Socialist Equality Party meanwhile laughs at the RCP for getting involved;

Revolutionary Communist Party junks its opportunist turn to Corbyn and Sultana’s Your Party
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2025/11/26/odbi-n26.html

I think the RCP is laser focused on building an electoral base for Fiona Lali in Stratford and Bow, and has concluded that YP is a dead duck and therefore a distraction from their main task.

The SWP's fake leader Lewis Nielsen holds forth on his priorities: Five ways we can fire up Your Party

As we might expect, Lewis is incredibly dishonest and hypocritical (complaining about Team Corbyn being a self-appointed clique who aren't democratically accountable to the members is hilarious from a member of the SWP Central Committee), but worth paying attention to since he seems to be Sultana's best mate these days.

This matters to virtually no-one except to those who like watching tiny left groups squabbling.

I'm one of those, I absolutely love the Life of Brian Reenactment Groups.

I'm really enjoying this thread. Thank you to all the knowledgeable posters.

The Spartacists have had some banter at the prospect of this conference as well. Someone elsewhere claimed the Sparts (workers hammer) started out as a security services front but accidentally self radicalised and went native.

There are events popping up on Eventbrite for tomorrow and Saturday too

Corbyn will have "an evening of politics and culture" with Len McLuskey.

Sultana has a programme with that Shanly dick

The Sparts are weird. They were founded in the 1960s as the loudest and most vitriolic opponents of Pabloite revisionism, then their decades-long maximum leader Jim Robertson died, they went radio silent for about 18 months, then re-emerged to say they'd been wrong all along and they now embrace Pabloite revisionism. I think; their polemics can be confusing.

Actually the Sparts are much weirder than that. Their PIE-adjacent defence of Michael Jackson is a case in point: 08182301_2004.pdf

Polling from YouGov. Prospective YourParty voters (was 18% in July, now 12%) think the party will be like the Greens

nitter.net/YouGov/status/1993975302008008741#m

What's Pabloite revisionism?

Only one more sleep till Your Party conference!?!!1!!1!

Guardian attempts a summary of How They Got There

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/nov/28/your-party-rifts-power-struggles-jeremy-corbyn-zarah-sultana

Even allies of Corbyn say the former Labour leader can be hard to pin down, with an aversion to open conflict and a tendency to, as one person involved in the project put it, “disappear to his allotment for 24 hours without his phone”.
“Jeremy can be a touch avoidant,” one ally said. Another source involved in the project was more blunt: “That’s always been the problem – he won’t say anything. You have this whole industry of Jeremy-whisperers, trying to interpret what he means.”

Incidentally there is a clip on social media of Corbyn being heckled by membership for not being pro Pal / anti Israel enough. Gets v narked. But this will almost certainly also happen to Sultana in time

Yes me too. I do feel bad because hell would freeze over before I would vote for any of these idiots (even though I am married to someone who would) so I'm not their target audience. But its very entertaining and allows me to brush off my much loved and enjoyed but ancient Politics degree!