Psychoactive Substances: Rolling UK Politics in The Neo-Con Era

If these guys are so useless then perhaps Corbyn shouldn't have appointed them to the Shadow Cabinet in the first place? He must have been aware of Benn's stance on Syria before making the appointment, so either he didn't consider it an issue or he has a worrying lack of foresight. Shuffling him out of position now would make Corbyn look ridiculous and make a martyr out of Benn at the same time.

The housing bill is vindictive at best and both socially and economically disastrous at worst.

Corbyn had almost nobody else to choose from and probably didn't expect so many Shadow ministers to be out there briefing against him, at least not so quickly. But yes, it does look awful.

Corbyn apparently appointed Dugher to get Burnham in the shadow cab (?) It really is the lack of people who are on Corbyn's side - the briefing has been disgusting.

Cameron is allowing a free vote on the EU referendum, so oddly enough both leaders face similar issues..

He must have been aware of Benn's stance on Syria before making the appointment, so either he didn't consider it an issue or he has a worrying lack of foresight. Shuffling him out of position now would make Corbyn look ridiculous and make a martyr out of Benn at the same time.

He probably was aware ofBenn's stance on Syria, but who knows for sure?

At the time there was probably not going to be a vote on Syria, then Paris happened..

That interview was after Paris of course.

The chances of there being a vote on Syria, or for that matter any kind of military intervention, at some point in this Parliament were surely very high regardless. But yeah, he probably anticipated at least a pretense of front bench unity that hasn't happened. I'd be pretty surprised if Corbyn lasts two years as leader, given that most of the PLP are intent on making his position untenable, but the anger among party members could be so intense that none of their anointed successors are likely to win a subsequent ballot. Next Labour leader is likely to be someone we've barely heard of.

Cameron's EU free vote, like his decision to stand down at the end of this Parliament, is about him doing everything in his power to avoid turning into John Major. There's no way his entire Cabinet would have accepted a whipped vote and the resignations would have been extremely damaging, especially with anti-EU alternative leaders waiting in the wings. Even with a free vote he'll be made to look like a clown, given how anti-EU our press now is. Last couple of years of this Parliament could end up looking very zombified.

is david milliband still in the us?

the PLP are doing their utmost to make sure these months/years are remembered as a chaos that no one wants to return to, is what it seems like

The PLP are being super-childish and it won't be forgotten.

David Miliband is still in the US, making $600K/year (plus perks).

I think the ones with actual talent and foresight, any genuine PMs in waiting, are sitting back and keeping quiet. The people yapping and freaking out are pretty much universally mediocre and making themselves look terrible.

Totally.

For someone who is keen to flaunt his working-class roots (or happy to let others do it for him) Michael Dugher is doing a great impression of an entitled brat. Saw an Abby Milifan tweet where she said his Twitter biog is a bit 'blocked by...' and she's right.

Tha chaos is just beginning. And that's just Westminster. If the economy goes to pot and/or the housing market crashes...

Corbyn - like all politicians - needs votes. Oldham did shut people up for a month and he'll need more like it in May.

Tom Pride ‏@ThomasPride 4 hrs4 hours ago

BBC political editor @bbclaurak 2016 tweets so far:
Rail fares - 0
Housing - 0
Floods - 1
EU negotiations - 8
Labour reshuffle - 30

Not even including "Husband. Dad." in his Twitter bio could save Dugher in the end. Brutal Jezza.

No place for human relationships in today's technocratic Stalinist Labour party

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CYIXI5JWMAI3_pf.png:large

massive lols

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/37/cd/a2/37cda2378f64ee9c0ac49d4001c9dd26.jpg

well-done everybody

xpost with exactly that:

Ugh, so it looks like Laura Kuenssberg set up a Shadow Cabinet on-air resignation just in time for PMQs.

https://alittleecon.wordpress.com/2016/01/07/the-bbc-admits-it-co-ordinated-in-advance-the-on-air-resignation-of-stephen-doughty/

This might actually be against the BBC Charter.

I hate laura kuenssberg

I enjoyed reading this with Peter Hitchens' voice in my head:

http://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/2016/01/letting-rip-against-all-this-reshuffle-garbage.html

Love this strand of Corbyn commentary where a total right-wing nut (usually old Torygraph) will sympathise with Corbyn just because he has been shabbily treated - if only he had been dismissed in a nice, gentlemanly way (as a fetish of old British values that never existed v much). The moment where they'll say "I am in no way agreeing with him, lets not get carried away" tickles.

Irony is Corbyn is a parliamentarian of 25+ years, has mostly been treated with contempt (forget Cameron's dislike, what about the majority of the PLP) and is perfectly able to take care of himself (he would've resigned by now if he couldn't). With the piece above there is a hint of envy - Hitchens is ignored (and he will always be just this maverick everyone will pretend to respect for 5 mins) whereas Corbyn finds himself in a position where he can't be.

Good putdown:

But the ridiculous praise for Hilary Benn’s fatuous speech (regarded as Churchillian by the sort of people who think Downton Abbey is great drama)

this is basically a two ronnies sketch

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CYM1KDXW8AAU1SI.jpg

In other news, the BNP ceased to exist as a political entity today.

hah just came here to post that http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/journalist/electoral-commission-media-centre/news-releases-donations/electoral-commission-statement-on-removal-of-british-national-party-from-register-of-political-parties

Couldn't muster the £25 by the look of it.

Another couple of resignations today - Catherine McKinnell, the Shadow AG, and Paula Sherriff, a PPS.

At this rate there won't be enough of them left to fill all the positions.

It's being reported that Corbyn has cancelled an appearance at the PLP meeting tonight out of fear that his presence would be divisive.

Can't see him lasting more than a few months at this rate, though i think the party will implode either way.

He's always struck me as a reluctant lottery winner, the type that carries on with his old job because.

If I was him I'd be thinking "fuck this" at this point, but doing a John Major 'back me or sack me' snap election might be fun as well. If only because he'd win, and the collective hissy fit would be beyond funny.

One things for sure, the real winner will be All Those People Who Depend On A Labour Government.

I think he'd possibly lose a leadership challenge at this point but it would tear the party apart.

Another couple of resignations today - Catherine McKinnell, the Shadow AG, and Paula Sherriff, a PPS.

*doesn't bother to google*

If he resigned would Corbyn be eligible to stand again?

Anyway, like to think he'll stay if Labour do well in the local elections - but a disunited party is unlikely to do that. And I think Labour can go back to fail "All Those People Who Depend" as usual.

If more of All Those People Who Depend would actually vote for a labour government there might be one but hey ho

It's not really disunited though, just a few Blairites throwing their toys out of the pram. The media reaction to this is some proper Westminster bubble stuff.

Labour has been disunited since about 1960 or so, some leaders are just better at maintaining a facade of unity.

I wish at least one Blairite would admit the error in sending a message last year that All Those People Who Depend would get fuck all from any putative Labour government, but that would require a level of self-examination and humility that seem to be in short supply.

Social media hasn't helped - looks like its speeding up the bad feeling and descent into disintegration.

This is coming from someone who Does Not Depend, but ultimately good with Labour tearing itself apart - such a farce that they are helping anyone in the first place. Imagine a parallel Burnham/Yvette administration and the same stuff happens - cuts to welfare leading to deaths and suicides, except with no hope of standing up for Welfare as a good thing. Housing Bill is given a triffle of opposition. No attempt to put up a fight against the Syrian bombing - whose outcome has been what, exactly?

One thing that current Labour are *not* doing is sleepwalking.

I think even a Burnham/Cooper would be better than Cam/Osbourne, the problem is they're still over-reliant on the Blair nudge/wink thing - talking tough in the media while doing something different (if inadequate) in office. Blair was elected on convincing half the country he'd be more left-wing than promised, and convincing the other half of the exact opposite. The Labour right still cling to the idea that that con trick is possible, despite the splintering of their voter base into multiple different directions. They're as responsible for Corbyn as anyone else is.

Anyway we've done this a million times.

Rawnsley in the Observer yesterday, amid some largely uninteresting stuff about Labour and Trident, pointed out how massive the EU vote will be on the result of the next Tory leadership election (short version = if he's prominent in the In campaign, then Osborne is fucked).

He will have to be involved if the primary argument for staying in is economic and business is lining up behind them. If the UK votes no and Cameron steps aside, he's reasonably well positioned as a safe pair of hands to deal with the inevitable economic fallout. If they vote yes, he can say the issue is settled for the interim and the Tories can get on with voting for a leader who is electable but doesn't represent the grass roots again. It's difficult, for obvious reasons, to point to an economically credible anti-EU front bencher with the profile to take over if Cameron quits.

I suspect that there will be enough of a renegotiation to save face on both sides. The EU has enough trouble brewing in Central Europe atm.

ffs reading a bunch of the Star Wars thread now has me reading 'EU' as 'expanded universe'

Labour has been disunited since about 1960 or so

since 1900 without much exaggeration. Atlee was only the candidate that all sides hated the least, but obv in 1945 compromise was possible in a way that the moderate, won't-somebody-think-of-the-hard-working-families? wing of today's party will not countenance

does anyone else find it bizarre that David Cameron is waxing lyrical about 'tiger mothers' in 2016? I thought that was a buzzword whose heyday had passed about 4 years ago?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3394842/Cameron-praises-hard-work-ethos-demands-end-win-prizes-culture.html

jesus that reads like parody

is it just me or is cameron showing his true colors a little more these days?

I guess the tiger mother stuff slots in with the right-wing narratives about how the west has become uncompetitive + soft, and that we need to make the economy more 'dynamic' to prevent China from overtaking us?

complaints about the 'all must win prizes' culture seem sort of old-school as well, idk

think it comes from public school culture, the irony of a bunch of ultra-privileged kids believing they're all in a Hobbesian state of nature