Corbyn’s Labour and the path to power

956 posts / 0 new

Sun, 2018-06-24 20:16

Ken Burch

Mr. Magoo wrote:

Quote:
..there is nothing to accept ken. there is no deal yet soft or hard.

I think Ken was suggesting that at this point, it's either a soft deal or a hard deal, but that the time to have a do-over on Brexit itself is past.

That's what I am saying. There is no current agreement, but the only possibilities now are soft Brexit or hard Brexit, with soft Brexit being the best possible arrangement. I'd be fine with having a plebiscite on soft Brexit vs. hard Brexit.

The only reason Corbyn is being targeted on this issue is that the Labour Right STILL hasn't given up on forcing him out as leader and(much more imporantly)preserving the current anti-democratic decision-making structure within Labour, while preventing any break from the indefensibly bloodthirsty foreign and military policy Blair imposed on the party in the Nineties.

Mon, 2018-06-25 00:52

#103

epaulo13

..it's true that the labour right is still engaged to oust corbyn and that will not end soon. i agree that some have cynically joined with those asking for a final vote but i disagree that is the only reason for targeting corbyn labour.

..the justification corbyn used for the soft brexit position was the referendum. the referendum that was full of fear mongering, false promises, outright lies and racism. but when there is something of substance on the table, the final deal, the population is denied a say. this is wrong. and has not gone unnoticed. imo this is a mistake being made by corbyn labour.

Mon, 2018-06-25 05:36

#104

josh

You can be sure that had the vote gone the other way, the people who are now calling for a revote would be saying that it is a settled matter. If false promises, lies and racism were the measuring stick, than every election would have to be subject to a do over.

Mon, 2018-06-25 10:16

#105

epaulo13

..this is way more crucial than an election that can be changed 4 or 5 years down the road. and it's not about outcome but the weight given to that referendum vs the final deal vote.

..even now you have different interests pulling away at this shitty process trying to manipulate it towards their ends. interests such as the powerful and secret conservative group i posted about not to long ago. in contravention to the rules i might add and reportedly able to bend the prime minister to their liking. yet folks asking for a vote are accused of what..sour grapes, asking for a redo.

..how this is not recognized as the travesty it is leaves me in wonder. how arrogant and wrong of politicians to take the position that the know better and that the population can't be trusted.

Mon, 2018-06-25 10:48

#106

josh

Seems to me it's more like various countries' votes on entering the EU. They were required to vote again until they voted the "right" way. Right in more ways than one.

Mon, 2018-06-25 11:17

#107

epaulo13

..i disagree josh.

..labour has already agreed to the neoliberal single market. this represents the low end of the swing to the right put in your terms. it can only get worse from there. yet you have a problem with a vote. i just don't get your logic.

Mon, 2018-06-25 11:23

#108

josh

There's more to it than just the single market. The power of the UK to intervene in its own economy, for instance. The single market dates back to the early 1970s. Maastricht wasn't until 1992.

Mon, 2018-06-25 11:41

#109

epaulo13

..that doesn't clarify anything for me josh..sorry. please indulge me for a bit.

..when i produce this piece that argues that the single market can restrict the uk's ability to intervene in it economy you are saying there is a way around that? if you are saying this can you explain please?

Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour vs. the Single Market

Mon, 2018-06-25 12:08

#110

josh

In three interrelated areas EU rules would place severe restrictions on a future Corbyn government: State Aid, public procurement and nationalization. These are not minor issues. They lie at the heart of any attempt to transform Britain’s economy in a socialist direction, especially when it comes to industrial policy. As the debate over Brexit rumbles on it is clear that the EU would place unique barriers to a Corbyn-led Labour government—making even a reversal to WTO rules more advantageous than either EU or Single Market membership in these respects.

I'd prefer they be out of both the EU and the single market. But the common market without the EU is a lot better than the common market with the EU.

Mon, 2018-06-25 12:32

#111

epaulo13

..txs. i understand your position better.

..i am with you in wanting corbyn labour to pursue it's manifesto. yet i can't help believing that the possibility of a hard brexit happening rather than a soft one is real..and should be put to a vote.

..to me that is less dangerous than leaving it up to manipulations of powerful forces no matter how the vote goes. this at least survives the original intent of the brexit push by the right.

Mon, 2018-06-25 12:57

#112

epaulo13

..i'm not sure when the brexit processes will come to an end but i'm hoping more information will come forward on what the population is thinking and feeling. i would like to see more indication on which possibilities are more likely. in short i would like to see the possibility of a light at the end of the tunnel.

Mon, 2018-06-25 13:20

#113

josh

Also, as I said, Corbyn is walking a very delicate tightrope here. So far he's managed not to fall off. Given his druthers, dating back to the early 1980s, I'm sure Corbyn would like to get out of the EU without staying in the common market.

Mon, 2018-06-25 16:45

#114

epaulo13

Pro-Corbyn group to launch drive for public vote on Brexit deal

A pro-Corbyn group is to launch its own drive for a “people’s vote” on a final Brexit deal, with the aim of persuading leftwing Labour members concerned about backing a cross-party campaign.

The grassroots Labour for a People’s Vote group, which is led by several former Momentum figures, as well as trade union leaders, has the backing of more than 60 constituency Labour parties (CLPs) to try to force a vote at this year’s party conference to change Jeremy Corbyn’s Brexit policy.

The group will call for Labour to oppose the government’s final Brexit deal, which the party has said it would do if the deal with the EU did not meet six tests set by the shadow Brexit secretary, Keir Starmer. The group will then campaign for the party to go further and campaign for a public vote on the deal with an option to stay in the EU should voters reject the deal.

quote:

Labour activists involved in the parallel drive for a people’s vote on the final deal believe in the need for leftwingers to have their own campaign, which does not disparage Corbyn.

“It is essential that there is clear red water between the mainstream centrist remain campaigns and any serious attempt to get Labour to strengthen its Brexit position,” a source close to the campaign said.

“Labour members are overwhelmingly on the left, and will never be won over by centrist MPs or a cross-party alliance that includes Tories. Ultimately they have different aims. This is about making sure that a Corbyn government can succeed.”

The group’s launch statement has been signed by the general secretary of the TSSA union, Manuel Cortes, the economist Ann Pettifor, the former Momentum steering group member Michael Chessum and the former CWU general secretary Billy Hayes.

The statement says a Norway-style deal in which the UK becomes a member of the European Economic Area is “untenable” and instead argues for a full reversal, saying the effects of Brexit would make much worse the prospects that would face a socialist Labour government.

“We are therefore coming together to urge the movement of which we are a part to oppose the Tories’ destructive Brexit and unite the country behind a radical and hopeful vision for the future,” it says.

Paul Hilder, a Momentum member who ran to be Labour’s general secretary this year, said: “The overwhelming majority of Labour members are both supporters of Jeremy Corbyn and opponents of Tory Brexit, but until now, we have been shut out of the debate. This is too important to be left to a handful of anti-Corbyn centrists whose motives are in question and who cannot even win a vote in Westminster.”

Pettifor, an advisor to the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, said: “Only an alliance of a left-led Labour party with socialists and progressive partners across the continent can challenge the dominant Anglo-American economic model of globalisation that is causing such harm in Britain and across the world.”

Mon, 2018-06-25 17:00

(Reply to #114) #115

Ken Burch

epaulo13 wrote:

Pro-Corbyn group to launch drive for public vote on Brexit deal

A pro-Corbyn group is to launch its own drive for a “people’s vote” on a final Brexit deal, with the aim of persuading leftwing Labour members concerned about backing a cross-party campaign.

The grassroots Labour for a People’s Vote group, which is led by several former Momentum figures, as well as trade union leaders, has the backing of more than 60 constituency Labour parties (CLPs) to try to force a vote at this year’s party conference to change Jeremy Corbyn’s Brexit policy.

The group will call for Labour to oppose the government’s final Brexit deal, which the party has said it would do if the deal with the EU did not meet six tests set by the shadow Brexit secretary, Keir Starmer. The group will then campaign for the party to go further and campaign for a public vote on the deal with an option to stay in the EU should voters reject the deal.

quote:

Labour activists involved in the parallel drive for a people’s vote on the final deal believe in the need for leftwingers to have their own campaign, which does not disparage Corbyn.

“It is essential that there is clear red water between the mainstream centrist remain campaigns and any serious attempt to get Labour to strengthen its Brexit position,” a source close to the campaign said.

“Labour members are overwhelmingly on the left, and will never be won over by centrist MPs or a cross-party alliance that includes Tories. Ultimately they have different aims. This is about making sure that a Corbyn government can succeed.”

The group’s launch statement has been signed by the general secretary of the TSSA union, Manuel Cortes, the economist Ann Pettifor, the former Momentum steering group member Michael Chessum and the former CWU general secretary Billy Hayes.

The statement says a Norway-style deal in which the UK becomes a member of the European Economic Area is “untenable” and instead argues for a full reversal, saying the effects of Brexit would make much worse the prospects that would face a socialist Labour government.

“We are therefore coming together to urge the movement of which we are a part to oppose the Tories’ destructive Brexit and unite the country behind a radical and hopeful vision for the future,” it says.

Paul Hilder, a Momentum member who ran to be Labour’s general secretary this year, said: “The overwhelming majority of Labour members are both supporters of Jeremy Corbyn and opponents of Tory Brexit, but until now, we have been shut out of the debate. This is too important to be left to a handful of anti-Corbyn centrists whose motives are in question and who cannot even win a vote in Westminster.”

Pettifor, an advisor to the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, said: “Only an alliance of a left-led Labour party with socialists and progressive partners across the continent can challenge the dominant Anglo-American economic model of globalisation that is causing such harm in Britain and across the world.”

And THAT sort of a vote would be fine. What would be pointless would be trying to have a vote to reverse Brexit...since it's impossible to reverse it. The EU is not, under any circumstances, going to say "ok, you can stay after all".

A vote for soft Brexit or hard Brexit is the only legitimate vote.

Mon, 2018-06-25 17:27

#116

epaulo13

Keir Starmer: Labour has six tests for Brexit – if they’re not met we won’t back the final deal in parliament

quote:

Starmer’s six tests for the Brexit deal are:

1. Does it ensure a strong and collaborative future relationship with the EU?

2. Does it deliver the “exact same benefits” as we currently have as members of the Single Market and Customs Union?

3. Does it ensure the fair management of migration in the interests of the economy and communities?

4. Does it defend rights and protections and prevent a race to the bottom?

5. Does it protect national security and our capacity to tackle cross-border crime?

6. Does it deliver for all regions and nations of the UK?

Mon, 2018-06-25 17:46

#117

epaulo13

Open Labour unanimously backs full debate on Brexit at party conference

Open Labour held its annual conference on Saturday, which focussed on the Left’s future relationship with Europe. The meeting saw the soft left pressure group unanimously vote in favour of a full debate on Brexit at Labour Party conference in September.

Although the motion that passed noted “the difficult situation not just of Labour’s front bench, but also of its MPs”, it resolved to undertake “a roadshow type campaign” across the country and support a party conference debate.

The move echoes the efforts of LabourSay.EU, the campaign launched by NEC members endorsed by Progress and Labour First that demands the party gives Labour members a “meaningful vote” on its Brexit policy.

During discussion of Labour and the EU, TSSA general secretary Manuel Cortes said there was a need to “end the myth” that staying in the EU prevents renationalisation of industries that have been privatised by the Conservatives. He described that argument, often espoused by ‘Lexiteers’, as “a load of crap”.

quote:

John McDonnell featured as the day’s keynote speaker, and used his speech to provide a detailed account of his plans for the economy under a Labour government. The Shadow Chancellor also reiterated his opposition to Heathrow expansion and joked about nationalising the Daily Mail. Touching on education policy, he praised Angela Rayner – who has been widely tipped as a potential future leader – as “the Nye Bevan of our time”.

Mon, 2018-06-25 17:52

(Reply to #117) #118

josh

epaulo13 wrote:

Pro-Corbyn group to launch drive for public vote on Brexit deal

A pro-Corbyn group is to launch its own drive for a “people’s vote” on a final Brexit deal, with the aim of persuading leftwing Labour members concerned about backing a cross-party campaign.

The grassroots Labour for a People’s Vote group, which is led by several former Momentum figures, as well as trade union leaders, has the backing of more than 60 constituency Labour parties (CLPs) to try to force a vote at this year’s party conference to change Jeremy Corbyn’s Brexit policy.

The group will call for Labour to oppose the government’s final Brexit deal, which the party has said it would do if the deal with the EU did not meet six tests set by the shadow Brexit secretary, Keir Starmer. The group will then campaign for the party to go further and campaign for a public vote on the deal with an option to stay in the EU should voters reject the deal.

quote:

Labour activists involved in the parallel drive for a people’s vote on the final deal believe in the need for leftwingers to have their own campaign, which does not disparage Corbyn.

“It is essential that there is clear red water between the mainstream centrist remain campaigns and any serious attempt to get Labour to strengthen its Brexit position,” a source close to the campaign said.

“Labour members are overwhelmingly on the left, and will never be won over by centrist MPs or a cross-party alliance that includes Tories. Ultimately they have different aims. This is about making sure that a Corbyn government can succeed.”

The group’s launch statement has been signed by the general secretary of the TSSA union, Manuel Cortes, the economist Ann Pettifor, the former Momentum steering group member Michael Chessum and the former CWU general secretary Billy Hayes.

The statement says a Norway-style deal in which the UK becomes a member of the European Economic Area is “untenable” and instead argues for a full reversal, saying the effects of Brexit would make much worse the prospects that would face a socialist Labour government.

“We are therefore coming together to urge the movement of which we are a part to oppose the Tories’ destructive Brexit and unite the country behind a radical and hopeful vision for the future,” it says.

Paul Hilder, a Momentum member who ran to be Labour’s general secretary this year, said: “The overwhelming majority of Labour members are both supporters of Jeremy Corbyn and opponents of Tory Brexit, but until now, we have been shut out of the debate. This is too important to be left to a handful of anti-Corbyn centrists whose motives are in question and who cannot even win a vote in Westminster.”

Pettifor, an advisor to the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, said: “Only an alliance of a left-led Labour party with socialists and progressive partners across the continent can challenge the dominant Anglo-American economic model of globalisation that is causing such harm in Britain and across the world.”

I’m unclear as to what they are for.

Mon, 2018-06-25 17:56

#119

epaulo13

..from laboursay.eu

BREXIT GIVE LABOUR MEMBERS A SAY

MODEL MOTION

Call on your branch/CLP to back a Brexit vote at Labour party conference.

This CLP/branch notes that:

On 23rd June 2016, the UK voted in a referendum to leave the European Union.
The referendum result was very close, with 51.9% of votes cast for Leave and 48.1% of votes cast for Remain.
Neither the Leave campaign nor the ballot paper specified what ‘type’ of Brexit would be pursued if Leave were to win – membership of European single market and the customs union was not on the ballot paper.
At Labour party conference 2016, it was resolved that ‘Unless the final settlement proves to be acceptable, then the option of retaining EU membership should be retained. The final settlement should therefore be subject to approval, through Parliament and potentially through a general election or referendum.’ Party members have not had a say since Article 50 was triggered.

This CLP/branch believes that:

Labour members should have a say on Labour party policy, especially on such a contentious and important issue as Brexit.
The most democratic way for members to do this is to have a meaningful vote at Labour party conference.

This CLP/branch resolves:

To call on the Labour leadership to give members a meaningful vote on Brexit policy at Labour party conference 2018.
For this CLP to support a contemporary resolution on the issue ahead of the September 2018 deadline.

Mon, 2018-06-25 17:57

#120

epaulo13

I’m unclear as to what they are for.

..i'm trying to work it out as well.

Mon, 2018-06-25 18:03

#121

josh

Which makes me suspect that the whole purpose of all the activity is to return the pre-Brexit vote status quo.

Mon, 2018-06-25 18:14

#122

epaulo13

..that's a possibility. a 2nd referendum is called for by some the folks involved. the main thrust seems to be the preventing a hard brexit. a process is unfolding to have a debate in sept. i'm sure different perspectives will emerge as to what folks want. this doesn't seem to be a one mind thing except for the position on hard brexit.

Tue, 2018-06-26 11:35

#123

epaulo13

..i'd like to report that my anxiety over hard breixt has been reduced considerably. :) all do to the recent developments of pro corbyn groups' drive towards a brexit debate at the next labour convention and a final deal vote.

My Momentum

Welcome to My Momentum, the new digital platform that enables members to learn, organise and make decisions together.

Data entered on this site will be processed in accordance with our Privacy policy.

Promoted by Jeremy for Labour Ltd and Momentum, both of Cypriot Centre, Earlham Grove, Wood Green, London, N22 5HJ.

quote:

3) Digital Democracy Platform:
My Momentum, Momentum’s digital democracy platform, has been used to consult members on Momentum’s submissions to the democracy review. Soon it will enable members to initiate and vote on campaign priorities, constitutional amendments or overturning decisions by the NCG. All members will be able to vote online with each member having a vote. Any members who are unable to vote online can contact the National Office to vote via other accessible means.

Tue, 2018-06-26 23:44

#124

NDPP

Jeremy Corbyn Suffers Rebellion As MPs Back 'Secretive' Canada Trade Deal CETA as Jeremy Corbyn Suffers Labour Rebellion

https://twitter.com/georgegalloway/status/1011755223155691528

"Labour has suffered a rebellion after MPs backed a huge trade deal with Canada - despite it being branded 'secretive' and 'marred by controversy'. MPs, most of them Tories, voted 315-36 for the 2,255-page CETA deal in the House of Commons today after a debate lasting just 90 minutes.

Labour's leadership refused to back the deal - saying it was 'conducted in secrecy and with minimal consultation' and had prompted huge protests on the streets..."

Here few notice or care.

Wed, 2018-06-27 05:26

#125

epaulo13

Most of Labour is pro-Corbyn and anti-Brexit – we must be heard

Time is running out to shape the debate in the party and the public. Momentum’s petition to stop a Tory Brexit is a vital step

quote:

We do not have much time to change the terms of the Brexit debate – both within the Labour party and in the wider country. There is now only one kind of Brexit on offer – the one negotiated by Theresa May. It is set to be put to parliament in October, and it will be an attack on workers’ rights, human rights and environmental standards. Its immediate effect will be not only to sink the British economy, but also to deregulate it and bring us into line with more aggressive neoliberal financial models. It will mean fewer jobs, lower wages and declining living standards for workers – and the effects on the public finances could scupper Labour’s transformative programme.

But for the left, Brexit is about a broader set of processes and ideas. The key narrative on which it is built is about blaming migrants – like me – for a social and economic crisis created by the elite. Brexit is a rightwing project; its key components are nationalism and a drive to get rid of “red tape”. All over the continent, the far right is on the march, attacking refugees, stripping away reproductive rights and challenging the bedrock of peace in Europe. If its narratives become mainstream in the UK, they will steamroller the left just as they have done elsewhere.

The task of bringing back round both the Labour leadership and the majority of members is being made infinitely harder by the behaviour of some in Labour, who not only oppose Brexit, but view it as a useful tool in fighting for control of the party. The entire project of the Corbyn leadership has been built under siege from the centrist establishment – and it is understandable that members are sensitive about that. New Labour and its political acolytes were, as much as anyone, responsible for the deregulation of the British economy, the anti-immigrant politics and the alienation that drove so much of the leave vote in the first place.

For everyone on the Labour left – from relatively recent members, people who have come back to the Labour fold, or the stoic few who slogged through the years when managerial policy replaced real politics within the party – a radical Labour is the only type we want. We want to see its agenda of massive redistribution of wealth and power, we want it to transform society, and we also believe this is the only platform that can meaningfully bring back working-class leave voters.

Wed, 2018-06-27 05:52

#126

josh

Pretty ironic calling Brexit a right-wing project when the EU was a right-wing project.

Wed, 2018-06-27 17:14

#127

epaulo13

Mapped – hard Brexit guru Singham's 'unparalleled' access to government

quote:

Today news has broken that Singham, who also heads a trade unit at the Institute of Economic Affairs, has stood down from the "committee of experts" advising the Department for International trade. Singham, who has been described as the "hard Brexit Svengali", has emerged as one of the most influential voices in Brexiter circles.

Data compiled by openDemocracy also shows that since the Brexit vote in June 2016, Singham has also had dozens of meetings with British government ministers including Boris Johnson, David Davis and Steve Baker, as well as Fox. The meetings and events were either unminuted or information relating to them was withheld by government departments. Singham also had undeclared meetings with Brexit ministers, according to Buzzfeed reports.

Here, for the first time, is the full extent and details of Singham's connections with government ministers and officials. There is no allegation of any wrong-doing in these meetings.

Wed, 2018-06-27 19:15

#128

progressive17 progressive17's picture

I can't see why Brexit is a significant concern to Canadians.

Thu, 2018-06-28 09:25

#129

epaulo13

p17..the interest is more about the implementation of the labour manifesto and the path to that is very crooked.

Parliament may not have time to approve Brexit deal, MPs warn

A committee of MPs has warned that parliament may not have enough time to approve the UK’s exit from the European Union by March 2019 as Theresa May heads to Brussels for the latest round of the slow-moving divorce talks.

quote:

There is no expectation of significant progress in the latest talks but a growing number of officials now believe it will not be possible to reach a final agreement in October either. That would delay a deal until the December summit, making the parliamentary timetable even tighter.

The Brexit committee concluded that the Commons would need at least five days to debate a government motion seeking approval for the final deal and consider amendments put down by MPs – and rejected statements made by ministers that if the MPs and peers were not to sign off on their proposed exit deal that the UK would automatically crash out of the EU on a ‘no deal’ scenario in March 2019.

Instead the MPs said that ministers should “provide for a second parliamentary vote” in such circumstances to allow for the government to negotiate further with the 27 other countries in the European Union – and, if necessary, seek a “limited extension” to Article 50 to allow negotiations to conclude.

If there was no prospect of reaching a satisfactory agreement and ministers were determined on leaving the UK on a “no deal” scenario, the committee said the Commons should also have the chance to “express its view clearly and advise the government on how to proceed”. The report added: “The country would expect more than MPs simply ‘took note’ of the situation.”

Fri, 2018-06-29 07:22

#130

NDPP

Jeremy Corbyn on Brexit: Out of the Single Market, the Custom's Union and no second referendum (and vid)

https://twitter.com/Jamin2g/status/1012438361976594432

Fri, 2018-06-29 07:35

#131

josh

Sounds good.

Sat, 2018-06-30 10:03

#132

NDPP

Jeremy Corbyn Criticised by Labor Group for Demanding Palestinians' Right To Return'

https://twitter.com/EL4JC/status/1012629104666046464

"Jeremy Corbyn has been criticised by Labour Friends of Israel after he called for Palestinians to have a 'right to return' to their former homeland..."

Clearly it is high time for a political lawn-mowing of 'friends of Israel' everywhere.

Mon, 2018-07-02 08:46

#133

NDPP

"Jeremy Corbyn, you have an opportunity. Be in the stadium for the England vs Colombia game. That supports your people and shows that Britain has a face of sanity."

https://twitter.com/johnpilger/status/1013704403767840768

Sun, 2018-08-26 10:48

#134

epaulo13

Corbyn proposes 'public Facebook' as part of media overhaul

Jeremy Corbyn has proposed establishing a British digital corporation that would commission online TV, offer easy access to archive material held by public sector institutions and operate a social networking arm that could play a role in direct democracy.

“The public realm doesn’t have to sit back and watch as a few mega tech corporations hoover up digital rights, assets and ultimately our money,” the Labour leader said.

He said the British media was failing and that multinational corporations dominated the internet.

Delivering the Alternative MacTaggart lecture at the Edinburgh television festival on Thursday, Corbyn said: “A BDC could use all of our best minds, the latest technology and our existing public assets not only to deliver information and entertainment to rival Netflix and Amazon but also to harness data for the public good.”

quote:

However, Corbyn’s team say social networking would be one part of the proposed organisation. They suggest the login used to access BDC content could also be used by the public to vote on which programmes the organisation should commission. The same voting system could be expanded to give the public a say on other parts of the Corbynite policy platform, such as how proposed regional investment banks would operate.

“A BDC could develop new technology for online decision making and audience-led commissioning of programmes and even a public social media platform with real privacy and public control over the data that is making Facebook and others so rich,” Corbyn told the audience.

He said it would “become the access point for public knowledge” and that the public should imagine “an expanded iPlayer giving universal access to licence fee payers for a product that could rival Netflix and Amazon”. It is unclear how this would avoid duplicating existing BBC services.

“The BDC could work with other institutions that the next Labour government will set up, like our national investment bank, national transformation fund, strategic investment board, regional development banks and our public utilities to create new ways for public engagement, oversight and control of key levers of our economy,” Corbyn said.

He has already announced plans to tax web giants such as Facebook and Netflix to fund the BBC, proposed introducing elections for the BBC’s governing board and backed a new fund for not-for-profit journalism.

Other proposals include potentially breaking up the companies that own multiple local newspapers. In a potentially contentious move, he also proposed forcing large media businesses to give shareholdings to their workers and to allow journalists to elect their editors, based on an indicative ballot system in place at the Guardian.

Sun, 2018-09-09 12:07

#135

epaulo13

Blair, Corbyn and the forward march of Labour

quote:

A sustained bombardment from MPs who have always hated Jeremy Corbyn, amplified to deafening volume by the corporate media, saw the party’s national executive committee (NEC) give in over a contentious definition of anti-semitism on Tuesday, adopting in full a set of examples whose own author has warned they have a “chilling” effect on freedom of speech.

Corbyn’s attempt to have a clause added which would protect the right to denounce the racist nature of the Israeli state was both defeated and leaked.

Labour Friends of Israel director Jennifer Gerber was quoted in the Daily Mail about how appalling it was that he had even tried before the day was out — surely a sign that no matter how sweeping the concession, Labour cannot win itself even five minutes respite from its riotous right wing.

In the same week Corbyn’s supporters sweep the board in elections to the NEC and two constituency parties pass no confidence motions in MPs who have made a habit of rubbishing their leader. These developments suggest the left is in the ascendancy.

Tony Blair has no doubt that the left is in the stronger position, agonising over whether the party could ever be “taken back.”

The wave of indignation that has met his remarks is well founded. The chorus of trade union and Labour figures pointing out how positive is Labour’s shift away from the privatisations and illegal wars of the Blair era speak for millions.

Blair implies that the public are yearning for a new “centrist” political force, that is, one wedded unambiguously to free market capitalism, US global leadership and EU membership. Positing a Corbyn-Boris Johnson clash at a hypothetical election, he pleads: “I just don't believe people will find that an acceptable choice. Something will fill that vacuum.”

He may once have been known as “the Master” for his supposed political nous, but this contention is pure fantasy.

Corbyn’s socialist programme, involving an extension of public ownership to our railways, post, water and energy, a redistribution of wealth and the resurrection of British manufacturing, is extremely popular. It brought the party its biggest vote increase in 70 years last year.

Support has held up through a summer of preposterous smears. A Survation poll last weekend put Labour on 41 per cent, four points ahead of the Tories and having actually increased support in recent weeks, a sign that the public at least see through the supposed anti-semitism scandal as a storm in the Westminster teacup....

Sun, 2018-09-09 13:03

#136

epaulo13

..in closing from above piece

quote:

The same poll showed the party that comes closest to Tony Blair’s vision of the “centre” — the Liberal Democrats — had dropped four points to a mere 6 per cent, lower than Ukip, which has gained ground as talk of a second referendum spooks Leave voters and is making overtures to the street fascism of Tommy Robinson and his supporters.

The left has little to fear from the much-mooted new centrist party. Nothing in British politics suggests there is any appetite for a return to the past.

Corbyn retains the overwhelming support of party members, who are starting to take action against MPs trying to sabotage his project. And yet a timidity at the top of the Labour Party remains, meaning the leadership is being manoeuvred into quite unnecessary retreats.

Those who wish to see Corbyn head a radical Labour government should grasp that victory will not come through parliamentary games or appeals to an irrevocably hostile media to calm down and see reason.

It will come through the mass action of a movement united behind his leadership. The confidence is present at the grassroots. There is everything to play for.

Sun, 2018-09-09 14:12

#137

epaulo13

Our Institutions No Longer Serve This New Era. The Public Understand, Why Haven't We?

Lisa Nandy Labour MP for Wigan

quote:

And what of the enlightened and informed public? The day of the EU referendum I was approached by a woman in Wigan town centre who wanted to ask me some questions about the NHS pledge. She clearly didn’t believe it, but then she clearly didn’t believe me either. “I don’t really trust any of you”, she said in the end, “so I think I’ll just go with my heart”. She was not stupid. She knew we, collectively, were withholding the means to make an informed choice and wasn’t prepared to stand it. In an age of mass information and communication, asking people to participate in democracy, without the tools to do it is deeply unfair, and moreover it’s fatal to our politics. Because “socialists do not believe we are a herd to be fed or watered” as Attlee reminded us. “For this reason socialism is a more exacting creed than its alternatives. It requires constant and active participation”.

But nowhere is this to be seen. In the corporate world, smaller, family-run businesses have been swallowed up by big corporations with reach ‘over the whole surface of the globe’, handing to them economic sovereignty, just as Marx predicted. Take Walmart, the 25th biggest economy in the world; a handful board members wielding more power than the leaders of most nation states.

It’s this problem Michael Young described in Small Man, Big World, an emerging order where institutions are no longer small and scattered but concentrated and linked, and power is remote and unaccountable. This is the “privately incorporated economy” where decisions about how much we produce, what it costs, the shape of the labour market and life at work sit outside the political sphere altogether.

And so the state has lost its power to change this. The Attlee Government may have been able to control its national economy but decades later, finance and capital can do what the hell they like. It has also lost its purpose. “Money”, says Michael Walzer, “should be harmless”. But our failure, to set greater limits on what money can buy: university education, medical care, justice, political influence – means that today it does great harm, without consequence. And when the pursuit of wealth runs like a thread through health, education, social services, politics and society, Government no longer provides a framework in which contending pressures jockey for position; those interests are vested in it.

We are to blame. We rail at the individuals, the Fred Goodwins and Harvey Weinstein’s, but ignore the systemic nature of the problem. We ask how we can create a more diverse, elite group to make decisions on our behalf, but refuse to break open those spaces, to scatter and disperse power and restore it to those who rightfully own it.

Sun, 2018-09-09 14:21

#138

epaulo13

..more

quote:

The belief that a remote, monolithic state can solve our problems flies in the face of the reality for those people who most feel the absence of power. Who really believes that the answer to the northern rail crisis is to hand a minister more power in Whitehall? Whitehall can’t see potential, it sees only problems. But take Barnsley, where pride in its mining past is palpable, now the home of warehousing companies like Asos. Contrast it with Silicon Valley where federal government has used tax incentives and clean energy regulations to create a world-leading hub for renewable energy. While their young people are designing the battery technology of the future, ours assemble solar panels. But why shouldn’t young people in Barnsley power us through the next century, just as their parents and grandparents powered us through the last? If power lay much closer to home, and we were given the tools to hold them to account, we could match the passion and ambition of the people who live there.

The last few years have taught me that progress is not inevitable. If you want it, you have to work for it every single day. The public have known this for some time that the reality of the present in no way matches the ambition and potential of the country, and there lies the hope. Our best hope remains each other.

That’s why the answer lies, not in imposing solutions, but negotiating the future. I have made the case today that this can only be done with real devolution of political power, restraint of capital, fundamental institutional reform and a reimagining of the values on which we build the future of the country. The lesson from 13 years of government is that a community energy project co-owned and run by hundreds of people survives while the Sure Start conceived in and funded from Whitehall does not.

Tue, 2018-09-11 11:56

#139

epaulo13

Thu, 2018-09-13 19:22

#140

epaulo13

As Act III of Brexit begins, the time has come for Labour to back a second referendum

Paul Mason

By promising a Norway-style deal followed by a public vote, the party can unite the country and move on.

The European parliament’s vote to begin Article 7 proceedings against Hungary, though welcome, is a reminder that, even if Britain does veer away from Brexit at the last moment, it will have to re-engage with a Europe whose fabric is damaged. Its electorates seem increasingly enamoured of authoritarian, ethnic nationalism; its institutions still contain ample space for the financial and social elite of our own country to play their old games, even if they give up on the fantasy of hard Brexit.

That’s why, as we enter the last six months of the Brexit process, the British left has to calibrate its strategy with care. Arguing from principle, either for Lexit or an unconditional Remain strategy, was always unwise. Today, both because of Europe’s own fragility and our own fractious domestic politics, tactics and statecraft have to be the order of the day....

Thu, 2018-09-13 19:45

#141

Mr. Magoo

Quote:
As Act III of Brexit begins, the time has come for Labour to back a second referendum

Does the EU back a second referendum?

Because whether you -- or the UK -- likes it, they're in it too.

Thu, 2018-09-13 20:23

#142

epaulo13

..here is the most relevant part of that story. weather the eu agrees or doesn't a united country moves on under labour..not fractured with the cons/right in charge.

By promising a Norway-style deal followed by a public vote, the party can unite the country and move on.

Thu, 2018-09-13 21:01

#143

Mr. Magoo

A public vote on what, specifically?

Whether to drop Article 50? Because I think that might be a done deal.

Thu, 2018-09-13 21:12

#144

epaulo13

..i'd be interested to see the question as well but we're not there yet. the post was a call to labour to back the vote. there will be more on it i believe this month at a labour conference. and many unions have been calling for the vote. i believe pressure is building to the point of labour having to endorse it.

Fri, 2018-09-14 17:27

#145

epaulo13

Activists from across the world gather for The World Transformed 2018

Between 22nd and 25th September, thousands will flood the city of Liverpool for a political festival like no other. In a few short years, The World Transformed (TWT) has become a mainstay of the Labour Party Conference fringe; a festival of politics, arts and music bringing together big names with inspiring grassroots voices, tackling topics that are often overlooked, and showcasing a fresh and dynamic model of politics which breaks away from stale traditions.

This year, TWT will host over 250 hours of political discussions, debates, workshops, skills training, exhibitions, performance, sports, children’s activities, parties and more, and will feature over 300 politicians, activists, writers and academic from across the world – from France and Germany to Tanzania and the US. Open to people of all ages, identities and backgrounds, this city-wide festival will provide a political space for attendees to hear from political leaders, learn how to run a successful campaign in their community, take part in a football tournament and dance to a live DJ set – all within the space of a few days.

But this event is far from simply a fun-filled 4-day gathering. The World Transformed is working to build left wing power both inside and outside of Parliament, and to grow a grassroots social movement which is capable of not only electing a socialist Labour government, but delivering a genuinely transformative political programme....

Tue, 2018-09-18 12:16

#146

epaulo13

How the campaign for a People’s Vote is changing politics (again)

The call for a People’s Vote on the Brexit deal, conceived by Caroline Lucas, was adopted early this year by a broad coalition of people and organisations who want the British to think again. The concept is a neat one. It is not a demand to re-run the referendum. It is a claim that those who instructed the government to negotiate Brexit must have the final say. It is a demand for continued democracy. Or, to borrow a phrase, for voters to ‘take control’. Which means that Leavers can support it too.

While I liked it for these reasons, it seemed to me unlikely to happen and I feared that if it did it would deliver the same result. Now, it looks as if I was wrong on both these counts.

Since the Cabinet met at Chequers and set out what it wants for the country’s relationship with the EU to be, the Brexit alliance has disintegrated. There is a good chance that whatever deal the Prime Minister now achieves, it will be voted down by the Commons. If so, a People’s Vote has become more likely than not, as the only way out of the impasse.

More important, poll after poll shows opinion has started to turn against Brexit with most constituencies now showing a majority for Remain. This is an essential development to reassure those MPs who fear that another plebiscite will deepen not resolve the division in the country.

It seems like a paradox. A People’s Vote has to be about democracy. But Labour’s English MPs in particular need to see in advance that a new referendum can unify the country. While nothing is certain they want to know that a major shift is taking place in the ‘people’s will’, or at least the will of their own supporters; one that can gain consent rather than empower the right.

Such a shift has not yet occurred but it is on the cusp of happening....

Tue, 2018-09-18 16:08

#147

NDPP

"The Labour Party conference will probably be written up as a cross between a Nuremberg rally and a weekend at Stalin's Dacha. It always is. And likewise, the Labour Right are gearing up their mudslinging. So...a lengthy thread on their catalogue of ineptitude..."

https://twitter.com/RJSHutton/status/1041675414517760000

Tue, 2018-09-18 18:52

#148

Mr. Magoo

Quote:
The call for a People’s Vote on the Brexit deal, conceived by Caroline Lucas, was adopted early this year by a broad coalition of people and organisations who want the British to think again. The concept is a neat one. It is not a demand to re-run the referendum. It is a claim that those who instructed the government to negotiate Brexit must have the final say.

The final say on whatever deal finally ends up on the table by the deadline? OK. The two choices are:

1. Take the deal

2. Take no deal

If this author believes that the "Final Say" vote means that if Brits don't like the deal on the table they can mark their 'X' and the next morning the U.K. will be back in the EU and it was all just a strange and scary dream, someone really, really needs to confirm with the EU that that would be the case.

Tue, 2018-09-18 19:21

#149

epaulo13

If this author believes that the "Final Say" vote means that if Brits don't like the deal on the table they can mark their 'X' and the next morning the U.K. will be back in the EU

..are you trying to start a rumour?

Tue, 2018-09-18 19:25

#150

Mr. Magoo

Who'd believe it??

Tue, 2018-09-18 19:29

#151

voice of the damned

From the People's Vote article...

Which means that Leavers can support it too.

I wonder how many Leavers are really gonna buy the idea that this proposed vote is all about giving the public, Remainers and Leavers equally, a voice on what happens with the deal, just as a matter of pure democratic principle.

Because to me, it kinda sounds like the guy who asks you to sign a petition for a vote on legalizing same-sex marriage, and says "Hey, we're not neccessarily against same-sex marriage, but don't you think that in a democracy the public should make the final decision?"

Corbyn’s Labour and the path to power

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