Labour Leadership Contest

[Jairzinho]

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/aug/11/labour-leadership-campaign-teams-reassure-them-integrity-ballot

 

Labour leadership contest: campaign teams summoned over ballot concerns

 

Party calls in four hopefuls’ teams to reassure them infiltrators from other parties have been weeded out amid ongoing worries about numbers of new joiners

 

Labour has hauled in its four leadership campaign teams for a meeting at party headquarters in an attempt to put a stop to complaints from some of the camps about the credibility of the contest.

 

The party called in representatives for Jeremy Corbyn, Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper and Liz Kendall on Tuesday, as it sought to clear up confusion about the process and reassure them that no “entryists” from other parties would successfully infiltrate the competition.

 

At the meeting, called by Iain McNicol, the party secretary, and attended by chief whip Rosie Winterton, the campaign teams were told that at least 1,200 members or supporters of other parties have now been excluded and at least another 800 are under investigation.

 

But despite the party’s attempts to stress the robustness of its verification process, the Guardian has been told by sources present that the meeting raised more questions that it answered, and at least three of the camps are in touch with each other to discuss their concerns about the running of the contest.

 

A meeting of the party’s official procedures committee will now take place on Wednesday to address some of the complaints that have been raised.

 

Corbyn is the bookmakers’ favourite, with a YouGov poll for the Times putting him at 53% of first preferences. However, his presence in the race has also caused complications for the Labour officials running the contest, who have had to weed out a small minority of supporters from other parties paying £3 to join up and vote for him.

 

Based on the YouGov results, Corbyn appears to be so far ahead in the race that the level of entryists discovered so far would probably not affect the overall result.

 

Some of those barred from voting include sign-ups from the left wanting to see a firmly anti-austerity Labour leader, and supporters of the Conservative party who believe Corbyn would lead Labour to defeat. Labour said Conservative supporter Toby Young, Conservative MP Tim Loughton and former Tory MEP Martin Callanan were among those weeded out.

 

Sources in some of the camps present at the Tuesday meeting said concerns were raised over the effectiveness of the verification process, especially given the demands placed on voluntary members of local parties who have been asked to check through huge lists of new supporters. The number of full Labour party members has soared to 282,000, on top of the 90,000 who have signed up through the trade unions.The number of registered supporters who have paid £3 to join has reached 70,000 – up from the 35,000 reported last week.

 

Some members of the campaign teams are unhappy that they do not have access to the list of 90,000 new affiliated union members. Some believe unions could provide the names to the Corbyn camp to help with his campaign. None of those making that claim in private were prepared to make it publicly.

 

Because the party is still verifying 70,000 of these new affliated members, the full list will not be officially available to all four candidates for about another 10 days. Labour said it has 48 members of staff working on verifying applications and another 30 staff at Labour HQ working on additional checks.

 

The deadline for signing up as a member, affiliated supporter or registered supporter is midday on Wednesday 

 

A source in one of the camps said there was “no level of confidence we could take” from the party’s assurances about how it was verifying new supporters. The senior source also argued it was “frankly ill-judged” for the party to request an end to people criticising the process.

 

A senior source in another camp was more positive about the contest, saying the party seemed to be successfully identifying people who should not be eligible, but added that it was widely agreed that the decision to allow new supporters to register for £3 had been a mistake.

 

Asked about the process, a Labour spokesman said the meeting had been called to clear up some confusion about how the competition would work.

 

He denied that the campaigns had been ordered to stop complaining about the process but said the party wanted to make sure it was not undermined by misunderstandings.

 

Over the last week, some senior figures in the Labour establishment have expressed alarm about the possibility of a Corbyn victory, including former home secretary Alan Johnson and Tony Blair’s former spin doctor Alastair Campbell, arguing he would not be a credible leader.

 

However, allies of Corbyn believe he will be helped rather than hindered by criticism from Blairites such as Campbell and see the raft of big Westminster names lining up to disparage him as a sign of panic.

 

Tom Watson, one of the candidates to be deputy leader, said Corbyn had set fire to the contest and called on other members of the party to get behind him if he is elected leader.

 

In an interview with the CWU union, Corbyn on Tuesday pledged to create a new ministry of Labour and a new comprehensive workers’ rights bill.

Peter Hain, the former cabinet minister who is backing Yvette Cooper in the leadership, said people felt underwhelmed by the frontbench candidates, who had not captured the mood of the party, while Corbyn had successfully articulated a “very rich seam of real anger about austerity”. However, he said he did not believe the Islington MP would put the party in a position to win a general election unless there was a seismic change in the political landscape.

 

He also expressed some concerns about the leadership process, telling the BBC’s World at One: “What we tried to do here is do something no political party has yet done, broaden the franchise for our election through establishing the new category of registered supporters… to extend our base and our links into the wider community… But it has appeared to come at a price and we will have to see how it turns out. I’m a strong supporter of the idea of registered supporters but I don’t think they should have equal votes with established party members. Regardless of who wins this, it can’t be right for Conservatives and others to get a candidate who think they can most easily beat at the next election.”

 

One MP, Barry Sheerman, a supporter of Kendall, has even called for a pause in the process to make sure it is properly robust, although this has been rejected by the party and candidates.

 

Last night, Simon Danczuk, the Labour MP for Rochdale, who nominated Kendall, went so far as to call for a re-run of the contest, arguing that up to a third of the new supporters who signed up in his own constituency should not be voting.

 

“Having seen the list in relation to Rochdale and hearing the horrorstories from around the country in terms of entryism within the Labour party. I do think we’re moving to a position where the election probably isn’t tenable,” he told LBC Radio.

 

With Corbyn in the lead, Burnham and Cooper are jostling to establish themselves as the candidate who could beat him on second preference votes.

 

 

 

Some really fucking hateful shit there.

[AngryOfTuebrook]

YOU don't get to decide what's credible and not in a vaccuum. Less engaged people do and against a backdrop of relentless and orchestrated messaging. None of those policies you list are new. All have been successfully rebutted in the past. There's already a playbook written. Paint Corbyn as too nice or too marxist. And it'll be sisyphus all over again.

No denying that.  If he gets to be leader, it'll be a daily battle against lies, smears and all kinds of dirty tricks from right-wingers in his own party and the media.  If he ever gets to be Prime Minister, it'd be an even tougher battle, as the stakes would be raised.

 

Still, as someone said a few pages back, it's time for the Labour Party to stop living on its knees and to risk dying on its feet.

[Stu Monty]

Interesting to see the swelling support for Corbyn, Sanders and even Trump at the moment.

 

Feels like the game being rigged is something a lot of people are giving a shit about.

[AngryOfTuebrook]

This is as good a place as any to put Ed Fordham's Corbyn joke:

 

- Knock knock

- Who's there

- Deputy leader

- Deputy leader who?

- Good question, and the only question we don't know the answer to

That's a joke?  There are no elements of comedy about that, whatsoever.  No wordplay, no witty observation, no irony, no absurdity... just, nothing.  It doesn't even scan like a knock-knock joke.

 

I need to find where Ed Fordham lives.

 

[Anubis]

Kendall's team and supporters seem to be in serious denial. Even setting aside Corbyn's popularity, they must surely realise that she has no chance at all, even against the remaining candidates.

[mars]

 

This is how you do a political ad properly.

[Gnasher]

Even in the States, people have had enough of the capitalist establishment

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/leftwing-outsider-bernie-sanders-beating-hillary-clinton-in-new-hampshire-primary-poll-10451330.html

[Rotpeter]

No denying that.  If he gets to be leader, it'll be a daily battle against lies, smears and all kinds of dirty tricks from right-wingers in his own party and the media.  If he ever gets to be Prime Minister, it'd be an even tougher battle, as the stakes would be raised.

 

Still, as someone said a few pages back, it's time for the Labour Party to stop living on its knees and to risk dying on its feet.

Those are my sentiments as well, but I just think If you are going to make a last stand try something that hasn't failed a lot before else it's just a suicide stand. Put a safe rope around the rock before you push it uphill again.

[RedinSweden]

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBmMIH5PAWc

 

 

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=17&v=nlADe9yrrWA

 

 

Why do those all sound like fucking Kickstarter videos?

[RedinSweden]

Don't know why the Burnham video arsed up. You can see it on another page anyway.

[RedinSweden]

 

He's wearing a Jumper a Tshirt underneath and shorts. THE GUY IS A FUCKING MAVERICK!!!!!

 

I am getting a whiff of Saxondale in a couple of points. 

 

He is also a massive fan of anaphora too.

[Guest Pistonbroke]

Labour MPs will work to overthrow Jeremy Corbyn “from day one” if members and supporters elect him as leader, a disgruntled MP has said.

Simon Danczuk, a figure on the right wing of the Labour party, has said the leadership race should be halted because of the way it had been conducted.

Asked on LBC Radio this morning whether plotting against Mr Corbyn “on day one” he said: “Yeah, if not before. As soon as the result comes out.

Simon Danczuk, a Labour MP“Am I going to put up with some crazy left wing policies that he is putting forward and traipse through the voting lobby to support him? It's not going to happen is it? So I would give him about twelve months if he does become leader.”

Mr Corbyn’s main policies include public control of the railways and utilities, a living wage, and state action on housing.

A second Labour leadership election would require the support of dozens of MPs.

The latest warning from Mr Danczuk comes after former New Labour spinner Alastair Campbell urged people from outside the party to join to vote against Mr Corbyn.

 

Labour leadership: The Contenders

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Last month Tony Blair described the politics of the left-winger's supporters as "reactionary" and said anyone who believed in Mr Corbyn in their heart should "get a heart transplant".

Mr Corbyn is one of four candidates for the Labour leadership election – the others are Andy Burnham, Liz Kendall, and Yvette Cooper.

A series of indicators including polls, local party nominations, and meeting attendance suggest that the left-winger is the favourite to succeed Ed Miliband to lead his party.

[RedinSweden]

Yet more Blairmongering.

[Bobby Hundreds]

Then the party should split, because it's as dead as the fucking dodo if Corbyn does win and then gets game of throned in the bastard.

 

What annoys me is the right wing side of the party have the arrogance to dictate what the party is as soon as anyone who isn't neoliberal speaks up, Corbyn was a nice gesture representing the broad church of the party until they realised shit people actually don't like what we are about and Corbyn is getting strong support. Patronised by Labour politicians is a joke when they have been so fucking incompetent for years. Under the other candidates the real problems in society will be ignored, it will be more of the same.

[Boss]

Makes you think whats going on in these right wing party members heads if they know Corbyn is their best chance of being elected in 2020 and are still trying to oust him. They obvious don't want power after all, they simply exist to try and make labour more and more like the tories, which begs the question, why the fuck are you in the Labour party?

[Guest Pistonbroke]

Then the party should split, because it's as dead as the fucking dodo if Corbyn does win and then gets game of throned in the bastard.

 

What annoys me is the right wing side of the party have the arrogance to dictate what the party is as soon as anyone who isn't neoliberal speaks up, Corbyn was a nice gesture representing the broad church of the party until they realised shit people actually don't like what we are about and Corbyn is getting strong support. Patronised by Labour politicians is a joke when they have been so fucking incompetent for years. Under the other candidates the real problems in society will be ignored, it will be more of the same.

 

It would be the end of the Labour party for the foreseeable future if they do try to oust him mate. 

[Dr Nowt]

Part of the club, Boss.  They want to be part of the very lucrative club, and know not to rock the boat.

 

He's not and has absolutely no intention of being in it, so he's being attacked in exactly the same way anyone else who doesn't share their personal aspirations is.

[Anubis]

Danczuk looking to lash out because his selfie-obsessed wife left him. The poor little lamb is hurting.

[Dr Nowt]

It would be the end of the Labour party for the foreseeable future if they do try to oust him mate. 

 

Then he'll have done it a service one way or the other, in terms of it's roots.  Ultimately there are a hell of a lot of people around who hold far more left-wing views than have been permitted into the debate in recent times, as polls often show, and as Corbyn's support is showing.

 

If Labour proves itself unfit for purpose as the vehicle for those to be best promoted, then something else will ultimately fill the vacuum. 

 

It's about people really, isn't it.  As a lot of the Scots said around the election; they didn't leave the Labour party, it left them.

[Guest Pistonbroke]

Danczuk looking to lash out because his selfie-obsessed wife left him. The poor little lamb is hurting.

 

The cunt should have invested in a decent toothbrush and toothpaste. 

[Guest Pistonbroke]

Then he'll have done it a service one way or the other, in terms of it's roots.  Ultimately there are a hell of a lot of people around who hold far more left-wing views than have been permitted into the debate in recent times, as polls show, and as Corbyn's support is showing.

 

If Labour proves itself unfit for purpose as the vehicle for those to be best promoted, then something else will ultimately fill the vacuum. 

 

It's about people really, isn't it.  As a lot of the Scots said around the election; they didn't leave the Labour party, it left them.

 

Spot on Lizzie. They would be digging their own grave going against what the majority of their core supporters vote for and believe in. 

 

If ever there was an appropriate opportunity for a new left wing party to form it is now. 

[Jairzinho]

It rather suggests that far from fiercely defending the Labour Party they're just fiercely defending neo liberalism.

[Scooby Dudek]

Ironic how the same people who condemned the rebels for going against the leader and voting against austerity are openly rebelling against a yet to be elected leader. So un self-aware it amazes me.

[Anny Road]

If Corbyn gets it I hope all these naysayers have the decency to resign the whip and resign their membership.

[Stu Monty]

People should be challenged to name these crazy left wing policies when they are openly talking shit.

 

I see that Cruddas' new data shows that Labour lost out to the "selfish cretin" section of society. No worries. Just need to explain to them, in however a cynical way necessary, that social democracy leads to a better world for them.

 

Or if you're too cowardly to do that...slink off to years of defeats on Tory home battlefields.