[Abernathy]

Worth remembering that the losses suffered by the party, though includng a drop in income from being unable to stage annual conference during Covid-19, also included not inconsiderable amounts of cash (about £2m) necessarily expended settling or defending multiple legal actions brought against the party as a direct consequence of the Corbynite leak of the report containing unredacted personal details which was deemed unsuitable to provide to the EHRC.

It’s also a positive, not a negative, that the 100,000 “lost” members principally include assorted Trots, Tankies and entryist nutjobs who lost interest in Labour membership when Corbyn eventually was obliged to fuck off.

The Labour Party still has the largest membership of any UK political party. Not that a huge membership necessarily means much. It’s votes delivering election victories that count.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

And the party made more in donations than the year before.

[mattomac]

I was thinking the various legal actions, considering the numbers they liked to put about I actually thought the membership number was positive.

After all isn’t Starmer to the right of Pol Pot to some of them.

[davidjay]

Drive for show, putt for dough.

[Youngian]

It’s also a positive, not a negative, that the 100,000 “lost” members principally include assorted Trots, Tankies and entryist nutjobs who lost interest in Labour membership when Corbyn eventually was obliged to fuck off.

Still doesn’t stop them sharing their wisdom on how Keir should be running the Labour Party.

[Abernathy]

It’s also a positive, not a negative, that the 100,000 “lost” members principally include assorted Trots, Tankies and entryist nutjobs who lost interest in Labour membership when Corbyn eventually was obliged to fuck off.

Still doesn’t stop them sharing their wisdom on how Keir should be running the Labour Party.

Quite uncanny. I have an old friend who fits this identikit precisely. He appears to regard everything Owen “Squealer” Jones writes as gospel.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

'Lost interest'.

It would be useful to know how many resigned their membership and how many simply didn't renew. I suspect it's mostly the latter, once their guru had gone.


>note for non-members<
Labour Party members resign at the drop of a hat to make a protest and then rejoin in the next year or so. Entryists simply lose interest and drop off the list.

[Crabcakes]

Not only lost interest, but cover. If the boss is no longer someone happy to turn a blind eye to your hounding of whoever you (wrongly) think is to blame for stuff - say, conflating a person of a certain religion who doesn’t meekly accept any and all abuse you dish out with the abhorrent behaviour of the government of a country they neither reside in nor have responsibility for - then you might want to bail before you get too thoroughly investigated…

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Conflating a person of a certain religion with the abhorrent behaviour of the government of a country they neither reside in nor have responsibility for.

Masterful definition of left-wing anti-semitism.

[Abernathy]

I know we should be wary of comparisons to 1996-97 and the run-up to the famous Labour landslide, but my memory of that time is that some time in advance of polling day on 1 May 1997, a conscious decision had been arrived at by a substantial majority of the British electorate that they had absolutely had it up to the back teeth with the Tories after 13 years(even though by 1997 the economy was in relatively good shape), and were firmly resolved that whenever the election came, they were assuredly going to vote these bastards out, and elect a new Labour government led by Tony Blair(who by that time had successfully established himself as PM-in-waiting and Labour as the trusted next government, safe to vote for.)

I think the tipping point may even have been as early as mid 1996, and on polling day 1997 the sense of purpose, determination, and optimism emanating from voters as they marched past me on the polling station door at 7:00am with the sun cracking the flags was palpably detectable.

To come to the point, I’m wondering whether we may not be close to a very similar tipping point today. Voters are thoroughly sick of the Tories, Starmer is plainly trusted by the electorate, even preferred as PM to Johnson, Sunak, and Truss. Labour’s policies, such as the plan to help people during the winter energy crisis by freezing the price cap and extending the windfall profits tax, are achieving real cut-through, and the notion of Keir Starmer as our next PM at the head of a reforming Labour government that will set about putting things right is beginning to crystallize in the minds of voters. I don’t think the same level of sheer determination to be rid of the Tories come what may is there - yet - but it nearly is.

The caveat to all this is again to remind ourselves again of Roy Hattersley’s vivid image of Labour as a man carrying a priceless porcelain vase along a long corridor with a very highly polished floor.
But you get my drift, I hope. What do we think ?

[Tubby Isaacs]

At the time, 1992 very much cast a shadow over the upcoming 1997 election, and the belief that the Tories had somehow turned it around late in the day. They didn't, the polls weren't sampling enough Tory voters. Had they got that right, the Tories would have been consistently ahead all through the campaign, and I guess, for some time before it. So the nerves were very understandable. But Anthony King reckoned that it was pretty much over when Labour elected Blair as leader.

[mattomac]

If I was independent and didn’t care I would say we have, they certainly won’t be able to choose another leader and survive in government, but I think Starmer has spread enough distance and LDs are a enough of a party that Labour will be the biggest party.

The question is about majorities and so on, I didn’t think the Tories would get another 80 seat majority anyhow. I do wonder if May not getting a sizeable majority might in the long run hurt them a lot.

But as a Labour member it’s a long way to go. And a lot more pain to go through.

[Abernathy]

Anthony King reckoned that it was pretty much over when Labour elected Blair as leader.

That was a full 3 years before the ‘97 election. There was still quite a bit of work to do(hence the porcelain vase analogy), but we were winning by-election after by-election, and had certainly passed the tipping point by the end of ‘96.

[Crabcakes]

To come to the point, I’m wondering whether we may not be close to a very similar tipping point today.

I think we’re past the tipping point, but this time it’s more like a black hole event horizon. Before, it was a case of getting a sleaze-riddled bunch out of office. But I would swap Major’s worst cabinet in a heartbeat for the incompetent, sociopathic grifters we now have.

I am desperately hoping there are people in Labour who see the danger of ever letting the Tories back in, and as such even if elected with a Blair-like landslide they seize the opportunity and do away with FPTP forever. There might be some fringe loons elected, but that’s a price worth paying to all but guarantee there will never be a majority Tory govt ever again.

[The Weeping Angel]

I see Sam Tarry has decided to employ the services of Carter-Fuck I mean Carter-Ruck to fight for his reselection.

[Abernathy]

How in the name of fuckitty-fuck can he afford to instruct Carter-Ruck ?

[davidjay]

How in the name of fuckitty-fuck can he afford to instruct Carter-Ruck ?

Pro bono to fuck over the party?

[Oboogie]

How in the name of fuckitty-fuck can he afford to instruct Carter-Ruck ?

Are Unite's deep pockets being dipped?

[Abernathy]

How in the name of fuckitty-fuck can he afford to instruct Carter-Ruck ?

Pro bono to fuck over the party?

I don’t think that’s Carter-Ruck’s style.

[The Weeping Angel]

Oh fuck