[The Weeping Angel]

Well, no.

‘Ketel’ was a reference to the character in the Icelandic sagas, Ketel (or Kettil or Caittill) Flatnose. Not the brightest Norseman.

‘Fisking’ is the refutation of a series of statements one by one, named after the journalist Robert Fisk.

NABAYTYA

Nice one.

The selection of Leadbetter seems to have annoyed the Corbynites, so she’s off to a good start I suppose.

If she secures the seat for Labour at the by-election, then I doubt many of us are going to be talking about her membership history anyway.

Annoying Corbynites isn't going to win an election. He's not been the leader for over a year, he's not even a member of the PLP, and the left aren't in power any more in the NEC. The left is gone from the party, largely. This is just screaming at shadows at this point.

If she loses, a lot of questions need to be asked of why she was allowed to ignore party procedure. Must've really raised the heckles of many people who've worked in the party for years to be passed over for someone outside of it.

It raised hackles so much that 80% of local party members voted for her.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

He's not been the leader for over a year, he's not even a member of the PLP, and the left aren't in power any more in the NEC. The left is gone from the party, largely. This is just screaming at shadows at this point.

Except that the left hasn't gone, it's still trying to scupper our chances, and Richard 'Bollockbrain' Burgon is pushing a motion to allow conference to make a decision about returning Saint Jezza to his disciples...

The sooner we get rid of all you halfwits the better.

[kettle]

Of course, there's always an excuse. You have a docile press, the left back in it's box, corbyn out the PLP, a conservative government mired in corruption and incompetence and cruelty...but it's not enough.

Starmer has decimated membership, got thrashed at council elections on all sides, and lost a safe seat that even useless corbyn kept.

But it's always someone else's fault.

You'll be ranting about reds under the bed as the party completes it's final steps towards complete Pasokification.

I'm tapping out of this thread until the vote count (unless something really interesting happens). Peace.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

I'm tapping out of this thread until the vote count

Great news.

[davidjay]

I'll believe the Cult have gone from the party when the Plain Speakers stop talking about Labour being a party for peedos, scroungers, foreigners and statue puller-downers.

[The Weeping Angel]

Bye bye Mikey.

[Tubby Isaacs]

As I say, she may turn out to be no good at campaigning at all. But generally speaking, "Labour waived the membership rule for woman who was running a charity set up after her sister a Labour MP got killed" is probably, in itself, not going to shift many votes.

[Oboogie]

‘Ketel’ was a reference to the character in the Icelandic sagas, Ketel (or Kettil or Caittill) Flatnose. Not the brightest Norseman.

[Arrowhead]

Starmer has decimated membership, got thrashed at council elections on all sides, and lost a safe seat that even useless corbyn kept.

Hartlepool was no longer a safe seat, and would've almost certainly gone to the Tories if the Brexit Party had stood aside there during GE2019.

The council elections took place against an extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime backdrop whereby the Tories are being credited for implementing a successful vaccine rollout. As somebody else on here observed recently, opposition parties practically cease to exist during periods of national emergency.

I'm not saying Starmer is completely blameless, but cool heads and some perspective is needed right now. Let's see how he is doing by the end of next year, when hopefully we will be back to some form of "normal" political landscape.

[Tubby Isaacs]

By that logic, Corbyn lost council seats and councils that useless centrist Ed Milliband held.

Maybe context matters?

[Youngian]

I'm not saying Starmer is completely blameless, but cool heads and some perspective is needed right now. Let's see how he is doing by the end of next year, when hopefully we will be back to some form of "normal" political landscape.

Had the highest approval ratings of any Labour leader since Blair. A low bar I grant you and he may never cut through in an England that’s abandoned serious politicians for demagogues, clowns and rogues. There must be a niche tourist market growing in which foreigners come over to amuse themselves as an alternative to watching chimps in a zoo.

[Andy McDandy]

My friend in the Netherlands says that news coverage of British politics on the continent has become pretty much that.

[Youngian]

Sadness and shock as well that a familiar old family member usually given to caution has lost their fucking mind.

[mattomac]

I thought the membership had held rather steady.

[kreuzberger]

My friend in the Netherlands says that news coverage of British politics on the continent has become pretty much that.

Yes, and in the "and finally" slot. Orbán and the Poles tend to attract more attention in DE, due to the implications of their repeated EU-related transgressions. The UK is merely a curious side-show these days where we are all waiting for the chief to poke a bone through his nose and do a funny dance.

Cool Britannia to Fool Britannia in one easy leap. It's desperately tragic, it really is, and it needn't have been like this.

[The Weeping Angel]

Here's a thought but maybe Kim Leadbeater wanted to stand of her own accord.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Thelma Walker ran as an Independent and got 250 votes. Because the Northern Independence Party hadn't got the paperwork in to run as a party.

[mattomac]

I thought the membership had held rather steady.

Apparently reported as just under 500k, so yeah.

[Boiler]

1st July is the date.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Tories slight favourite on Oddschecker.