@KeirSimmons: Andrea Leadsom says she has been crying... Extraordinary interview from a candidate to be British Prime Minister... https://t.co/QpV4g4Bl2k
She needs to be kind to herself and step down. She runs the risk of being overwhelmed as each day goes by.
I do not think she meant to be cruel in what she said but is was naive and she really needs a cabinet position under Theresa May to further her career and take her out of the full on spotlight.
She cannot step down, she is the Leave candidate and May has to win the endorsement of the membership in a proper contest to have a mandate to pursue BREXIT and take the UK into the EEA
Just noticed - both May and Leadsom have the mandate to take us out of the EU. Neither will have the power to decide on the actual trade deal without full cabinet agreement and a vote in the HOC
Yes but they will set the terms of the trade deal to be voted on by cabinet and the HOC. The ST reports today May is thinking of appointing David Davis to lead the Brexit negotiations
That would be an excellent choice. It has also been suggested she would appoint Michael Gove as Home Secretary
My CLP has about 600 members, the best part of 400 have joined last 12 months. They seem to come from all walks and ages. They are enthusiastic but almost entirely Corbynites. The 200 or so who had been around for yonks are older and more moderate. I am not sure the two see eye to eye on many policies.If Labour could find a way of marrying the two we would have a formidable party.I am not as pessimistic as some that the party will split, perhaps a few MPs.will peel off. This is why we need an open and honest election and whoever wins the rest of us will get behind him or her.
I don't think you would see a couple MPs split off, either most will or they won't at all. It would be a complete waste of time for a couple of MPs to split off. SDP2.0 will fail like the first one, where they had only 23 splitters. They need to have enough MPs split to be official opposition and seen as successor party to Labour, or it's doomed from the start.
The split only works if the majority of the 172 go with it, taking major donors and Unions with them and leaving the Corbynites with only the name. More than half the PLP are needed to become the official Opposition and consign JC to sit next to the SNP, while the rebels take on the job of holding the government to account.
My CLP has about 600 members, the best part of 400 have joined last 12 months. They seem to come from all walks and ages. They are enthusiastic but almost entirely Corbynites. The 200 or so who had been around for yonks are older and more moderate. I am not sure the two see eye to eye on many policies.If Labour could find a way of marrying the two we would have a formidable party.I am not as pessimistic as some that the party will split, perhaps a few MPs.will peel off. This is why we need an open and honest election and whoever wins the rest of us will get behind him or her.
I don't think you would see a couple MPs split off, either most will or they won't at all. It would be a complete waste of time for a couple of MPs to split off. SDP2.0 will fail like the first one, where they had only 23 splitters. They need to have enough MPs split to be official opposition and seen as successor party to Labour, or it's doomed from the start.
Maybe this is what Angela Eagle is the Stalking Horse for, in a sense. They've got to exhaust all the possibilities, after which a massive break-away will really be on the cards, with some legitimacy. The alternative would just be wholesale deselection anyway.
@KeirSimmons: Andrea Leadsom says she has been crying... Extraordinary interview from a candidate to be British Prime Minister... https://t.co/QpV4g4Bl2k
She needs to be kind to herself and step down. She runs the risk of being overwhelmed as each day goes by.
I do not think she meant to be cruel in what she said but is was naive and she really needs a cabinet position under Theresa May to further her career and take her out of the full on spotlight.
She cannot step down, she is the Leave candidate and May has to win the endorsement of the membership in a proper contest to have a mandate to pursue BREXIT and take the UK into the EEA
I agree but there must be a real risk to her health and ability to cope with the intense scrutiny she will come under.
As Eric Pickles said today that if she gets in a mess with her first interview with a journalist how on earth would she cope with Putin
Oh please... I think what you're really afraid of is that she'll rise to the occasion.
Not at all - I think she means well but anyone who is compassionate does not like seeing someone suffer which she clearly is and there is nothing wrong with expressing concern for her
Quite. How can we support a candidate with a medically serious condition?
Excepting the danger to millions if she became incapacitated in a crisis (will Putin wait?) , it is surely the compassionate choice to excuse her the burden?
@KeirSimmons: Andrea Leadsom says she has been crying... Extraordinary interview from a candidate to be British Prime Minister... https://t.co/QpV4g4Bl2k
She needs to be kind to herself and step down. She runs the risk of being overwhelmed as each day goes by.
I do not think she meant to be cruel in what she said but is was naive and she really needs a cabinet position under Theresa May to further her career and take her out of the full on spotlight.
She cannot step down, she is the Leave candidate and May has to win the endorsement of the membership in a proper contest to have a mandate to pursue BREXIT and take the UK into the EEA
Just noticed - both May and Leadsom have the mandate to take us out of the EU. Neither will have the power to decide on the actual trade deal without full cabinet agreement and a vote in the HOC
Yes but they will set the terms of the trade deal to be voted on by cabinet and the HOC. The ST reports today May is thinking of appointing David Davis to lead the Brexit negotiations
That would be an excellent choice. It has also been suggested she would appoint Michael Gove as Home Secretary
Indeed though I have reservations about Davis if he puts immigration controls over a single market deal, hopefully we can get both
@KeirSimmons: Andrea Leadsom says she has been crying... Extraordinary interview from a candidate to be British Prime Minister... https://t.co/QpV4g4Bl2k
She needs to be kind to herself and step down. She runs the risk of being overwhelmed as each day goes by.
I do not think she meant to be cruel in what she said but is was naive and she really needs a cabinet position under Theresa May to further her career and take her out of the full on spotlight.
She cannot step down, she is the Leave candidate and May has to win the endorsement of the membership in a proper contest to have a mandate to pursue BREXIT and take the UK into the EEA
Just noticed - both May and Leadsom have the mandate to take us out of the EU. Neither will have the power to decide on the actual trade deal without full cabinet agreement and a vote in the HOC
Yes but they will set the terms of the trade deal to be voted on by cabinet and the HOC. The ST reports today May is thinking of appointing David Davis to lead the Brexit negotiations
That would be an excellent choice. It has also been suggested she would appoint Michael Gove as Home Secretary
Remerge Home and Justice, have Gove run that so he can continue his work on prison reform.
Inheritance tax makes paying it back silly (dependent on the level of parental wealth, obviously).
Fair enough, but parents get old and frail and will need the money. This isn't the 50's when people dropped in their 60's - these days they will last into their 80's/90's and their latter years will require a shedload of care and that care will cost.
Local Authorities have a general duty to provide such care.
If you have your head screwed on, you can avoid IHT and preserve your estate and ensure the LA picks up the tab for your care [currently about a 1 in 4 chance you might need it]
@KeirSimmons: Andrea Leadsom says she has been crying... Extraordinary interview from a candidate to be British Prime Minister... https://t.co/QpV4g4Bl2k
She needs to be kind to herself and step down. She runs the risk of being overwhelmed as each day goes by.
I do not think she meant to be cruel in what she said but is was naive and she really needs a cabinet position under Theresa May to further her career and take her out of the full on spotlight.
She cannot step down, she is the Leave candidate and May has to win the endorsement of the membership in a proper contest to have a mandate to pursue BREXIT and take the UK into the EEA
Just noticed - both May and Leadsom have the mandate to take us out of the EU. Neither will have the power to decide on the actual trade deal without full cabinet agreement and a vote in the HOC
Yes but they will set the terms of the trade deal to be voted on by cabinet and the HOC. The ST reports today May is thinking of appointing David Davis to lead the Brexit negotiations
That would be an excellent choice. It has also been suggested she would appoint Michael Gove as Home Secretary
Remerge Home and Justice, have Gove run that so he can continue his work on prison reform.
It will be interesting to see if Gove joins Theresa May's campaign
@KeirSimmons: Andrea Leadsom says she has been crying... Extraordinary interview from a candidate to be British Prime Minister... https://t.co/QpV4g4Bl2k
She needs to be kind to herself and step down. She runs the risk of being overwhelmed as each day goes by.
I do not think she meant to be cruel in what she said but is was naive and she really needs a cabinet position under Theresa May to further her career and take her out of the full on spotlight.
She cannot step down, she is the Leave candidate and May has to win the endorsement of the membership in a proper contest to have a mandate to pursue BREXIT and take the UK into the EEA
I agree but there must be a real risk to her health and ability to cope with the intense scrutiny she will come under.
As Eric Pickles said today that if she gets in a mess with her first interview with a journalist how on earth would she cope with Putin
Oh please... I think what you're really afraid of is that she'll rise to the occasion.
Not at all - I think she means well but anyone who is compassionate does not like seeing someone suffer which she clearly is and there is nothing wrong with expressing concern for her
Quite. How can we support a candidate with a medically serious condition?
Excepting the danger to millions if she became incapacitated in a crisis (will Putin wait?) , it is surely the compassionate choice to excuse her the burden?
I don't have any serious medical conditions (maybe being a PB Tory is one?), and I often find myself falling asleep during talks/lectures
@KeirSimmons: Andrea Leadsom says she has been crying... Extraordinary interview from a candidate to be British Prime Minister... https://t.co/QpV4g4Bl2k
She needs to be kind to herself and step down. She runs the risk of being overwhelmed as each day goes by.
I do not think she meant to be cruel in what she said but is was naive and she really needs a cabinet position under Theresa May to further her career and take her out of the full on spotlight.
She cannot step down, she is the Leave candidate and May has to win the endorsement of the membership in a proper contest to have a mandate to pursue BREXIT and take the UK into the EEA
Just noticed - both May and Leadsom have the mandate to take us out of the EU. Neither will have the power to decide on the actual trade deal without full cabinet agreement and a vote in the HOC
Yes but they will set the terms of the trade deal to be voted on by cabinet and the HOC. The ST reports today May is thinking of appointing David Davis to lead the Brexit negotiations
That would be an excellent choice. It has also been suggested she would appoint Michael Gove as Home Secretary
Remerge Home and Justice, have Gove run that so he can continue his work on prison reform.
It will be interesting to see if Gove joins Theresa May's campaign
Seriously, we need to understand why MI5's Nick Griffin is falling in with Mrs May's campaign. What is the connection?
"Help! I’m falling out of the middle class I earn less than the median income, and far less than my parents. I should never have followed my dreams Henry Jeffreys"
I have read the article and am not entirely sure what the complaint is. I understand he lives in an area he finds slightly unpleasant and is disappointed with his standing in life. But consider:
a) his parents gave him his deposit b) he owns a flat in London (he makes no mention of a mortgage: I'll assume he has one, albeit small as I don't think he could get a big one on a freelance salary) c) he has a wife who doesn't work d) he has one child e) he bought the flat before house prices went ballistic f) he's in his late 30's
I'll assume he bought his flat circa 2005. He doesn't mention sharing bedrooms, so it's two-bed. So he has a two-bed council flat in London: I'd guess he bought it for £150K, his dad's deposit was £50K[1], his mortgage was about £100K, and he's paid off about £25K in the ten years.
It's now 2016. His flat is worth (pre-Brexit!) about £250K. So he has positive equity around £170K. He can sell his flat, port his mortgage, and buy a 1-bed house or a 2-bed flat in a far-better neighbourhood in Thamesmead (Essex), Slough/Reading (Berks/Bucks), or Kent, or whatever. I assume that as he is a freelance writer, he doesn't have to live in London nor commute.
So he does have the capability to solve his dilemma.
[1] Normal people may look on aghast at a grown man accepting £50K as a gift from a parent without even trying to pay it back, but I have discovered to my amazement that this is unexceptional. The middle-classes have a different view of money than others.
@KeirSimmons: Andrea Leadsom says she has been crying... Extraordinary interview from a candidate to be British Prime Minister... https://t.co/QpV4g4Bl2k
She needs to be kind to herself and step down. She runs the risk of being overwhelmed as each day goes by.
I do not think she meant to be cruel in what she said but is was naive and she really needs a cabinet position under Theresa May to further her career and take her out of the full on spotlight.
She cannot step down, she is the Leave candidate and May has to win the endorsement of the membership in a proper contest to have a mandate to pursue BREXIT and take the UK into the EEA
Just noticed - both May and Leadsom have the mandate to take us out of the EU. Neither will have the power to decide on the actual trade deal without full cabinet agreement and a vote in the HOC
Yes but they will set the terms of the trade deal to be voted on by cabinet and the HOC. The ST reports today May is thinking of appointing David Davis to lead the Brexit negotiations
That would be an excellent choice. It has also been suggested she would appoint Michael Gove as Home Secretary
Remerge Home and Justice, have Gove run that so he can continue his work on prison reform.
It will be interesting to see if Gove joins Theresa May's campaign
@KeirSimmons: Andrea Leadsom says she has been crying... Extraordinary interview from a candidate to be British Prime Minister... https://t.co/QpV4g4Bl2k
She needs to be kind to herself and step down. She runs the risk of being overwhelmed as each day goes by.
I do not think she meant to be cruel in what she said but is was naive and she really needs a cabinet position under Theresa May to further her career and take her out of the full on spotlight.
She cannot step down, she is the Leave candidate and May has to win the endorsement of the membership in a proper contest to have a mandate to pursue BREXIT and take the UK into the EEA
I agree but there must be a real risk to her health and ability to cope with the intense scrutiny she will come under.
As Eric Pickles said today that if she gets in a mess with her first interview with a journalist how on earth would she cope with Putin
Oh please... I think what you're really afraid of is that she'll rise to the occasion.
Not at all - I think she means well but anyone who is compassionate does not like seeing someone suffer which she clearly is and there is nothing wrong with expressing concern for her
Quite. How can we support a candidate with a medically serious condition?
Excepting the danger to millions if she became incapacitated in a crisis (will Putin wait?) , it is surely the compassionate choice to excuse her the burden?
I don't have any serious medical conditions (maybe being a PB Tory is one?), and I often find myself falling asleep during talks/lectures
Just as well you aren't going to assume control of any nuclear missiles.
Frustrated that we have this internal strife when Labour should be putting the Tories to the sword.
Ignoring Corbyn's penchant for missing open goals, I don't see what good Labour tearing into the Tories would have done. Cameron and Osborne's reputations are already trashed. People weren't looking for told you so's, they were looking for some leadership and stability.
The best way Labour could have put the Tories to the sword would have been to have looked like a government in waiting, ready to clear up the mess. What a massive missed opportunity for Labour that they weren't in a position to offer that.
@KeirSimmons: Andrea Leadsom says she has been crying... Extraordinary interview from a candidate to be British Prime Minister... https://t.co/QpV4g4Bl2k
She needs to be kind to herself and step down. She runs the risk of being overwhelmed as each day goes by.
I do not think she meant to be cruel in what she said but is was naive and she really needs a cabinet position under Theresa May to further her career and take her out of the full on spotlight.
She cannot step down, she is the Leave candidate and May has to win the endorsement of the membership in a proper contest to have a mandate to pursue BREXIT and take the UK into the EEA
Just noticed - both May and Leadsom have the mandate to take us out of the EU. Neither will have the power to decide on the actual trade deal without full cabinet agreement and a vote in the HOC
Yes but they will set the terms of the trade deal to be voted on by cabinet and the HOC. The ST reports today May is thinking of appointing David Davis to lead the Brexit negotiations
That would be an excellent choice. It has also been suggested she would appoint Michael Gove as Home Secretary
Remerge Home and Justice, have Gove run that so he can continue his work on prison reform.
It will be interesting to see if Gove joins Theresa May's campaign
That would be a very good move, would hopefully get the members looking at two candidates other than through the prism of yesterday's referendum campaign.
@KeirSimmons: Andrea Leadsom says she has been crying... Extraordinary interview from a candidate to be British Prime Minister... https://t.co/QpV4g4Bl2k
She needs to be kind to herself and step down. She runs the risk of being overwhelmed as each day goes by.
I do not think she meant to be cruel in what she said but is was naive and she really needs a cabinet position under Theresa May to further her career and take her out of the full on spotlight.
She cannot step down, she is the Leave candidate and May has to win the endorsement of the membership in a proper contest to have a mandate to pursue BREXIT and take the UK into the EEA
Just noticed - both May and Leadsom have the mandate to take us out of the EU. Neither will have the power to decide on the actual trade deal without full cabinet agreement and a vote in the HOC
Yes but they will set the terms of the trade deal to be voted on by cabinet and the HOC. The ST reports today May is thinking of appointing David Davis to lead the Brexit negotiations
That would be an excellent choice. It has also been suggested she would appoint Michael Gove as Home Secretary
Remerge Home and Justice, have Gove run that so he can continue his work on prison reform.
It will be interesting to see if Gove joins Theresa May's campaign
That would be a very good move, would hopefully get the members looking at two candidates other than through the prism of yesterday's referendum campaign.
I disagree, Keiran. MPs don't have to follow a party whip if they don't want to, and the analogy with the House of Commons having to have confidence in a prime minister (and a government, and indeed each minister taken individually) is false.
The Labour leader is elected by the party membership and should only be unelectable by them. If he is the prime minister at the time and enough Labour MPs express a lack of confidence in him as prime minister, and the Tories want him out too, then he loses his job as prime minister.
Like it or loathe it, Labour MPs have been elected on the Labour platform, and Labour is a political party. If a group of Labour MPs want to leave that party and form another one, they are perfectly entitled to. Unfortunately there wouldn't even have to be any by-elections. If their new party is the largest opposition party, then it would be able to choose the leader of the opposition according to its own rules.
The anti-Corbynite faction in the Labour party - the Trident lovers, as I call them, which is a much more apposite term than "Blairites" - want to have their cake and eat it. Their parliamentary leader is chosen by the party membership, and if they don't like it, let them leave the party. There are probably enough of them to form the main opposition party. The only reason the creeps haven't done it yet is because they haven't got the guts to risk their seats. Let's not talk about them as though they have principles.
Wanting to vote in favour of the Tory government signing £200 billion worth of contracts for weapons designed to destroy foreign cities isn't what I'd call a "principle".
@KeirSimmons: Andrea Leadsom says she has been crying... Extraordinary interview from a candidate to be British Prime Minister... https://t.co/QpV4g4Bl2k
She needs to be kind to herself and step down. She runs the risk of being overwhelmed as each day goes by.
I do not think she meant to be cruel in what she said but is was naive and she really needs a cabinet position under Theresa May to further her career and take her out of the full on spotlight.
She cannot step down, she is the Leave candidate and May has to win the endorsement of the membership in a proper contest to have a mandate to pursue BREXIT and take the UK into the EEA
Just noticed - both May and Leadsom have the mandate to take us out of the EU. Neither will have the power to decide on the actual trade deal without full cabinet agreement and a vote in the HOC
Yes but they will set the terms of the trade deal to be voted on by cabinet and the HOC. The ST reports today May is thinking of appointing David Davis to lead the Brexit negotiations
That would be an excellent choice. It has also been suggested she would appoint Michael Gove as Home Secretary
Remerge Home and Justice, have Gove run that so he can continue his work on prison reform.
It will be interesting to see if Gove joins Theresa May's campaign
That would be a very good move, would hopefully get the members looking at two candidates other than through the prism of yesterday's referendum campaign.
Gove is surely still too toxic?
Probably not too much among the leave-inclined members. I think he took one for the team in getting the totally unsuitable Boris out of the race, if he backs May now it would help get rid of the idea that the leadership contest is between Theresa Remain and Andrea Leave.
Ignoring Corbyn's penchant for missing open goals, I don't see what good Labour tearing into the Tories would have done. Cameron and Osborne's reputations are already trashed. People weren't looking for told you so's, they were looking for some leadership and stability.
The best way Labour could have put the Tories to the sword would have been to have looked like a government in waiting, ready to clear up the mess. What a massive missed opportunity for Labour that they weren't in a position to offer that.
Thanks Margaret "Teflon" Hodge and her "Ramsay MacDonald" army.
I disagree, Keiran. MPs don't have to follow a party whip if they don't want to, and the analogy with the House of Commons having to have confidence in a prime minister (and a government, and indeed each minister taken individually) is false.
The Labour leader is elected by the party membership and should only be unelectable by them. If he is the prime minister at the time and enough Labour MPs express a lack of confidence in him as prime minister, and the Tories want him out too, then he loses his job as prime minister.
Like it or loathe it, Labour MPs have been elected on the Labour platform, and Labour is a political party. If a group of Labour MPs want to leave that party and form another one, they are perfectly entitled to. Unfortunately there wouldn't even have to be any by-elections. If their new party is the largest opposition party, then it would be able to choose the leader of the opposition according to its own rules.
The anti-Corbynite faction in the Labour party - the Trident lovers, as I call them, which is a much more apposite term than "Blairites" - want to have their cake and eat it. Their parliamentary leader is chosen by the party membership, and if they don't like it, let them leave the party. There are probably enough of them to form the main opposition party. The only reason the creeps haven't done it yet is because they haven't got the guts to risk their seats. Let's not talk about them as though they have principles.
Wanting to vote in favour of the Tory government signing £200 billion worth of contracts for weapons designed to destroy foreign cities isn't what I'd call a "principle".
I thought Trident renewal was current Labour policy?
@KeirSimmons: Andrea Leadsom says she has been crying... Extraordinary interview from a candidate to be British Prime Minister... https://t.co/QpV4g4Bl2k
She needs to be kind to herself and step down. She runs the risk of being overwhelmed as each day goes by.
I do not think she meant to be cruel in what she said but is was naive and she really needs a cabinet position under Theresa May to further her career and take her out of the full on spotlight.
She cannot step down, she is the Leave candidate and May has to win the endorsement of the membership in a proper contest to have a mandate to pursue BREXIT and take the UK into the EEA
I agree but there must be a real risk to her health and ability to cope with the intense scrutiny she will come under.
As Eric Pickles said today that if she gets in a mess with her first interview with a journalist how on earth would she cope with Putin
Oh please... I think what you're really afraid of is that she'll rise to the occasion.
Not at all - I think she means well but anyone who is compassionate does not like seeing someone suffer which she clearly is and there is nothing wrong with expressing concern for her
Quite. How can we support a candidate with a medically serious condition?
Excepting the danger to millions if she became incapacitated in a crisis (will Putin wait?) , it is surely the compassionate choice to excuse her the burden?
I don't have any serious medical conditions (maybe being a PB Tory is one?), and I often find myself falling asleep during talks/lectures
Just as well you aren't going to assume control of any nuclear missiles.
I hope...
Is the button typically pushed during a long winded speech in the Commons (one which you aren't giving yourself)?
I disagree, Keiran. MPs don't have to follow a party whip if they don't want to, and the analogy with the House of Commons having to have confidence in a prime minister (and a government, and indeed each minister taken individually) is false.
The Labour leader is elected by the party membership and should only be unelectable by them. If he is the prime minister at the time and enough Labour MPs express a lack of confidence in him as prime minister, and the Tories want him out too, then he loses his job as prime minister.
Like it or loathe it, Labour MPs have been elected on the Labour platform, and Labour is a political party. If a group of Labour MPs want to leave that party and form another one, they are perfectly entitled to. Unfortunately there wouldn't even have to be any by-elections. If their new party is the largest opposition party, then it would be able to choose the leader of the opposition according to its own rules.
The anti-Corbynite faction in the Labour party - the Trident lovers, as I call them, which is a much more apposite term than "Blairites" - want to have their cake and eat it. Their parliamentary leader is chosen by the party membership, and if they don't like it, let them leave the party. There are probably enough of them to form the main opposition party. The only reason the creeps haven't done it yet is because they haven't got the guts to risk their seats. Let's not talk about them as though they have principles.
Wanting to vote in favour of the Tory government signing £200 billion worth of contracts for weapons designed to destroy foreign cities isn't what I'd call a "principle".
I thought Trident renewal was current Labour policy?
I thought you had me there for a moment, but apparently it isn't really - it's in review and would be reconsidered in the event of there being a vote on the issue in the Commons. Although according to the wildly hedging Labour "aide" quoted, that would depend on how the said vote was "framed". I hope in any Labour leadership election, Corbyn manages to link a decision to oppose Trident with a decision to support him as leader.
I disagree, Keiran. MPs don't have to follow a party whip if they don't want to, and the analogy with the House of Commons having to have confidence in a prime minister (and a government, and indeed each minister taken individually) is false.
The Labour leader is elected by the party membership and should only be unelectable by them. If he is the prime minister at the time and enough Labour MPs express a lack of confidence in him as prime minister, and the Tories want him out too, then he loses his job as prime minister.
Like it or loathe it, Labour MPs have been elected on the Labour platform, and Labour is a political party. If a group of Labour MPs want to leave that party and form another one, they are perfectly entitled to. Unfortunately there wouldn't even have to be any by-elections. If their new party is the largest opposition party, then it would be able to choose the leader of the opposition according to its own rules.
The anti-Corbynite faction in the Labour party - the Trident lovers, as I call them, which is a much more apposite term than "Blairites" - want to have their cake and eat it. Their parliamentary leader is chosen by the party membership, and if they don't like it, let them leave the party. There are probably enough of them to form the main opposition party. The only reason the creeps haven't done it yet is because they haven't got the guts to risk their seats. Let's not talk about them as though they have principles.
Wanting to vote in favour of the Tory government signing £200 billion worth of contracts for weapons designed to destroy foreign cities isn't what I'd call a "principle".
I thought Trident renewal was current Labour policy?
I thought you had me there for a moment, but apparently it isn't really - it's in review and would be reconsidered in the event of there being a vote on the issue in the Commons. Although according to the wildly hedging Labour "aide" quoted, that would depend on how the said vote was "framed". I hope in any Labour leadership election, Corbyn manages to link a decision to oppose Trident with a decision to support him as leader.
Going back to your earlier point about being elected on a Labour platform...
Given that the renewal of Trident was party policy at the time of the last election, then surely the MPs elected on that platform are constrained to follow that policy as it was the one endorsed by the people who put them in power - the electorate...
Inheritance tax makes paying it back silly (dependent on the level of parental wealth, obviously).
Fair enough, but parents get old and frail and will need the money. This isn't the 50's when people dropped in their 60's - these days they will last into their 80's/90's and their latter years will require a shedload of care and that care will cost.
So long as they don't have any money, the care will get paid for by someone else ...
For a lot of families this may be an even more compelling argument than future inheritance taxes for parents to give money to their kids now - or just spend it on something they really want.
(An alternative model might be to make the kids liable for their parents' care, a kind of filial piety law...)
@KeirSimmons: Andrea Leadsom says she has been crying... Extraordinary interview from a candidate to be British Prime Minister... https://t.co/QpV4g4Bl2k
She needs to be kind to herself and step down. She runs the risk of being overwhelmed as each day goes by.
I do not think she meant to be cruel in what she said but is was naive and she really needs a cabinet position under Theresa May to further her career and take her out of the full on spotlight.
She cannot step down, she is the Leave candidate and May has to win the endorsement of the membership in a proper contest to have a mandate to pursue BREXIT and take the UK into the EEA
I agree but there must be a real risk to her health and ability to cope with the intense scrutiny she will come under.
As Eric Pickles said today that if she gets in a mess with her first interview with a journalist how on earth would she cope with Putin
Oh please... I think what you're really afraid of is that she'll rise to the occasion.
Not at all - I think she means well but anyone who is compassionate does not like seeing someone suffer which she clearly is and there is nothing wrong with expressing concern for her
Quite. How can we support a candidate with a medically serious condition?
Excepting the danger to millions if she became incapacitated in a crisis (will Putin wait?) , it is surely the compassionate choice to excuse her the burden?
I don't have any serious medical conditions (maybe being a PB Tory is one?), and I often find myself falling asleep during talks/lectures
Just as well you aren't going to assume control of any nuclear missiles.
I hope...
Is the button typically pushed during a long winded speech in the Commons (one which you aren't giving yourself)?
Neville Chamberlain came to regret the 'Saturday Morning' surprises of his principal foreign adversary. Who knows what our current adversaries will take advantage of if they perceive Mrs May is subject to intermittent uncontrolled diabetic 'events'.
If BR had had the £5 billion a year subsidy that this lot get rather than the less than one billion a year they got things would have been somewhat different.
This is slightly disingenuous. The current figures include exceptional items such as Crossrail: if they are stripped out, the current network grant to NR is £3.8 billion. At today's prices, BR often received grants of around £2 billion.
In addition, train operating companies are also returning money to the government - £802 million (*) in 2014/5, partially offsetting those grants.
Since those days, passenger numbers have more than doubled. Hence, the amount spent in the network grant per passenger has not increased too much, if at all.
So we are getting more passengers, with better trains, on an expanding, modernised network. Britain's railways have never been in better shape (**). What's to complain about?
(*) Nearly half of which was from South West Trains. (**) There are problems with freight, given the massive decrease in trainload coal, which was the whole reason many railways were created.
The biggest complaint for me is the ownership structure by which European public owned railways are taking profits from our systems to subsidise their own. Although some British TOCs are beginning to branch out abroad, the reverse is more often true.
I really do not want them nationalised, but some reforms are needed.
Surely the only questions are: do British taxpayers get value for money? is the train service good?
If a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn can offer a better quality train at a discount to Virgin and make a profit, good for them. Who cares who the ultimate owner is.
Inheritance tax makes paying it back silly (dependent on the level of parental wealth, obviously).
Fair enough, but parents get old and frail and will need the money. This isn't the 50's when people dropped in their 60's - these days they will last into their 80's/90's and their latter years will require a shedload of care and that care will cost.
So long as they don't have any money, the care will get paid for by someone else ...
For a lot of families this may be an even more compelling argument than future inheritance taxes for parents to give money to their kids now - or just spend it on something they really want.
(An alternative model might be to make the kids liable for their parents' care, a kind of filial piety law...)
Keiran Pedley, thanks for that excellent and informative article, much appreciated.
Key point. "However, returning to the present day, it seems clear that Labour’s current system for choosing and removing leaders is not fit for purpose. Any future Labour Prime Minister will need to command the support of the PLP to govern effectively or indeed govern at all."
So Leadsom has issued an "apology" along the lines of "there was nothing wrong with what I said but I'm sorry if Theresa May was offended by it".
In particular, she claims "I was pressed to say how my children had formed my views. I didn't want it to be used as an issue."
What she doesn't say, of course, is that that question was just a response to Leadsom herself having raised - unprompted - her family, including her children, when asked what was the main difference between her and Theresa May.
Politicians, of course, are not generally noted for either their honesty or their intelligence. But Leadsom manages to be outstanding in both her duplicity and her stupidity.
fitalass - just to say thanks for your 4am reply to my post last night re Scottish Con members - only read it later today so didn't have the opportunity to thank you at the appropriate time.
Andrea Leadsom: a woman who, even when it was tough, stood up for what she believed.
Louise Mensch: a woman who didn't realise being an MP involved actual work, and went to live in Twitterland instead.
But that isn't true, Louise Mensch's family circumstances changed dramatically after she became an MP. It is tough enough for many MPs in the more far flung parts of the UK to manage their family life with that London commute. But when your spouse is living and working across in the US, that commute becomes that bit more difficult. I cannot knock someone for trying to make it work and then deciding to put their family life first instead.
I don't agree with Mensch's stance on Leadsom, but it is clear that she still misses UK politics.
fitalass - just to say thanks for your 4am reply to my post last night re Scottish Con members - only read it later today so didn't have the opportunity to thank you at the appropriate time.
I was encouraged to hear what you said.
Hi MikeL, I was just about to message you to say that I did finally catch your post and replied to it.
So Leadsom has issued an "apology" along the lines of "there was nothing wrong with what I said but I'm sorry if Theresa May was offended by it".
In particular, she claims "I was pressed to say how my children had formed my views. I didn't want it to be used as an issue."
What she doesn't say, of course, is that that question was just a response to Leadsom herself having raised - unprompted - her family, including her children, when asked what was the main difference between her and Theresa May.
Politicians, of course, are not generally noted for either their honesty or their intelligence. But Leadsom manages to be outstanding in both her duplicity and her stupidity.
Agreed! It is incredible that her supporters are now trying to claim Leadsom is some how being bullied, smeared, and has become the victim of a dirty tricks campaign because the Times printed her own unprompted nasty motherhood dig at May! I suspect that the Leadsom campaign is going to lurch from one campaign tactical error to another until someone final says enough. The big problem for Leadsom's supporters is that they are not backing her so much as a suitable candidate and future PM, but instead her Brexit credentials to the point that they want to gloss over her clear inadequacies.
The big problem for Leadsom's supporters is that they are not backing her so much as a suitable candidate and future PM, but instead her Brexit credentials to the point that they want to gloss over her clear inadequacies.
Yes. I'm sure that from a betting point of view the crucial question is, simply, what percentage of Tory party members are so fanatically anti-European that they will back a candidate with absolutely no aptitude or suitability for the job, simply because she was on the Brexit side of the argument.
So Leadsom has issued an "apology" along the lines of "there was nothing wrong with what I said but I'm sorry if Theresa May was offended by it".
In particular, she claims "I was pressed to say how my children had formed my views. I didn't want it to be used as an issue."
What she doesn't say, of course, is that that question was just a response to Leadsom herself having raised - unprompted - her family, including her children, when asked what was the main difference between her and Theresa May.
Politicians, of course, are not generally noted for either their honesty or their intelligence. But Leadsom manages to be outstanding in both her duplicity and her stupidity.
Agreed! It is incredible that her supporters are now trying to claim Leadsom is some how being bullied, smeared, and has become the victim of a dirty tricks campaign because the Times printed her own unprompted nasty motherhood dig at May! I suspect that the Leadsom campaign is going to lurch from one campaign tactical error to another until someone final says enough. The big problem for Leadsom's supporters is that they are not backing her so much as a suitable candidate and future PM, but instead her Brexit credentials to the point that they want to gloss over her clear inadequacies.
As Shaw wrote 'My country right or wrong' is as foolish as 'My mother drunk or sober'.
It will be interesting to learn how Leadsom actually apologised to May as she's vague on that....in her prayers perhaps?
I do hope TV interviewers explore with IDS how this 'black ops' exercise managed to get Leadsom to over-egg her CV, run off at the mouth with the Times, accuse them of lying, then admit they'd been telling the truth.....thats some black ops.......
So Leadsom has issued an "apology" along the lines of "there was nothing wrong with what I said but I'm sorry if Theresa May was offended by it".
In particular, she claims "I was pressed to say how my children had formed my views. I didn't want it to be used as an issue."
What she doesn't say, of course, is that that question was just a response to Leadsom herself having raised - unprompted - her family, including her children, when asked what was the main difference between her and Theresa May.
Politicians, of course, are not generally noted for either their honesty or their intelligence. But Leadsom manages to be outstanding in both her duplicity and her stupidity.
Agreed! It is incredible that her supporters are now trying to claim Leadsom is some how being bullied, smeared, and has become the victim of a dirty tricks campaign because the Times printed her own unprompted nasty motherhood dig at May! I suspect that the Leadsom campaign is going to lurch from one campaign tactical error to another until someone final says enough. The big problem for Leadsom's supporters is that they are not backing her so much as a suitable candidate and future PM, but instead her Brexit credentials to the point that they want to gloss over her clear inadequacies.
As Shaw wrote 'My country right or wrong' is as foolish as 'My mother drunk or sober'.
It will be interesting to learn how Leadsom actually apologised to May as she's vague on that....in her prayers perhaps?
I do hope TV interviewers explore with IDS how this 'black ops' exercise managed to get Leadsom to over-egg her CV, run off at the mouth with the Times, accuse them of lying, then admit they'd been telling the truth.....thats some black ops.......
Theresa May deserves a personal apology from Leadsom for her unprompted remarks in that Times interview. Just add empathy to the list of qualities that Andrea Leadsom lacks.
So Leadsom has issued an "apology" along the lines of "there was nothing wrong with what I said but I'm sorry if Theresa May was offended by it".
In particular, she claims "I was pressed to say how my children had formed my views. I didn't want it to be used as an issue."
What she doesn't say, of course, is that that question was just a response to Leadsom herself having raised - unprompted - her family, including her children, when asked what was the main difference between her and Theresa May.
Politicians, of course, are not generally noted for either their honesty or their intelligence. But Leadsom manages to be outstanding in both her duplicity and her stupidity.
Agreed! It is incredible that her supporters are now trying to claim Leadsom is some how being bullied, smeared, and has become the victim of a dirty tricks campaign because the Times printed her own unprompted nasty motherhood dig at May! I suspect that the Leadsom campaign is going to lurch from one campaign tactical error to another until someone final says enough. The big problem for Leadsom's supporters is that they are not backing her so much as a suitable candidate and future PM, but instead her Brexit credentials to the point that they want to gloss over her clear inadequacies.
As Shaw wrote 'My country right or wrong' is as foolish as 'My mother drunk or sober'.
It will be interesting to learn how Leadsom actually apologised to May as she's vague on that....in her prayers perhaps?
I do hope TV interviewers explore with IDS how this 'black ops' exercise managed to get Leadsom to over-egg her CV, run off at the mouth with the Times, accuse them of lying, then admit they'd been telling the truth.....thats some black ops.......
Theresa May deserves a personal apology from Leadsom for her unprompted remarks in that Times interview. Just add empathy to the list of qualities that Andrea Leadsom lacks.
I know her supporters on here have decried it - but Leadsom could join May in signing the campaign pledge along the lines of 'look how much more grown up we women are than the men.....'
And she needs to get some of her 'supporters' on a tighter leash - from Bernard Jenkin to IDS their 'help' is proving distinctly unhelpful....
"Andrea Leadsom has reiterated the government’s stance on climate change policy following the outcome of the EU referendum, claiming the country remains committed to dealing with the issue. Speaking at an event in Westminster on 5 July, the energy minister and Conservative leadership hopeful said Brexit had not changed the government’s stance on the importance of lowering emissions in the context of the ‘energy trilemma’."
"Andrea Leadsom has reiterated the government’s stance on climate change policy following the outcome of the EU referendum, claiming the country remains committed to dealing with the issue. Speaking at an event in Westminster on 5 July, the energy minister and Conservative leadership hopeful said Brexit had not changed the government’s stance on the importance of lowering emissions in the context of the ‘energy trilemma’."
Theresa May has used the "not just the privileged few" line before, possibly at her campaign launch, so whether or not it is a sideswipe at Cameron, it is certainly intended.
On race and class, May could be channelling Michael Gove so it will be interesting to see if Gove is promoted come Autumn. Not just Gove though but Disraeli, for surely this is one-nation Toryism.
On corporate governance, is she taking ideas from Germany?
Anyway, it is good to see that Theresa May is making a positive pitch for the job, rather than just attacking (via proxies) Andrea Leadsom.
Paul Kirkby Amazing statistic that says so much about NATO. US spends more on military bands than some allies spend on defence https://t.co/S6QrHo4fa8
Luxembourg? Iceland? Surely more interesting is the UK's 50% loss of manufacturing jobs if you scroll down a bit. Or for May and Gove, the Dutch prison closures at the top.
Paul Kirkby Amazing statistic that says so much about NATO. US spends more on military bands than some allies spend on defence https://t.co/S6QrHo4fa8
Luxembourg? Iceland? Surely more interesting is the UK's 50% loss of manufacturing jobs if you scroll down a bit. Or for May and Gove, the Dutch prison closures at the top.
And in fairness, Estonia is meeting its 2% commitment.
Also interesting - Q1 2016 House Prices annual change:
London +15% Bristol +14% Birmingham +8% Manchester +6% Nottingham +5% Glasgow +3% Edinburgh -3% Aberdeen -11%
IT’S increasingly clear that Andrea Leadsom lacks the experience and temperament to be our next Prime Minister.
Mrs Leadsom should have spent the weekend reflecting on the purpose of her campaign after a bruising few days.
Instead, former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith was dispatched across the UK media to accuse the Conservative Party “establishment” of waging a “black ops” operation against Leadsom’s candidacy.
This is demonstrably absurd.
It’s not a smear to check if a candidate for the biggest job in the country has embellished her CV.
Nor is it underhand for a newspaper to print words spoken by their interviewee, even if they were meant without malice.
Comments
Night all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGscoaUWW2M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hU66W9H-Y7w&feature=youtu.be
Excepting the danger to millions if she became incapacitated in a crisis (will Putin wait?) , it is surely the compassionate choice to excuse her the burden?
If you have your head screwed on, you can avoid IHT and preserve your estate and ensure the LA picks up the tab for your care [currently about a 1 in 4 chance you might need it]
I hope...
Ignoring Corbyn's penchant for missing open goals, I don't see what good Labour tearing into the Tories would have done. Cameron and Osborne's reputations are already trashed. People weren't looking for told you so's, they were looking for some leadership and stability.
The best way Labour could have put the Tories to the sword would have been to have looked like a government in waiting, ready to clear up the mess. What a massive missed opportunity for Labour that they weren't in a position to offer that.
The Labour leader is elected by the party membership and should only be unelectable by them. If he is the prime minister at the time and enough Labour MPs express a lack of confidence in him as prime minister, and the Tories want him out too, then he loses his job as prime minister.
Like it or loathe it, Labour MPs have been elected on the Labour platform, and Labour is a political party. If a group of Labour MPs want to leave that party and form another one, they are perfectly entitled to. Unfortunately there wouldn't even have to be any by-elections. If their new party is the largest opposition party, then it would be able to choose the leader of the opposition according to its own rules.
The anti-Corbynite faction in the Labour party - the Trident lovers, as I call them, which is a much more apposite term than "Blairites" - want to have their cake and eat it. Their parliamentary leader is chosen by the party membership, and if they don't like it, let them leave the party. There are probably enough of them to form the main opposition party. The only reason the creeps haven't done it yet is because they haven't got the guts to risk their seats. Let's not talk about them as though they have principles.
Wanting to vote in favour of the Tory government signing £200 billion worth of contracts for weapons designed to destroy foreign cities isn't what I'd call a "principle".
Given that the renewal of Trident was party policy at the time of the last election, then surely the MPs elected on that platform are constrained to follow that policy as it was the one endorsed by the people who put them in power - the electorate...
For a lot of families this may be an even more compelling argument than future inheritance taxes for parents to give money to their kids now - or just spend it on something they really want.
(An alternative model might be to make the kids liable for their parents' care, a kind of filial piety law...)
If a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn can offer a better quality train at a discount to Virgin and make a profit, good for them. Who cares who the ultimate owner is.
Louise Mensch: a woman who didn't realise being an MP involved actual work, and went to live in Twitterland instead.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/progressivesecularhumanist/2014/01/buddhists-continue-to-slaughter-muslims-in-myanmar/
https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/full-text-of-the-banned-time-story-the-face-of-buddhist-terror/
They really don't understand the British do they? Comparing this referendum to others in Europe? Lol. Thank god we left.
As to whether they're actually buddhists, some would disagree that SGI is actually buddhist.
Key point.
"However, returning to the present day, it seems clear that Labour’s current system for choosing and removing leaders is not fit for purpose. Any future Labour Prime Minister will need to command the support of the PLP to govern effectively or indeed govern at all."
In particular, she claims "I was pressed to say how my children had formed my views. I didn't want it to be used as an issue."
What she doesn't say, of course, is that that question was just a response to Leadsom herself having raised - unprompted - her family, including her children, when asked what was the main difference between her and Theresa May.
Politicians, of course, are not generally noted for either their honesty or their intelligence. But Leadsom manages to be outstanding in both her duplicity and her stupidity.
I was encouraged to hear what you said.
I don't agree with Mensch's stance on Leadsom, but it is clear that she still misses UK politics.
It will be interesting to learn how Leadsom actually apologised to May as she's vague on that....in her prayers perhaps?
I do hope TV interviewers explore with IDS how this 'black ops' exercise managed to get Leadsom to over-egg her CV, run off at the mouth with the Times, accuse them of lying, then admit they'd been telling the truth.....thats some black ops.......
And she needs to get some of her 'supporters' on a tighter leash - from Bernard Jenkin to IDS their 'help' is proving distinctly unhelpful....
Speaking at an event in Westminster on 5 July, the energy minister and Conservative leadership hopeful said Brexit had not changed the government’s stance on the importance of lowering emissions in the context of the ‘energy trilemma’."
http://www.solarpowerportal.co.uk/news/leadsom_confirms_uk_commitment_to_climate_change_despite_brexit_vote
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/article-3683723/Theresa-May-vows-Conservatives-service-working-people.html
Amazing statistic that says so much about NATO. US spends more on military bands than some allies spend on defence https://t.co/S6QrHo4fa8
On race and class, May could be channelling Michael Gove so it will be interesting to see if Gove is promoted come Autumn. Not just Gove though but Disraeli, for surely this is one-nation Toryism.
On corporate governance, is she taking ideas from Germany?
Anyway, it is good to see that Theresa May is making a positive pitch for the job, rather than just attacking (via proxies) Andrea Leadsom.
Also interesting - Q1 2016 House Prices annual change:
London +15%
Bristol +14%
Birmingham +8%
Manchester +6%
Nottingham +5%
Glasgow +3%
Edinburgh -3%
Aberdeen -11%
IT’S increasingly clear that Andrea Leadsom lacks the experience and temperament to be our next Prime Minister.
Mrs Leadsom should have spent the weekend reflecting on the purpose of her campaign after a bruising few days.
Instead, former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith was dispatched across the UK media to accuse the Conservative Party “establishment” of waging a “black ops” operation against Leadsom’s candidacy.
This is demonstrably absurd.
It’s not a smear to check if a candidate for the biggest job in the country has embellished her CV.
Nor is it underhand for a newspaper to print words spoken by their interviewee, even if they were meant without malice.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/1423899/andrea-leadsoms-lost-her-head-tory-leadership-candidate-has-shown-shes-lacking-in-vital-qualities-that-make-a-prime-minister/