I'd like to see Chuka Ummuna challenge. He's got a very cool manner which would be a better contrast with May than Cooper.
I'd like to see him challenge too. There are obviously some skeletons in his closet so it'll be fun to see if they destroy him or if society has moved on enough.
If he's gay that'll be a nice contrast with Theresa.
But I am not kidding about Jess Phillips either. She is a fighter, and an outspoken street fighter at that, one who loathes Jezza but is hardly the polished Blairite. She could purge Momentum and tear lumps out of May in Parliament. She is quite close to HH so may well get the support of the sisterhood. Her book is well worth reading. I think she will keep her seat.
I'm afraid I don't, which is why I have ruled her out as the next leader.
Really? The Lib Dems are going nowhere and the Tories are surely far too far back even with a significant UKIP bounce. She looks pretty safe to me.
I think the West Midlands will be horrendous for Labour with unexpectedly high swings and some very high profile casualties including but not limited to Phillips. For example, Tom Watson is at real risk as well.
I agree the West Midlands will be bad for Labour but she is well placed because the threat is the Lib Dems, not the Tories. If the Lib Dems go up more than 5% I will be surprised and I wouldn't even rule out Hemmings slipping backwards without incumbency. I would expect the Tories to pick up more than half the UKIP vote from the last time but that is nowhere near enough. Her vote may well be down but I don't see anyone beating her.
As I recall Cooper is the one who emote about child refugees and asked one pithy question at PMQs. Her ministerial record was very poor. If she is the answer the party is in a bad way. Those thousands of left wing members will all still be there.
Jon Ashworth still available at 80, I see...
But if looking for a woman who can do a Kinnock on Militant, look no furtber than Jess Phillips.
A very interesting candidate, who outperforms the Labour average in recruiting voters in her Birmingham seat. The kind of seat Labour needs to win. Ambitious too, as evidenced by her "Westminster is worth a Brexit" decision.
Are you sure she had bookings? She seems quite busy at the moment and more into hillwalking than interrailing.
I don't see increased security threats being bad for the Tories, quite the opposite in fact. It brings home that Corbyn is deluded about his "friends" and not to be trusted on security matters.
What has happened to Dan Jarvis as next leader? At this point I would say all Labour candidates seem to start on a pretty blank slate as far as ministerial achievements go. So Jarvis at least has a good background - you could hardly accuse him of not being a patriot. I think he's so far come across as a little dull, which may not contrast enough with May, but I think he is by far the best fresh start for Labour to rebuild themselves as a national party of government.
Of course it's no revelation that the SCons are happy to soak up the racist bigot vote, but they've become too complacent about doing it openly. Douce Unionist folk don't want to open their breakfast newspaper to news of councillors' manhoods or loonballs calling for politicians to be taken out.
I think the people of the North East will be with dissident Skipper Buchan. Is it now illegal to criticize the partitionist occupation ?
Retired skipper. Now he just spends his days posting on FB about the gays, dem Muslamics and asking people to take out Sturgeon.
Are you sure she had bookings? She seems quite busy at the moment and more into hillwalking than interrailing.
I don't see increased security threats being bad for the Tories, quite the opposite in fact. It brings home that Corbyn is deluded about his "friends" and not to be trusted on security matters.
Quite. Last night some were positing 10-20 seat loss minimum.....
On topic, I agree with pretty much all that Mike's written, except that I'm not convinced that if push came to shove, Corbyn wouldn't stand down. He clearly doesn't like many aspects of the job and must know that he's woefully out of his depth, and that only loyalty to his supporters and his cause is sustaining him. If it became apparent that he couldn't win a third contest, why try?
Are you sure she had bookings? She seems quite busy at the moment and more into hillwalking than interrailing.
I don't see increased security threats being bad for the Tories, quite the opposite in fact. It brings home that Corbyn is deluded about his "friends" and not to be trusted on security matters.
We'll see. It might be irrelevant, or perhaps cause voters to ask if government proposals to weaken computer security are a good (easier to catch the bad guys) or a bad thing (easier to fall victim to hackers exploiting official government holes).
Just to add, I remember how traumatic the 1992 defeat was the for the party - and this coming one will be far worse. It was the memory of the defeat two years earlier that meant that Blair was able to win the 1994 leadership election so easily.
Why? Surely the big problem in 1992 was that as in 1970 (and indeed 2015) Labour didn't see it coming. They were convinced they were going to win or at least force a hung parliament (one of the more amusing moments of the 1992 election coverage is Gordon Brown saying that because the Tories had lost their overall majority they should resign immediately and let Labour take power even if Labour were second overall). They just had no idea of how unpopular they still were.
This time even the most stupid Corbynista must know they are in for the worst beating since Margaret d'Anjou turned her exhausted and outnumbered forces to face the rampaging Edward IV at Tewkesbury in 1471. They cannot believe that the apologist for terrorism is popular unless they are suffering from serious sight and hearing impediments.
Of course, the revelation that everyone can see how loathsome they are will be a trauma for people who genuinely believe they are decent, always right and normal. Whether it will jerk them to reality is a different question. But a trauma like 1992? Can't see it.
Re. your penultimate paragraph, self-awareness does not strike me as one of the most prominent qualities of the average Corbynista. 9 June will be the day everyone in the Party needs to wake up to reality.
The problem among many is not that they are unaware Labour's in for a beating, but they have their explanations and excuses ready. You've got the denialists who'll blame the 'MSM' or PLP who simply cannot believe people cannot see the evident truths of their revelation, but you've also got a more rational form of denial that won't go away with defeat. It's exemplified by some of the leftwing columnists who delighted at the manifesto - they'll argue that one more heave is necessary, that Brexit was unique to 2017 and helped the Tories, that the manifesto was the right message, wrong messenger, that someone like Clive Lewis could've won and that they'll eventually find the key that opens the door. But it neglects the fact that you can have too much of a good thing and that voters will stop believing you. You need to show restraint and prioritise as voters understand that extra billions spent on the NHS can't go somewhere else deserving.
That's the danger for Labour, that Corbyn the man gets blamed for being a well meaning incompetent and the deep assumptions and attitudes and the real problems with them that helped fuel his rise aren't challenged.
Shock Tory win from fourth is possible in Yardley. They look set to run Watson close in WBE as well. Remember, both these candidates masked major loss of core vote support to UKIP by picking up Liberal Democrat support. That could fade easily over the Brexit vote. But more pertinently, there seems to be unusually high direct switching in the West Midlands, which is why shocks appear possible.
But I am not kidding about Jess Phillips either. She is a fighter, and an outspoken street fighter at that, one who loathes Jezza but is hardly the polished Blairite. She could purge Momentum and tear lumps out of May in Parliament. She is quite close to HH so may well get the support of the sisterhood. Her book is well worth reading. I think she will keep her seat.
I'm afraid I don't, which is why I have ruled her out as the next leader.
She leads the Lib Dems 41/25%, with the Conservatives third. I can't see the Lib Dems or Conservatives pulling off the necessary swing.
Its clear that the leader of a party is entirely linked with its success. I grew tired of people on here saying UKIP wouldn't grow until Farage stood aside, how wrong they were. Like him or not Blair was popular and successful, May appeals to parts of the electorate that Cameron alienated.
Looking at the Labour list there is nobody remotely capable of leading the party to a majority
Of course it's no revelation that the SCons are happy to soak up the racist bigot vote, but they've become too complacent about doing it openly. Douce Unionist folk don't want to open their breakfast newspaper to news of councillors' manhoods or loonballs calling for politicians to be taken out.
I think the people of the North East will be with dissident Skipper Buchan. Is it now illegal to criticize the partitionist occupation ?
Retired skipper. Now he just spends his days posting on FB about the gays, dem Muslamics and asking people to take out Sturgeon.
Skipper Buchan is entitled to his opinions as is Sturgeon. It would be unwise to persecute him and turn him into a popular hero.
Of course it's no revelation that the SCons are happy to soak up the racist bigot vote, but they've become too complacent about doing it openly. Douce Unionist folk don't want to open their breakfast newspaper to news of councillors' manhoods or loonballs calling for politicians to be taken out.
I think the people of the North East will be with dissident Skipper Buchan. Is it now illegal to criticize the partitionist occupation ?
Retired skipper. Now he just spends his days posting on FB about the gays, dem Muslamics and asking people to take out Sturgeon.
Where I think they might get some traction is the £350m a week for the NHS "Brexit dividend"
How can Brexiteers avoid committing to spend that on NHS IT?
It's hardly unfair - we've just seen a large scale cyber attack that if reports are to be believed exploited a vulnerability in outdated Microsoft software that couldn't be patched. The opposition should be taking the government to task. It's not like this attack has come out of the blue - tech experts have written articles outlining similar scenarios for almost a decade.
Shock Tory win from fourth is possible in Yardley. They look set to run Watson close in WBE as well. Remember, both these candidates masked major loss of core vote support to UKIP by picking up Liberal Democrat support. That could fade easily over the Brexit vote. But more pertinently, there seems to be unusually high direct switching in the West Midlands, which is why shocks appear possible.
I have to go. Have a good weekend everyone.
I think the Tories will win a string of seats in the West Midlands, but they're too far back here.
I agree that those arguments will be aired, but they will be trumped by the reality of the fact that the Tories won by a landslide, and Corbyn will own that defeat.
I'd like to see Chuka Ummuna challenge. He's got a very cool manner which would be a better contrast with May than Cooper.
I'd like to see him challenge too. There are obviously some skeletons in his closet so it'll be fun to see if they destroy him or if society has moved on enough.
If he's gay that'll be a nice contrast with Theresa.
Where I think they might get some traction is the £350m a week for the NHS "Brexit dividend"
How can Brexiteers avoid committing to spend that on NHS IT?
NHS administration is stuck in the 20th century.
A bold government might just have the courage to take the administration away from the NHS and give the pen pushing and IT to organisations that will invest heavily in much better equipment and processes but with considerably fewer employees with lower staff and pension costs.
I also see examples of NHS 'organisation' where I live that would not last five minutes in any sensible company.
Are you sure she had bookings? She seems quite busy at the moment and more into hillwalking than interrailing.
I don't see increased security threats being bad for the Tories, quite the opposite in fact. It brings home that Corbyn is deluded about his "friends" and not to be trusted on security matters.
We'll see. It might be irrelevant, or perhaps cause voters to ask if government proposals to weaken computer security are a good (easier to catch the bad guys) or a bad thing (easier to fall victim to hackers exploiting official government holes).
If it had just been the NHS it might have been more of an issue. But this attack has hit systems world wide. There is an argument that head counting doctors and nurses in the NHS has resulted in other equally important aspects of the service being neglected including its software. But who is going to argue that too much money was spent on doctors?
A very interesting candidate, who outperforms the Labour average in recruiting voters in her Birmingham seat. The kind of seat Labour needs to win. Ambitious too, as evidenced by her "Westminster is worth a Brexit" decision.
Phillips would be outstanding. But a Labour party that would elect Phillips as leader would have voted for Stella Creasy as deputy leader. They didn't - they chose that old bruiser Watson instead - and since then the Labour electorate has gravitated still further towards Momentum.
I'm increasingly of the opinion that the most likely way out of this will be SDP2. Corbyn is immovable.
4) I agree with the good Dr @foxinsoxuk that Ashworth is the one to watch even at that price. He's loyal, acceptable to the left, doesn't raise antipathy on the right and the only major spokesman not to have made a total dog's dinner of his brief so far.
Ashworth has several points in his favour:
1) He is competent, and a consensus builder. A Brownite historically, but one of the few willing to work in the Shadow Cabinet. He knows the NEC, the rulebook, and unions well, so would have internal support for some of the internal party tasks. He wasn't in the last Labour government so is a clean skin.
2) He has a safe seat, and while a white male again, is at least a working class northern one. His backstory is interesting, and his campaigning for families of alcoholics shows him to be more than the party apparatchik parachuted into a safe seat that I had him down as.
But I am not kidding about Jess Phillips either. She is a fighter, and an outspoken street fighter at that, one who loathes Jezza but is hardly the polished Blairite. She could purge Momentum and tear lumps out of May in Parliament. She is quite close to HH so may well get the support of the sisterhood. Her book is well worth reading. I think she will keep her seat.
Do you really think Labour will choose an unapologetic misandrist as leader?
On topic, I agree with pretty much all that Mike's written, except that I'm not convinced that if push came to shove, Corbyn wouldn't stand down. He clearly doesn't like many aspects of the job and must know that he's woefully out of his depth, and that only loyalty to his supporters and his cause is sustaining him. If it became apparent that he couldn't win a third contest, why try?
You assume a clarity of vision on Corbyn's part when examining himself, which he doesn't have when examining anything else. Point two, the central metaphor of everything he has ever done is the fight: though cowards flinch and traitors sneer and so on, and a large proportion of his followers will revile him for ever as a sellout capitalist running-dog lackey if he tries to make an orderly exit. He has a huge dilemma in front of him.
But I am not kidding about Jess Phillips either. She is a fighter, and an outspoken street fighter at that, one who loathes Jezza but is hardly the polished Blairite. She could purge Momentum and tear lumps out of May in Parliament. She is quite close to HH so may well get the support of the sisterhood. Her book is well worth reading. I think she will keep her seat.
I'm afraid I don't, which is why I have ruled her out as the next leader.
Really? The Lib Dems are going nowhere and the Tories are surely far too far back even with a significant UKIP bounce. She looks pretty safe to me.
I think the West Midlands will be horrendous for Labour with unexpectedly high swings and some very high profile casualties including but not limited to Phillips. For example, Tom Watson is at real risk as well.
I agree the West Midlands will be bad for Labour but she is well placed because the threat is the Lib Dems, not the Tories. If the Lib Dems go up more than 5% I will be surprised and I wouldn't even rule out Hemmings slipping backwards without incumbency. I would expect the Tories to pick up more than half the UKIP vote from the last time but that is nowhere near enough. Her vote may well be down but I don't see anyone beating her.
Yardley could be a close three-way contest. I wouldn't put too much stock in UNS given the Lib Dem factor and for the Tories to win from fourth would be a massive achievement. That said, there's a big Ukip share to squeeze and a 14% swing isn't completely unrealistic.
If Labour was to ignore its grassroots and give it to Yvette, what then? Does the Party disintegrate? I'm not convinced the Corbynites will take their bat and ball home with them. I suspect the threat of deselections and more. It would be civil war. Not least with a leader who lost last time. Fair play to her if Cooper is prepared to have a go but it would be no picnic. And what will she stand for? A slightly nicer version of the Tories? Don't think that will cut it. Judging by my Facebook timeline the Corbynites are not going to go quietly......
Many of them do feel we're heading for a Tory landslide but they're utterly bewildered by it. How can people prefer 'nasty' Theresa May with her plan to destroy the NHS, bring back Fox Hunting and decry citizens of the world when Jeremy so obviously cares about everyone and has outlined plans to give everyone a better deal?
And is Bush being a little mischievous with the last line? Reminding us that last time Labour went with a coronation it was Gordon Brown. Cooper used to be called a Brownite of course as well.
Assuming Corbyn refused to go after June 8th, all the sensible Labour mps have to quickly for their own breakaway group.
For a start, the all know another 5 years like the last 2 is a living nightmare.
But with an instant breakaway they will be large enough a group to become the official opposition.
By doing this they get the Short money, LOTO and shadow chancellor salaries and positions on the important commons committees. More importantly the loony left don't get them.
Say Labour get 150 seats. Out of that there will be c30 or so Corbynites but 120 who need to do something.
Assuming Corbyn refused to go after June 8th, all the sensible Labour mps have to quickly for their own breakaway group.
For a start, the all know another 5 years like the last 2 is a living nightmare.
But with an instant breakaway they will be large enough a group to become the official opposition.
By doing this they get the Short money, LOTO and shadow chancellor salaries and positions on the important commons committees. More importantly the loony left don't get them.
Say Labour get 150 seats. Out of that there will be c30 or so Corbynites but 120 who need to do something.
To break away immediately AFTER an election? That would be tricky. They've stood on the manifesto.
4) I agree with the good Dr @foxinsoxuk that Ashworth is the one to watch even at that price. He's loyal, acceptable to the left, doesn't raise antipathy on the right and the only major spokesman not to have made a total dog's dinner of his brief so far.
Ashworth has several points in his favour:
1) He is competent, and a consensus builder. A Brownite historically, but one of the few willing to work in the Shadow Cabinet. He knows the NEC, the rulebook, and unions well, so would have internal support for some of the internal party tasks. He wasn't in the last Labour government so is a clean skin.
2) He has a safe seat, and while a white male again, is at least a working class northern one. His backstory is interesting, and his campaigning for families of alcoholics shows him to be more than the party apparatchik parachuted into a safe seat that I had him down as.
But I am not kidding about Jess Phillips either. She is a fighter, and an outspoken street fighter at that, one who loathes Jezza but is hardly the polished Blairite. She could purge Momentum and tear lumps out of May in Parliament. She is quite close to HH so may well get the support of the sisterhood. Her book is well worth reading. I think she will keep her seat.
Do you really think Labour will choose an unapologetic misandrist as leader?
Jess Phillips speaks for a lot of left wing women.
I'd don't think that she'd be a bad opposition leader although her record as a minister is mixed and perhaps looks adequate only in the rear view mirror.
However, I'd point to the phrase, "growing consensus" in the article. Perhaps this time it's different but I've always taken that to mean no consensus other than in the mind of the person which hopes to be the beneficiary of such consensus.
She is total and utter crap, as said before if she is the answer then labour is dead.
On topic, I agree with pretty much all that Mike's written, except that I'm not convinced that if push came to shove, Corbyn wouldn't stand down. He clearly doesn't like many aspects of the job and must know that he's woefully out of his depth, and that only loyalty to his supporters and his cause is sustaining him. If it became apparent that he couldn't win a third contest, why try?
You assume a clarity of vision on Corbyn's part when examining himself, which he doesn't have when examining anything else. Point two, the central metaphor of everything he has ever done is the fight: though cowards flinch and traitors sneer and so on, and a large proportion of his followers will revile him for ever as a sellout capitalist running-dog lackey if he tries to make an orderly exit. He has a huge dilemma in front of him.
It's more his friends I expect clarity of vision from. And on the 'sellout' question, I'm sure he'd phrase it as passing on the torch.
Of course it's no revelation that the SCons are happy to soak up the racist bigot vote, but they've become too complacent about doing it openly. Douce Unionist folk don't want to open their breakfast newspaper to news of councillors' manhoods or loonballs calling for politicians to be taken out.
I think the people of the North East will be with dissident Skipper Buchan. Is it now illegal to criticize the partitionist occupation ?
Dear Dear Tories now supporting nutjobs who advocate killing the FM and think it is acceptable. Is your moustache itchy Monica.
I'd don't think that she'd be a bad opposition leader although her record as a minister is mixed and perhaps looks adequate only in the rear view mirror.
However, I'd point to the phrase, "growing consensus" in the article. Perhaps this time it's different but I've always taken that to mean no consensus other than in the mind of the person which hopes to be the beneficiary of such consensus.
She is total and utter crap, as said before if she is the answer then labour is dead.
That was ( is ) your opinion of Ruth Davidson. So we can say your opinion is worthless.
Assuming Corbyn refused to go after June 8th, all the sensible Labour mps have to quickly for their own breakaway group.
For a start, the all know another 5 years like the last 2 is a living nightmare.
But with an instant breakaway they will be large enough a group to become the official opposition.
By doing this they get the Short money, LOTO and shadow chancellor salaries and positions on the important commons committees. More importantly the loony left don't get them.
Say Labour get 150 seats. Out of that there will be c30 or so Corbynites but 120 who need to do something.
Assuming Corbyn refused to go after June 8th, all the sensible Labour mps have to quickly for their own breakaway group.
For a start, the all know another 5 years like the last 2 is a living nightmare.
But with an instant breakaway they will be large enough a group to become the official opposition.
By doing this they get the Short money, LOTO and shadow chancellor salaries and positions on the important commons committees. More importantly the loony left don't get them.
Say Labour get 150 seats. Out of that there will be c30 or so Corbynites but 120 who need to do something.
To break away immediately AFTER an election? That would be tricky. They've stood on the manifesto.
Are you sure she had bookings? She seems quite busy at the moment and more into hillwalking than interrailing.
I don't see increased security threats being bad for the Tories, quite the opposite in fact. It brings home that Corbyn is deluded about his "friends" and not to be trusted on security matters.
We'll see. It might be irrelevant, or perhaps cause voters to ask if government proposals to weaken computer security are a good (easier to catch the bad guys) or a bad thing (easier to fall victim to hackers exploiting official government holes).
If it had just been the NHS it might have been more of an issue. But this attack has hit systems world wide. There is an argument that head counting doctors and nurses in the NHS has resulted in other equally important aspects of the service being neglected including its software. But who is going to argue that too much money was spent on doctors?
As I have pointed out before, the recruitment and retention problems in staffing are getting worse, with record numbers of GP vacancies:
Mr. MJW, from a purely neutral perspective, it'll be interesting to see how it plays with the public.
It might just entrench opinions: We need more spending/why did NHS trusts spend so much on diversity officers rather than IT?
It appears that NHS Wales is unaffected. Did they do their updates more carefully, or use non-Micro$oft systems?Or was it just luck?
Labour run NHS in Wales asked Dianne Abbott to encrypt their IT and it has so baffled the hackers they have paid her £400bn in ransom. Ms Abbott has allocated these funds to pay for as many as six new Met Police officers.
Benn would be the best replacement. However Labour are going to lose this election in part because of the one issue that they completely fail to address - economic competence, and Benn doesn't help much there in my view. So whoever they choose trying to find someone to work alongside the new leader that can introduce policies that are not just trying to identify deserving causes to raid the magic money tree for is of primary importance. (I'm not sure they have such people, but they should try to find them)
The next govt will surely be one for the Remoaners, and as such the next successful Labour will need the backing of the Cameroons and Blairites
Maybe George Osborne is a future Labour leader?
Someone that Osborne and his followers approve of should be I think, if they are to be successful.
The Cameroons and Blairites were never really Tories or Labour, they have much more in common with each other... at the moment they are homeless w May and Corbyn in charge
I reckon if Chuka was a Lib Dem, or rather was standing as a Lib Dem, he would be leader and they'd be getting 2010 levels of seats
On topic, I agree with pretty much all that Mike's written, except that I'm not convinced that if push came to shove, Corbyn wouldn't stand down. He clearly doesn't like many aspects of the job and must know that he's woefully out of his depth, and that only loyalty to his supporters and his cause is sustaining him. If it became apparent that he couldn't win a third contest, why try?
You assume a clarity of vision on Corbyn's part when examining himself, which he doesn't have when examining anything else. Point two, the central metaphor of everything he has ever done is the fight: though cowards flinch and traitors sneer and so on, and a large proportion of his followers will revile him for ever as a sellout capitalist running-dog lackey if he tries to make an orderly exit. He has a huge dilemma in front of him.
It's more his friends I expect clarity of vision from. And on the 'sellout' question, I'm sure he'd phrase it as passing on the torch.
That's some expectation, when "his friends" is Seumas Milne. But yes, the torch passing metaphor might have legs.
On topic, I agree with pretty much all that Mike's written, except that I'm not convinced that if push came to shove, Corbyn wouldn't stand down. He clearly doesn't like many aspects of the job and must know that he's woefully out of his depth, and that only loyalty to his supporters and his cause is sustaining him. If it became apparent that he couldn't win a third contest, why try?
You assume a clarity of vision on Corbyn's part when examining himself, which he doesn't have when examining anything else. Point two, the central metaphor of everything he has ever done is the fight: though cowards flinch and traitors sneer and so on, and a large proportion of his followers will revile him for ever as a sellout capitalist running-dog lackey if he tries to make an orderly exit. He has a huge dilemma in front of him.
It's more his friends I expect clarity of vision from. And on the 'sellout' question, I'm sure he'd phrase it as passing on the torch.
If Labour lose heavily, won't their members just conclude they weren't left wing enough, that Corbyn was forced to make too many compromises with his opponents?
I'd don't think that she'd be a bad opposition leader although her record as a minister is mixed and perhaps looks adequate only in the rear view mirror.
However, I'd point to the phrase, "growing consensus" in the article. Perhaps this time it's different but I've always taken that to mean no consensus other than in the mind of the person which hopes to be the beneficiary of such consensus.
She is total and utter crap, as said before if she is the answer then labour is dead.
That was ( is ) your opinion of Ruth Davidson. So we can say your opinion is worthless.
LOL, only morons think Ruth is anything other than a great empty barrel. She will run out of animals to pose on for the tame right wing media. Southern Tories are easy pleased.
Mr. MJW, from a purely neutral perspective, it'll be interesting to see how it plays with the public.
It might just entrench opinions: We need more spending/why did NHS trusts spend so much on diversity officers rather than IT?
It appears that NHS Wales is unaffected. Did they do their updates more carefully, or use non-Micro$oft systems?Or was it just luck?
Labour run NHS in Wales asked Dianne Abbott to encrypt their IT and it has so baffled the hackers they have paid her £400bn in ransom. Ms Abbott has allocated these funds to pay for as many as six new Met Police officers.
I'd don't think that she'd be a bad opposition leader although her record as a minister is mixed and perhaps looks adequate only in the rear view mirror.
However, I'd point to the phrase, "growing consensus" in the article. Perhaps this time it's different but I've always taken that to mean no consensus other than in the mind of the person which hopes to be the beneficiary of such consensus.
She is total and utter crap, as said before if she is the answer then labour is dead.
That was ( is ) your opinion of Ruth Davidson. So we can say your opinion is worthless.
LOL, only morons think Ruth is anything other than a great empty barrel. She will run out of animals to pose on for the tame right wing media. Southern Tories are easy pleased.
Increasing numbers of Scots think that Ruth is great.
I'd don't think that she'd be a bad opposition leader although her record as a minister is mixed and perhaps looks adequate only in the rear view mirror.
However, I'd point to the phrase, "growing consensus" in the article. Perhaps this time it's different but I've always taken that to mean no consensus other than in the mind of the person which hopes to be the beneficiary of such consensus.
She is total and utter crap, as said before if she is the answer then labour is dead.
That was ( is ) your opinion of Ruth Davidson. So we can say your opinion is worthless.
LOL, only morons think Ruth is anything other than a great empty barrel. She will run out of animals to pose on for the tame right wing media. Southern Tories are easy pleased.
How many seats do the non-morons think is beyond the great empty barrel?
LOL, only morons think Ruth is anything other than a great empty barrel. She will run out of animals to pose on for the tame right wing media. Southern Tories are easy pleased.
In you more reflective moments as you gaze across the hallowed crops of revered turnips, what's your considered assessment for each party MP strength from Scotland after 8th June?
Just to add, I remember how traumatic the 1992 defeat was the for the party - and this coming one will be far worse. It was the memory of the defeat two years earlier that meant that Blair was able to win the 1994 leadership election so easily.
Why? Surely the big problem in 1992 was that as in 1970 (and indeed 2015) Labour didn't see it coming. They were convinced they were going to win or at least force a hung parliament (one of the more amusing moments of the 1992 election coverage is Gordon Brown saying that because the Tories had lost their overall majority they should resign immediately and let Labour take power even if Labour were second overall). They just had no idea of how unpopular they still were.
This time even the most stupid Corbynista must know they are in for the worst beating since Margaret d'Anjou turned her exhausted and outnumbered forces to face the rampaging Edward IV at Tewkesbury in 1471. They cannot believe that the apologist for terrorism is popular unless they are suffering from serious sight and hearing impediments.
Of course, the revelation that everyone can see how loathsome they are will be a trauma for people who genuinely believe they are decent, always right and normal. Whether it will jerk them to reality is a different question. But a trauma like 1992? Can't see it.
Re. your penultimate paragraph, self-awareness does not strike me as one of the most prominent qualities of the average Corbynista. 9 June will be the day everyone in the Party needs to wake up to reality.
Yes, but there are reasons. Although many Corbynites do indeed have huge awareness issues, that comes from the fact that so many of them are keyboard warriors caught up in their own echo chamber. Those doing the canvassing, if reports are right, are still dominated by the pre-2015 membership and - at least in my area - they know full well the scale of their unpopularity.
Yep.
The level of delusion among Corbynistas is unbelievable. They can't understand how anyone could dislike or even be critical of Corbyn. I notice they NEVER acknowledge his controversial comments/associations, it's like they pretend it never happened and Jeremy is just a nice, kind man being bullied by the 'EVIL' Tory media. They see themselves as independent thinkers who haven't brought into the media 'lies.' They believe the BBC is some kind of right-wing organisation.
A very interesting candidate, who outperforms the Labour average in recruiting voters in her Birmingham seat. The kind of seat Labour needs to win. Ambitious too, as evidenced by her "Westminster is worth a Brexit" decision.
Phillips would be outstanding. But a Labour party that would elect Phillips as leader would have voted for Stella Creasy as deputy leader. They didn't - they chose that old bruiser Watson instead - and since then the Labour electorate has gravitated still further towards Momentum.
I'm increasingly of the opinion that the most likely way out of this will be SDP2. Corbyn is immovable.
The other reason why I think Jess Philips could work is that I think she could appeal to the internet activists that signed up for Corbyn. I think these voted for the idea of Corbyn rather than as partisans of his type of politics. Philips could make a pitch as a charismatic anti establishment figure that would be more attractive to the membership than Momentum stooge #2. The question is how much support she would get from the PLP and the unions.
There are some parallels with Nicola Sturgeon, who was also an aggressive (since toned down) feminist.
On topic, I agree with pretty much all that Mike's written, except that I'm not convinced that if push came to shove, Corbyn wouldn't stand down. He clearly doesn't like many aspects of the job and must know that he's woefully out of his depth, and that only loyalty to his supporters and his cause is sustaining him. If it became apparent that he couldn't win a third contest, why try?
You assume a clarity of vision on Corbyn's part when examining himself, which he doesn't have when examining anything else. Point two, the central metaphor of everything he has ever done is the fight: though cowards flinch and traitors sneer and so on, and a large proportion of his followers will revile him for ever as a sellout capitalist running-dog lackey if he tries to make an orderly exit. He has a huge dilemma in front of him.
It's more his friends I expect clarity of vision from. And on the 'sellout' question, I'm sure he'd phrase it as passing on the torch.
Pass it on to whom? If there is clear intent by Labour MPs to have a coronation the grassroots will expect Corbyn to fight on.
I agree that those arguments will be aired, but they will be trumped by the reality of the fact that the Tories won by a landslide, and Corbyn will own that defeat.
Those on Twitter will blame voters and pull the same stunts they did two years ago when Ed Miliband lost. These fools NEVER learn.
LOL, only morons think Ruth is anything other than a great empty barrel. She will run out of animals to pose on for the tame right wing media. Southern Tories are easy pleased.
In you more reflective moments as you gaze across the hallowed crops of revered turnips, what's your considered assessment for each party MP strength from Scotland after 8th June?
The level of delusion among Corbynistas is unbelievable. They can't understand how anyone could dislike or even be critical of Corbyn. I notice they NEVER acknowledge his controversial comments/associations, it's like they pretend it never happened and Jeremy is just a nice, kind man being bullied by the 'EVIL' Tory media. They see themselves as independent thinkers who haven't brought into the media 'lies.' They believe the BBC is some kind of right-wing organisation.
It goes on and on.
Kevin Maguire claims Corbyn's historical support of the IRA is a smear
I'd don't think that she'd be a bad opposition leader although her record as a minister is mixed and perhaps looks adequate only in the rear view mirror.
However, I'd point to the phrase, "growing consensus" in the article. Perhaps this time it's different but I've always taken that to mean no consensus other than in the mind of the person which hopes to be the beneficiary of such consensus.
She is total and utter crap, as said before if she is the answer then labour is dead.
That was ( is ) your opinion of Ruth Davidson. So we can say your opinion is worthless.
LOL, only morons think Ruth is anything other than a great empty barrel. She will run out of animals to pose on for the tame right wing media. Southern Tories are easy pleased.
LOL, only morons think Ruth is anything other than a great empty barrel. She will run out of animals to pose on for the tame right wing media. Southern Tories are easy pleased.
In you more reflective moments as you gaze across the hallowed crops of revered turnips, what's your considered assessment for each party MP strength from Scotland after 8th June?
Conservative 45, Lib Dem 4, Labour 3, SNP 7
I think @malcolmg has sent you a case of Chateau Mouton Roth-Turnip and you've polished off the lot overnight ....
I agree that those arguments will be aired, but they will be trumped by the reality of the fact that the Tories won by a landslide, and Corbyn will own that defeat.
Those on Twitter will blame voters and pull the same stunts they did two years ago when Ed Miliband lost. These fools NEVER learn.
I don't think they'll blame voters as such. But they'll certainly blame the media except for Channel 4. The BBC is certainly not exempt from this. I think they basically regard the voters as lemmings.
The level of delusion among Corbynistas is unbelievable. They can't understand how anyone could dislike or even be critical of Corbyn. I notice they NEVER acknowledge his controversial comments/associations, it's like they pretend it never happened and Jeremy is just a nice, kind man being bullied by the 'EVIL' Tory media. They see themselves as independent thinkers who haven't brought into the media 'lies.' They believe the BBC is some kind of right-wing organisation.
It goes on and on.
Kevin Maguire claims Corbyn's historical support of the IRA is a smear
LOL I always say that Corbyn and Trump supporters have a lot in common. Both groups have a ridiculous cult-like devotion to their leaders which means they feel they challenge facts.
The most DELUSIONAL Corbynite by far is Paul Mason. My God.
If it had just been the NHS it might have been more of an issue. But this attack has hit systems world wide. There is an argument that head counting doctors and nurses in the NHS has resulted in other equally important aspects of the service being neglected including its software. But who is going to argue that too much money was spent on doctors?
I think Microsoft will see some serious reputational damage. While their support policy is logical on its own terms, ultimately it was their product and they failed to ensure basic protection for it.
I reckon this to be a bigger problem than funding.
8% - equivalent to about c.5m people as a proportion of our population.
So, on these staff numbers and whilst making zero efficiencies, we would be fully staffed on a population of 60-61m?
12% for GPs.
About 1/3 of British doctors are immigrants, if that is what you are getting at. It is not the problem though, as in 2010 only 2% of GP posts were vacant. The problem is failure to retain trained staff.
I reckon this to be a bigger problem than funding.
8% - equivalent to about c.5m people as a proportion of our population.
So, on these staff numbers and whilst making zero efficiencies, we would be fully staffed on a population of 60-61m?
You are Diane Abbott and I claim my £5.
"Dr Stokes-Lampard added: “Workload in general practice is escalating — it has increased 16 per cent over the last seven years according to the latest research "
The population has risen by 3m over the same period.
LOL, only morons think Ruth is anything other than a great empty barrel. She will run out of animals to pose on for the tame right wing media. Southern Tories are easy pleased.
In you more reflective moments as you gaze across the hallowed crops of revered turnips, what's your considered assessment for each party MP strength from Scotland after 8th June?
Conservative 45, Lib Dem 4, Labour 3, SNP 7
I think @malcolmg has sent you a case of Chateau Mouton Roth-Turnip and you've polished off the lot overnight ....
Joking aside, my best guess would be Con 10, Lib Dem 3, Labour 2, SNP 44.
I agree that those arguments will be aired, but they will be trumped by the reality of the fact that the Tories won by a landslide, and Corbyn will own that defeat.
Those on Twitter will blame voters and pull the same stunts they did two years ago when Ed Miliband lost. These fools NEVER learn.
I don't think they'll blame voters as such. But they'll certainly blame the media except for Channel 4. The BBC is certainly not exempt from this. I think they basically regard the voters as lemmings.
I've seen them go in on voters, believe me they consider anyone who doesn't think Jeremy's the best thing ever, a total idiot.
Their attitude to the BBC is beyond belief. They need to understand that in GEs that leaders must have leadership skills if they're going to win. Coming across as a nice man doesn't mean anything.
Are you sure she had bookings? She seems quite busy at the moment and more into hillwalking than interrailing.
I don't see increased security threats being bad for the Tories, quite the opposite in fact. It brings home that Corbyn is deluded about his "friends" and not to be trusted on security matters.
We'll see. It might be irrelevant, or perhaps cause voters to ask if government proposals to weaken computer security are a good (easier to catch the bad guys) or a bad thing (easier to fall victim to hackers exploiting official government holes).
If it had just been the NHS it might have been more of an issue. But this attack has hit systems world wide. There is an argument that head counting doctors and nurses in the NHS has resulted in other equally important aspects of the service being neglected including its software. But who is going to argue that too much money was spent on doctors?
As I have pointed out before, the recruitment and retention problems in staffing are getting worse, with record numbers of GP vacancies:
Mr. Owl, weren't Welshmen used to man telephones in WWII, because the Germans couldn't understand a word of what they were saying?
Was certainly used during peacekeeping in Bosnia, as all communications had to be in "clear". Which a Welsh regiment duly complied with, though not many Bosnian Serbs had the faintest of course what was being said. (source Cardiff Castle exhibition).
The level of delusion among Corbynistas is unbelievable. They can't understand how anyone could dislike or even be critical of Corbyn. I notice they NEVER acknowledge his controversial comments/associations, it's like they pretend it never happened and Jeremy is just a nice, kind man being bullied by the 'EVIL' Tory media. They see themselves as independent thinkers who haven't brought into the media 'lies.' They believe the BBC is some kind of right-wing organisation.
It goes on and on.
Kevin Maguire claims Corbyn's historical support of the IRA is a smear
LOL I always say that Corbyn and Trump supporters have a lot in common. Both groups have a ridiculous cult-like devotion to their leaders which means they feel they challenge facts.
The most DELUSIONAL Corbynite by far is Paul Mason. My God.
I reckon this to be a bigger problem than funding.
8% - equivalent to about c.5m people as a proportion of our population.
So, on these staff numbers and whilst making zero efficiencies, we would be fully staffed on a population of 60-61m?
12% for GPs.
About 1/3 of British doctors are immigrants, if that is what you are getting at. It is not the problem though, as in 2010 only 2% of GP posts were vacant. The problem is failure to retain trained staff.
We can't keep complaining about resource problems when we are letting in 300k people a year with no sensible filter on who is being allowed in.
If it had just been the NHS it might have been more of an issue. But this attack has hit systems world wide. There is an argument that head counting doctors and nurses in the NHS has resulted in other equally important aspects of the service being neglected including its software. But who is going to argue that too much money was spent on doctors?
I think Microsoft will see some serious reputational damage. While their support policy is logical on its own terms, ultimately it was their product and they failed to ensure basic protection for it.
Microsoft issued a patch for this back in March. They said at time updating the software with new fix was "critical"
The level of delusion among Corbynistas is unbelievable. They can't understand how anyone could dislike or even be critical of Corbyn. I notice they NEVER acknowledge his controversial comments/associations, it's like they pretend it never happened and Jeremy is just a nice, kind man being bullied by the 'EVIL' Tory media. They see themselves as independent thinkers who haven't brought into the media 'lies.' They believe the BBC is some kind of right-wing organisation.
It goes on and on.
Kevin Maguire claims Corbyn's historical support of the IRA is a smear
LOL I always say that Corbyn and Trump supporters have a lot in common. Both groups have a ridiculous cult-like devotion to their leaders which means they feel they challenge facts.
The most DELUSIONAL Corbynite by far is Paul Mason. My God.
Not Eoin Clarke?
I've heard of him on here, but I've never seen him on TV or checked his twitter. I'll look now.
Are you sure she had bookings? She seems quite busy at the moment and more into hillwalking than interrailing.
I don't see increased security threats being bad for the Tories, quite the opposite in fact. It brings home that Corbyn is deluded about his "friends" and not to be trusted on security matters.
We'll see. It might be irrelevant, or perhaps cause voters to ask if government proposals to weaken computer security are a good (easier to catch the bad guys) or a bad thing (easier to fall victim to hackers exploiting official government holes).
If it had just been the NHS it might have been more of an issue. But this attack has hit systems world wide. There is an argument that head counting doctors and nurses in the NHS has resulted in other equally important aspects of the service being neglected including its software. But who is going to argue that too much money was spent on doctors?
As I have pointed out before, the recruitment and retention problems in staffing are getting worse, with record numbers of GP vacancies:
If it had just been the NHS it might have been more of an issue. But this attack has hit systems world wide. There is an argument that head counting doctors and nurses in the NHS has resulted in other equally important aspects of the service being neglected including its software. But who is going to argue that too much money was spent on doctors?
I think Microsoft will see some serious reputational damage. While their support policy is logical on its own terms, ultimately it was their product and they failed to ensure basic protection for it.
Microsoft issued a patch for this back in March. They said at time updating the software with new fix was "critical"
As I say, their support policy is logical. However, Windows is no longer the must-have product. This incident will give people a good reason to go for something else than Windows.
Comments
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/chuka-umunna-couldnt-be-happier-as-he-reveals-his-wife-is-pregnant-with-first-child-a3410591.html
Off topic, if we had a traffic-light coalition, would Amber Rudd be PM?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2017-39905552
I don't see increased security threats being bad for the Tories, quite the opposite in fact. It brings home that Corbyn is deluded about his "friends" and not to be trusted on security matters.
Now he just spends his days posting on FB about the gays, dem Muslamics and asking people to take out Sturgeon.
https://twitter.com/jonashworth/status/863296588973830144
Where I think they might get some traction is the £350m a week for the NHS "Brexit dividend"
How can Brexiteers avoid committing to spend that on NHS IT?
That's the danger for Labour, that Corbyn the man gets blamed for being a well meaning incompetent and the deep assumptions and attitudes and the real problems with them that helped fuel his rise aren't challenged.
https://twitter.com/paulhutcheon/status/863299289480658944
I have to go. Have a good weekend everyone.
Looking at the Labour list there is nobody remotely capable of leading the party to a majority
I agree that those arguments will be aired, but they will be trumped by the reality of the fact that the Tories won by a landslide, and Corbyn will own that defeat.
MPs under Police Investigation
Oil revenues
Education outcomes
Feck it FLAGS!!!!
A bold government might just have the courage to take the administration away from the NHS and give the pen pushing and IT to organisations that will invest heavily in much better equipment and processes but with considerably fewer employees with lower staff and pension costs.
I also see examples of NHS 'organisation' where I live that would not last five minutes in any sensible company.
It might just entrench opinions: We need more spending/why did NHS trusts spend so much on diversity officers rather than IT?
Apologies if this has been answered already.
I'm increasingly of the opinion that the most likely way out of this will be SDP2. Corbyn is immovable.
Many of them do feel we're heading for a Tory landslide but they're utterly bewildered by it. How can people prefer 'nasty' Theresa May with her plan to destroy the NHS, bring back Fox Hunting and decry citizens of the world when Jeremy so obviously cares about everyone and has outlined plans to give everyone a better deal?
And is Bush being a little mischievous with the last line? Reminding us that last time Labour went with a coronation it was Gordon Brown. Cooper used to be called a Brownite of course as well.
For a start, the all know another 5 years like the last 2 is a living nightmare.
But with an instant breakaway they will be large enough a group to become the official opposition.
By doing this they get the Short money, LOTO and shadow chancellor salaries and positions on the important commons committees. More importantly the loony left don't get them.
Say Labour get 150 seats. Out of that there will be c30 or so Corbynites but 120 who need to do something.
None of which seems to have done May any harm.
...appeal to the centre ground.
The next govt will surely be one for the Remoaners, and as such the next successful Labour will need the backing of the Cameroons and Blairites
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/patients-wait-longer-as-gp-jobs-lie-vacant-cw88dshc7?shareToken=74a63508f3ea258d07901827bc4c5440
Hospital specialities too:
https://twitter.com/DrGrumble/status/862919041001938945
I reckon this to be a bigger problem than funding.
Bargain .....
The Cameroons and Blairites were never really Tories or Labour, they have much more in common with each other... at the moment they are homeless w May and Corbyn in charge
I reckon if Chuka was a Lib Dem, or rather was standing as a Lib Dem, he would be leader and they'd be getting 2010 levels of seats
So, on these staff numbers and whilst making zero efficiencies, we would be fully staffed on a population of 60-61m?
The level of delusion among Corbynistas is unbelievable. They can't understand how anyone could dislike or even be critical of Corbyn. I notice they NEVER acknowledge his controversial comments/associations, it's like they pretend it never happened and Jeremy is just a nice, kind man being bullied by the 'EVIL' Tory media. They see themselves as independent thinkers who haven't brought into the media 'lies.' They believe the BBC is some kind of right-wing organisation.
It goes on and on.
This is why the Welsh NHS hasn't been effected.
There are some parallels with Nicola Sturgeon, who was also an aggressive (since toned down) feminist.
Might add some pickled Sturgeon
The most DELUSIONAL Corbynite by far is Paul Mason. My God.
About 1/3 of British doctors are immigrants, if that is what you are getting at. It is not the problem though, as in 2010 only 2% of GP posts were vacant. The problem is failure to retain trained staff.
The population has risen by 3m over the same period.
Their attitude to the BBC is beyond belief. They need to understand that in GEs that leaders must have leadership skills if they're going to win. Coming across as a nice man doesn't mean anything.
It includes the instruction to call the helpdesk...
...which is open Monday to Friday.
Thought the March patch Microsoft released was for Office and not Windows to rectify this.
https://securelist.com/blog/incidents/78351/wannacry-ransomware-used-in-widespread-attacks-all-over-the-world/