Next UK Labour Leader

[AMMjag]

Dorlomin

Labour types are just desperate to believe that Scotland is some kind of hotbed of exclusive nationalism and anti-Englishness: it gives them some kind of cheap rationale for a humiliating failure that they can neither explain nor come to terms with.

[Antlion]

Dorlomin

Labour types are just desperate to believe that Scotland is some kind of hotbed of exclusive nationalism and anti-Englishness: it gives them some kind of cheap rationale for a humiliating failure that they can neither explain nor come to terms with.

It also allows them to live with their own ardent desire that Scotland remain a region of the British state with its governments chosen outside Scotland. Simply pretending that a desire to become a sovereign state is "anti English" means not have to acknowledge one's own servility.

It doesn't occur to them that, for example, the UK not wishing to become a region of France with a sovereign parliament in Paris, chosen by the French electorate, does not equate to being "anti French."

[Bishop Briggs]

Dorlomin

Labour types are just desperate to believe that Scotland is some kind of hotbed of exclusive nationalism and anti-Englishness: it gives them some kind of cheap rationale for a humiliating failure that they can neither explain nor come to terms with.

 

There are "types" on here who are just desperate to believe that most of England is a some kind of hotbed of Little Englandism and xenophobic anti-europeanism.

[jmothecat]

I'm Scottish but I love England and English people, particularly the people in God's own country of Yorkshire. I find it really frustrating that people think Scots hate the English.

Though it does remind me of celebrity Dons fan Willie's take:

[AMMjag]

And you've also reminded me of the time you said Scotland had become Northern Ireland, after your party's routing in May. You're fooling no one.

[HTG]

I'm Scottish but I love England and English people, particularly the people in God's own country of Yorkshire. I find it really frustrating that people think Scots hate the English.

Though it does remind me of celebrity Dons fan Willie's take:

I have a great number of friends in Yorkshire. I'll not have anyone accusing me of being anti English. Absolute fact that Blair persuaded tories to vote for him by selling a lot of Labour principles down the river. As soon as the tories got their shit together Labour lost the soft tory vote. Now labour stands for f**k all and it shows. They're finished. Shame for those who support them in England like a lot of my mates because they have nowhere to turn.

[AMMjag]

There are "types" on here who are just desperate to believe that most of England is a some kind of hotbed of Little Englandism and xenophobic anti-europeanism.

From perma-raging Confidemus types, sure; but not as part of actual SNP discourse.

Compare and contrast with the 'blame everyone else', 'Scotland lost to nationalism' victim mentality inherent in Labour:

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2015/09/we-live-volatile-age-post-truth-politics-and-so-brexit-cannot-be-ruled-out

[Benjamin_Nevis]

Tbf I think Dorlomin is getting this year's election meltdown in early.

I doubt it can top last May's tiny tears hilarity though.

[Antlion]

England is an awesome country with a fascinating history, a wonderful cultural heritage and millions of great people. But there's no particular reason its electorate should choose Scotland's sovereign governments.

[Fide]

I'm Scottish but I love England and English people, particularly the people in God's own country of Yorkshire. I find it really frustrating that people think Scots hate the English.

Though it does remind me of celebrity Dons fan Willie's take:

 

Me too.  My mum and half my family are English.  A great bunch of lads.

[mjw]

Tbf I think Dorlomin is getting this year's election meltdown in early.

I doubt it can top last May's tiny tears hilarity though.

Hopefully all his pals down south didn't lose their jobs because of us not voting the way he wanted.

[Benjamin_Nevis]

Hopefully all his pals down south didn't lose their jobs because of us not voting the way he wanted.

That was a belter. If I could be arsed I'd repost the meltdown but we'll see it again in a few weeks anyway.

[Fide]

Oh, Labour

 

The IndependentVerified account â€@Independent 3h3 hours ago

Labour is going to abstain in a vote on the Government's new spying powers http://ind.pn/1SMkEA8  pic.twitter.com/qXlI3idQZJ

 

[Wee Willie]

Surely the next UK Labour Leader will be an  ersatz Tory.

 

[Fide]

 

Surely the next UK Labour Leader will be an  ers.

 

FTFY

[Wee Willie]

FTFY

:lol: It goes withoot sayin' :lol:

[Kyle]

That was a belter. If I could be arsed I'd repost the meltdown but we'll see it again in a few weeks anyway.

 

Those are absolutely glorious

 

 

Every time the SNP hype their role in a hung parliament they are deliberately trying to lose Labour votes in English marginals. They are a bunch of hypocritical back stabbing scum.

 

They want the tories to gain seats in England. 

 

They have no interest but their petty little power trip north of the border. 

 

This will not bother nats, in fact this will thrill them. Nothing would make them happier than throwing the English working class into the clutches of their tory mates. 

 

 

Ooft.

 

 

A fantastic example of the petty parochialism of nationalism. 

 

The kind of scum who look out for themselves irrespective of the consequence on others. Its one thing to want an independent nation. Its another to deliberately play up to the far right press to bring in a far right government to get it. 

 

I have a lot of mates down here on minimum wage and zero hours contracts, the SNP rats policy of deliberately stoking fears in the English marginals will help make their lives tougher.

 

You are vermin who think you are saints. 

 

oooooft.

 

 

I dont care who you are going to vote for. 

What I commented on and no one seems capable of defending is the constant drum beat from the SNP of how they are going to be bossing things post election, knowing full well that this will have a minimal impact of how things turn out in Scotland yet plays straight into the hands of the right wing press. 

 

The deification of the SNP has become deeply unhealthy. "Hear no evil, see no evil." It is into the realms of associating an attack on them with an attack on Scottishness. 

 

They have tacked to the left of Labour because their are votes there, not because they have any deep commitment to left of center politics. 

 

Nationalism has become a hysteria driven band wagon. Totally lacking any smidgen of critical self analysis. On the plus side that kind of politics almost always self implodes.

 

:o

 

Breakdown... imminent.

 

 

Because that is not the message being played on repeat for the last week in England. 

 

Its the SNP are going to be running things and spending like there is no tomorrow. The Tories pulled an unbelievable figure of £8 billion a year extra spending on the NHS. Labour were using this as a stick to beat them as "uncosted spending" then the SNP pulled £9 billion on the NHS and various other spending commitments. They constantly talk up how they will run things down here, how much they will spend with only superficial interest in where the money will come from and now Salmond starts joking about writing the budget. 

 

The SNP could be focussing on Scottish issue beating Scottish Labour into a pulp. Instead they just "seem" to keep playing up to the SNP bogey man image in the South. 

 

An image that is the Tories no 1 selling point. 

 

Just when the whole "Miliband is unelectable" was collapsing they have a whole new story. One Labour can do nothing about. 

 

And all our little cybernat friends pretend that this is unconnected with the loss of power the SNP will have if the Lab\Lib\SDLP block becomes viable. Because the SNP are soooooooo above politics. They have 60 years of being to the left of Labour or something. 

 

 

 

 

[Kyle]

Couple more for good measure;

 

 

You need 326 seats in your block to be able to carry confidence motions (and other legislation) in the Commons. Given the Libs might get 25 ish and the SDLP 2, so a Lab\LD\SDLP block would be viable with Labour getting near 304/5ish seats. Why does this explain Boss Nass boasting he would be writing the budget (which all the neo nationalists immediately declared "only a joke" and yet gets a high billing in English press)?If the Lab\Lib\SDLP block is viable, then either the SNP would have to offer a better deal or they would get locked out. 

 

So the SNP and Conservative keep playing their little double game of pretending to hate each other while needing each other. Scumbags like Sturgeon and Boss Nass make ludicrous comments like the manifesto of eternal spending and the Tories use this in the English marginals.

 

Off course this is all ludicrous because Cameron would not be laughing at not tweeting Boss Nass's fantasies....

https://twitter.com/...851033753985025

 

Con\SNP. W&nkers. 

 

If hysterical ranting wont work, then claiming its your baw and you're going home might.

 

 

Thank you SNP for running your big mouth off about running England.

 

You knew what you were doing and now will get the result you wanted.

[Wee Willie]

Thanks Kyle, I'd never read these rantings.

 

They have no interest but their petty little power trip north of the border. 

An SNP only concerned with Scotland.

Who’d a thought?

 

A fantastic example of the petty parochialism of nationalism.

Whit does that even mean?

 

Nationalism has become a hysteria driven band wagon.

Totally lacking any smidgen of critical self analysis.

 On the plus side that kind of politics almost always self implodes.

Aye, right.

 

The SNP could be focussing on Scottish issue beating Scottish Labour into a pulp.

How did that go again?

 

If the Lab\Lib\SDLP block is viable, then either the SNP would have to offer a better deal or they would get locked out. 

Whit happened there again?

 

Thank you SNP for running your big mouth off about running England.

 You knew what you were doing and now will get the result you wanted.

Aye, a huge fucking majority in Scotland

[invergowrie arab]

Mind Tony Blair?





A hatchet job so lethal, you almost feel sympathy for Blair: Review of Broken Vows by Tom Bower



Iain Macwhirter, Political Editor / Sunday 13 March 2016 / Arts & Ents

Published Sunday 13 March 2016 / Arts & Ents

1 comment



TONY Blair used to complain about the “feral beasts†in the tabloid press. Now, he’d be forgiven for complaining about feral historians, if this first full-scale political biography is to be taken as a benchmark. Tom Bower paints a picture of an intellectually and morally deficient politician with little grasp of statecraft who was obsessed by personal enrichment.

He all but accuses Blair of using his charitable works as a front for his financial dealings, often with dictators like Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan. His account of Tony Blair’s relationship with Rupert Murdoch’s wife, Wendy Deng, is eye-popping and must have given Faber’s libel lawyers a run for their money.

The picture is so dire, indeed, that you almost find yourself sympathising with the former Labour prime minister. He couldn’t have been that bad could he? What about the investment in the health service, the national minimum wage, the Human Rights Act, freedom of information, the Northern Ireland peace process, devolution?



But as Bower tells it, Blair either regretted these achievements – he quotes the former PM as saying that the Freedom of Information Act was his “stupidest and most naive†measure – or simply failed. The English health service was left a mess, despite Labour tripling its budget. Similar investment in education, Bower claims, delivered no increase in standards.

Bower also accuses Tony Blair of irresponsibly sponsoring mass immigration for purposes of social engineering. If this all sounds a bit like the Daily Mail, that’s not surprising. This book has been serialised therein and Bower writes very much in the style of that particular tabloid. It reads like character assassination rather than scholarship.

Nor is there any attempt to give a balanced appraisal of those who served under Tony Blair. The late Labour foreign secretary, Robin Cook, is described as “a snakeâ€. Gordon Brown is a “resentful Scot†with “psychological flaws†and “tormented relationships with womenâ€.

Other members of the New Labour circle get similar rough treatment. The former Trade and Industry Secretary was over-promoted, “resentful†and “misled parliament over Railtrackâ€. Charles Clarke, the Home Secretary, was “boorishâ€, David Blunket a “bullyâ€.

Tom Bower insists that he is a Labour voter himself and that he even supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Though he now presents the war as a disaster based on Blair’s incompetence and vanity. He wanted to “save the world†by engaging in military adventures that employed “force for goodâ€. Quoting interviews with civil servants and senior military figures, Bower says Blair systematically misled the Cabinet and distorted intelligence to justify a

rush to war.

This is a hatchet job, but Bower uses a very sharp axe. Broken Vows is meticulously researched, especially on the run up to the Iraq War and its chaotic aftermath.

However we learn little about Tony Blair that is really new.

No-one seriously denies

today that the intelligence on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction was “sexed upâ€.

Nor will any dedicated reader of the UK press fail to recognise the picture painted of Cherie Blair: a grasping, weak and vain woman who constantly complains of not being allowed a private jet.

Again, you feel that this successful human rights barrister and LSE governor

must have some positive qualities. But according to Bower she seems only interested in holidays and buying expensive houses – a kind of Islington Imelda Marcos.

Tony Blair built a £25m property empire within two years of his departure from Number 10, including a country house in Buckinghamshire, a town house in Connaught Square, a London mews house and a block of flats in Manchester. You wonder how anyone could have amassed such wealth so quickly. As former PM, Tony Blair received a pension of only £63,468.

Bower fills in the dots. Blair received £4m for his memoirs, A Journey. Upon retiring from Westminster he also walked into a £3m per annum job with the Wall Street bank, JP Morgan. Blair also charges £250,000 for his speeches plus £40,000 expenses.

But most of his wealth seems to come from advising governments, often African dictators. He was thick as thieves with Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan dictator, according to Bower, and visited him six times after he stood down as PM, generally with representatives of BP and JP Morgan at his side.

Bower claims that Blair promised Gaddafi that he would try to secure the release of the Lockerbie bomber, Abdelbaset Al-Megrahi, in 2009. The Scottish Justice Secretary, Kenny MacAskill, did indeed release al Megrahi that year, though there was never any mention of Tony Blair being involved.

You simply ask yourself: why? How could a Labour prime minister be so crass, so unconcerned about his reputation? No doubt Blair would argue that he needed to raise large sums of money to finance his charitable work. But again, the way Bower tells it, Blair’s charitable endeavours through his Faith Foundation and his Africa Governance Initiative were always riddled with conflicts of interest.

Tony Blair was a brilliant politician and a gifted communicator. He was Labour’s most successful leader and won three General Elections. But if Tom Bower is right, his obsession with personal enrichment, even more than the Iraq War, is likely to provide his tawdry epitaph. “The prime minister’s judgement,†says Bower, “appeared permanently warped by money.â€

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Comments (1)

A hatchet job so lethal, you almost feel sympathy for Blair: Review of Broken Vows by Tom Bower

2:44pm Sun 13 Mar 16

Susan Galea says...

Blair's folie de grandeur in the decision to prosecute the Iraq war was a clear indication of his lack of knowledge of the ME; his messianic belief in his own " rightness" and his inability to learn from history- even if he was so- informed- and his utter disdain for responsibility when he felt that God was on his side and that would be quite enough, thank you very much.

Deeply frightening how he was able to con so many for so long and then hive off so few to ensure that up to the last minute parliament was bypassed in favour of his coterie of lackeys.

Perhaps his shilling for the tyrants in Africa and others is also attributable to his carapace of self-belief that acts as an impenetrable armour against enlightenment or self- doubt of any kind. Again, the damage is wrought and somehow Blair is never held responsible. He walks - swaggers- from one disaster to another and remains untouched by any accountability or seeming remorse for decisions that reflect on his self- interest rather than any apparent good achieved, for there is none evident.

Blair subverted democracy in this country and seems impervious to its imperatives across the globe: does he not care, did he ever...? The need to amass the shed loads of money from the most dubious sources for the most questionable actions that amount to PR and speechifying cannot be any compensation for the devastation to which he contributed both in Iraq and its consequences in the ME and everywhere ISIS alight.

Not sure what the redeeming features can be unless it is attributable to some kind of impulse for good that has been suborned to a delusion of his own messianic need to be followed in the belief in his own rectitude and brilliant understanding... The consequences of which are tragic for all.

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