What is the point of labour ?

[Highlandmagar]

3 minutes ago, carpetmonster said:

Labour leader Keir Starmer has seen a big rebellion of eight shadow ministers – including Jess Phillips – from a total of 56 Labour MPs who voted with the SNP on an amendment to the king’s speech calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

The rebels on the front bench included Phillips, Rachel Hopkins, Sarah Owen, Afzal Khan, Paula Barker, Naz Shah, Yasmin Quereshi and Andy Slaughter.
 

Khan, Qureshi, Phillips and Barker have chucked it rather than waiting to be sacked, according to Guardian. 

Labour are an utter shambles.

[The Golden God]

Finding out there’s a politician called “Andy Slaughter” cause he’s voting for a ceasefire is quite funny.  

[DeeTillEhDeh]

I assume the branch office abstained?

[MazzyStar]

I take it Jess Phillips isn’t a friend of Israel anymore? 

[carpetmonster]

1 minute ago, DeeTillEhDeh said:

I assume the branch office abstained?

Murray and Shanks both voted against. 

[DeeTillEhDeh]

32 minutes ago, carpetmonster said:

Murray and Shanks both voted against. 

I thought the whip was to abstain - Murray should be resigning.

[carpetmonster]

4 minutes ago, DeeTillEhDeh said:

I thought the whip was to abstain - Murray should be resigning.

Ah sorry, no, they were abstentions. Actual no were limited to Tories, DUP and that w****r from Blackpool who lost the Tory whip. Full list here 

https://votes.parliament.uk/votes/commons/division/1666#ayes

[DeeTillEhDeh]

12 minutes ago, carpetmonster said:

Ah sorry, no, they were abstentions. Actual no were limited to Tories, DUP and that w****r from Blackpool who lost the Tory whip. Full list here 

https://votes.parliament.uk/votes/commons/division/1666#ayes

So the branch office followed orders.

[Wee-Bey]

2 hours ago, DrewDon said:

This isn't me commenting on whether I agree with Starmer, but he has repeatedly demonstrated since standing for the Labour leadership that he is a very agile and capable political operator.

Looking forward to your column in The Guardian tomorrow.

[GiGi]

Starmer managing to snatch defeat when there isn't even a game scheduled is a new level of Labour fail.

[HTG]

1 hour ago, orfc said:

Classic futile and stupid gesture from some Labour wonks

Give it 12 months they could have had a real say in this and other foreign policy, except the likes of Jess Phillips would rather quit again in opposition (did it under Corbyn too). Classic 6th form gesture politician.

Or ... they could have taken a completely reasonable humanitarian position and voted for a ceasefire and still cantered an election in 12 months time. Instead they opted not to bother their arse about the ongoing slaughter of thousands of innocent people and continued to try to appeal to Tory England. It's absolutely possible to condemn Hamas whilst calling for a halt on something that results in innocent kids getting slaughtered. 

Next up - a 3 line whip to vote for the UK's withdrawal from the ECHR.

Edited November 16, 2023 by HTG

[Wee-Bey]

1 hour ago, orfc said:

Give it 12 months they could have had a real say in this and other foreign policy,

Lmao.

UK foreign policy is run from Washington m8.

[TheScarf]

6 hours ago, GiGi said:

Starmer managing to snatch defeat when there isn't even a game scheduled is a new level of Labour fail.

The title of this thread has never been so apt as it is now. An absolute joke of a political party.

[Leith Green]

9 hours ago, DeeTillEhDeh said:

So the branch office followed orders.

Ian Murray just does what he's told. 

He is trembling with excitement at the the thought of being given a very junior post when Labour win the next GE. 

He's my MP, and a total p***k.

[oneteaminglasgow]

Give me gesture politics over an unprincipled charlatan every day of the week.

If Joe Biden comes out in favour of a ceasefire tomorrow, what do we reckon the chances of Starmer maintaining his current position are? I’ll start the bidding at “no fucking chance” 

[Highlandmagar]

58 minutes ago, orfc said:

Gesture politics is all Jess Phillips will be doing from now on. Having quit under the last 2 labour leaders she won't be given another chance.

You might as well have had a vote on impeaching Trump for all the real world effect it would have

 

Maybe she is showing more conviction than her Tory leader.

[Dunning1874]

Particularly strange from Murray and Shanks. I seem to recall the position being stated and restated over and over again in the Rutherglen by-election campaign that any Labour MPs elected in Scotland represent Scottish Labour, and where the positions of UK Labour and Scottish Labour diverge they'd vote with the Scottish Labour position. The stated position of the Scottish Labour leadership is to support a ceasefire but lo and behold, they wouldn't vote for it. Maybe they both just strongly object to a ceasefire as a matter of conscience. Curious!

[scottsdad]

There are two layers of nuance here and a colossal mistake by Starmer at the end of it.

First, to de-Corbynise Labour Starter has had to do a lot of work to make it a party where Jews feel safe again. During Corbyn's time as leader a whole load of anti-semitism erupted and that was really damaging. With the Hamas attack the instant Labour position was made simple - Israel was a victim and Labour was standing by it.  

Second, what came next. Israel's extreme over-reaction which is verging on war crimes. There are many Labour MPs who are naturally sympathetic to Palestinians, and yet more who have strong Muslim populations in their constituencies. Since October 7 the depth of feeling here has gotten deeper. 

This left Starmer in a sticky position of both trying to show that is is pro-Israel and also pro-Palestinian. All he had to do yesterday was allow people to vote with their conscience and it wuldn;t have even made the papers. On a day when the Tories were forming a circular firing squad, Labour steal the headlines with shadow ministers resigning or being sacked. 

[CambieBud]

7 minutes ago, orfc said:

Jeremy Corbyn had a lot of conviction too, fat lot of good it did him or the country. It's just a strange mindset of people who'd rather be pure in opposition than maybe found out lacking when in power 

Its like the bit in Life of Brian where the squad runs up to the crosses and commit suicide instead of saving anyone.

Anyways SIR KEIR STARMER KC PM 2024 it will be, and now with less weak links in the first eleven

 

I’m sure you’re correct in that Sir Manofthepeople Starmer will be the next U.K. PM. However, what is the point of being elected at any cost, with no discernible policy differences from the present government. New Boss, same as the old boss. 
Remember when listening to his Stalinist approach to last nights vote, that this man was a Human Rights Lawyer! 

Edited November 16, 2023 by CambieBud

[MazzyStar]

54 minutes ago, scottsdad said:

There are two layers of nuance here and a colossal mistake by Starmer at the end of it.

First, to de-Corbynise Labour Starter has had to do a lot of work to make it a party where Jews feel safe again. During Corbyn's time as leader a whole load of anti-semitism erupted and that was really damaging. With the Hamas attack the instant Labour position was made simple - Israel was a victim and Labour was standing by it.  

Second, what came next. Israel's extreme over-reaction which is verging on war crimes. There are many Labour MPs who are naturally sympathetic to Palestinians, and yet more who have strong Muslim populations in their constituencies. Since October 7 the depth of feeling here has gotten deeper. 

This left Starmer in a sticky position of both trying to show that is is pro-Israel and also pro-Palestinian. All he had to do yesterday was allow people to vote with their conscience and it wuldn;t have even made the papers. On a day when the Tories were forming a circular firing squad, Labour steal the headlines with shadow ministers resigning or being sacked. 

“Verging on war crimes” ffs.