What's up with the Labour party?

Looking at todays comments, I see idealism rearing its ugly head once more, rather than anti semitism per se. When asked if he agreed that Israel had a right to exist, one Labour party commentator replied that it did, but only if it were a socialist state. Labour are tying themselves in knots at the moment. They see that socialism might just be round the corner, so they are grasping that with both hands, and applying it to everything they do and think. The press are ready and waiting, and the leadership need to be sure their message is clear. It isnt..

Very droll.

I don’t see anything wrong in anything Livingstone has said, but the timing was very poor. Allegations of antisemitism within Labour only serve to feed the narrative in some right-wing circles that the party has adopted Islamist views wholesale to score votes in places like Bradford and Luton. Mentioning Hitler also stokes hysterical reporting of Labour as a party in turmoil internally, with unshackled members like Ken spouting off whilst Corbyn (variously compared to Compo from The Last of the Summer Wine or Steptoe) fails to maintain control. Ken is smart, but not smart enough to realise how woefully misinterpreted his comments would be by reporters wishing to portray the party as sailing into dangerous waters.

He gets my vote.

Quoted in case he realises what he has done and deletes the above post.

He gets my vote.

A spare, just in case.

He gets my vote.

Nah, he has retired – can’t see Ken Livingstone being the next pm…

You missed: “and the next Prime Minister”.

What’s alarming, Bruce, is the alacrity with which the press descend on an old leftie stating historical fact which shows the depth of his political knowledge (and the shallowness of his ‘modern’ political skill), while the current Mayor of London, a deeply skilled career politician and probable next Tory leader happily and openly called black people ‘pickaninnies’ with ‘watermelon smiles’ right up until he had a shot at the big prize.

Yes, it would be nice if JC would stand up and say that in parliament.

The main issue is that voices which have been silenced for some time by the Blair wing of the party are now being heard again. Unsurprisingly, the more left wing their position, the more extreme is their politics.

It’s either a necessary part of reinventing the party. Or a presage to the end. It isn’t clear which yet. Once the local elections are out of the way, we will know a bit more. It’s quite alarming that with the Tories not exactly doing well at the moment, that Labour have totally failed to capitalise on that. Not that I am a labour supporter, but democracy demands a decent opposition, which we don’t have.

The Labour Party in 2015 at their conference in large capitals was “STRAIGHT TALKING. HONEST POLITICS.”
As things seem to be unfolding I wonder if the 2016 one will be ‘Arbeit Macht Frei’ which means roughly “your labour(s) will make you free.”

I’m not a great fan of Ken Livingstone, although I do like to listen to him on the radio on Saturday morning.
He was widely castigated for allegedly calling Hitler a Zionist, something he definately didn’t say. It made a good
headline though There WAS a Nazi-Zionist agreement and Hitler DID support it.

What’s up with labour? Well, Ken Livingstone for starters.

Can’t wait for the next installment!

Yes, isn’t it fun !

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/apr/28/the-guardian-view-on-antisemitism-stay-vigilant-on-the-left-flank

Always depends on the political affiliations of the media concerned, although even the left wing press is happy to put a boot or two in at the moment.
As for Israel it would be, as you well know, all to do with the Palestinian situation, blah blah blah.