Jeremy Corbyn

baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/142553/anti-israel-activists-attack-jc-challenging-jeremy-corbyn

this covers the main controversy.

Though the main reason that Corbyn is getting so much heat and micro-examination in the first place (not that I think he's dealt with the allegations particularly well) is that he's anti-austerity, and the Labour Party 'grandees' and UK media are engaged in a quite extraordinary two-pronged character assassination, painting Corbyn in whatever negative ways they can, including war criminal and satanic marionette Tony Blair repeating every hour, on the hour, the allegation that Corbyn's election will lead to the downfall of civilisation as we know it (of which Blair apparently believes he is actually a part - go figure).
 
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glasshand

dj panic attack
http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/142553/anti-israel-activists-attack-jc-challenging-jeremy-corbyn

this covers the main controversy.

Though the main reason that Corbyn is getting so much heat and micro-examination in the first place (not that I think he's dealt with the allegations particularly well) is that he's anti-austerity, and the Labour Party 'grandees' and UK media are engaged in a quite extraordinary two-pronged character assassination, painting Corbyn in whatever negative ways they can, including war criminal and satanic marionette Tony Blair repeating every hour, on the hour, the allegation that Corbyn's election will lead to the downfall of civilisation as we know it (of which Blair apparently believes he is actually a part - go figure).

response to that:

 

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
I think most 'centrists' have already written Corbyn off, so further propaganda (from e.g. Blair) to try and put them off is unnecessary. I don't for one moment think Blair is stupid, so I can only assume it's his monstrous ego that makes him think him sticking his oar in is going to alienate Corbyn supporters from their darling rather than make them consider his dire warnings the best possible endorsement for an anti-war, social-democratic candidate.
 

griftert

Well-known member
I thought Ummuna's response to Corbyn's rise as reported in the Guardian today was the most sensible thing I've heard from the centre of the party in relation to him.

John McTernan is a fucking scumbag arsewipe half-wit cunt of the highest order, and stands out in a field of them. One of the worst people.
 

glasshand

dj panic attack
i'd agree about Umunna, nice bit of backpedalling

channel 4 hustings from the other night:


nothing major to watch out for in there, still stands out as the one who seems to be the most clear about what he's actually for and voices the most things i agree with. debate put me off Burnham even more than i was already, seems a bit dim
 

Woebot

Well-known member
on the way back from work on my bike - spotted this man being driven in a cab (i know! i was horrified! exploitation of the working classes! :p) by the pentonville road.

i have history when it comes to misidentifying well-known people - but i do know that owing to the blanket corbyn coverage he was at a hustings in north islington in the afternoon. perhaps late from the commons?
 

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
So apparently Jezzer is some sort of awful misogynist dinosaur because his shadow cabinet is less that 117% female.

Fucksake. GO TEAM COUNTERPRODUCTIVE LEFTIST INFIGHTING!
 

baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
Exactly. What worries me is that it seems the Corbyn leadership didn't see this media storm coming, and pre-empt it with a statement about the importance of appointing women to senior roles (and maybe an idea of how many women would be in the shadow cabinet - it's about a 50-50 gender split, isn't it?), rather than letting the right wing press have a field day with it.

Maybe they did send out such a statement and the press ignored it, I dunno. But it would be great if Corbyn Labour could be both straight-talking and have a basic level of media savviness
 

griftert

Well-known member
Fucksake. GO TEAM COUNTERPRODUCTIVE LEFTIST INFIGHTING!
I don't think it's exactly the left that are gunning for him with this tack, though I'm sure there are some.

He's going to get a pounding if the last couple of days are anything to go by. Is he really electable? I was thinking about how many people that singing the national anthem without prompting is a prerequisite for the role. Must be a large chunk of the electorate.
 

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
I don't think it's exactly the left that are gunning for him with this tack, though I'm sure there are some.

Well Suzanne Moore in the Grauniad used the term "brocialism" the other day, apparently without even trying to be funny or ironic, and Helen Lewis in TNS was fulminating about the lack of women in the four "top roles" in the shadow cabinet - while calling the rest of the cabinet, which is 51% female - "backfill".

Now Corbyn has said he's going to make education and health his top priorities, so that makes those two roles pretty "top", doesn't it? The idea that Foreign Sec is one of the most important jobs in government dates back to a time when Britain had about a bazillion times more global clout than it does now, and as a pacifist and anti-imperialist, Corbyn is surely looking to move on from that legacy rather than cling on to it?

Babs - yes, I agree there is surely some ideal middle ground between all-spin-no-substance and being almost wilfully media-naive, but perhaps he and his team will tighten their act up a bit as he starts getting used to this level of scrutiny.
 

baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
She is remarkably terrible.

I can't remember - was the shadow cabinet announced all at once, or were the supposedly 'top roles' announced prior to the rest? I thought that was part of the furore, that the initial jobs announced were all given to men, thus playing along with the idea that those were the top roles.

The national anthem question is a bit difficult. I really don't want Corbyn to become massively unpopular over something so meaningless. On the other hand, it's vastly depressing if a lot of people (some of whom might have quite decent views in other areas) are vexed enough about something so ridiculous to hate Corbyn as a result.
 

you

Well-known member
On the anthem thing.

It's just another register of middle England's absurdist post empire pathology (further to Bake Off, Strictly, Churchill etc). England is like a fidgetting rose-coloured glasses housewife who continues to cook more and more elabourate dinners for the 'wonderful husband' who abandoned her years previously after years of abuse. The more the crown estate is sold off to China and Russia the more we love the monarchy. As the UK's economic and politcial status wanes union jack bunting is decorated in a delusional attempt to re-live the imagined (and it is an imagining a past to a large extent) good times.

I mean 'God save the Queen?' - who on earth can take that seriously?
 
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sufi

lala
Exactly. What worries me is that it seems the Corbyn leadership didn't see this media storm coming, and pre-empt it with a statement about the importance of appointing women to senior roles (and maybe an idea of how many women would be in the shadow cabinet - it's about a 50-50 gender split, isn't it?), rather than letting the right wing press have a field day with it.

Maybe they did send out such a statement and the press ignored it, I dunno. But it would be great if Corbyn Labour could be both straight-talking and have a basic level of media savviness
I'm on some mailing lists full of Corbyn supporters, i think they anticipated this and much worse, which I expect may yet come to pass...
 

baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
Certainly his supporters anticipated it, but it looks like his 'media team' (whatever/whoever this might be) isn't strong/preemptive enough - he has to win some battles in the press if he's not to be a very short-term leader.

This is sterling media work though, trying to reclaim 'patriotism' and turn the (perception of the) issue on its head. Except it needs to be in the Mail or the Mirror:

http://www.theguardian.com/commenti...emy-corbyn-patriot-war-tony-blair-iraq-labour
 

Patrick Swayze

I'm trying to shut up
He spoke about how he planned to have a gender balanced cabinet on numerous occasions throughout his campaign and released a strategy document detailing his aims

From 28th July:

http://labourlist.org/2015/07/the-t...er-corbyn-publishes-gender-equality-strategy/

Upon publishing a strategy to achieve gender equality, entitled Working with Women, Corbyn has pledged that his shadow cabinet would be 50% women, and that he would work towards a gender balanced Parliamentary Labour Party
 

griftert

Well-known member
That's absolutely brutal chat from Suzanne Moore. I wish there was another paper to read that wasn't the Guardian.
 

Woebot

Well-known member
On the anthem thing.

It's just another register of middle England's absurdist post empire pathology (further to Bake Off, Strictly, Churchill etc). England is like a fidgetting rose-coloured glasses housewife who continues to cook more and more elabourate dinners for the 'wonderful husband' who abandoned her years previously after years of abuse. The more the crown estate is sold off to China and Russia the more we love the monarchy. As the UK's economic and politcial status wanes union jack bunting is decorated in a delusional attempt to re-live the imagined (and it is an imagining a past to a large extent) good times.

I mean 'God save the Queen?' - who on earth can take that seriously?

it really is a storm in a wedgewood china teacup isn't it. i can't see who would genuinely care.

i thought it was interesting that two of the biggest recent corbyn controversies centred on pieces of music though. GSTQ and the red flag.
 

trza

Well-known member
Okay, what is the deal with Seamas Milne? What am I supposed to know about this guy?
 
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