Petition for a new progressive alliance

[WorkingMummy]

In the name of humanity, please sign.

https://action.greenparty.org.uk

[midivydale]

signed

[Jenny1]

signed and shared. The wording is:

'These are troubling times.

Our economy is in chaos. Our politics is broken. The Tories want to set the terms of our exit from the European Union.

This petition calls on politicians from the Labour Party, the Green Party, SNP, Plaid Cymru, the Liberal Democrats and other progressive parties to immediately begin talks about building an alliance ahead of the next election.

Despite what the Tories are now saying an Autumn election is likely. Progressives need to be ready for that.

We the undersigned urge that party leaders begin talks on a progressive alliance, which includes a commitment to proportional representation and an aim of preventing the formation of a Tory-UKIP-DUP government that would seek to enact an ultra-right Brexit.'

I liked it.

[Loz]

A petition? Really? What is that going to achieve?

Wouldn't it be easier just for someone in the Greens to pick up the phone and ring the other party leaders? What exactly is the point of a petition? "Oooh and we have a few 10's of thousand people who have signed a petition, so you have to accept our offer".

On the other hand, it's probably like the useless Amnesty petitions, which are a dishonest excuse to increase their mailing list. Expect a lot of spam and money requests.

[Jenny1]

I'm sure you're right Loz that the Greens will use the contact details gathered for their own publicity purposes. I think it would be a bit silly of them not to.

However I do see a point to a petition.

If I was in their shoes and picking up that phone I would want to be able to say that I had x thousand people supporting my initiative. It would help with the conversation, don't you think?

[nxjen]

"Despite what the Tories are now saying an Autumn election is likely. Progressives need to be ready for that."

Is someone able to clarify why an Autumn election is likely? Whoever wins the Tory leadership, the party has a majority and will not call a general election unless they lose a vote of no confidence. The idea of a progressive alliance is interesting but will not happen as a result of a petition.

PS That Andrea is yet another lightweight, Tory fantasist.

[Loz]

Yep - just read the small print at the bottom...

The Green Party may use the information you?ve given to contact you. By providing your data to us, you are consenting to us making contact with you in the future by email. You can always opt out of communications at any time by contacting us.

Personally, I think petitions like this are more than just a little devious. Especially as you are not given a check box to immediately opt-out.

[WorkingMummy]

I signed the petition last week, and I have not been pestered with emails or post.

I take your point about ?really petitions. But I believe that grass roots led action is long overdue and it's not like time spent in chat rooms is going to solve anything.

[uncleglen]

Why shouldn't the Tories set the terms of the exit- after all they are the DEMOCRATICALLY elected government.

[WorkingMummy]

Don't be daft.

Democracy is no excuse for lunacy or abrogation of responsibility.

Democracy would bring back hanging if given the choice.

Democracy is mob rule, at its most extreme.

And the Tories had way less than 50% of the actual vote at the last GE.

They have a mandate to leave.

They have no mandate at all as to what leave means.

[robbin]

"They have no mandate at all as to what leave means."

Ah, silly me. I thought 'leave' meant to leave!

I should have read the ballot paper as asking do you want to (1) stay; or (2) leave (whatever that means - we don't know)!

"Democracy is mob rule, at its most extreme." - Oh, well you'll forgive me if I don't take your opinion too seriously then!

[Jeremy]

While I'd be theoretically supportive of a Lab/LibDem/SNP (hell even the bloody Greens) coalition in government, on a shared manifesto point of reversing Brexit, we need to remember that we're talking about politicians. With the amount of back-stabbing, bickering and scheming that goes on internally within a party, can you imagine FOUR of them cooperating in government?

[????]

I think the real problem is that, despite the wishful thinking, there won't be a coalition of significant parties standing on a platform of reversing Brexit nor would such a coalition win an election.

Most Tories and many in Labour know that's it now, so can't see Labour in such a coalition without a split

UKIP (in Labour heartlands) and Tories (in their strongholds/marginals) would hoover up votes against a 'get back in' campaign EVEN if Labour ran on it - (see above: they wont)

It's finsihed.

People need a reality check, it's done - now we may get something reasonably near what we were in terms of trade/movement etc (possibly); but we are propa out of what we were in terms of politics/membership

[Jenny1]

I think it's vital to acknowledge that this is a time of change in many areas of politics.

And while no-one can predict how the picture will pan out, it's always important to work towards a future which you think will be positive and productive. In my experience it's pointless to live your life in any other way. Of course we can all be cynical about what motivates politicians (and my goodness this is - of all moments - a time that reinforces such feelings of cynicism). But if we don't ask them to step up to the plate, who will?

Some years ago we'd have thought it highly improbable that we'd have a coalition government - but that's what we got. That was in far less dramatic times than we're experiencing now.

[Jenny1]

robbin Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

>

> I should have read the ballot paper as asking do

> you want to (1) stay; or (2) leave (whatever that

> means - we don't know)!

>

>

I think if you'd read the small print, robbin, you'd have found that that's exactly what it did say. That's the reality of the choice that our 'leading politicians' gave us.

[Loz]

Personally, I'd rather the centre-right Tory MPs and the centre-left Labour MPs join with the Lib Dems and create a new centrist party. Leave the true left-wings and the right-wings out in the cold where they should be.

As I said the other day, Labour has always been a coalition of sorts... and that's what has got them to the point they are now. Extending that coalition will probably only fuel the fire.

[red devil]

It's certainly possible Loz. The Lib Dems came about from the old Liberals and the SDP, who in turn were disgruntled Labour MPs concerned about Labour lurching to the far left under Michael Foot and the influence of Militant Tendency (Corbyn/Foot, Militant/Momentum, talk about history repeating itself!), and who also attracted Tories not happy with Thatcher, Tebbit et al...

[Jenny1]

Thank God for Shirley Williams.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jul/09/labour-tory-mps-talk