Are labour broken - discuss

[James Barber]

Hi DJ,

I've never said all Lib Dems were perfect. But the thread had taken a direction of talking about Southwark.

The three examples you've given - 2 were candidates and changed in April 2010 (from outside London) once these allegations were known. The third was a councillor in Wembley and no longer with the Lib Dem from 2008.

Hi the-e-dealer,

You're right that different parties have different numbers of councillors:

party no. cllrs of May'10

Conservative 3462

Labour 2976

Lib Dems 1730

Afraid I don't have info or time to calculate 'crook to member ration' - do you?

Hi SeanMacGabhann,

I'm sorry to offend but these are local councillors who voters might have chosen differently if they'd know about these other activities. The first has done the decent thing and resigned while the charge made against them is all sorted out. I hope it's all a horrible mistake and he can come back as all councillors have been shocked by this.

NB. Yesterday a Lib Dem volunteer felt intiminated by 4 Labour volunteers - 1 a leading Southwark Labour cllr - it only stopped when the Lib Dem stated they were about to call the Police.

[DJKillaQueen]

Give it a rest James. Just because three coucillors (like many councillors before them eslewhere and from ALL parties) are corrupt doesn't mean that the entire Labour council of southwark are corrupt (because that's clearly what you are trying to demonstrate).

The Lib Dem coalition had EIGHT years to convince borough voters that they were the best council for the borough and failed. Voters may have the same opinion of the Labour council at the end of four or eight years too but for now...with regards to local councillors, let's stick to the things that matter....the decisions that are going to be made regarding cuts and the services that need improvement.

[the-e-dealer]

James Is Clearly Just here to slag off the opposition. If that's what he wants to do fine. Free Country. His Tory Liberal Coalition was thrown out by the voters. Let see what happens to the National one. And please don't forget despite what James might say in his wanderings - You are still Inoccent until proven guilty in the country. Me I'm more interested in Local Issues and will concentrate on those. James might be wise to do the same.

[James Barber]

Hi DJ & the-e-dealer,

I thought the Drawing Room was where we were meant to have wanderings.

And I've never said all Labour councillors are crooked. As with all groups, some are very good. Last night as Overview and Scurtiny Committee the housing repairs stats report was presented by an impressive Labour councillor. The Labour Vice Chair was also very good at keeping me to the point - never a good time at 11pm to be taking decisions.

But the thread isn't how good do you think Labour are.

[James Barber]

With Labour and other non SNP parties taking. Huge beating in Scotland

Can Labour ever have enough MPs to form a Westminster majority?

So in terms of forming a majority UK government are they broken?

[DJKillaQueen]

Milliband does seem to be MIA. My view is that with him at the helm they will struggle.

[Loz]

But who instead? D Milliband is out of the picture. Balls up there with Clegg in the popularity stakes. Ditto Harman. Yvonne Cooper is not too bad, but her husband won't let her run. ;o) John McDonnell is too left-wing.

Andy Burnham, maybe? Though possibly he is better left to when Labour could actually win an election?

[the-e-dealer]

I fancied Jowell but she's not interested.

[the-e-dealer]

And with a Dodgy Husband now .. :-(

[thomastillingthe3rd]

Ohh how naughty pugwash, very tit for tat this is indeed !

[James Barber]

Perhaps Pugwashe prescient for the May election results with Scottish results that if repeated at general elections means Labour will be squashed nationally further.

[Pugwash]

I see my name mentioned - what have I said??

[thomastillingthe3rd]

not as squashed as your little lot james, they have totally had it mate. Now your liberal mates are threatening the unions i see; blue collar workers not your demographic any more then?

[the-e-dealer]

I wonder What the Tories gave Cable to sell out this time

[Townleygreen]

As I see it, Cable is trying to warn them not to push the Tories too far. Though whether the LibDem MPs would support any tightening of union legislation is rather debateable.

[????]

only 2% up in the polls, during mass cuts and austerity and a faltering economy. Plus Milliband miles behind Cameron in personal ratings

brothers at each others throats

Brown vs Blair mark 2 underway

...not even looking a very competent opposition...

...fit to govern?

[sagatelsagouni]

Nope not broken, just putting their feet and watching the bizarre spectacle of the Con/Lib mating dance.

[david_carnell]

You don't get to do that as opposition. Waiting for the govt to screw up is not a tactic.

I'm a fan of Miliband but I want to hear more about what he stands for and what sort of society he wants to aim for. And scoring on a few of these open goals when the govt is in trouble.

DCLG questions in the House today should be interesting given the recent "bins" fiasco.

[mockney piers]

I've liked E Milliband for quite a while, I thought he was one of the few genuinely capable people in Brown's gov't and he seemed earnest and even (unthinkable under blair and anathema under Brown) occasioanlly admitted that the gov't got things wrong.

But, and I hate to say it because politics should be about more than appearance and spin, he's just not very good at this leadership stuff. You don't get any clear sense of direction and he hasn't really capitalised on a whole bunch of badly thought out olicies, u turns etc.

Having said that I'd actually think about voting for them, something I would never have considered under Blair or Brown and he was right, strategically, to distant himself and the party from that era. He just needs to say what they is* as well as what they isn't.

*poetic licence

[Loz]

You're right MP - the coalition have been open to be ripped apart over the past few week with the number of u-turns and contradictory announcements, but Ed has pretty much failed to capitalise. Balls tried, but his VAT suggestion was shot down in flames PDQ.

I think the problem is that Ed's thinking in regards to cuts and reforming isn't far enough away from what the coalition is doing. Painting a picture of "same, but different" is not easy, so I think he's opted to sit on his hands and see what happens. He should learn from Cameron, though - he tried that trick at the last election when he had an open goal to shoot at and it didn't really pay off, which is why there is a coalition now.

[sagatelsagouni]

Well as the saying goes " if dibbles nags are rockin on the first bag of marbles, save the 2nd bag for later"