The Earl of Chesterfield, on 07 May 2021 - 03:13 PM, said:
Which includes the 'BB' membership.
As far as I know Labour are still the largest party in terms of membership. Thousands upon thousands of councilors are still working in communities like mine. Organising food banks which're busier than ever. Helping members of the public with seemingly mundane issues which're important to them. Dealing with complaints despite ever decreasing funds from central government.
Vital yet often unrecognised work.
Y'know, the kinda stuff the tories never do unless there's a photo op. Infact I don't think I've ever seen a tory leaflet let alone candidate in Birdholme.
An area of ten or more thousand people.
However it looks like the public don't want that. They're more impressed by populism. Cheery thumbs ups from a bloke they wouldn't wanna live next door to. Wouldn't let give a lift to their wife. Wouldn't want looking after their parents. Wouldn't want running their hospital.
And certainly wouldn't trust to tell the truth.
Why? Well the message seems to be they want to give Labour a kicking for taking them for granted. They seem to blame THEM for shortcomings in their lives. Rather than the tories who've been in power for more than a decade. They want change...but turn to that same party to deliver that change.
Sorry, and folk can accuse me of 'not listening' all they want, but I simply can't understand that.
Nor can I understand the idea that Bozo's better than SKS BECAUSE he's morally bankrupt. BECAUSE he's so disgustingly flawed. BECAUSE that makes him somehow human. I'm human yet I've never plumbed his depths, though. Nor have my family. Have you? Has anyone else reading this?
So why the different standards for an ex Etonian.
Then I keep reading 'whataboutery' from supposedly decent people...no, that's not fair - from people I KNOW are decent, being far more critical of what Labour did ten or twenty years ago than what the most incompetent government in living memory are doing now. Turning a blind eye to brazen corruption involving taxpayers' money - THEIR MONEY - whilst demanding the opposition jump through hoops to gain their vote.
Or calling out the current set of crooks but saying Labour aren't an electable alternative.
Either way there was an interesting call from a bloke ont' radio this morning. He essentially said all folk're really bothered about is their house, car, holiday and occasional neet out. And the tories' genius has been convincing punters Labour somehow wanna take them away and give 'em to undeserving scroungers. Cynically turning compassion against those advocating it - we've all heard the 'woak/snowflake/nanny state' sneers - and promoting selfishness.
Chuck in all that flag and statue hugging to promote themselves as the patriotic party, as compared with those daring to suggest the British Empire may, just possibly, have been less than wonderful for some populations, and I think he had a point.
Before we even mention the total coincidence of gunships in the Channel.
Anyway, I'm ranting. To return to your header I'm gonna say no, the Labour Party isn't finished. Infact I'll turn to Murdoch's Sun for support. Y'see I vividly remember a front page dubbing the tories an ex party. A characature of then leader Hague, one of several seen off by Tony Blair, portrayed as the parrot from the famous Monty Python sketch.
Yet here we are. Twenty years later and the tories running rampant. They day a week's a long time in politics, and Labour's got another three years...
To be fair to SKS the huge success of the vaccine roll out and the potential light at the end of the tunnel have put a positive spotlight on this dreadful government
Honestly I don’t know what to say about yesterday’s Hartlepool result. Mid term so you’d expect the normal “put the boot in” to the sitting government but it didn’t happen. Even the local/council elections didn’t see Labour move forward.
Maybe SKS should employ someone like Mandleson to reset things and start from scratch regarding policies.
Put “radical” on the back burner and thin things out. A clear simple even lightweight set of policies that are easy to convey, and have a clear and simple message. But something positive, something that will make people nod thier heads with a few simple sentences.