The recent report circulated about the activities of Progress, a semi-clandestine “party within a party” has been highlighted by Jon Lansman. Conrad Landin further highlights the undemocratic nature of Luke Akehurst’s Labour First group The level of organisation of the Labour right gives them disproportionate leverage within the party, particularly as the consensus between the Blairites, […]
Posts Tagged ‘Blairites’
The Labour Right and democracy
Feb 21st, 2012 by Conrad Landin.Many in the Labour party, including myself, have criticised far-left outfits for their lack of accountability and democratic control. Members of such parties, which often describe themselves as ‘leaderless’, get purged at the whim of those who call the shots. Appointments are made to top positions, and the organisation’s members won’t hear until it’s final. […]
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Call for Labour inquiry into the organisation & activities of party-within-a-party Progress
Feb 20th, 2012 by Jon Lansman.A 20-page dossier which seems to have been widely circulated, including to all Labour constituency party secretaries, is calling on Labour’s national executive to “determine the organisational nature of Progress, and whether or not this form of organisation is acceptable inside the Labour Party.” The extremely high level of funding of Progress, combined with periodic […]
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What David Miliband’s intervention really means
Feb 3rd, 2012 by Owen Jones.Those of us who have suggested David Miliband’s latest political intervention may have – let’s say – ulterior motives have received a bit of flak. Must he stay silent just because any public pronouncement may be misconstrued by the media? Why can’t he contribute to the debate about the party’s future like anyone else?
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The real divisions in the Labour Party and what Ed should do about it
Jan 25th, 2012 by Jon Lansman.Most Labour party members are, above all, loyal to their party. They have a strong inclination to back their leaders, even when they disagree with what they’ve said or done. And disagree they did, by and large, when Ed Balls announced that “the starting point….is we’re going to have to keep all these cuts” and accept […]
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It’s too late to build a Two-Ed-ist coalition against the Two-Ed detractors
Jan 18th, 2012 by Andy Newman.It is a paradox that the coalition building skills necessary to be a successful party leader are often not the skills of persuasive and decisive determination necessary to be a successful prime minister. Sadly, it seems that Ed Miliband may not have the attributes to be succesful in either role. Miliband is certainly ill-served by […]
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Miliband has got to crack down on disloyalty in the ranks
Jan 11th, 2012 by Michael Meacher.The daily barrage from the Guardian, which began on Boxing Day and has continued non-stop for a fortnight, is still continuing. Who’s behind it? Clearly there has been briefing from members of the Shadow Cabinet, perhaps orchestrated by the person whose Policy Network pamphlet set it off, Peter Mandelson. There is also a Blairite majority […]
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Why does Labour find sado-masochism so appealing?
Jan 9th, 2012 by Michael Meacher.It is astonishing that sado-masochism, so beloved of the English upper classes in their sexual antics, is so infectious in the Labour Party, albeit in a very different context. There seems to be an obsession in some sections of the party that once the Tories go down the route of self-destructive austerity, we must at […]
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Visitors from Mars demand fair play
Jan 9th, 2012 by Jon Lansman.Over at LabourList, the Blairites are up in arms about the “political cancer at the heart of the Labour Party“. Even with some of their own. Luke Bozier says Tony Blair is “partly to blame for today’s mess” because he failed on succession planning: “David Miliband was a weak successor in waiting without the fire […]
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Blairites off to a quick start in the New Year
Jan 3rd, 2012 by Michael Meacher.One has to give credit to the Blairites: they never miss an opportunity to try to keep Labour close to corporate business interests and to have a niggle at the leadership. First up was Peter Mandelson’s Policy Network pamphlet arguing “Labour can sidestep the electoral trap being sprung by the Conservatives by refusing to be […]
