| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland 13:34 - Feb 9 with 3955 views | GlasgowBlue |
About to call for Starmer to resign. He'll be gone with days imo |  |
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| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 19:44 - Feb 9 with 455 views | lowhouseblue |
| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 19:39 - Feb 9 by jasondozzell |
There's no helping you!
Plenty of other journalists have reported it.
Mandelson was all over the Starmer/Mcsweeney project. You think he didn't have a say in the selection of candidates?
Michael Crick very good on the anti democratic nature of the selections by the way. |
that's all just assertion, not evidence. other journalists repeating a claim based on a single source isn't additional evidence - it's repetition.
michael crick may well have been critical of how selections were carried out - but has he presented any evidence relating to mandleson's involvement? i thought not. |  |
| And so as the loose-bowelled pigeon of time swoops low over the unsuspecting tourist of destiny, and the flatulent skunk of fate wanders into the air-conditioning system of eternity, I notice it's the end of the show |
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| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 19:49 - Feb 9 with 447 views | Swansea_Blue |
| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 18:43 - Feb 9 by jasondozzell |
I can't that seriously I'm afraid. Look up virtually anything he's said and he's said the opposite.
The man is a serial liar!
Method of delivery is doing some heavy lifting. |
I’m not in either of the Labour tribes (Blue or traditional), but even I recognise honesty is going to be a hard sell!
His principles/policies of cracking down on the fundamental right of legitimate protest, rowing back on environmental protections and increasingly punitive immigration policy that damages the UK’s interests is enough for me. He’ll struggle to win me back. They have done some vaguely positive and Labour-like things though in fairness (children social care reforms, slight improvement in worker’s rights). TBH, it’s a confusing policy mix to understand. |  |
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| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 19:51 - Feb 9 with 433 views | jasondozzell |
| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 19:44 - Feb 9 by lowhouseblue |
that's all just assertion, not evidence. other journalists repeating a claim based on a single source isn't additional evidence - it's repetition.
michael crick may well have been critical of how selections were carried out - but has he presented any evidence relating to mandleson's involvement? i thought not. |
I'd believe the whistleblower over this government, put it that way. |  | | |
| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 19:54 - Feb 9 with 410 views | lowhouseblue |
| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 19:51 - Feb 9 by jasondozzell |
I'd believe the whistleblower over this government, put it that way. |
well, if their cunning plan was to fill the back benches with line toeing starmarite conformists from central casting it really hasn't worked out very well for them has it. | |
| And so as the loose-bowelled pigeon of time swoops low over the unsuspecting tourist of destiny, and the flatulent skunk of fate wanders into the air-conditioning system of eternity, I notice it's the end of the show |
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| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 19:54 - Feb 9 with 414 views | Dubtractor |
| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 19:49 - Feb 9 by Swansea_Blue |
I’m not in either of the Labour tribes (Blue or traditional), but even I recognise honesty is going to be a hard sell!
His principles/policies of cracking down on the fundamental right of legitimate protest, rowing back on environmental protections and increasingly punitive immigration policy that damages the UK’s interests is enough for me. He’ll struggle to win me back. They have done some vaguely positive and Labour-like things though in fairness (children social care reforms, slight improvement in worker’s rights). TBH, it’s a confusing policy mix to understand. |
Labour have made a real pigs ear of governing, somehow managing to piss off almost everyone, whilst not doing enough to please many at all. The polls overwhelmingly show that too.
I cling to a slim hope that this current upheaval might change the approach at the minute, cos as it stands we are heading to a bad place in this country. See all that post truth nonsense in the USA? That'll be us under Reform. It scares me a bit. |  |
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| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 19:56 - Feb 9 with 407 views | jasondozzell |
| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 19:54 - Feb 9 by lowhouseblue |
well, if their cunning plan was to fill the back benches with line toeing starmarite conformists from central casting it really hasn't worked out very well for them has it. |
Are you kidding? That's exactly what they've done! | | | |
| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 19:59 - Feb 9 with 387 views | lowhouseblue |
| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 19:56 - Feb 9 by jasondozzell |
Are you kidding? That's exactly what they've done! |
are you following any of this? the same backbenchers who've forced u turn after u turn and are now, if you believe the hype, about to force him out after 18 months. and that's the type of loyalist you think their cunning spreadsheet and the prince of darkness has gifted them. a better spreadsheet is needed. | |
| And so as the loose-bowelled pigeon of time swoops low over the unsuspecting tourist of destiny, and the flatulent skunk of fate wanders into the air-conditioning system of eternity, I notice it's the end of the show |
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| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 20:03 - Feb 9 with 375 views | jasondozzell |
| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 19:59 - Feb 9 by lowhouseblue |
are you following any of this? the same backbenchers who've forced u turn after u turn and are now, if you believe the hype, about to force him out after 18 months. and that's the type of loyalist you think their cunning spreadsheet and the prince of darkness has gifted them. a better spreadsheet is needed. |
Because they know that are getting destroyed in their constituencies! But it's a party packed with empty useful idiots who are there because they backed the project. How many true dissenters are there? He's expelled them all! Apart from poor old John McConnell and a few others.
Please read Michael crick.
They've just given him a 37 second standing ovation!!!!!!!!! | | | |
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| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 20:10 - Feb 9 with 355 views | jasondozzell |
Wes just revealed message to Mandelson in which he says that the government has no growth strategy and Israel committed war crimes. Both true.
This is going to go on and on until Starmer goes.
Wes all about himself as usual.
Chaos. [Post edited 9 Feb 20:10]
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| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 20:13 - Feb 9 with 340 views | lowhouseblue |
| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 20:03 - Feb 9 by jasondozzell |
Because they know that are getting destroyed in their constituencies! But it's a party packed with empty useful idiots who are there because they backed the project. How many true dissenters are there? He's expelled them all! Apart from poor old John McConnell and a few others.
Please read Michael crick.
They've just given him a 37 second standing ovation!!!!!!!!! |
it would be a strange account of the first 18 months of starmer's government to say that he has been carried forward on backbench loyalty or a parliamentary party packed with useful idiots. the corbyn project failed, time to move on. | |
| And so as the loose-bowelled pigeon of time swoops low over the unsuspecting tourist of destiny, and the flatulent skunk of fate wanders into the air-conditioning system of eternity, I notice it's the end of the show |
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| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 20:15 - Feb 9 with 334 views | GlasgowBlue |
| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 20:10 - Feb 9 by jasondozzell |
Wes just revealed message to Mandelson in which he says that the government has no growth strategy and Israel committed war crimes. Both true.
This is going to go on and on until Starmer goes.
Wes all about himself as usual.
Chaos. [Post edited 9 Feb 20:10]
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Streeting looking to get the sack so as to launch a bid after the May elections? | |
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| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 20:22 - Feb 9 with 308 views | jasondozzell |
| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 20:13 - Feb 9 by lowhouseblue |
it would be a strange account of the first 18 months of starmer's government to say that he has been carried forward on backbench loyalty or a parliamentary party packed with useful idiots. the corbyn project failed, time to move on. |
Corbyn derangement syndrome. How is he relevant here?!!! 😂😂😂
They purged everyone who disagreed with them! | | | |
| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 20:24 - Feb 9 with 305 views | jasondozzell |
| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 20:15 - Feb 9 by GlasgowBlue |
Streeting looking to get the sack so as to launch a bid after the May elections? |
Yep he's on manoeuvres. Number 10 briefing against him too.
It's not going to be sustainable any of this. I always thought Starmer would go after May elections but he isn't going to make it to there I don't think. | | | |
| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 20:57 - Feb 9 with 266 views | Clapham_Junction |
| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 17:33 - Feb 9 by ElderGrizzly |
Can anyone see Farage being an MP by 2029? It’s why he is desperate for an election now.
Their ‘leadership’ record isn’t exactly stellar either
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It's a bit ridiculous to blame them when they've had control for less than a year and not even had a chance to deliver their own budget yet. Councils of all colours have gone bankrupt in recent years. Some (e.g. Thurrock) due to incredibly poor management choices, some due to the long-term effects of the massive cuts in the Cameron years. |  | | |
| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 20:58 - Feb 9 with 261 views | DJR |
| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 20:15 - Feb 9 by GlasgowBlue |
Streeting looking to get the sack so as to launch a bid after the May elections? |
Not sure about looking to get the sack but doing his own version of releasing information in relation to Mandelson is a very odd thing to do on today of all days, if you're not trying clear the decks and get your excuses in early.
https://news.sky.com/story/rea
On the other hand, there must be a pretty good chance he won't win his own seat at the next election given how close he came to losing the last time. [Post edited 9 Feb 21:00]
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| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 22:14 - Feb 9 with 214 views | positivity |
| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 19:22 - Feb 9 by jasondozzell |
Mandelson had huge amount of input into the selection of Labour parliamentary candidates. It's just the truth.
They stitched up the selection process.
You don't think Mandelson was approving candidates? |
do you think mandelson selected all 650?! you give him far too much credit and power! |  |
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| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 04:34 - Feb 10 with 138 views | Benters |
| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 13:48 - Feb 9 by jonny1964 |
I hope not and I think not.
Its all getting silly now thanks to your beloved right wing media coverage. |
What a ridiculous post! |  |
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| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 04:38 - Feb 10 with 137 views | Benters |
| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 17:11 - Feb 9 by hype313 |
They have, he's bang to rights on poor judgment at best, employing someone who was visiting a known pedo, despite several warnings against.
It's pretty black and white.
Imagine the uproar if this was the Tories, I mean the country nearly erupted over a slice of cake. [Post edited 9 Feb 17:12]
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This. | |
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| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 07:31 - Feb 10 with 86 views | DJR |
All those who seek high office have ambition but I do wonder if naked ambition should be a bar to high office.
This puff piece from Streeting in today's Guardian seems to me to be an extraordinary thing to pen at this particular point in time, and the denial of his closeness to Mandelson is a nonsense given the way his text messages end with an x.
https://www.theguardian.com/co
At the same time Angela Rayner seems no better if this is to be believed.
https://www.theguardian.com/po
The problem it seems to me with the Labour Party is that its selection processes in recent years have ended up with a whole lot of bland, identikit MPs with not a big beast or real leader in sight.
Of course, Angela Rayner could be said to be an exception but I am not really convinced she is leadership material.
Finally, I do despair when Labour seeks to blame the civil service for their woes. Their woes are down to the fact that they don't have a coherent set of policies or a compelling message.
https://www.theguardian.com/po
I posted above a link to an article which set out some of Peter Oborne's contemporaneous diary entries, but for anyone who has not read it, the two passages are well worth a read.
"Starmer’s Disaster
November 2024, pp.10-11
I predicted in this column in August that Morgan McSweeney would win his power struggle with Sue Gray. He has duly done so, and has replaced her as Keir Starmer’s Downing Street Chief of Staff. This is a disaster for Labour, but even more so for Britain. McSweeney is a political strategist. Such creatures may be useful during election campaigns, but should not be allowed near government. Tony Blair’s Chief of Staff was Jonathan Powell, who had many years’ experience as a diplomat. In Downing Street, he played a distinguished role in creating the Good Friday Agreement.
There is no chance of McSweeney doing anything like that. His consideration is winning votes. This means he will automatically oppose the difficult or unpopular decisions which serious Prime Ministers must make if they are to do their job properly. Starmer’s foolish attachment to McSweeney explains his failure to show leadership as Prime Minister. Instead of using the opportunity granted to him by a massive Commons majority to address Britain’s multitude of problems, Starmer appears to be listening to McSweeney’s advice of not offending voters – thus creating a vacuum inevitably filled by minor or non-existent scandals. For these reasons, Sue Gray was right to try to keep McSweeney at arms length.
McSweeney has established himself as the most powerful individual in Britain. He, not Starmer, sets the tone. This is an awful shame because anybody who loves Britain yearns for good government after the incompetence and moral corruption of the Tory years."
"A Sad, Bad State of Affairs
January 2025, pp.6-7
Much of this flows, as I have explained before, from Starmer’s dependence on his new chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, who maintains that Starmer can only win the next election by governing through a ‘permanent campaign’. This calamitous methodology, which first saw the light of day in the Blair era and was adopted by Boris Johnson, means that every decision is dictated after consultation with focus groups and pollsters for its likely effect on target voters. It is the antithesis of the 20th Century proposition that British Prime Ministers should govern in the national interest, leaving political campaigns to the few weeks before each general election.
The ‘permanent campaign’ guarantees bad government, and I am not even sure that it works electorally. There is a reason for this. Prime Ministers who depend on focus groups and care what newspapers think end up at the mercy of fashion, do a great deal of inadvertent harm, and achieve nothing substantial. Sue Gray, trained in the traditional civil service, despised this debauched system of popular rule. This explains why it was so important for McSweeney and his allies to dispose of her.
With Gray out of the way, McSweeney can now focus on his short-termist stunts (Starmer’s ‘relaunch’ in December was a good example) and dog-whistle messages to racist voters. Serious discussion about the great issues of our time – the legacy of Brexit, social degradation, climate change, political corruption, the growing menace of the far-right – has been eradicated.
Instead, McSweeney has secured a world in which Cabinet ministers such as Streeting run along to cultivate Marshall at meretricious events such as the Spectator dinner. It’s all so sad. We so badly need the Starmer Government to succeed. This moral and political delinquency makes me want to cry."
Sadly, Oborne has been a lone voice crying in the wilderness , having been banished from the mainstream media for daring to challenge the prevailing orthodoxy which George Orwell so aptly described. [Post edited 10 Feb 7:44]
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| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 08:02 - Feb 10 with 62 views | GlasgowBlue |
| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 07:31 - Feb 10 by DJR |
All those who seek high office have ambition but I do wonder if naked ambition should be a bar to high office.
This puff piece from Streeting in today's Guardian seems to me to be an extraordinary thing to pen at this particular point in time, and the denial of his closeness to Mandelson is a nonsense given the way his text messages end with an x.
https://www.theguardian.com/co
At the same time Angela Rayner seems no better if this is to be believed.
https://www.theguardian.com/po
The problem it seems to me with the Labour Party is that its selection processes in recent years have ended up with a whole lot of bland, identikit MPs with not a big beast or real leader in sight.
Of course, Angela Rayner could be said to be an exception but I am not really convinced she is leadership material.
Finally, I do despair when Labour seeks to blame the civil service for their woes. Their woes are down to the fact that they don't have a coherent set of policies or a compelling message.
https://www.theguardian.com/po
I posted above a link to an article which set out some of Peter Oborne's contemporaneous diary entries, but for anyone who has not read it, the two passages are well worth a read.
"Starmer’s Disaster
November 2024, pp.10-11
I predicted in this column in August that Morgan McSweeney would win his power struggle with Sue Gray. He has duly done so, and has replaced her as Keir Starmer’s Downing Street Chief of Staff. This is a disaster for Labour, but even more so for Britain. McSweeney is a political strategist. Such creatures may be useful during election campaigns, but should not be allowed near government. Tony Blair’s Chief of Staff was Jonathan Powell, who had many years’ experience as a diplomat. In Downing Street, he played a distinguished role in creating the Good Friday Agreement.
There is no chance of McSweeney doing anything like that. His consideration is winning votes. This means he will automatically oppose the difficult or unpopular decisions which serious Prime Ministers must make if they are to do their job properly. Starmer’s foolish attachment to McSweeney explains his failure to show leadership as Prime Minister. Instead of using the opportunity granted to him by a massive Commons majority to address Britain’s multitude of problems, Starmer appears to be listening to McSweeney’s advice of not offending voters – thus creating a vacuum inevitably filled by minor or non-existent scandals. For these reasons, Sue Gray was right to try to keep McSweeney at arms length.
McSweeney has established himself as the most powerful individual in Britain. He, not Starmer, sets the tone. This is an awful shame because anybody who loves Britain yearns for good government after the incompetence and moral corruption of the Tory years."
"A Sad, Bad State of Affairs
January 2025, pp.6-7
Much of this flows, as I have explained before, from Starmer’s dependence on his new chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, who maintains that Starmer can only win the next election by governing through a ‘permanent campaign’. This calamitous methodology, which first saw the light of day in the Blair era and was adopted by Boris Johnson, means that every decision is dictated after consultation with focus groups and pollsters for its likely effect on target voters. It is the antithesis of the 20th Century proposition that British Prime Ministers should govern in the national interest, leaving political campaigns to the few weeks before each general election.
The ‘permanent campaign’ guarantees bad government, and I am not even sure that it works electorally. There is a reason for this. Prime Ministers who depend on focus groups and care what newspapers think end up at the mercy of fashion, do a great deal of inadvertent harm, and achieve nothing substantial. Sue Gray, trained in the traditional civil service, despised this debauched system of popular rule. This explains why it was so important for McSweeney and his allies to dispose of her.
With Gray out of the way, McSweeney can now focus on his short-termist stunts (Starmer’s ‘relaunch’ in December was a good example) and dog-whistle messages to racist voters. Serious discussion about the great issues of our time – the legacy of Brexit, social degradation, climate change, political corruption, the growing menace of the far-right – has been eradicated.
Instead, McSweeney has secured a world in which Cabinet ministers such as Streeting run along to cultivate Marshall at meretricious events such as the Spectator dinner. It’s all so sad. We so badly need the Starmer Government to succeed. This moral and political delinquency makes me want to cry."
Sadly, Oborne has been a lone voice crying in the wilderness , having been banished from the mainstream media for daring to challenge the prevailing orthodoxy which George Orwell so aptly described. [Post edited 10 Feb 7:44]
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Re the first Oborne point. Starmer tasked Sue Gray with setting up a plan for government for the first 100 days whilst he and the party got on with campaigning to win the election.
When he entered number 10 Starmer found that Due Gray had set up no such programme, which is why Starmer found himself in difficulty politically from day 1. | |
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| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 08:06 - Feb 10 with 57 views | DJR |
| Anas Sawar, Labour leader in Scotland on 08:02 - Feb 10 by GlasgowBlue |
Re the first Oborne point. Starmer tasked Sue Gray with setting up a plan for government for the first 100 days whilst he and the party got on with campaigning to win the election.
When he entered number 10 Starmer found that Due Gray had set up no such programme, which is why Starmer found himself in difficulty politically from day 1. |
So the story goes. 
And what Oborne says has been borne out by events, namely, that, even if Sue Gray were the issue, it was a mistake to replace her with a political strategist.
EDIT: As it is, one of the most damaging things they did was delay the Budget so long but that was nothing to do with Sue Gray who resigned some 7 weeks before.
And I am sure that if Sue Gray had been in charge, Mandelson would never have been appointed because her propriety and ethics background would have trumped political considerations.
FURTHER EDIT: I have come across this on Wikipedia. Oh for a bit more of this when it came to the appointment of Mandelson!
"Rumours reported by The Guardian alleged that she adopted a "micromanagerial" leadership style with substantial control over ministerial and special adviser appointments, " [Post edited 10 Feb 8:45]
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