So, does this mean that if a sitting MP from any other party chose to cross the floor and join the Labour benches that they would now also be automatically refused entry to the party? 😕

In 1935, POUM was formed as a

Oh, right. I’m not familiar with the minutiae of what bit of the left is a better bit of the left than other bits of etc…

I still think he’s Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist). The scamp.

Mr Woppit – Member

Just for clarity, ernest – I note you disapprove of “Stalinists” and “Trotskyists”.

What slice of leftism do you inhabit and approve of, yourself?

Mr Woppit – Member

I’m assuming ernest doesn’t want to reveal his allegiance for fear of risking the thought police of New Old New Labour casting him into the void. Where there is doubtless the wailing and gnashing of even more teeth than inside the party at the moment…

Perhaps you should assume that I have other things to do beyond sitting and waiting for you to ask silly petty questions which aren’t designed to engage in intelligent debate but rather a pointless attempt by you to look clever.

But since I’m back, first of all I don’t feel I need to justify or explain to you my intolerance of stalinism. On trotskyism you would have done well to read what I wrote in my one and only reference to Trotskyism on this thread :

as an aging/ex-trot he has as much right as anyone else to register as a Labour supporter imo

It is clear that Mark Steel’s membership most of his adult life of a Trotskyite organisation will have counted against him when applied to register as a Labour Party supporter. The Labour Party has a long standing ban on Trots dating back from the days of the Militant Tendency.

I do not approve of this ban and although I am not a Trot myself I believe they have as much right to be members of the Labour Party as anyone else, hence my comment above with regards to Mark Steel.

Finally my political views are widely known to my local Labour Party which has been informed of my registration, not least because of my past election work for Labour. Far from rejecting it they are more likely to hassle me to become a full individual party member. Which won’t happen btw.

Perhaps you should assume that I have other things to do beyond sitting and waiting for you to ask silly petty questions which aren’t designed to engage in intelligent debate but rather a pointless attempt by you to look clever.

Thanks for your exhaustive response to my silly petty questions!

The worker’s flag is deepest red, etc.

Far from rejecting it they are more likely to hassle me to become a full individual party member. Which won’t happen btw.

Why not? You seem very loyal. To, er, whichever bit of the Labour Party a person supposed to be loyal to, these days…

I donated money to the Labour party before the last election and since then they’ve been hounding me to join without ever asking whether I supported their aims or was a member of another party….

NB I voted Lib Dem, but it was a tactical donation just to try and keep the Tories out.

“Here’s me not supporting Labour’s values at the last election https://t.co/mKL2X7u0So
— Mark Steel (@mrmarksteel) August 12, 2015“
[photo of him campaigning 2015]

Petition now on Change.org

The Labour Party and the Greens fundamentally disagree on the issue of economic and industrial growth: the Greens think further growth is redundant if the benefits won’t be more equitably shared, the labour movement thinks more growth and more equitable distribution is needed. every other policy stems from those core beliefs and the parties can’t be reconciled on that issue.

Oh, right. I’m not familiar with the minutiae of what bit of the left is a better bit of the left than other bits of etc…

you would have known that if you’d read Homage to Catalonia. but your ignorance of the best English-language book^ about one of the most important events in 20th Century Europe (the Spanish civil war) is your loss, not anyone else’s.

^ also, your apparent inability to use a search engine

Oh well, that’s me told off, then.

Wasn’t that set in the 1930’s? I was hoping for something a bit more current, to be honest.

Unless it’s all just the same old dusty arguments, of course. In which case, I don’t much see the point.

Wasn’t that set in the 1930’s?

It’s non-fiction.

you would have known that if you’d read Homage to Catalonia.

I’m waiting for the film.

You asked a question with regards to Stalinism and Trotskyism, both were established before the 1930s. If you weren’t interested perhaps you shouldn’t have asked the question.

steel is a 25 year member of SWP who campaigned for the greens at the last election.you would have to be insane to give him a vote in the most important leadership election the party is ever likely to have

who campaigned for the greens at the last election.

He didn’t campaign for the Greens at the last election. He signed, along with others such as David Attenborough and Joanna Lumley, an open letter giving personal support to Caroline Lucas.

Celebrities sign statement of support for Caroline Lucas – but not the Greens

Sir David Attenborough, Joanna Lumley, Lily Cole and Thom Yorke are among dozens of celebrities to have called for the re-election of the Green party’s Caroline Lucas, while avoiding any explicit endorsement of the party itself.

“Regardless of our own political allegiance, we believe that our democracy can only be strengthened by maintaining such a strong and inspirational presence in parliament.”

And Mark Steel’s 25 year membership of the SWP is irrelevant. I know at least one totally committed Blairite MP who was once a very active member of the SWP.

If the Labour Party is only interested in support from people who have always supported them then they will not win the next general election.

I’m waiting for the movie

Jeremy Hardy also barred from voting in leadership election
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/aug/21/jeremy-hardy-labour-rig-leadership-election-corbyn

Meanwhile the SNP are happily accepting folk who previously supported other parties, and look what happened to them.

I think a lot of those folk would say something like ‘I didn’t leave Labour, Labour left me’. As a former Labour supporter, I find it very sad.

I think they should apply their rationale properly and at least exclude people who actually stood against Labour candidates in general elections: