Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 57 total)
  • Mark Steel banned from Labour leader vote
  • Midnighthour
    Free Member

    MARK STEEL BANNED FROM LABOUR VOTE

    The comedian and writer Mark Steel has become the latest prominent left-winger to be barred from voting in the Labour leadership election.

    Steel, who has volunteered to knock on doors for the party in the past, said he was “fuming” at the rejection, which he was told was because he does not “support their values”.

    The comic, who is also an Independent columnist, questioned whether it was right for Tony Blair to be allowed to vote given he had invaded Iraq for a “completely bogus” reason.”

    “He said the rejection notice did not explain specifically why he had been barred from voting.

    “It’s a standard thing that clearly goes out to everyone. It says there are two reasons [for rejection]. One is that you don’t support the ideals and values of the Labour party. Or you are a member of a rival organisation,” Steel said.

    “I can’t think what that can be, unless it’s Crystal Palace Football Club or my local snooker club in Croydon. Maybe my snooker club is fielding candidates.”

    “I applied as a supporter about three weeks ago. Then I started getting all the emails that people get, from Yvette Cooper and people like that, thanking me. Then I just suddenly get this, and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/labour-leadership-contest-mark-steel-becomes-latest-leftwinger-to-be-barred-from-voting-10452628.html

    mt
    Free Member

    I don’t care as long as he keeps doing his radio 4 programme.

    ernie_lynch
    Free Member

    who has volunteered to knock on doors for the party in the past

    That’s news to me. And I struggle to believe it. Up until 2007 Mark Steel was a member of the SWP, it was/is strongly against SWP policy to electorally support Labour. Many years ago Mark Steel was fairly active locally in Croydon as a member of the SWP, they used to book their meetings at the local trade union centre and I often saw him. I would have noticed had he been involved in election campaigns. I doubt that more recently as the Labour has lurched to the right he has got involved.

    Of course as an aging/ex-trot he has as much right as anyone else to register as a Labour supporter imo, but I don’t believe the claim that he has actually ever done any election work for the Labour Party.

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    konabunny
    Free Member

    Steel, who has volunteered to knock on doors for the party in the past,

    there is a subtle difference between that and “has knocked on doors for the party in the past” or “has campaigned for the party”…

    ernie_lynch
    Free Member

    Yes well I did wonder if “has volunteered” meant just that and they weren’t claiming that he had actually done any election work.

    But then I decided that was just silly as it is very clear what they are implying, ie, that Mark Steel has gone out canvassing on behalf of the Labour Party. The use of weasel words merely makes me doubt even more that he actually has.

    anagallis_arvensis
    Full Member

    Those words you criticise him for are not in quotation marks.

    miketually
    Free Member

    There was a photo on Twitter of him in a Labour rosette, supposedly in Brighton.

    nickc
    Full Member

    Me and Mark…my previous membership of the Greens barred me.

    deadlydarcy
    Free Member

    my previous membership of the Greens barred me.

    Out of interest, is that information easily available (ie. that you were a member of The Green Party) or would the vetting people have had to weed it out with some digging?

    konabunny
    Free Member

    were you merely a member or actually a candidate, official, activist..?

    anagallis_arvensis – Member
    Those words you criticise him for are not in quotation marks.
    POSTED 1 HOUR AGO # REPORT-POST

    it’s either uncritical reporting of what Steele himself said or ambiguous reporting. either way – it doesn’t speak to Steele actually having done any campaigning for Labour

    on one hand it’s not surprising that someone so known as being the member of a rival party with incompatible beliefs has been refused a day in the labour party’s future

    on the other hand the whole banning business is probably a waste of time. in a national vote with so many new members, a few entryist swoppies are statistically irrelevant

    nickc
    Full Member

    The information was tortured out of me…

    Her: Are you, or have you ever been a member of another Political Party?
    Me: Er, yeah the Greens
    Her: I’m sorry, you don’t share our goals and aspirations

    so not much weeding out or digging needed really…

    deadlydarcy
    Free Member

    Oh right, so you were tefeloned?

    (Sorry, I’d assumed you’d been barred after registering online.)

    theotherjonv
    Full Member

    Her: Are you, or have you ever been a member of another Political Party?
    Me: Er, yeah the Greens
    Her: I’m sorry, you don’t share our goals and aspirations

    Really? As I’ve grown and matured my political beliefs have changed. Does past membership of another party ban you full stop from having a Damascene moment?

    martinhutch
    Full Member

    Her: Are you, or have you ever been a member of another Political Party?
    Me: Er, yeah the Greens
    Her: I’m sorry, you don’t share our goals and aspirations

    WTF?

    Since when has there not been a significant overlap between the goals and aspirations of the Greens and Labour?

    Desperate anti-Corbyn stuff.

    You could even see that someone as properly left-leaning as Steel could legitimately be attracted back to the party by the prospect of a slightly more socialist leader.

    slowoldman
    Full Member

    Really? As I’ve grown and matured my political beliefs have changed. Does past membership of another party ban you full stop from having a Damascene moment?

    I daresay to join the Labour party these days you have to be able to confirm your Blairite beliefs from birth.

    konabunny
    Free Member

    “Since when has there not been a significant overlap between the goals and aspirations of the Greens and Labour?”

    since always?

    anagallis_arvensis
    Full Member

    it’s either uncritical reporting of what Steele himself said or ambiguous reporting. either way – it doesn’t speak to Steele actually having done any campaigning for Labour

    True, but thats not what it says either so getting your knickers in a twist over what it could mean if you were too stupid to read it properly is a bit daft imo. Even more daft to blame Steele when he didnt write it.

    konabunny
    Free Member

    nickc: are you still a member of the Greens? when did you resign?

    martinhutch
    Full Member

    since always?

    https://www.greenparty.org.uk/assets/files/manifesto/MiniManifesto2015.pdf

    Most of this would chime with traditional Labour voters, wouldn’t it?

    MrWoppit
    Free Member

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

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

    ernie_lynch
    Free Member

    if you were too stupid to read it properly is a bit daft imo. Even more daft to blame Steele when he didnt write it.

    No one has blamed Mark Steel of anything. Why don’t you read posts properly ?

    eddie11
    Free Member

    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?
    POSTED 8 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST

    POUM?

    dazh
    Full Member

    Still waiting to be vetted. Will I be barred for attending the anti-Iraq war march in 2003?

    Why is it that MPs are allowed to change parties and not members/supporters? For all the Blairites saying the vote is illegitimate due to entryism, surely Corbyn has an equal claim to legitimate supporters being turned away for no other reason than being a Corbyn supporter.

    anagallis_arvensis
    Full Member

    but I don’t believe the claim that he has actually ever done any election work for the Labour Party.

    Thats not the claim, the claim is he offered to help.

    teamhurtmore
    Free Member

    The information was tortured out of me…

    Her: Are you, or have you ever been a member of another Political Party?
    Me: Er, yeah the Greens
    Her: I’m sorry, you don’t share our goals and aspirations

    so not much weeding out or digging needed really…

    That is quite bizarre.

    nickc
    Full Member

    Oh right, so you were tefeloned?

    (Sorry, I’d assumed you’d been barred after registering online.)

    I tried to register via the text number that came out, and was phoned by a polite young worker about a week later, she asked me why I had texted and why was I interested in joining the party, and I told that I’d left the labour party (after TB and clause 4) and joined the greens, I’d let my membership of the greens lapse about a month ago, and then the Corbyn leadership happened co-incidentally…I thought it might be a ripe time to get back in the fold (so to speak)…They won’t have me back.

    I feel rejected 😆

    ahwiles
    Free Member

    if this happened Russia, we’d mock them although we wouldn’t be surprised. But it’s happening here, i’m speechless.

    MrWoppit
    Free Member

    POUM?

    Eh?

    taxi25
    Free Member

    I’m pretty sure anyone who wants to will be able to join the Labour party…. After the leadership election.

    Northwind
    Full Member

    Banning purely for having been a member of another party seems mental tbh. Especially for the Greens.

    I’ve not been vetted, yet, I imagine it could be an interesting conversation since apparently they’re doing facebook checks and that. “So apart from your scottish independence leanings and your membership of several internet cults… It seems you know Tandemjeremy?”

    MrWoppit
    Free 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…

    nickc
    Full Member

    Banning purely for having been a member of another party seems mental tbh. Especially for the Greens.

    I was surprised, and the woman sounded a bit apologetic about the whole thing. I started to argue the point, but it’s not her fault. If I’d admitted membership of the Torys I could well understand, but there you go, their ball, they can say who joins in I guess.. 😕

    MTB-Idle
    Free Member

    I saw Mark Steel in Brighton three weeks ago. I was sitting outside The Regency Restaurant awaiting my bacon and fried egg sandwich before heading back to that London on my road bike when he strolled past.

    I spotted him, smiled and said ‘Hi Mark’. He smiled back and said hello.

    I am not, nor have ever been, a member of any political party.

    Hope that helps.

    BigButSlimmerBloke
    Free Member

    Should have been

    Her: Are you, or have you ever been a member of another Political Party?
    Me: Er, yeah the Greens Tories
    Her: I’m sorry, you don’tWell as you share our goals and aspirations, come right in

    lemonysam
    Free Member

    Banning purely for having been a member of another party seems mental tbh. Especially for the Greens.

    To be honest it sounds like a poorly trained call centre temp reading from badly worded script to me.

    MrWoppit
    Free Member

    My money’s on the Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist).

    I doubt the strangely attractive Yvette knows about this important fact. It could make all the difference.

    allthepies
    Free Member

    It’ll be an intern working for nowt or someone on a zero hours contract.

    😛

    slowoldman
    Full Member

    To be honest it sounds like a poorly trained call centre temp reading from badly worded script to me.

    I think it’s more likely to be a well trained temp following a script designed to turn away those who just might be wanting to join to vote for Corbyn.

    miketually
    Free Member

    My wife was rejected for being a current member of the Greens, which is probably fair enough.

    She told the person on the phone that she does share the aims and objectives of the Labour party, and so does Corbyn. It’s just most Labour MPs and their current policies which don’t…

    kilo
    Full Member

    Mr Woppit – Member

    POUM?

    Eh?

    In 1935, POUM was formed as a communist opposition to the form of communism promoted by the Soviet Union, by the revolutionaries Andreu Nin and Joaquín Maurín.

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