I’d say his finger is closer to the pulse than yours. Or have you missed the amount of folk not wanting to get involved in another US led middle eastern adventure?

Take a step back and take the blinkers off for a minute, you’re as ideologically blinded as the rest of them.

Well, with Unison backing Starmer, I think that means Lewis won’t get his Union nomination (and no Union nomination means that realistically you don’t even get to run)… probably for the best… but it’s a shame he won’t get the leadership campaign to try and prove himself for a leading front bench role.

Unison general secretary Dave Prentis reading the last rites for Corbynism: "Unions created the Labour Party to give working people a voice in Westminster. But it can only achieve for them, their families, their communities and the country’s public services when in government."

— Kevin Schofield (@PolhomeEditor) January 8, 2020

Magic Grandad has his finger on the pulse? Yeah, right. Here’s a pretty accurate description of his performance today by the political sketch writer of that famously right-wing mouthpiece The Independent. The title itself sums him up…

Jeremy Corbyn just delivered a masterclass in being the worst party leader in political history

He seems to be having some kind of bet with himself to see just how much damage he can do to the Labour Party before his fingers are prized away from the leadership

When do we hear who the unions have blocked from running?

The biggest union in the country is backing Starmer. I’m sure all those who claimed that a union stitch-up would deliver RLB as leader will be here soon to admit they were wrong.

I’m sure all those who claimed that a union stitch-up would deliver RLB as leader will be here soon to admit they were wrong.

Who said that? Some people pointed out that the union leaders don’t get a block vote any more, I then pointed out that the new nomination process means that they now have major say in who gets to the voting stage.

It’s who gets blocked by the unions that’s interesting. I doubt RLB will be, I’d be surprised if the Unite thumbs up goes to anyone else, but you never know.

RLB was always going to get the unite vote delivered by Comrade Len.

The leadership of Unite is fortunately not representative of the union movement generally. They’re not all stuck in some stasis of 1970’s arrested development.

We’ve got 11 more weeks of Corbyn yet, and on the strength of today’s head-in-the-sand debacle, the idea of any ‘continuity’ candidate to that will look less and less appealing.

So by grimly hanging on he might actually be doing the party a favour.

The scale of the electoral thumping they’ve just received, and the reasons why, does seem to be sinking in with all but the most terminally deluded, like Rebecca ‘ten out of ten for Jeremy’ Long-Bailey

Prentis always comes over well, as opposed to McClusky……

Starmer could well be the man for the middle ground.

Boom!

EXC: I can confirm there is to be a seventh entrant into the Labour leadership contest.

It’s Barry Gardiner.

Tune into #Newsnight at 2230 for more.

— Lewis Goodall (@lewis_goodall) January 8, 2020

More like…

“Boom… boom!”

Gardiner’s been considering how well he’s come across over the last few years and thought to himself, “yeah, I’ll go for that. What could go wrong?”

Got to be Gardiner and Burgon for the full package

Not so fast!

Surely Ian Lavery has still time yet

And Dianne Abbott has been suspiciously quiet…

If Bazza is the answer what the **** is the question?

Len is all over twitter basically calling Goodall a liar, saying Gardner is overseas and isn’t standing.

NEW: Have just spoken to Barry Gardiner who is in the Middle East.
– He confirms he IS considering standing for the leadership and will take that decision in the next 24 hours
– He also tells me that @LenMcCluskey did not call him to encourage him to stand

— Beth Rigby (@BethRigby) January 8, 2020

The leadership of Unite is fortunately not representative of the union movement generally.

Yeah, it’s only the biggest union in Britain.

Yeah, it’s only the biggest union in Britain.

& all those members agree entirely with what Len says

Jess Phillips has a son who ages super quick pic.twitter.com/k1Mtanvmov

— Danny Godfrey (@DannyGodfrey23) January 7, 2020

You know Binners I’m only providing this sort of thing for light entertainment. Not because if this was JC or DA we you would be going on about this for weeks as evidence of poor leadership.

Barry Gardiner is a very interesting character. Voted for the the Iraq war, nominated David Miliband for the leadership, once told Gordon Brown to resign because he wasn’t enough of a blairite, and has close ties to the Modi regime. He should stick to being the shadow minister for going on question time.

Good answer from Lewis though on the ridiculous ‘would you be willing to kill millions of innocent people question’.

Such a good answer, well done @labourlewis 👏 https://t.co/ByxcKEWxcq

— Owen Jones (@OwenJones84) January 9, 2020

Yeah, it’s only the biggest union in Britain.

The reason people like comrade Len target union leadership as a route to influence within the labour party is because not many people bother voting in union leadership elections. He was elected last time, very narrowly, on a turnout of 12% of the Unite mebership. Hardly some ringing endorsement is it?

How do you think he’s have got on standing for election as an MP? Yet there he is. At the top table of the party, esentially dictating policy. And repelling voters, obviously. Every time he opens his mouth, the Tory vote share goes up 5%

The reason people like comrade Len target union leadership as a route to influence within the labour party is because not many people bother voting in union leadership elections. He was elected last time, very narrowly, on a turnout of 12% of the Unite mebership. Hardly some ringing endorsement is it?

I’m not a member of Unite so I don’t know why you’re aiming that comment at me.

It wasn’t aimed at you comrade. I was just pointing out the depth of Comrade Len’s democratic mandate.

Stop using “Comrade” please Binners!

Oh, hang on…

With my comrades, now and always. pic.twitter.com/akxmlal6kS

— Richard Burgon MP (@RichardBurgon) January 9, 2020

It wasn’t aimed at you comrade. I was just pointing out the depth of Comrade Len’s democratic mandate.

Replied to me but not aimed at me. *reaches for chinny reckon gif*

Anyway, for everyone else, I think the influence of the union vote is much overstated for the following reasons:

1. Elections are now one member one vote (the bloc vote was scrapped)
2. Union members have to opt in to have a vote: for example, my union gives me a choice of two different political funds, one of which is Labour affiliated and the other is for general campaigning.
3. Union members don’t all vote the way their leaders tell them to.
4. At the 2016 election, less than 20% of votes cast were by affiliated union supporters, and of those, around 60% voted for Corbyn. Full members are by far the largest bloc.

Magic Grandad has his finger on the pulse? Yeah, right. Here’s a pretty accurate description of his performance today by the political sketch writer of that famously right-wing mouthpiece The Independent. The title itself sums him up…

Jeremy Corbyn just delivered a masterclass in being the worst party leader in political history

He seems to be having some kind of bet with himself to see just how much damage he can do to the Labour Party before his fingers are prized away from the leadership

Interesting, do you actually have your own thoughts or just what you read? If you do could you answer my question rather than avoiding it with vapid ranting? In case you missed it I asked:

Or have you missed the amount of folk not wanting to get involved in another US led middle eastern adventure?

That aside, would you be supportive if he just didn’t turn up at all or would that just be a different stick to beat him with? I’m willing to bet the latter as opposed to the former in this case.

Union members have to opt in to have a vote: for example, my union gives me a choice of two different political funds, one of which is Labour affiliated and the other is for general campaigning.

Really? Wish we had that in GMB.

Barry Gardiner is a very interesting character. Voted for the the Iraq war, nominated David Miliband for the leadership, once told Gordon Brown to resign because he wasn’t enough of a blairite, and has close ties to the Modi regime. He should stick to being the shadow minister for going on question time.

I assumed it was just the Chinese having a tilt at the leadership.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/china-cash-link-to-top-labour-mp-65d3c92j8

They backed the wrong horse if so!

Really? Wish we had that in GMB.

You do. See page 66 of your rulebook.

https://www.gmb.org.uk/sites/default/files/GMB-RULEBOOK-2019.pdf

Do I have my own thoughts? You know the answer to that, surely?

Everyone who doesn’t think Jeremy is wonderful and his socialist vision is the only future, is obviously an unthinking drone, a gullible slave to the neoliberal military-industrial complex, totally incapable of independent thought, who eagerly awaits Rupert Murdoch spoon-feeding them their opinions every day.

That’s the narrative, isn’t it?

Oh…and SK I’m not answering your question or engaging with you in any way as you’re not even aware of what’s clearly stated on page 66 of your union rule book

Come on… this is schoolboy stuff…

Oh…and SK I’m not answering your question or engaging with you in any way as you’re not even aware of what’s clearly stated on page 66 of your union rule book

Come on… this is schoolboy stuff…

Interesting how a post advising a member on how to use his union subscription is hijacked by you and your petty animosities. When I say interesting, I mean entirely predictable.

Then, comrade, I suggest that you take a look at page 73, subsection 2, paragraph 3, appendage 7, which clearly proves you wrong

Binners, going back to comrade len…as you stated turnover in last Unite election was 12.2%.
His 45.5% share means that 5.6% of the union membership voted for him.
I wouldn’t call that a democratic result.
It’s even worse than the farce which masquerades as PCC elections.
Unfortunately, McCluskey and his mates control the rule book.
How will he connive at the next union election?

The whole way Unite functions under McClusky is completely dysfunctional and corrupt.

Unfortunately his entryist agenda, initially trialled by Militant in the 80’s was used as a template to deliver Corbynism, where he revelled in the totally out of kilter amount of power he wielded

The man is a real piece of work. A narcissistic, power-crazed bully of the worst sort. A supposed Marxist conducting ‘socialist’ operations from his table in The Ivy (all on expenses, paid for by subs from union members, obviously)

This sums up Len McClusky..

Ex-labour MP awarded £75,000 in Libel damages after Union story

Anna Turkey was bang on with her description of McClusky. He’s a vile human being

Then, comrade, I suggest that you take a look at page 73, subsection 2, paragraph 3, appendage 7, which clearly proves you wrong

That almost passes for originality in your world.

Binners – you’re getting over-excited in your trying; it’s Anna Turley, not Turkey.
The damages award is being appealed by Unite and the costs award, if the appeal is unsuccessful, is closer to £2million than £1mill.
There are 4 other cases against Labour and/or Corbynistas which are in the public domain and, in each, the solicitor’s are Lab’s favourites Howe & Co (who acted against Turley) with barrister Anthony Hudson expected to make an appearance – as he did against Turley.
The judge in Turley’s case, after Hudson stated she ‘…was not fit to be an MP’, increased the damages award and said ‘…the defendants’ conduct during the trial has seriously aggravated the harm to (Turley’s) reputation and her distress’.
Details courtesy of Private Eye.
McCluskey – unaffected.
Members subs – being wasted big style.
My learned friends – laughing all the way.
Sickening really.

I left school at 16 and worked on the heavily unionised chemical plants on Merseyside in the 1980’s.

I’ve had plenty of first hand experience of the Len McCluskey’s and Derek Hatton of this world*. Utter ****’s, the lot of them

They were pathetic, Marxist dinosaurs in 1986 – totally self-serving- I’m gobsmacked that anyone is naive enough to buy their bullshit in the 21st century. That takes a special kind of stupid

The likes of McClusky are about as concerned for the rights of workers as Jacob Rees Mogg. They’re entirely in it for themselves, which in my eyes makes them even worse than the Tory’s

At least they make no pretence to not being utter ****s

* not the Jeremy Corbyns, obviously, as there’s no chance on earth they’d be anywhere near an actual workplace like a chemical plant, particularly in the north

That takes a special kind of stupid

Always the best way of convincing people of your point of view.

There’s little point in trying to convince cult members that they’re wrong

This is just me howling through a load-hailer into a shipping container as I watch the Corbynite lefty morons deliver us 20+ years of Tory rule

Maybe if you lot had learnt anything at all in the last 4 years I might make some effort to mask my total and utter contempt…

****ing clowns