Saturday 1 November 2014

Labour Leadership News

UNISON, Scotland’s largest trade union, has given its backing to Neil Findlay MSP in the contest for the next Scottish Labour leader. This followed a hustings event in Glasgow today (1 November 2014) at the UNISON annual Labour Link Forum.

Members were impressed by the analysis from both Sarah Boyack and Neil Findlay of the challenges facing Scottish Labour and need for a new approach.

UNISON Scotland Labour Link Chair Gordon McKay said:
“Members have been hugely impressed with Neil Findlay since he became an MSP and in particular as Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing. Neil understands that politics as usual isn’t good enough and we believe he offers a fresh approach with a real experience and understanding of the concerns of working people”.


“At today’s meeting Neil Findlay outlined a radical new policy approach that will be welcomed by our members.”
**********
Just like that....
Understatement of the year
The MWPs want an MP: The MSPs don't.
Retreat, absolutely no doubt.
They are at war: Hasn't George got a drinker's nose
Not looking good for Labour or the Liberals in Scotland according to this poll
He's not really our kind of Labour.
What has he done with his life?
What does he know about what we do with ours?
Poisoned Chalice if ever there was one.
You may be sacked by your boss's boss.
If that isn't love....
Otherwise there would be no need for Labour...
...Oh that's right... there is no need for Labour.
Trick or Treat...
Obviously a Trick... or something like that.
Her tour is sold out...
and he just sold out.
Many a true word was spoken in jest.
I said you were a joke, not choke!
He certainly has the common touch, doesn't he?
Looks like he's saying... he's 2p you disgusting poor person
as long as I don't have to actually look at you. 

(And yes, apparently it was 2p)
Can you imagine Nicola in that situation?

Probably done with the best of intentions, but it turned out to be yet another
gaffe!
Loved everywhere he goes...
specially when he goes.

37 comments:

  1. Going by the map, it's not looking good for labour in the rUK either.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, one day they will learn that you can't out Tory the Tories in England unless you are Ukip.

      Delete
    2. If Malcolm Chisholm and Ken MacIntosh are nominating her there must be more to Fifi than is immediately apparent and it would suggest that Murphy does not go down too well with MSPs. I see trouble and in-fighting ahead for "Scottish" Labour.

      niko has released a memo from Milliband to Murphy:

      "Dear Jim, can you fix it for me by persuading Scottish voters that we are more left-wing than the SNP whilst I persuade English voters that we are more right-wing than UKIP?

      Delete
    3. LOL John... good one.

      Yes, I thought that when I read that Malcolm Chisholm had nominated her. I don;t know Ken MacIntosh at all, but I respect Chisholm enormously.

      I always though Dugdale was pretty awful, and her tv appearances during the referendum did nothing to change my opinion. She also seemed utterly consumed by hatred of the SNP, which is fair enough, but it allowed her judgement of what might be in an independent Scotland to be clouded. I also thought that she had a very unfortunate style on TV.

      Delete
  2. tris and others

    That a silly little map well unless you believe in a majoritarian society
    in which the majority crush any minority it wishes too
    Oops but then that just what want the snp in Scotland but not in the UK.

    Anyway seems to me Labour an answer to the peoples question but !
    its the same answer to any question they ask in fact its the answer to
    the question which Labour want , demand the people ask them.
    The fact the people (awkward ungrateful lot ) are now
    asking different questions which leads to results and outcome Labour
    seem not to agree with..has not yet sunk into the minds of the middle
    class educated elite from private school to oxbridge and then into
    internship as political advisers and thence upward into elected ? leadership
    of the Labour party.
    Thus we have representation comprised of a political class who have never
    any meaningful personal experience of the real world of work , poverty unemployment
    or illness .And who spend most of their live in office explaining how said experience
    does not matter and is not relevant.......

    Some beg to differ

    tris

    I am not a robot i am a free ?man

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, of course I don't really believe the map. I don't think anyone does. Although it what happens with FPTP. An area is decided upon for the party with the most votes, even if there are more votes against it.

      Anyway, it won;t work out as well as that for the SNP. You can count on that.

      You're right about Labour though.

      Private school, Oxbridge, connections, SPAD, (MSP/MEP) MP, minister, director, lord.

      Never been hungry (except after a good day's skiing in Klosters), never been cold (except at the top of a Swiss mountain), never been denied anything.

      Oh for more people like Dennis Skinner, who knew what it was like to live 8 to a three-roomed house and go without. Or at least Glenda Jackson who understood what it was like.

      Freedom is slavery!

      Delete
    2. Niko, I wonder if you were watching Sky News this morning. A wonderful piece regarding the Kola Peninsula, one of the pieces of Russia which is inhabited by the Sami, you know those people who live in the Arctic Circle and tend the Reindeer. Well the report was about two women one who is in the Sami Parliament and the other who was also prosecuted by the Russian Authorities who are worried about the Sami want to control their own resources. All of said without any trace of irony. So to all the NO voter I just want to say thanks, all idiots and Niko may I add it would have been better if you were a robot for all the use you are,

      Delete
    3. Helena

      Better a robot than a ill natured shrew

      “Think you a little din can daunt mine ears?
      Have I not in my time heard lions roar?
      Have I not heard the sea, puffed up with winds,
      Rage like an angry boar chafed with sweat?
      Have I not heard great ordinance in the field,
      And Heaven's artillery thunder in the skies?
      Have I not in a pitched battle heard
      Loud 'larums, neighing steeds, and trumpets' clang?
      And do you tell me of a woman's tongue,
      That gives not half so great a blow to hear
      As will a chestnut in a farmer's fire?
      Tush! tush! fear boys with bugs.
      Grumio: For he fears none.”

      Delete
    4. Do you know any Burns, Niko?

      Delete
    5. Good question, Niko.

      Delete
  3. Tris as usual Munguin has come up trumps will assistance of your good self. Seems the fact that JM is now the BBC favourite means that Neil Findlay and Sarah Boyack might as well not have bothered.
    Used to be in Unison, not the bit with affiliation to Labour, constructed by joining the two unions which served Local Government, Nalgo and Nupe. Has never worked well since it became one, I know as a Shop Steward who had to look after the office and supervisory staff. If we had bother we had real bother as who do you look to for support, The Supervisory Staff were often hung out to dry.
    I seem to remember that one of the Bosses was very anti Labour but that was a few years ago.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not only the BBC, Helena.

      It seems that the Better Together lot are supporting Jim.

      Apparently the room booked for the launch of his bid was paid for by Better Together (ie The Tories!)

      I wonder how the other two candidates feel about that!!!

      English Tory money paying for Murphy's campaign... well, I suppose it's appropriate. He's pretty much a Tory.

      He'll be a godsend to the SNP. Right wing warmonger.

      Delete
  4. I hope that a film will be released soon showing the love affair of the media with JM. Followed by a sequel of the love affair of JM with JM. Hankies ready.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That would be a tender love story indeed...

      Sick pails ready.

      Delete
  5. “I see trouble ahead for the BBC here Tris. On the one hand they are involved in an extremely serious love affair with UKIP Dan Suff. On the other hand they are also involved in a deeply serious love affair in Scotland with Jim Murphy.

    We are all sitting back and enjoying the ingrown explosion of retribution and accusation that is currently going on within the Labour party. I wonder how long it will be before they ( the Labour party ) realise that their offspring, BBC, is involved in a love triangle. Everyone knows that nothing good ever comes out of a love triangle.

    I think there is only one outstanding question here. Who will disintegrate into a pile of dust first, the Labour party or the BBC? :-) “

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well the BBC are very clever, Arbroath. They don't have to worry about supporting UKIP and Labour.

      I hope the BBC goes first, but in Scotland the two are virtually the same. Is there anyone anywhere in the BBC Scotland offices who isn't related to someone in Labour?

      Delete
    2. If there is anyone at BBC Scotland who is not related to Labour Tris they must be praying that the Scottish government's submissions to the Smith Commission are accepted in full cause part of that submission includes the requirement of broadcasting control being devolved to Edinburgh.

      Delete
    3. It's only logical that it should be.

      Probably rather a lot of submissions will include that.

      I'm not sure that there is a role for a state broadcaster in this day and age, are you?

      Delete
    4. PS... I'm glad to see you can post again....

      Niko...are you still having problems?... I mean having problems posting, before Mr Brownie or Mr Conan say anything smart.

      Delete
    5. Niko...are you still having problems?...

      After that previous minor surgery, nah!

      Delete
    6. tris


      still asking if I am a robot dont think I am merely a mindless
      unionist cyborg controlled remotely from Westminster.
      obviously some will post once and if they do not land
      on the page just cant be bothered to try again .
      I was under the impression this was caused by the blog
      settings .

      Delete
    7. LOL CH...

      No it's not the settings Niko. I checked to see if there was any passwords required... and there aren't.

      Arbroath was having trouble posting at all...

      Scot Goes Pop is finding that some of his correspondents are having to prove they aren't robots too. He hasn't set the blog for that either.

      Blogger is just being bad!

      I'm sorry.

      Delete
    8. I can't tell you how relieved I am that I can post again Tris. I actually ended up removing the link to Munguin's from my favourites by mistake, HONEST ;-) , but when I returned to Munguin's I found the Captcha thingy that wasn't there before, or rather that I hadn't seen before. LOL

      As far as state broadcasters go I think you are probably right Tris. Any time there is a state broadcaster then you run the risk that they, the state broadcaster, is not being totally neutral in their reporting and the current behaviour of the BBC is an excellent example of this.

      Delete
    9. It is not just Blogger as Derek Bateman's blog misses thread as well as comment text as if some of it is written in lemon juice for me. GCHQ or conflicts of browser and conflicts between 32 & 64 bit systems?

      Internet been invaded by aliens! Conspiracies abound.

      Delete
    10. Yep. I can't comment on Wings or Bruce's blog....

      Gremlins.

      Delete
  6. Trust in the BBC must be falling as fast or even faster than trust in Labour lets hope the disappear in the not to distant future as neither believe in democracy.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Replies
    1. ch
      anything to say about Alex salmond ??? no umm what
      about R.I.P
      funny not so long ago all we heard from the nats was
      Alex ! Alex ! Alex ! Alex ! Alex ! Alex ! Alex ! Alex !
      Alex ! Alex ! Alex ! Alex ! Alex ! Alex ! Alex ! Alex !
      Alex ! Alex ! Alex ! Alex ! Alex ! Alex ! Alex ! Alex !

      And now you talk more about Jim Murphy

      Still this could/does apply to your Alex as it will to Nicola in good time

      "All political lives, unless they are cut off in midstream at a happy juncture, end in failure, because that is the nature of politics and of human affairs." Enoch Powell

      mind he also said
      In the end, the Labour party could cease to represent labour. Stranger historic ironies have happened than that. -Enoch powell

      ch
      I and some friends have been to see the poppies.
      at the tower. t was very moving.
      and then we walked about a bit and going down one
      turning saw a poster put up in a car saying
      '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
      I will post a pic on me blog in the next few days
      no doubt all the nats will say told you so

      Delete
    2. CH... just read this in his Wiki page...

      In 2011, The Daily Telegraph published documents,[13] compiled by a senior US official at the US Embassy in London and published by WikiLeaks, stating that throughout 2009, Jim Murphy was in charge of organising a coalition of Unionist parties whose aim was to "block an independence referendum" in Scotland.[14]

      Delete
    3. Good old Enoch.

      How right he was. People do tend to go on and on until they end in failure.

      Tony Blair is a case in point. I doubt anyone could argue that in 1997 he was the country's hero, now, apart from a few hard right wingers (probably including Jim Murphy) he is roundly detested by people form all over the world.

      As you say, it is likely to happen to most politicians. I don't think Claire Short or Dennis Skinner, Glenda Jackson or Mo Mowlem (but then she died young) could be said to have ended up as failures.

      Delete
    4. We await your poster with interest Niko... :)

      Delete
    5. Niko the BBC can only talk about Jim as if he can fix it, that is the Labour party no inference to other BBC past notorieties although skeletons need to be exsposed.

      Delete
    6. I see that when Jim was asked by the Herald, what the membership of the Scottish Branch was, he replied that he didn't know and that they would have to ask Scottish Labour (who?).

      He wants to broaden its appeal and attract funding because he doesn''t want to be relation on the British party for his money as a block grant... Oh the irony.

      Delete
    7. And Darling is resigning because he's irritated that the Scottish people, having voted for dependence on London, now seem to have gone off Labour. It's our fault you see. Nothing to do with Labour and Tory joining together to tell us that we are the only country in Europe too stupid to manage alone.

      Delete
  8. Niko, now the ill natured shrew bit was on the nasty side, when dearest have I ever been shrewish to you, I would need to like you to start that. Asked the better half if he considered me a bit of a shrew and believe me as we are in the fortieth year of our relationship he should know, he said I can be grumpy but never shrewish.
    I suggest you read the bit you put in before the bit about the robot, the robot bit was about the only bit with sense.
    Can I just say that I am not a poetry buff, I just do not care for it. Must have been school. You remind me of Rick Stein, couldn't and cannot do a cookery programme without quoting some author or another. Discovered he felt inadequate because his brother got to Uni and is a Professor of Physiology at New College Oxford. So you see why he is always trying to be as good as his brother. Do not know who makes you feel inadequate or if you just are.
    By the way I am an only child, so no inadequate feelings here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Niko has always an apposite piece of Greek or Latin to entertain and educate us with. Failing that we get some English poet, like Shakespeare.

      Delete