Conservatives being 'manipulated by Brexit zealots', ex-PM Major to warn
The Conservative Party is being "manipulated" by Brexit "zealots" and the "mainstream majority" of MPs must reassert itself to stop a damaging EU exit, Sir John Major is to argue. In a lecture in Glasgow, the former prime minister will urge Parliament to "dig deep into its soul" and act before the scheduled departure, on 29 March. Brexit will cost billions and risk the break-up of the UK, he will say. Theresa May is continuing talks with the EU to try to salvage her deal. Parliament rejected the terms of withdrawal negotiated with the EU by a huge margin last month, raising the prospect of the UK leaving without a formal agreement
650 people work in the same building. 262 of them (til yesterday) were Labour MPs. Of course he has spoken to her. What I expect she meant was that there has been no meaningful conversation on this subject.
It all depends on what you mean by antisemitic.
To some, it means anti-Jewish. Corbyn is not, the Labour Party is not. However, to some people, antisemitic means that you do not support Israel (and, by extension, support the Palestinian cause). Corbyn certainly meets that criteria, as do some members of the Labour Party.
Personally, I do not believe it is racist to support EITHER the Israeli OR Palestinian position. But many people disagree.
Some numbers sound like they mean more than they do. For example, IF there are only 700 complaints, 1 campaigner says she has made more than 200 of them.
Corbyn is in a cleft stick, formed during times when he was a rebel rather than a leader. He cannot be open about his loyalties, because it would cost him votes. It is his years of ploughing his own furrow that prevent him being an effective leader. He reminds me of a traditional C of E vicar-great at preaching to the converted, but out of touch with the non-believers.
It always annoys me that the press in this country concentrate on attacking the left. Anyone think Baroness Warsi's points on racism in the Tory party are not equally valid?
It would seem he has not spoken to her directly since late 2017. This seems negligent under the circumstances.
The Labour Party has a clear definition of Antisemitism.
Corbyn has been guilty of it, and offered flimsy excuses.
The number of complaints is worrying. The fact that many refer to Corbyn supporters is cause for concern. As is the time taken to act on these complaints.
The fact that Luciana Berger faced no confidence motions as a result of her complaints is ridiculous and probably sums up the direction in which the party is headed.
Ken Livingstone had to resign, after they suspended him for years, and failed to kick him out of the party.
Corbyn is only in the cleft stick that he put himself in.
If his past prevents him from being an effective leader, then he shouldn't have taken it on. Nobody was holding a trident to his head to force him to become the leader.
The Tories racism is equally valid, but two wrongs don't make a right.
HAYSIE Posts: 3,097Member 22:28 in The Rail Eighth MP quits Labour for Independent Group
Joan Ryan has become the eighth Labour MP to quit the party in the past 48 hours, citing a "culture of anti-Jewish racism". The Enfield North MP said she was "horrified, appalled and angered" by Labour's failure to tackle anti-Semitism, saying its leadership allowed "Jews to be abused with impunity". Ms Ryan said she did not believe Jeremy Corbyn was fit to lead the country. Seven MPs quit on Monday to form the Independent Group in Parliament. Announcing her decision on Twitter, Ms Ryan said she would continue to represent the north London seat in Parliament.
He just said on the telly that his plan for Brexit was to get the Government to take no deal off the table, and then negotiate intelligently with the EU for a deal. He is planning a trip to Brussels on Thursday. Firstly he has no standing in EU negotiations. Secondly this is categorically not what was voted for so overwhelmingly at their Conference. Keep an eye out for more resignations over the next couple of days.
He just said on the telly that his plan for Brexit was to get the Government to take no deal off the table, and then negotiate intelligently with the EU for a deal. He is planning a trip to Brussels on Thursday. Firstly he has no standing in EU negotiations. Secondly this is categorically not what was voted for so overwhelmingly at their Conference. Keep an eye out for more resignations over the next couple of days.
Keep watching.
Shocking behaviour , him wanting to work towards a resolution , where May and her oafs have failed .
He just said on the telly that his plan for Brexit was to get the Government to take no deal off the table, and then negotiate intelligently with the EU for a deal. He is planning a trip to Brussels on Thursday. Firstly he has no standing in EU negotiations. Secondly this is categorically not what was voted for so overwhelmingly at their Conference. Keep an eye out for more resignations over the next couple of days.
Keep watching.
Shocking behaviour , him wanting to work towards a resolution , where May and her oafs have failed .
He just said on the telly that his plan for Brexit was to get the Government to take no deal off the table, and then negotiate intelligently with the EU for a deal. He is planning a trip to Brussels on Thursday. Firstly he has no standing in EU negotiations. Secondly this is categorically not what was voted for so overwhelmingly at their Conference. Keep an eye out for more resignations over the next couple of days.
Keep watching.
Shocking behaviour , him wanting to work towards a resolution , where May and her oafs have failed .
The word on the street is that 3 Tories will be joining them tomorrow.
The employment stats are apparently being affected by a growing number of oldies who cant afford to stop working, when they are supposed to be retired. Probably means a new thread in a minute, when people start blaming their Grandads for taking their jobs, rather than immigrants.
The Times has an interview with Joan Ryan, the latest MP to leave the Labour Party. In it, she accuses Jeremy Corbyn of allowing Labour to become "institutionally anti-semitic". She tells the paper her decision to leave was a "painful" one, but says she sees it as her moral duty. The i newspaper leads with reports that the Conservatives are on "high alert" that a number of the party's MPs could also quit and join the new group of independents. It says three backbenchers have been put on "resignation watch" by Downing Street. In its leader, the Daily Mail warns any MPs considering such a move that they risk making Labour a "viable electable force". It says Tories on both sides of the Brexit debate need to seek common ground.
There are different views expressed about whether or not Honda's decision to close its car plant in Swindon is linked to Brexit. The Guardian says the carmaker is being "too polite" when it says the closure is not Brexit-related - and quotes the company's previous warnings about the impact of Britain leaving the EU. In its leader, the Financial Times says to deny that Brexit was a factor would be "grossly short-sighted and irresponsible". But the Telegraph says linking the closure to Britain's exit from the EU is "disingenuous" and attacks the government for failing to fight back against what it calls "Remainer propaganda".
PETER OBORNE: Could this be the end of two-party politics after more than a century?
I predict the Tories will soon fracture. All close observers of politics have been aware for months that there are, in effect, two Conservative parties. One is official and under Theresa May. And then there are the Brexiteers led by Jacob Rees-Mogg and Boris Johnson.
However, that may not last for long. The hard-Right gains ground every day. There are concerted grassroots moves to deselect Europhile MPs such as Nick Boles, Dominic Grieve, Sarah Wollaston and Sir Alan Duncan.
The mass working-class vote that Attlee and Wilson mobilised barely exists any more. For its part, Conservative party members have fallen from three million voters after World War II to scarcely 125,000 today. Ultimately this depends on one factor. If Brexit is a success, the new party will disappear. But if Brexit is followed by disruption and mass job losses – which looks increasingly more risky by the day – then the new party could break the mould and succeed.
He dismissed the deserters with an airy wave of his hand: HENRY DEEDES on Jezza's extraordinary response to Labour's crisis
Monday morning’s marmalade-dropper, when seven of his MPs renounced the Labour whip in disgust, was a seismic moment for his leadership – but it doesn’t seem to have left a mark on Jeremy Corbyn. Having deposited his two string sacks of allotment potatoes elsewhere, he pitched up at yesterday’s National Manufacturing Conference with a cocksure gait and a cheery grin. His professorial beard was neatly trimmed, his tie (full-blooded Socialist red, of course) uncharacteristically straight and his hair, for once, given a decent rake of the comb. He dismissed his Gang of Seven deserters with an airy wave of the hand. He was ‘disappointed’ he told the audience at Westminster’s QE2 centre. ‘A small number of MPs have chosen to take a different path,’ he said. They were elected to carry out his policies but ‘decided to go somewhere else.’
What an extraordinary response. Several of his MPs had declared that the party of Nye Bevan and Harold Wilson was now overrun with racists and bigots. And yet Mr Corbyn made it sound as if they had merely decided to switch electricity provider mid-contract. He could not have appeared more disconnected had he been draped in a toga. But he had not come to discuss Labour’s internal wobbles. He wanted to talk about the party’s manufacturing plans. His message: ‘Something has gone badly wrong.’ The blame, naturellement, ‘lies squarely with this government.’ Sitting alongside him on stage, Angela Rayner (Ashton-Under-Lyne) and Gordon Marsden (Blackpool South) nodded approvingly. Why they’d been brought along wasn’t clear. Protection perhaps? I certainly wouldn’t wish to spill Angela’s drink in a crowded saloon.
Top of Labour’s proposals was a ‘Commission for Lifelong Learning’ which sounded a bit like a scary correctional facility from a dystopian sci-fi flick. In fact, it’s a plan for workers to be able to update their professional skills between jobs. Mr Corbyn was certainly giving this idea the hard-sell. It would ‘transform the lives of millions’, ‘break down barriers’ and ‘close the gap’ etc. etc. It was ridiculous, he said, that people spend the first quarter of their life in education but then don’t learn anything else their whole life. Quite right. Though this seemed a little rich coming from someone who, according to a new biography, claims he never reads books. He said Labour would kick-start a green jobs revolution. He reeled off a Soviet-style list of numbers, claiming his plans would create ‘400,000 jobs’, ‘a seven-fold increase in offshore wind capacity’ and ‘a tripling in energy from solar power.’ Yada, yada... Apologies, I should have been jotting more of this down. But after a while, it just felt like being whacked with an abacus.
Before departing, he thanked the event’s chief executive, Stephen Phipson, a stout figure with a rugger prop’s ears, for the gift of a toolbox during a previous visit to the conference. ‘It’s in my office,’ enthused Jezza. ‘It’s been used for plenty of repairs.’ Judging by his insouciance towards the Gang of Seven’s treachery, it’ll take Mr Corbyn more than a spanner and drill-bit to fix the Labour Party. Earlier, Business Secretary Greg Clark (Tunbridge Wells) gave us a display of his permanently grinning face. Just a brief visit, he assured the audience. He was due to make an urgent statement in the Commons on the closure of Honda’s plant in Swindon. Say what you like about Mr Clark, he remains the politest member of a pretty ghoulish Cabinet. Almost maddeningly so. Like the eternally chirpy Simpsons character Ned ‘Okily Dokily’ Flanders, nothing seems to get him down. He reminds me of one those punchballs on a spring which however hard you wallop – booiiiiinng! – back it pops again.
Britain has ‘such world class manufacturing talent,’ he kept saying, that he was ‘blown away…There are so many opportunities...’ An audience member unchivalrously tried to burst Mr Boing’s balloon, asking: ‘So why don’t you ask Sir James Dyson to build his electric car in Swindon?’ ‘Ho-ho!’ laughed Greg heartily, before responding with a meaningless non sequitur about Swindon having a ‘fantastic manufacturing history with a wonderful workforce.’ And with that, off he dashed back to the Commons for another drubbing.
Independent Group's office revealed - above Brexit-backing Wetherspoons called The Unicorn
It's a new pro-Remain movement. It's founded on rational solutions to politics. So of course the Independent Group is based above a branch of Brexit-backing Wetherspoons called The Unicorn
Brexit: Tory Remainers 'warn 22 could quit' in private showdown with Theresa May
Cabinet ministers Greg Clark, Amber Rudd, David Gauke and David Mundell confronted the Prime Minister over the continuing threat of a No Deal Brexit
Tory Cabinet ministers have confronted Theresa May over Brexit in a private showdown - and demanded she sheds the threat of No Deal. Greg Clark, Amber Rudd, David Gauke and David Mundell met the Prime Minister yesterday while Westminster was distracted by MPs quitting Labour .
And the four senior Remainers warned up to 22 Tories could quit government if No Deal is pursued fully, the Telegraph reported. According to reports, they told her to say publicly she is willing to extend the March 29 date of Brexit in order to avoid resignations. The ministers could rebel and support an amendment by MPs at the end of February that is designed to buy Britain more time.
Tory former minister Baroness Altmann says she is prepared to join Independent Group over Brexit
A Tory peer and former minister has become the first to say publicly that she is prepared to join the new Independent Group over Brexit. Baroness Altmann, the former pensions minister, told the Telegraph she is “disillusioned with the Ukip-isation of the Tory party” and would join a moderate splinter party if a no-deal Brexit became the likely outcome. She warned about the risks of a no deal Brexit to the British economy and said her party is being “infiltrated by Ukip”.
Comments
Causing outrage amongst other Premier League clubs.
Riots on the streets
Stopping me asking any serious questions.
The Conservative Party is being "manipulated" by Brexit "zealots" and the "mainstream majority" of MPs must reassert itself to stop a damaging EU exit, Sir John Major is to argue.
In a lecture in Glasgow, the former prime minister will urge Parliament to "dig deep into its soul" and act before the scheduled departure, on 29 March.
Brexit will cost billions and risk the break-up of the UK, he will say.
Theresa May is continuing talks with the EU to try to salvage her deal.
Parliament rejected the terms of withdrawal negotiated with the EU by a huge margin last month, raising the prospect of the UK leaving without a formal agreement
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-47296593
The Labour Party has a clear definition of Antisemitism.
Corbyn has been guilty of it, and offered flimsy excuses.
The number of complaints is worrying. The fact that many refer to Corbyn supporters is cause for concern. As is the time taken to act on these complaints.
The fact that Luciana Berger faced no confidence motions as a result of her complaints is ridiculous and probably sums up the direction in which the party is headed.
Ken Livingstone had to resign, after they suspended him for years, and failed to kick him out of the party.
Corbyn is only in the cleft stick that he put himself in.
If his past prevents him from being an effective leader, then he shouldn't have taken it on. Nobody was holding a trident to his head to force him to become the leader.
The Tories racism is equally valid, but two wrongs don't make a right.
Peak Corbyn has gone.
They would be better off being led by Tom Watson.
HAYSIE Posts: 3,097Member
22:28 in The Rail
Eighth MP quits Labour for Independent Group
Joan Ryan has become the eighth Labour MP to quit the party in the past 48 hours, citing a "culture of anti-Jewish racism".
The Enfield North MP said she was "horrified, appalled and angered" by Labour's failure to tackle anti-Semitism, saying its leadership allowed "Jews to be abused with impunity".
Ms Ryan said she did not believe Jeremy Corbyn was fit to lead the country.
Seven MPs quit on Monday to form the Independent Group in Parliament.
Announcing her decision on Twitter, Ms Ryan said she would continue to represent the north London seat in Parliament.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-47300832
He just said on the telly that his plan for Brexit was to get the Government to take no deal off the table, and then negotiate intelligently with the EU for a deal. He is planning a trip to Brussels on Thursday.
Firstly he has no standing in EU negotiations.
Secondly this is categorically not what was voted for so overwhelmingly at their Conference.
Keep an eye out for more resignations over the next couple of days.
Keep watching.
Shocking behaviour , him wanting to work towards a resolution , where May and her oafs have failed .
She is not going to be the last.
The word on the street is that 3 Tories will be joining them tomorrow.
Probably means a new thread in a minute, when people start blaming their Grandads for taking their jobs, rather than immigrants.
She tells the paper her decision to leave was a "painful" one, but says she sees it as her moral duty.
The i newspaper leads with reports that the Conservatives are on "high alert" that a number of the party's MPs could also quit and join the new group of independents.
It says three backbenchers have been put on "resignation watch" by Downing Street.
In its leader, the Daily Mail warns any MPs considering such a move that they risk making Labour a "viable electable force". It says Tories on both sides of the Brexit debate need to seek common ground.
There are different views expressed about whether or not Honda's decision to close its car plant in Swindon is linked to Brexit.
The Guardian says the carmaker is being "too polite" when it says the closure is not Brexit-related - and quotes the company's previous warnings about the impact of Britain leaving the EU.
In its leader, the Financial Times says to deny that Brexit was a factor would be "grossly short-sighted and irresponsible".
But the Telegraph says linking the closure to Britain's exit from the EU is "disingenuous" and attacks the government for failing to fight back against what it calls "Remainer propaganda".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-47300522
I predict the Tories will soon fracture. All close observers of politics have been aware for months that there are, in effect, two Conservative parties. One is official and under Theresa May. And then there are the Brexiteers led by Jacob Rees-Mogg and Boris Johnson.
However, that may not last for long. The hard-Right gains ground every day. There are concerted grassroots moves to deselect Europhile MPs such as Nick Boles, Dominic Grieve, Sarah Wollaston and Sir Alan Duncan.
The mass working-class vote that Attlee and Wilson mobilised barely exists any more. For its part, Conservative party members have fallen from three million voters after World War II to scarcely 125,000 today.
Ultimately this depends on one factor. If Brexit is a success, the new party will disappear.
But if Brexit is followed by disruption and mass job losses – which looks increasingly more risky by the day – then the new party could break the mould and succeed.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-6723167/PETER-OBORNE-end-two-party-politics-century.html
Monday morning’s marmalade-dropper, when seven of his MPs renounced the Labour whip in disgust, was a seismic moment for his leadership – but it doesn’t seem to have left a mark on Jeremy Corbyn.
Having deposited his two string sacks of allotment potatoes elsewhere, he pitched up at yesterday’s National Manufacturing Conference with a cocksure gait and a cheery grin. His professorial beard was neatly trimmed, his tie (full-blooded Socialist red, of course) uncharacteristically straight and his hair, for once, given a decent rake of the comb.
He dismissed his Gang of Seven deserters with an airy wave of the hand. He was ‘disappointed’ he told the audience at Westminster’s QE2 centre. ‘A small number of MPs have chosen to take a different path,’ he said. They were elected to carry out his policies but ‘decided to go somewhere else.’
What an extraordinary response. Several of his MPs had declared that the party of Nye Bevan and Harold Wilson was now overrun with racists and bigots. And yet Mr Corbyn made it sound as if they had merely decided to switch electricity provider mid-contract. He could not have appeared more disconnected had he been draped in a toga.
But he had not come to discuss Labour’s internal wobbles. He wanted to talk about the party’s manufacturing plans. His message: ‘Something has gone badly wrong.’ The blame, naturellement, ‘lies squarely with this government.’
Sitting alongside him on stage, Angela Rayner (Ashton-Under-Lyne) and Gordon Marsden (Blackpool South) nodded approvingly. Why they’d been brought along wasn’t clear. Protection perhaps? I certainly wouldn’t wish to spill Angela’s drink in a crowded saloon.
Top of Labour’s proposals was a ‘Commission for Lifelong Learning’ which sounded a bit like a scary correctional facility from a dystopian sci-fi flick. In fact, it’s a plan for workers to be able to update their professional skills between jobs. Mr Corbyn was certainly giving this idea the hard-sell. It would ‘transform the lives of millions’, ‘break down barriers’ and ‘close the gap’ etc. etc. It was ridiculous, he said, that people spend the first quarter of their life in education but then don’t learn anything else their whole life. Quite right. Though this seemed a little rich coming from someone who, according to a new biography, claims he never reads books.
He said Labour would kick-start a green jobs revolution. He reeled off a Soviet-style list of numbers, claiming his plans would create ‘400,000 jobs’, ‘a seven-fold increase in offshore wind capacity’ and ‘a tripling in energy from solar power.’ Yada, yada... Apologies, I should have been jotting more of this down. But after a while, it just felt like being whacked with an abacus.
Before departing, he thanked the event’s chief executive, Stephen Phipson, a stout figure with a rugger prop’s ears, for the gift of a toolbox during a previous visit to the conference. ‘It’s in my office,’ enthused Jezza. ‘It’s been used for plenty of repairs.’
Judging by his insouciance towards the Gang of Seven’s treachery, it’ll take Mr Corbyn more than a spanner and drill-bit to fix the Labour Party. Earlier, Business Secretary Greg Clark (Tunbridge Wells) gave us a display of his permanently grinning face. Just a brief visit, he assured the audience. He was due to make an urgent statement in the Commons on the closure of Honda’s plant in Swindon.
Say what you like about Mr Clark, he remains the politest member of a pretty ghoulish Cabinet. Almost maddeningly so. Like the eternally chirpy Simpsons character Ned ‘Okily Dokily’ Flanders, nothing seems to get him down. He reminds me of one those punchballs on a spring which however hard you wallop – booiiiiinng! – back it pops again.
Britain has ‘such world class manufacturing talent,’ he kept saying, that he was ‘blown away…There are so many opportunities...’ An audience member unchivalrously tried to burst Mr Boing’s balloon, asking: ‘So why don’t you ask Sir James Dyson to build his electric car in Swindon?’
‘Ho-ho!’ laughed Greg heartily, before responding with a meaningless non sequitur about Swindon having a ‘fantastic manufacturing history with a wonderful workforce.’ And with that, off he dashed back to the Commons for another drubbing.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-6722969/HENRY-DEEDES-Corbyn-dismissed-deserters-airy-wave-hand.html
It's a new pro-Remain movement. It's founded on rational solutions to politics. So of course the Independent Group is based above a branch of Brexit-backing Wetherspoons called The Unicorn
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/independent-groups-office-revealed-above-14016696
Cabinet ministers Greg Clark, Amber Rudd, David Gauke and David Mundell confronted the Prime Minister over the continuing threat of a No Deal Brexit
Tory Cabinet ministers have confronted Theresa May over Brexit in a private showdown - and demanded she sheds the threat of No Deal.
Greg Clark, Amber Rudd, David Gauke and David Mundell met the Prime Minister yesterday while Westminster was distracted by MPs quitting Labour .
And the four senior Remainers warned up to 22 Tories could quit government if No Deal is pursued fully, the Telegraph reported.
According to reports, they told her to say publicly she is willing to extend the March 29 date of Brexit in order to avoid resignations.
The ministers could rebel and support an amendment by MPs at the end of February that is designed to buy Britain more time.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/brexit-tory-remainers-warn-22-14019541
A Tory peer and former minister has become the first to say publicly that she is prepared to join the new Independent Group over Brexit.
Baroness Altmann, the former pensions minister, told the Telegraph she is “disillusioned with the Ukip-isation of the Tory party” and would join a moderate splinter party if a no-deal Brexit became the likely outcome.
She warned about the risks of a no deal Brexit to the British economy and said her party is being “infiltrated by Ukip”.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/02/19/tory-former-minister-says-prepared-join-independent-group-brexit/