The Kinnocks, both senior and junior, are receiving something of a pasting on social media today, after twice-unsuccessful former Labour leader senior decided to use the Independent as a vehicle for an attack on Labour’s Brexit strategy – this after the obvious impact of ‘centrist’ Labour stirring about remaining, directly or in effect, in the EU on Labour’s performance in some leave-leaning areas.
The pick of the responses so far will be a matter of taste, but the following couple on the benefit Kinnock has enjoyed from the EU and Westminster ‘gravy trains’ – and the disdain with which he is held by former mining communities may well be up there:
On a related note, little birds tell the SKWAWKBOX that veteran New Labour string-puller Peter Mandelson – who infamously said that he tries every day to do something to undermine Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn – is regularly at the home of one of Kinnock junior’s close advisers.
The pair are not close socially, which raises questions about the reason(s) Mandelson might be frequenting a Kinnock adviser’s home.
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65% of constituencies voted leave and 70% of Labour constituencies voted leave.
Neil Kinnock and Peter Mandelson are demanding that Labour should refuse to accept the referendum result and should ignore that mandate.
If their advice were followed the Labour Party would be annihilated at the ballot box, particularly in the north of England, and the Tories would remain in power for a generation.
To all intents and purposes Neil Kinnock, Tony Blair, Peter Mandelson and Alistair Campbell are effectively campaigning for the Tories.
They belong to that ‘better dead than red’ party within a party.
KINNOCK AND MEDDLE-SOME, CRAWL BACK UNDER YOUR STONES AND TAKE YOUR MATES WITH YA!
We in the SOCIALIST LABOUR PARTY, NO LONGER WANT, NEED OR TO LISTEN TO YOUR GARBAGE ANY LONGER, YOU ALL BELONG IN THE PAST, THERE’S NO FUTURE FOR THE LIKES OF YOU ALL, UNLESS YOU FEEL YOU NEED TO JOIN THE “F” in TORY PARTY!
Mandelson spent a lot of time popping in to Angela Eagle’s office too … just after the EU referendum and during the coup.
I have no time for Kinnock and Co and if they want to campaign to stay in the EU, it is their democratic right but it is obvious they are mainly using it to attack Jeremy Corbyn.
Many of us on the left and apparently the majority of Labour voters, think that the best Brexit is no Brexit, therefore we should be intelligent in how we attack the right wing wreckers with regards to Brexit, otherwise we could alienate many of our natural voters.
During campaigning for the local elections the most common reason I heard on the doorstep for Labour voters and others not voting for Labour was our position on Brexit.
Jeremy’s position on Brexit is to stay low and let Theresa May hang herself. Who knows if this tactic will be successful?
Compromise? Something a lot of people don’t want to entertain.
There’s no majority for a hard brexit, like there’s no majority for remain.
Corbyn is the only one offering compromise, trying to take both sides of the argument.
There will be no hard brexit and there will be no remain. It’s funny how many people don’t think they have to compromise.
Do you compromise with a thief and let him take half your belongings instead of all of them? Likewise, should you compromise with the hard right Brexiters and let them only partly ruin Britain’s economy rather than the majority of it?
As Akala said on QT, the vote for Brexit was based upon British nationalism. I would go further, it was based upon racism, egged on by the right wing media and not for any sound economic or social reasons.
Other than parrot the right wing sound bites – take back our blar blar blar, Brexiters have still not given one good reason why we should leave the EU.
I was right about the tantrums lol
At the last GE we all witnessed Kinnock Jnr’s hubris and lack of political awareness when he was naïve enough to believe that his increased majority was all down to him. Luckily for Kinnock his much more politically astute wife saved him from making a complete berk of himself.
Why are any of these characters still members of the LP? There are two mainstream neo-liberal parties they can join.
Jim McCabe is right to wonder how Neil Kinnock has the gall to criticise Jeremy Corbyn. Maybe Jim remembers the Westland Helicopters fiasco when Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher should and could have been brought down. I think she is quoted as saying “I may not be Prime Minister by 6 pm tonight”. Neil Kinnock made one of the weakest, most inept, rambling speeches ever heard in the history of parliament”. Thatcher was off the hook and her cruel policies went on to cause misery and hardship for thousands of people who looked to the Labour Leader to show leadership. If I were Neil Kinnock I would keep quiet. Apologies for harking back to the past, it was in the 1980’s, but it makes me feel physically sick to hear Kinnock and co criticise and denigrate Jeremy Corbyn at every opportunity. They should look at themselves and feel a sense of shame and regret.
Thank you
As Margaret Thatcher observed in her memoirs:
“He (Kinnock) never let me down once.”
And let us not forget Kinnock’s utter duplicity over nuclear weapons. After the general election of 1987, he pretended that Labour lost because of its opposition to nuclear weapons.
Denis Healey contradicts this. In fact, it is very doubtful that Kinnock was ever opposed to nuclear weapons in the first place.
Could it be time to define more closely what basic beliefs Labour members must subscribe to or be expelled?
Our children’s living standards are rapidly declining despite and partly because of technological advances.
The real failure is of markets and politics, whatever centrists and Tories claim to believe – in this so-called market economy nothing will reverse the decline of the 99% except maybe a nice, profitable war.
Tories, whatever name they go by, just want us compliant while they feather their own nests and manage this ever-shrinking economy which they only pretend to understand, their arses covered by the MSM.
Check out Paul Johnson of the IFS pontificating every hour on BBC news today about pay stagnation being caused by low productivity – like he’s discovered a new force of nature and he needs to explain it to the rest of us.
‘…Could it be time to define more closely what basic beliefs Labour members must subscribe to or be expelled?’
There has never been a better time than now – in fact, slightly earlier: just about the time of the first coup attempt.
Perhaps we need to remember two separate historical developments which were to later to connect – Neo-Liberalism – from 1959 onwards which captured theTories by the 1980’s (Thatcherism) and the development of what was to become the EC.
The EC was originally set up by social democrats (crumbs for working people, accepting the dominance of capital) to counter the then perceived threat of the USSR, to promote capitalism in Europe, and to give Europe a greater voice on the World stage.
Interestingly De Gaule of France was originally against the UK joining because he thought it would act as a Trojan Horse for the US ( which eventually happened) and the dollar was soon to dominate (hence I would suggest the desire for some for the Euro).
Neo-Liberalism was then to capture the US (Reaganism) and as a bonus New Labour, Scottish Labour, then the EC.
Concerning the EC Referendum, as a left wing democratic socialist I felt there were two approaches to try to smash Neo-Liberalism in the EC – voting Remain and working with our natural Labour Party partners and trade unions in Europe which I felt was most likely and I voted for half- heartedly or Leave and via independent nation states.
But perhaps we were asking the wrong question – perhaps it was never remain or leave but how do we build a left wing democratic Socialist society in the UK as an example to the World?
And perhaps the most oppressed (and others) have done us a favour voting Leave (perhaps not all for the most progressive intentions) but if we democratically manage labour supply (job offers needed) and capital supply perhaps we take back control democratic from Neo-Liberal capital (and also need to bring back council migration adjustment funds plus try to trade unionise migrants).
Some argue Kinnock & Mandelson have always been utter failures and perhaps some would suggest they lack the critical thinking skills to offer useful suggestions – perhaps they need to read a few more political books?
The tragedy is that some see the EC as it WAS rather than actually the Neo-Liberalism construct that IS.
Let’s build a Left Wing Democratic Socialist Society as an example to the World as we Leave.
Solidarity!
Neoliberalism’s just common capitalism on drugs – the latest iteration of a worldwide phenomenon so long ingrained that people accept every man for himself as the only plausible way to run a planet. Previous “examples” have burned briefly and died of Western spite.
Capitalism may have to stagger on until it fails so devastatingly that no-one alive can doubt the need for change – even then, as with Nazism and religion, societies will need to watch their young for signs of regression.
The Wall Street banner in ’08 that said, “JUMP, you fuckers” was more fun than anything since Portillo’s ’97 stage face but even that crash and the years of austerity haven’t awoken many – as a sufferer myself I’ve always understood the attraction of inertia.
Let’s say that in government we were able to regulate the markets, banish volatility and with it boom and bust – for real this time.
Even that would just extend capitalism’s life, as would all other economic successes.
AI/robotics (yes, again) might be the key. Massive numbers of ex-workers replaced by tech and who can’t be accused of shiftless malingering ought to bring general recognition that a new model of wealth distribution is required.
The mass of today’s Tory drones want and hope to become wealthy and think voting Tory and associating with the rich offers the best opportunity for advancement – who hasn’t known/worked with some of those?
That delusion can’t be sustained in 35% unemployment, much less in 70 – 90%.
Do names names Squawkbox. Who is this ‘advisor’?
Well you are scoffing at Neil and Glynis Kinnock, but these two reformed the Labour Party after the disasterous leadership of Michael Foot. He opened the door to John Smith (such a pity he died, he would have been a great PM) and then Tony Blair. Now you scoff at him too, but he was the most successful Labour PM.ever, why, because he beat the Tories at their own game. He was acceptable to the centre right and centre left at the same time and if I recall he went in with the landslide. We hate the far right fascists, but we do not much care for the far left either.
Oh the gullible vote Tory I know that, but this particular government is the worst ever. And we did to stay in the EU otherwise there will be no money for JC’s grandiose plans. eg £200 million contract just lost to Spain. That gentlemen and ladies is just one.
“I recall he went in with the landslide.”
…..then as people began to realise they had been betrayed?
1997
Popular vote 13,518,167
Share of vote 43.2%
Seats 418
2001
Popular vote 10,724,953
Share of vote 40.7%
Seats 413
2005
Popular vote 9,552,436
Share of vote 35.2%
Seats 355
Neither the right nor the centre have any plans to stop the rich increasing their wealth at our expense – you have heard that there’s a growing wealth gap between them and us haven’t you?
That the rich choose not to pay their fair share of tax, that they hide wealth in tax havens, that they want to run the NHS for profit?
That they want to own everything and rent it back to us?
Name ONE policy of the so-called “centre” which you think will stop the rise and rise of the 1% and we can talk.
Centrists think things are pretty much OK as they are and that if they’re nice to the 1% then a few more crumbs will fall from their tables.
That’s literally it. The justification for capitalism untrammelled.
We have to let the rich do and have whatever they want and we’ll benefit from what they call “trickle-down.”
Problem is that the more they have the more they want and the less they need to care what governments think.
The richest of them can now buy and sell most countries and ALL governments.
Soon they won’t even bother pretending otherwise.
THAT”S why we scorn the “CENTRE”
Mandelson, eh?
Why doesn’t this surprise me?!