The Conservatives have been accused of entering ‘stealth general election’ mode in order to try to gain a head start on Labour, according to senior Labour sources.
Theresa May’s tour of the country does not appear aimed at persuading voters to support her dismal Brexit ‘deal’ – she has spent only minutes at a time in places on her tour and it is currently not a matter for voters anyway, as it will be MPs who vote to accept or reject it later this month.
Instead, it’s an opportunity for her to appear in campaign mode, providing ‘photo opportunities’ and footage for the Establishment media.
At the same time, polling companies have begun calling voters – but not to ask whether they would support May’s proposed agreement with the EU. Instead, the question is which way constituents would vote in a parliamentary election based on whether their MP supports or rejects May’s deal.
One senior Labour source told the SKWAWKBOX:
This is a general election campaign by stealth. It allows Theresa May to campaign, but by calling it a ‘tour’ to promote her deal the media can cover that campaign without the usual impartiality rules kicking in for their coverage.
May knows she can’t compete with Jeremy in an open campaign and fairer coverage – she saw that last year – so she’s trying to get the biggest possible head start on us by dressing it up as something else. This also lets her sound out the electorate before officially calling an election to gauge voters’ mood.
SKWAWKBOX comment:
The country needs to know it’s being played yet again.
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Based on Mays performance of electioneering strategy before the last GE, Labour have absolutely nothing to fear from this so called ‘ stealth campaign ‘
She is cringeworthy incompetent. Zero personality.
Bring it on .
JC4PM
Err … wouldn’t disagree with your judgment on her.
… but … she smuggled a government out of the last debacle.
Labour has nothing to fear???
Perhaps because Right Wing Labour MP political morons had been publicly slagging JC off non-stop?
Without these Dipticks perhaps we could have won.
I argued at the Momentum first Conference in B’Ham that we should learn from history and gave the example of the Tony Benn bye-election in Chesterfield circa 1982 – Tony was vilified in the right wing media & bypassed them to an extent & went direct to the public and had community meetings every night and this with JC I argued was our best and perhaps only hope and the rest is history.
Been out in the rain today with the brilliant Unite Community Trade Union Day of Action against Universal Credit and you know when you get two comrades who are socialist thinkers and enrich each others ideas and my comrade said what we need to do is NAME THE ENEMY – NEO-LIBERALISM!
And explain it in simple terms and then my points – Tory Neo-Liberalism was always for US but not for the THEN with its drive for CHEAP LABOUR & a redistribution of wealth to the super rich!
The first thing the Tories did (initially with the Lib Dem political imbeciles support) was to give tax cuts to: millionaires, corporations, hedge funds, private landlords with multiple properties etc SO DON’T WORRY RICH AND POWERFUL-THIS AUSTERITY STUFF WILL NOT EFFECT YOU — IT IS ONLY FOR WORKING PEOPLE I.E. YOU!
We also just need to be ourselves too and as we do – love diverse working people!
Solidarity and all power to diverse working people and left wing democratic socialism in every country!
Er…her dirty little pact with Arlene Foster really went well, didn’t it? Seems though Foster and her party now have zero Confidence in May and will now no longer Supply that which secures the Tories’ their slender Parliamentary majority.
JC for PM indeed. Bring it on….soon.
Let’s cut the crap!!
She is very crafty. I can not believe people. Actually feel its not her fault. All the dippy dancing. She knows exactly what she is doing. Saying I am not a robot I have got feelings and am in an impossible situation. Oh bless her!!!
Maria, are you saying she meant to look like a rubber chicken in a hi-viz vest?
Ok guys, brace yourself for the next round of smears and accusations and half truths against Corbyn and the Labour party. Keep an eye on that handful of “centrists” who act like they’re really just conservatives.
Fortunately, the real big lies have been tried and out the way and the party did much to tackle the pockets of antisemitism with a robust code of conduct.
What is important now for MPs and activists is to stay on message, stick to the point when talking and always keep in mind that not only they have to respect facts, they have to constantly think that whatever they say, the right wing press will do all they can to spin it negatively. This is crucial when expressing opinion. They must avoid the use of metaphors and similes, rhetorical questions as well as irony and sarcasm.
Bring it on. Labour is ready. We will defeat these Tory idiots whatever. This is the last stand for the Establishment. The many will defeat the few!
It’s not just misleading telephone canvassing they’re doing: –
https://www.facebook.com/308313479373888/posts/916092141929349
https://www.facebook.com/231271183591039/posts/2158019727582832
‘…it is currently not a matter for voters anyway, as it will be MPs who vote to accept or reject it later this month.’ Very true.
Which brings me to the point of the article: possibility of a general election. It should be noted that rejection of the deal by parliament will not bring about a general election. Before FTP Act, Yes. But not now under FTP Act of 2011. An attempt can be made to force a general election, but it will fail for 2 reasons:
1) Fear of Corbyn by the establishment. By establishment, I mean even our Blairite faction. Why precipitate Corbyn’s rise to premiership when they can put it off until 2022 and hope something happens in the intervening period that will thwart his chances?
2) Self-preservation. The only reason Conservative Party MPs agreed to a general election in 2017 was their belief that they will win by an increased majority, and the polls backed them. Also, our Blairite faction incumbents will not be inclined to agree to an early general election, not when they are facing threats of deselection by their CLPs. Why will they agree to cut short their incumbency and all the perks associated with it if it can be extended by a few more years to 2022? Likewise with the DUP.
So, based on the above, achieving a simple majority required for a successful no-confidence motion – let alone two-thirds majority required for sitting MPs to agree to dissolution of parliament – will not happen.
Read that up to 30 Labour MPs may back Another Peoples Vote but my worry is if Labour supports this then it could snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.