Result emphatic in clean poll vote
The final results of a 3-day SKWAWKBOX poll of Labour members give an overwhelming lead to North-West Durham MP and Shadow Labour Minister Laura Pidcock. More than two-thirds of members who voted selected the straight-talking Pidcock as their preferred deputy leader to replace the recently-AWOL Tom Watson, with Rebecca Long Bailey some distance ahead of other tipped candidates in second place.
Almost six thousand self-declared members took part in the poll, which showed the candidates in randomised order and which used cookies to block attempts to vote twice from the same device:
A small number of IP addresses voted more than once, in line with expectations of more than one Labour member living at some addresses. Multiple votes represented 6.62% of the total.
Ms Pidcock told the SKWAWKBOX earlier this month, when asked about her popularity as a potential next deputy leader, that “I don’t want to do that and I don’t want to disappoint people… I get dead embarrassed about stuff like this“.
It seems Labour members are not dissuaded.
SKWAWKBOX view:
As many poll respondents commented on social media, the poll presented a tough choice between outstanding Labour MPs.
Laura Pidcock may not want to be deputy leader – though that’s anything but a disqualifier – but few would doubt that any of the four MPs above would deservingly trounce incumbent Tom Watson if he had the character and courage to test his mandate.
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Very nice, Skwawkie. I voted for Laura myself. Fine comrade (though actually massively inexperienced to stand up to the vicious Right Wing forces behind Watson) But the rather more important poll, ignored by Skwawkbox, out over the last few days is surely the one from Kantar:
Latest Kantar Opinion Poll
Conservatives: 42%
Labour: 28%
Lib Dem : 15%
Brexit Party: 5%
Greens: 3%
Change UK: 1%
I very much hope this is a wild “outlier” poll – with the Tories re-buoyed up by all those bogus bullshit Boris Johnson spending promises, and constant MSM publicity of him “standing up to the perfidious Brussels EU Johnny Foreigners” to implement the 2016 Referendum democratic decision. Nevertheless (and accepting that current polls are remarkably febrile and ever-shifting) , if the Kantar poll is even in the general ballpark of reality, it demonstrates that under the lying bullshitter, Johnson, the Tories are winning back the Tory vote from the Brexit Party – but Labour are still losing significant portions of our Labour Leave supporters to the Brexit Party. This is of course indicative that those of us who have constantly warned of the consequences of Labour becoming a Remain and Second Vote Party .
Yep, I know we made up nearly all of a 20 point Tory lead during the 2017 General election once our excellent Manifesto was offered to voters. But this time ? With Labour not promising to “respect the Referendum result” as we did in 2017, but instead betraying our heartland Labour Leave supporters with a Remain and Second Vote position ? And all our promises to re-nationalise the railways, operate regional investment banks, support key industries with state aids, etc, impossible within the Single Market Rules ?
No doubt all the posters on here, from the Right Wing pro EU trolls to the few actual socialist Lefties will continue to deny the disaster that is fast approaching. And berate the likes of myself and Danny for being “negative” . Dream on. Not long now though before harsh reality bites .
Jp
“And all our promises to re-nationalise the railways, operate regional investment banks, support key industries with state aids, etc, impossible within the Single Market Rules ?”
In the event of Corbyn reaching Downing St and having to reach some kind of deal with the EU, I reckon the EU would consider it a price worth paying for preserving European harmony to look the other way while we go ahead and nationalise everything in sight anyway!
In fact, in view of the “heavenly” (according to the EU) prospect of dealing with Corbyn rather than any Tory, I’d say it’d be a sinch to strike a deal along those lines.
Can’t remember where but the other day I suggested JC might like to lay out a “Labour remain wish-list” to the EU-ies on the lines you describe but without the “look the other way” aspect – that he could do it now but not announce it until ten seconds after Doris calls a GE.
I think it’d be a cert too.
Yes, the timing and element of surprise will be crucial. Perhaps have it in the manifesto, too, if that part can be kept out of the version given to the MSM. Then play the ace that leaves no one feeling betrayed and pulls back the Heartlands vote (?).
Could happen…
I fear it is not likely that the EU would look the other way while we break its rules.
Why, what are they gonna do if they don’t like it? Invade? Pfft!
Catherine Terrie: “I fear it is not likely that the EU would look the other way while we break its rules.”
For myself I couldn’t predict with certainty what concessions the EU might make to keep one of the three biggest contributors to the community on board – with a recession on the horizon – without actually asking them.
But hey, if you “fear it is not likely” we probably shouldn’t risk asking them should we – just in case they turn us down, huh?
Not worth asking Mr. Corbyn to risk the embarrassment of a refusal you think?
Yes, I’m sure you’re right.
Note that Britain Elects provides the following rider with the poll: “Should note Kantar does not prompt in their headline question for the Greens or the Brexit Party.”
Nevertheless, the remain delusion remains and will likely hand a working majority to the Tories.
On the issue of socialists denying the remain fallacy, I’d say easy on comrades – as a powerful way of thinking (cf. Berger’s ‘ways of seeing’), neoliberalism infects us all, with self-delusion now fully emerged as a cornerstone of the rise of neoliberal populism. For example, see Sky’s Lewis Goodall on the increasingly deluded remain Overton Window.
https://news.sky.com/story/sky-views-remainers-can-no-longer-take-yes-for-an-answer-11790224
“the remain delusion” … which is a bit more of a rational option that the Tory Leave illusion.
I’m fascinated by this fixation with the obviously anomalous Kantar poll when so much energy is usually devoted to rubbishing YouGov’s lower level of oddity.
Anyone with a bit of analytical nous (looking at the moving average) can see that the leakage of Labour votes has been principally from Remain supporters – not Brexiteers who are largely solid Tories.
A recent of Labour’s polling has coincided with the Party leaning more to the idea of another vote.
Lucky Luciana Berger wrote ‘Ways of Seeing’ ~ who knew?
I don’t suppose you’ll accept “Time and again I have long thought” as sufficient proof that Mr. Goodall’s thinking is as carelessly garbled as his writing, will you?
Amusingly (slightly) the Overton Window could be expressed as a bell curve with ‘centrism’ at its peak – no coincidence at all that the peak of that other famous bell curve is an IQ of only 100.
The Tories are on the wrong slope of both.
Do it again between Pidcock and Williamson.
Like !
The poll wasn’t claimed to be anything other than a simple, even casual poll of SKWAWKBOX readers on a matter of interest to us.
I thought even the randomisation of the order was unnecessary, given that the result was a foregone conclusion to anyone with eyes open.
I found the total number of votes most impressive – the same old names show up in the comments all the time and give no hint of the blog’s true readership.
What kind of poll were you expecting? Have you ever looked at a Twitter poll?
That was meant for RH, whose comment appears to have.. err.. disappeared.
Understand David…..the guys a magician?,but still shocked that bailey got such support….piddock was obvious but Bailey??Maybe its the name…..or should I stop digging…..signing off Joseph Purcell. Okeefe…. Busted
“Have you ever looked at a Twitter poll?”
Indeed. With the same cynicism. It’s the same animal.
“the result was a foregone conclusion”
Which is my point. The isn’t about politics : it’s about pointlessness.
RH there’s no way a poll of the readership of a blog, even the Skwawkbox, could be considered to be balanced or representative or to have much political significance.
It confirms the result we all thought probable – other than that it was a bit of fun that hopefully tells LP how highly we think of her. I hope she doesn’t feel pressurised.
What’s your problem?
Suprised… Double barrel Bailey got so many votes on here……obviously somthing very wrong inside Labour when such a blatent disloyal backstabbing right wing carrerist could get so many votes…..or maybe they just read and listen to the MSM… Very worrying? And good point David I obviously don’t get it with the right wing and slagging off corbyn to the isreali wing by Bailey
Ps I do realise that piddock won but Bailey second??
Bill Bailey?
MP Jared O’Mara has been arrested on suspicion of fraud, according to multiple sources.
The independent MP for Sheffield Hallam was arrested at the same time as his chief of staff Gareth Arnold
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-49451255
Not much detail of.charge…..fraud.. .I would like to hear more from party.members on this.. He’s obviously few friends or he woudnt be in this ! mess….will reflect badly on Labour despite the whip being removed… Expect the libs to have been in on this ?
I think that the Labour Party owe him a duty of care.
Steve H We owe Jared O’Mara nothing. He resigned while complaints against him were being investigated.
Like so many others he resigned the whip but did not resign the seat and has been drawing his wages as an Independent MP for at least a year probably longer. I understand he has recently been tweeting really nasty stuff about Jeremy Corbyn.
If he is now being investigated by the police that has nothing whatsoever to do with us and the suggestion that we owe him a duty of care is absurd.
I know nothing about him or what the nature of any fraud accusation/s might be or who the victim of the alleged offence/s might be.
In general terms I don’t see a moral or legal obligation on an organisation to pay for the defence of or to support in any way a member or an employee charged with criminal offences – unless their defence is that any offences occurred in the course of carrying out their duties and that their training had not equipped them to understand that they were inadvertently committing said offence/s.
Like I said though, I know nothing.
Or unless they’re being railroaded for political ends?
Fraud wouldn’t seem to fit that scenario though.
Thanks.. SteveH.. I think you are correct… Obviously he’s got some real mental health issues,we have not learned much about him but the charges against him tell us nothing. And is agent of course!
I just did a search re O’mara, and in the first article I read about him, which happened to be in the Daily Mail (posted on 23 July this year), it says:
Momentum-backed O’Mara, 37, unseated Lib Dem leader Sir Nick Clegg in the 2017 election.
Anyway, what with it being the Daily Mail, I had my doubts, so I did a search re >jared o’mara momentum<, and interestingly enough came across the following in a Guardian article:
A source close to Labour’s national executive committee said O’Mara’s selection in Sheffield had been backed by the local Momentum group, after the 2015 candidate Oliver Coppard did not stand again.
Tweets from the Momentum Sheffield account from the election campaign call on volunteers to campaign for O’Mara, calling him “the pro-Corbyn candidate”.
“There was a real problem in vetting all of those candidates so quickly after a snap election was called, it’s impossible to check almost 3,000 people in a week, apart from their party records, their criminal records and social media,” the source said. “These comments go back on fansites and sports sites from more than a decade ago.”
A Momentum source said local members had expressed concerns before O’Mara’s selection and denied he was explicitly backed by the group. “Though the local group obviously campaigned for him during the election, as every Momentum group did for their MP, he wasn’t most people’s first choice candidate and there were many reservations,” the source said.
“Unfortunately local members had little choice in backing him, as Jared was imposed by the NEC rather than being selected by local Labour party members.”
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/oct/25/jared-o-mara-labour-suspends-jared-omara-over-offensive-online-comments
PS I expect the tweets calling him “the pro-Corbyn candidate”, were tweeted by Blairites! And at least the Mail didn't have him as a ' Corbyn ally'!!
The whole episode of O’Mara’s incumbency is something of a disaster area, with the original rushed selection process being a dog’s dinner, it would seem. Whatever the health issues, it is plain now that O’Mara wasn’t up to the job. Another NEC cock-up?
I’m not sure about a ‘duty of care’ at this juncture, The constituency’s functioning is more of a concern – it’s been without an effective MP now for some time, and the mess will be laid at the door of Labour. Essentially, the LibDems have been given a ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card, however the cock-up is explained. I cannot see Hallam being held by Labour after this – and after all the years that it took to wrest it from Clegg & Co.’s clutches.
I tend to question any recommendation by momentum. Which ‘momentum’ are we being guided by? Likewise the NEC or any other group where the JLM can use their subversive influence.
Jack T 24/08/2019 at 12:16 pm
Are the grassroots of Momentum gradually wrestling control away from Lansman’s iron grip.
https://labourlist.org/2019/08/momentum-launches-all-member-ballot-in-effort-to-boost-internal-democracy/
Jack – I think generally that the question “Which ‘Momentum’?” is indeed appropriate – Lansman’s fiefdom, or a wider membership.
But I’m not sure at all about the process whereby O’Mara ended up where he did – I don’t know enough, having been more engaged in fending off wayward mutating cells than examining the credentials of wayward Labour candidates during the relevant period.
Totaly agree,we make a breakthrough and then gift it too the lib dems.I feel for the local Labour party being let down by the previous NEC,packed full of anti Corbyn members!