“Jeremy can stop this if he wants” – reprieved deputy leader begged Corbyn to save his skin
Tom Watson was reprieved this morning as Labour’s deputy leader – but not before the unseemly spectacle of him pleading publicly with Corbyn to save his job, telling reporters:
Jeremy can stop this if he wants
It seems Watson’s display was enough to cause a couple of unions to turn against the motion.
Corbyn asked the NEC this morning to set aside its motion, saying that he wanted the party and its conference that starts today to be focused on winning the coming general election. Sadly, there is little expectation that Watson will display any gratitude for his reprieve in the form of any improvement in his conduct now he has saved his skin.
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God gave Corbyn the rainbow sign…
Corbyn’s certainly given Watson enough rope to hang himself with.
… no more water, the fire next time.
Dead right Paolo!
One subtext of Corbyn’s move is quite simple :
“For f.s sake stop rabitting on tediously and eternally about Watson and helping the media agenda. We’ve got a Conference.”
What a counter productive shit-fest this has turned out to be. I for one will be ignoring any future ‘left-slate’ recommendations to vote for Lansman.
I’m still trying to work out whether Lansman is pursuing his own nefarious agenda or he is just an incompetent fool blinded by his own hubris. Either way he won’t be getting my vote again.
“I’m still trying to work out whether Lansman is pursuing his own nefarious agenda or he is just an incompetent fool blinded by his own hubris.”
I guess the former of your two choices, Lansman has been around for many years so is experienced in political goings on. Now he is in a position of substantial influence.
I don’t think he should have been saved. Forget for a minute everything before & consider just what he has now done. There was a Party Policy decided by conference that was very likely to be reviewed in just a few days. He could have easily waited & tried to convince conference. Instead he ran to the papers. Fine Tom, **** off then & start your own party. I think they’re underestimating how rude he has been to the membership & how much he is hated.
Watson said ‘Jeremy can stop this if he wants’ – pleading? or publicly laying the blame with Corbyn for what the press are touting as an ‘undemocratic’ or worse move against him. No this is another stab at Corbyn.
In 1981 the SDP was formed, they kept Thatcher in power for 10 years, why the hell do we entertain these so called moderates when there actions are so devastating to the people we represent
With one JC we can win GE with two JC’s we will win fuck all
J
Damn damn damn.
Johnson has just sacked 21 of his MPs and many of them are banned from standing in the next GE. I THINK labour could gave weathered removing Mr T Watson as deputy in such circumstances.
I feel this was a mistake on Jez’s part
Just go, Watson.
Another squandered opportunity to sink the turd nobody wants.
As mentioned above, meanwhile Williamson is still suspended (for what?!?!)
Now taking bets on when TWatson next pops up to out the knife in…
With the media bandwagon at conference this was probably the best way to deal with problem. If it was just a normal NEC I don’t think Watson would’ve been saved. What should come out from this is that the Deputy Leader should face automatic reselection every two years by the membership. No union votes allowed.
…removing him (Watson) was a long term strategical move that would have benefited our chances in a GE…given that the MSM has a ‘go to guy’ whenever they want to make us look divided…and will use it relentlessly come GE time…make no bones about it…it will come back to bite JC and the party…it needed doing even if it looked a bit ‘cloak and daggerish’…it might have seemed drastic, sudden…but the long term advantage to rid the party (finally) of an divisive influence such as TW would have been massive…despite the inevitable MSM back lash that would have last for a few days at most…JC is just too nice and that could cost us big…never ever said a word against JC but in this new dog eat dog political world he just slipped up in my opinion….if the roles were reversed…we know for sure what TW would have done….
I have no idea why Corbyn intervened but intervene he can it seems when he wants to. PLP and party anti-Corbyn bloc triumph again, their chief fixer/distractor remains in position of influence. I sense pre conference Lansman leed NEC shenanigans, don’t really know why but it now looks like a set up to cause chaos, confusion and anger.
I’ve thought more about abolishing the Deputy post and surely it should be the subject of an all member vote after measured discussion about alternatives?
Meanwhile Williamson remains suspended.
Just to clarify, I have only just seen the fake Watson post about Lansman ie. after I made my comment.
Williamson will be speaking in the ‘Freedom of Speech’ tent at 1pm Sunday 22nd September.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-freedom-of-speech-tent-rialto-theatre-tickets-73474035819
On the contrary I dont see Twatson plea as anything else but him setting up Corbyn to take yet another fall.If Corbyn had allowed this to happen then Twatson could point to his statement and position himself as yet again fhe victim.
Another squandered opportunity to sink the turd nobody wants.
As mentioned above, meanwhile Williamson is still suspended (for what?!?!)
Now taking bets on when TWatson next pops up to out the knife in…
You are right Skwawkbox – Watson is showing no gratitude whatsoever. He is now talking about a “sectarian attack”.
It would be too much to expect this man to face up to his failings and admit that he let us all down – his complicity in the relentless hounding of innocent people falsely accused of sex crimes, his nasty and very public undermining of our General Secretary who was undergoing cancer treatment at the time, his absolute determination to say black if the leader says white.
Watson has an ego the size of a house and will never be satisfied until he is in control of the party.That is never going to happen and it would be better for him if he accepted this.
Heres a test,
On any other planet the quid pro quo for this move would be
Chris Williamson
Fail and ……… ?
Doug You are assuming here that Chris was guilty of anti semetism but it is my understanding that no such conclusion was reached .
I hope you’re not right Rob, though I fear you probably are. Still, I suspect he would have continued to be just as destructive, perhaps even more so, had Corbyn not intervened.
I’m not the only one on this site that has noticed a more positive presentation of JC … thoughtful, measured, statesmanlike etc. in MSM outlets like the Guardian over the past month or so – such is their horror at the alternative as embodied by Johnson. At least Corbyn’s intervention does nothing to detract from that view.
(I’m referring to your first comment, Rob and not the second)
Two different people paulo, Rob and rob , its not a typo .😁
oops – apologies rob!
I don’t need Squawk box telling me what’s the score with Watson.But many of our membership are getting tired and angry at the machinery of the Labour party….fix it or suffer the backlash.This was the point where the Labour party going into an election decided to throw a grenade into the Labour party and De motivate our loyal activist…disgusted from the mekong
Ps I meant activists or maybe after this?…sorry
This is a bit off topic but there is a new book out “Bad News for Labour
Antisemitism, the Party and Public Belief
Greg Philo, Mike Berry, Justin Schlosberg, Antony Lerman, David Miller”
http://www.plutobooks.com/9781786805720/bad-news-for-labour/
A read of the look inside is interesting, looks like a must read.
Yes, a reminder that it isn’t only Labour’s position on Brexit, be it in the so called heartlands – or elsewhere, that presents a challenge come the GE. There are also the residual public misperceptions of Corbyn as anti semitic, or as IRA terrorist etc. etc. that, shamefully, still have to be countered up and down the country. The JVL offers a brief preface to Maria’s link.
https://www.jewishvoiceforlabour.org.uk/article/bad-news-for-labour-antisemitism-the-party-and-public-belief-special-offer-to-jvl-supporters/
So true paulo and isn’t it strange that accusations of anti-Semitism in LP have gone quiet. Put on the back burner while LP/Corbyn is conforming?
Thanks for that link
” … gone quiet …” Yes, very sharply observed Maria. It’s particularly apparent in the Guardian (always ready to make a u turn when it suits) and no doubt that this can be traced back to the decision to commit to a second ref.
Where I fall on the implications, as commented on by yourself and Ultraviolet in the “sideshow” thread I don’t actually know. Kudos to both of you for the courage of your convictions.
Ultraviolet is a sensible remain and LP campaigner, who tries to reason and remains polite rather than deride, insult and condemn. I hope LP has many more of the same, it’s going to need them I think.
I wonder if Lansman knew how proposing such a measure – and ‘reigniting’ the Watson issue just as Conference is starting – would play out amongst members and the media/moderates and over-shadow the conference itself? (it’s a hypothetical question in case you were wondering!).
I bet he’s WELL chuffed!