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Trickett goes for Starmer over cowardly plan to stop Labour members voting in leadership elections

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45 Comments on Trickett goes for Starmer over cowardly plan to stop Labour members voting in leadership elections

Starmer’s chicken**** move certainly has no mandate from members

Back-bench Labour MP Jon Trickett – far closer to an opposition leader than Keir Starmer or anything on Starmer’s front bench – has gone for the yellow knight over Starmer’s cowardly plan to deprive Labour members of a vote in future leadership elections.

Starmer plans – as Skwawkbox warned at the beginning of this year and predicted even before Starmer became leader – to drag the party back to the old ‘electoral college’ system of choosing party leaders, in which a handful of entitled right-wing MPs have as much voting power as all the unions or the entire party membership. What little say members would keep would not be exercised directly by a vote, but by local ‘constituency parties’ on their behalf, with the total of all the members counting for only a third of the total, the same as a couple of hundred largely unpleasant MPs (or far fewer than that after the next election under Starmer’s disastrous tenure).

The move is just as much an affront to the members of unions who formed the party and continue to be its main funders: all the millions of union members they represent would only have the same say as MPs and even that would be exercised indirectly by union managements in ‘block votes’.

The move – which has been circulated today as new but isn’t – has provoked perfectly correct outrage, but the media has been unsurprisingly complicit and it has been left to a few back-bench MPs to voice any opposition. Jon Trickett stood unambiguously for democracy in calling his party’s theoretical leader out:

Trickett’s intervention received praise from Labour members and supporters of democracy, in equal measure with condemnation of Starmer yet again moving to the right of the hard-right Tories:

Starmer’s move is not the first time the Labour right has tried to end democracy and reduce members to mere doorstep-fodder at best. In 2017, then-deputy leader Tom Watson – only days after Corbyn’s resounding second leadership election victory – made an attempt to push the same return to an electoral college system through Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC).

Watson had won the deputy leadership on a promise to support whomever the members elected. If that sounds familiar, it is because it is.

It is beyond question that Starmer has absolutely no mandate for the ploy. There was no mention in his pitch to members during last year’s leadership election that he planned to make it the last leadership election vote they would ever cast – and it is unthinkable that most of those who voted for him would have done so had he dared be honest about his intentions.

The right has no interest in democracy, nor in electability. Only in securing their control of the party even if it means burning it to the ground.

Update: Ian Lavery has joined in:

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45 comments

  1. “The move – which has been circulated today as new but isn’t”

    First I’ve heard of this
    Circulated by who?

    Reply

    1. So asks the resident champion of OMOV. (When it suits)

      You couldn’t make it up….but wee stevie can – and DOES.

      Reply

      2. It’s got a labour MP off about it, A genuine labour MP – so I’ve no reason to doubt it.

        Them bastards have got form. And plenty of it. So take your ‘wait and see’ and fucking well cram it.

        You’re forever suggesting it, and then forever trying to slime your way out of the spot you put yourself on, when the push inevitably comes to shove.

      3. Toffee – So you don’t have a f’ing clue either. I never mentioned ‘wait and see’, you did that. I’d just like to see some credible evidence that’s all.

      4. Credible evidence… Again with the abuse of the well-worn out phrases that just end up showing you up to be the thoroughly detested and monumental thundercunt you always prove yourself to be.

        The rest of us wanna see the Forde report. The rest of us wanna know who funds keef. The rest of us wanna know why OMOV doesn’t seem to be on your (or legs) agenda.
        The rest of us wanna see Evans fucked right off.

        But YOU don’t. Not that it matters. We all know what you and keef are anyway.

      5. Toffe – As I’ve said many times before on these pages I would also like to see the Forde report published.
        I’ve told you before, if you want to find out about his funding from donors you can look it up on the Register of Members Interest website. It is quite easy to do. If you have any evidence of dishonesty then I’m surprised that you haven’t already reported it to the Electoral Commission, it would finish Keir’s career in politics and the law.

        I’ve yet to see any evidence of the party moving away from OMOV for the leadership elections, have you? Far more worrying and actual news is that the Tory’s have tagged a gerrymandering amendment onto a Bill currently passing through parliament that will allow them to impose FPTP voting in Mayoral Elections. They obviously think it is unfair that they keep losing these elections to Labour.

  2. Save your dough for keeping your house warm this winter..Hell, even pay your TV licence – But DON’T pay a bunch of outright fucking fraudsters to tell you that you’re not getting your say.

    Reply

  4. I think this would be the last straw, for me at least. what lunatic wants to be in a Party where you just don’t count. the members have no say in the direction the party goes, a crazy situation, even the Tories have OMOV, we are supposed to be democrats, my arse!!!

    Reply

    1. tcliverpool we had ample opportunities to have a say: eg Open Selection, Pausing the Deputy Leader position as the incumbent collaborated with the plotters of TWO coups, the Internal report documenting SERIOUS wrongdoing over FOUR WHOLE years, was DELIBERATELY hidden from us until Starmer was able to deceive enough members (not me), McNicoll was made s Lord and TWatson offered one
      WHAT were the consequences of EACH of those choices❓❓❓

      You say “last straw” and “lunatic” etc Your anger and frustration is TOTALLY justified.
      McDonell said approx TWO months ago that “Jeremy would be back in a flash if the Whip was restored”❓
      Someone posted an update inline with that. i.e. If Jeremy were restored the Whip then we could all “unify” with that Party.
      What exactly is Jeremy hoping to do if allowed to join the company he craves❓
      It is a tragedy from every angle, and the most painful part? It could have been easily avoided. It was ALLOWED to happen. Warnings of the obvious were condemned right here on skwawkbox.org. People seemed content to whine as if somehow the OBVIOUS problems would disappear.
      At each point, eg even the 2017 result, i detected that ALL highest command + lower levels, (infiltrated by a handful of EFFECTIVE agent provocateurs, helplessness & doom mongers) those who hog control really believed that the near win would “convert” those who made their hatred plain. I think that partly explains the nonstop comfort reading… displacement, passing time, avoiding challenge EVEN in reading.
      The problem is bigger than i thought. The solution might be a new party, not as a means to get rid of the parasites, as they could have been ditched in a straight forward way when we had INFINITELY more than needed. A new party would be to start from scratch TOTALLY WITHOUT those who gave Starmer the controls. That includes ALL the appeasers at the CLP level too. It is illogical to start a party with the causes of the mess. The keep head downers, those who feel strange barely relevant stuff more important than policies; those who feel a thousand excellent policies are better than ten excellent ones to start with…
      FACT – with a manifest BURSTING, a big wig from GMB was too “busy” to attend CRUCIAL meetings, because they were “writing policies”. MORE policies. Lovely lovely person, but even as a newbie, that screamed a failure to grasp basics. We have sound policies to last a generation. But that indicated detachment from reality. A Left who r so completely alienated from reality, they prefer to construct a theoretical world of polite discussion.

      After a postmortem NOT in my Left CLP… luckily i chose to miss that, a very committed person ALSO from my CLP (unplanned. thought they looked familiar so we started chatting) They never managed to read all of it. “It’s still in my bag” they said.

      The basics were TOTALLY ignored by the high command. EVERYTHING is internal facing . Want to care about “the many” but stopped caring in a TANGIBLE application EFFECTIVE way. Stopped respecting “the many” DECADES b4 that. Not through being bad, but being EXTREMELY bad at self assessment. Many of us concluded DECADES ago that they are right… and they are right that they are right… and that’s enough 4 them. They have the luxury of life being an interminable lower sixth politics/sociology / economics class. Why do physics or chemistry too, when u can talk about things which needs no results? nice…
      Make a living getting nothing done … nice & cosy…saving no one… well…someone else will do that…
      Many on the “Left” want life to be like that … fizz at clever sterile terms to describe obvious IDEAS with which we already agree … nothing about how WE MUST implement the ideas… just whine about all the externalities to blame….

      Listen you can feel the satisfaction of many who’ve rread what they already knew … nice, cosy, intellectually lazy
      ⚙️💧🥀⚙️💧🥀⚙️💧🥀

      Reply

  5. There have been quite a few websites with “breaking news” about this, despite Skwawkbox predicting it earlier in the year.

    Reply

  6. The pieces are falling into place…
    KS and crew are simply enacting a plan to upset Labour members such as us.
    It is working a treat..Well meaning members who want a better future have already fled in droves.
    Labour under Tony in the past and Keir now have been promised no 10 if they do their master’s bidding. The elite class of the rich and powerful.
    Why? Because people need a change of face to make them feel snug that UK democracy works, when actually nothing has changed.
    Corbyn was the biggest game changer ever, which is why he attacked viciously by the media, owned obviously by the aforesaid cabal.
    So what must we do? Stay put.. Don’t give in to the crass shenanigans of Starmer and co.

    Also Steve Hs question? Does it change the fact that the strategy employed is frankly a recipe for the disenfranchisement of the members? Why don’t you comment on this since you are so intelligent rather than pulling a lawyer (liar) side trick in obscuring the main message?

    Reply

    1. redoctober18 – I’ve yet to see any evidence that this change of policy exists. Could you post a link if you know of any credible evidence.

      Reply

    2. Hear hear Redoctober – I am staying out ..

      This is like the last days of Stalin waiting to see who will crack first.

      I wonder if anyone will appear on Politics Live this lunchtime?

      There was no-one from the Labour Party prepared to go on yesterday –
      I didn’t hear if there was an excuse.

      Reply

    3. Stay put… PMSL!

      Labour needs you and your vote more than you need them. They can play Blair all they like. It won’t get anywhere without votes.

      And they up to their old tricks too according to the guardian. Chasing Tory voters, whilst taking regulars for granted. Who here is gonna lend the people who fucked Corbyn (and you)? Many others will feel the same thing.

      Well fuck them, and the limo they swank around in. Loyalty is not something you give when you been repeatedly shafted!

      Reply

    4. Different NAME same SOCK PUPPET same sad stay and do nothing be comfortably numb keep on giving right-wing scum your hard-earned money so their lives can be easy. Be ignored, be told to know your place, keep the money rolling in point to a large membership as that’s proof about how correct this cult of new Labour 2.0 way of thinking.

      WAKE UP! People telling you to stay don’t want change oh they can parrot the same lines they believe in the cult. They are there to keep the money and control the same as always. OMOV no chance! Vote out Starmer and EVENS? NO WAY, against the rules of their club stay and fight. DIE and realise you wasted years doing the same damn mistakes as 40 years ago look back same arguments, same types same BS.

      Here is an idea instead keep your money, keep your vote and support now this TERRIFIES these scum. If you wish start a left-wing ONLY socialist party grass routed, lead by the member with a set of rules and proper regulation and oversite that will prevent right-wing takeovers ever again. Stupid power games briefings and lies about members? Equals instant removal of membership!

      Offer members a real choice and MP’s who have passion and fire and watch the scum panic that this house of cards and lies will fall and their easy life will disappear. Or stay and be comfortably numb listening to your master’s voice from Starmer’s and Evens paid shills here and never having any power or control. That is all these stay and fight brigades have to offer…..

      Your choice make it a good one! Just ask yourself why are these voices so desperate for you to stay in a party that doesn’t want you or respect you?

      Reply

  8. Quelle surprise…..Folk were warned about Max Headroom, but no, they didn’t listen. I have no sympathy. And as much as I respect Jeremy Corbyn and what he stands for he was as gullible as the rest of them.

    And for those doubting Skwawkbox’s accuracy on any of these items, I cannot remember them ever being wrong.

    Fair play to Skwawkbox, please support them if you can, and all alternative media sites. Because the MSM in this Country is a festering barrel of propaganda.

    Reply

  9. If Conference approves this change the only honourable course of action for the members of the SCG would be to leave the Labour Party and form an alternative Party. If the stay as part of the Labour Party they will lose all credibility.
    They would be the 4th biggest Party in Parliament and can provide an effective opposition to Boris Jonhson and an attractive alternative to Starmer. More importantly, Cllrs members of the SCG would be able to stand for re-election at the local elections next May.
    The new Party will attract a lot of Labour members and likely Trade Union financial support too. Hence, it would be better financed that Starmer’s Labour. I fear millionaires would stop donating to Starmer’s Labour since a possibility of a good return to their investment would evaporate.
    I

    Reply

    1. George Peel, she’s urging them. I doubt they will stand up and speak up. I sensed another nasty was brewing as McDonnell sounded deflated / embarrassed yesterday, quite subtle, in fact i posted promptly yesterday that he realised he was rumbled.
      Think not watching a speaker heightens one’s senses even to subtle language & voice clues. (Hence i rejoice resisting TV, because i know i’m weak. Can resist 4 two weeks with access to one, then totally captured by cash in the attic, HIGNFY, Anyiques Roadshow, any nature documentary, anything with architecture. Know my weakness so PREVENT capture.

      Anyway IF any SCG whispers up, EXPECT the limpest stuff imaginable. They mean well but they’ve been swallowed up by the timid culture. They were afraid when we had MORE than EVERYTHING needed. They’re PETRIFIED now. Starmer’s gang of coup plotters with MUCH VENOM REPEATEDLY publicised their plans. There’s no excuse 4 not knowing. Coyle was the nastiest. Frequent but not as often as Ashworth, Streeting Ummuna, Smeeth Hodge, Harman, TWatson, WMD’s advisor (from Australia i think) and WMD’s ex flatmate; Blunket, Beckett & Straw for example. Curious but initially… right up to the point Jeremy danced to the tunes of others, collapsed on the floor and slinked away. Possibly hoping LORD Twatson would intercede with the parasites he wants to “unify and work with 4 a LABOUR government.”

      But NONE by an infinite margin, got as many appearances as Berger. TOTALLY fawning hosts, who did the classic propaganda MEDIA ploy of trailing what the person would say. Trailing it again when they appear, then ask them if they got their views accurately b4 hearing the views in public on THAT occasion. Berger would reiterate what they said …. the host would repeat it. They would repeat that for EACH of three or four aims of the appearance. Berger never spat venom like the ever seething Coyle, but she could persuade some who did not check that long b4 Jeremy, 2010 to 2014 she did get REAL & VICIOUS a-S attacks resulting in convictions. ALL from Right Wing Tory types eg Nazi devotees, dressing up as Nazis 4 every party is the bees knees. OBVIOUS Berger would have PROCLAIMED the need 4 security from 2010 to 2014 and her gang would have been campaigning nonstop about stamping out a-S from the Tory Party – Historical Nest of Racist in general and Bigots in general‼️‼️‼️

      But they didn’t, and this one of several OBVIOUS rebuttals to the politically motivated a-S claims were NEVER presented. Why? Because those in charge hoped problems will just vanish. And in any case, up mount Zen behind tbe clouds, there are ZERO problems.

      STILL 4 clarity NONE of that DIRECTLY delivered the result Mandelson admitted “working night and day” for. REMAIN & “People’s Vote” did it, SHARPENED by “Constructive Ambiguity.”

      The only part the politically motivated a-S campaign played, was to ensure Jeremy would act according to nature and HIDE. With NONE around him to advise DONT HIDE. Those attacking are already attacking. LOGIC they have their aim. They wont stop.

      That’s why, UNELECTED, wildly misnamed & deliberately UNREPRESENTATIVE / UNDEMOCRATIC BOD, CAA, LFI, and ‘Chronicle” i.e. the DOSSIER concocters for Operation “STOP CORBYN” repeatedly publicised their demands 4 meetings WITH CONDITIONS. But though Jeremy by APPEASING nature (made infinitely self destructive by the “advice” of McCluskey, Gardner and McDonnell) REPEATEDLY CLEARED his diaries to accommodate them, At EACH invitation the concocted more unreasonable “conditions” and refused to meet. NONE of that was ever presented by the APPEASEMENT brigade. Repeated failures never prompted then to act like adults instead of timorous mice.

      Not helped by determined cultist shrine erectors distressed by their chronic impotence. The shrines r built on tbe most confused fog, so obviously collapse. Hence the result we see “F***** cluleless” starmer NOW beating able to do EXACTLY as i heard his conspirators PUBLICISE over and over again SINCE 2015. Around 2017 very early one morning, possibly a Sunday; one MSM conspirator said PUBLICLY approximately “WE tried EVERYTHING so far; IRA, Meeting with Terrorist etc NOTHING seems to work”.
      Must see if i noted that somewhere.

      BtW Alexander of Piffle was questioned and admitted early this morning in New York that he has SIX children.

      ALSO – Harry Dunn’s parents have reached a successful CIVIL settlement with his killer.
      May he Rest in Peace. Every good wish to his family. EVERY bit of success at justice should be celebrated. And we should STUDY and REPLICATE the KEY elements which brought the success. One is NEVER give up!!!
      🦋🐝🌹🦋🐝🌹🦋🐝🌹

      Reply

    2. There is a better that a pig might fly than the PLP will speak out against a return to the electoral college system

      Reply

  11. Maria is correct.
    Many of us will remain in the Labour Party until after Conference to see whether we can stop the attacks on democracy and on the Left in the party.
    I am not optimistic – But we are where we are.
    If we leave the L.P., we are not going to go away and die quietly.
    The fight for justice and for socialism will continue.
    I cannot pretend that it will be easy.

    When Jeremy Corbyn was elected Leader (first time), I sent him an email:
    “Congratulatulations Jeremy on your great victory.
    I know that you will not have under-estimated the strength of the forces that will now line-up to ensure that you fail”.
    Well – I was wrong there, wasn’t I ?!

    A new party will face the same challenges.
    The struggle will continue – Despite the Labour Party – Not because of it.

    Reply

    1. Did you name the forces that would be ranged against him johnsco when you emailed Jeremy – ie the Establishment and the MSM and most of the PLP and the Jewish newspapers and the JLM and CAA and LAA and LFI and the BoD?

      Reply

    2. PS And what is your justification for the assertion that Jeremy underestimated the strength of the forces ranged against him? Could you elaborate? Are you implying that it’s because he underestimated them – their strength – that they were able to do a character assassination job on him and sabotage his leadership and chances of winning a GE? In other words, are you blaming Jeremy for all that they did to him during his tenure as leader?

      Reply

    3. And what precisely could Jeremy have done if he HADN’T – as you assert he DID – underestimated their strength johnsco?

      And was he doing this ‘underestimating’ PRIOR to the 2017 GE?

      Reply

      1. A slightly-odd set of questions you pose Allan …
        No – I didn’t name the forces … At the time I wrote I never forsaw the A/S angle of attack.
        J.C. appears to have under-estimated the scale of opposition … He was too generous to his opponents …. But I don’t BLAME him for it. Maybe he’s just too nice a guy – A fatal mistake in politics.
        What could he have done ? … He could have confronted his opponents and their vile lies … What did he have to lose !!

      2. Why are they an odd set of questions johnsco?

        Could you give an example or two or three of who Jeremy could have confronted, and what you think he could and should have said to them.

        So on the one hand you’re saying that Jeremy underestimated his opponents, but on the other hand you’re saying he was too generous to his opponents and that maybe he’s just too nice a guy, and that THAT is why he didn’t confront them. Anyway, you obviously ARE blaming him, and also discrediting him.

        And given that you didn’t forsee the A/S attack, who were you alluding to when you emailed Jeremy to congratulate him?

  12. Been reading a lot on ‘leverage’
    Apparently all great union leaders know how to use it in unusual and imaginative ways to maximum effect
    Here’s a novel suggestion
    Labour Day Tuesday 5th October
    We need amajority of major unions to threaten to withdraw funds and members to resign
    Len who is flogging his book and JVL could coordinate the statement calling for Temporary Embarrassment to step down, Len could say it was a failure to Unite the party and blatant anti semitism against Jewish members
    Forget new parties let’s clean out the old one, Red Tories are in the wrong party and off they must fuck

    Reply

    1. Yup the same sad stay and do nothing be comfortably numb keep on giving right-wing scum your hard-earned money so their lives can be easy. Be ignored, be told to know your place, keep the money rolling in point to a large membership as that’s proof about how correct this cult of new Labour 2.0 way of thinking.

      WAKE UP! People telling you to stay don’t want change oh they can parrot the same lines they believe in the cult. They are there to keep the money and control the same as always. OMOV no chance! Vote out Starmer and EVENS? NO WAY, against the rules of their club stay and fight. DIE and realise you wasted years doing the same damn mistakes as 40 years ago look back same arguments, same types same BS.

      Here is an idea instead keep your money, keep your vote and support now this TERRIFIES these scum. If you wish start a left-wing ONLY socialist party grass routed, lead by the member with a set of rules and proper regulation and oversite that will prevent right-wing takeovers ever again. Stupid power games briefings and lies about members? Equals instant removal of membership!

      Offer members a real choice and MP’s who have passion and fire and watch the scum panic that this house of cards and lies will fall and their easy life will disappear. Or stay and be comfortably numb listening to your master’s voice from Starmer’s and Evens paid shills here and never having any power or control. That is all these stay and fight brigades have to offer…..

      Your choice make it a good one! Just ask yourself why are these voices so desperate for you to stay in a party that doesn’t want you or respect you?

      Reply

  13. Even Open Labour are against this.

    @OpenLabour
    Our core principle is to strive for more democracy not less.
    At this year’s conference we have a record number of delegates on the floor, if there are any attempts to bring back the electoral college, we will urge them and everyone else to reject it.
    10:00 am · 21 Sep 2021
    https://twitter.com/OpenLabour/status/1440239601776402440

    Reply

    1. And yet you were earlier arguing there was no evidence of such a move, with the explicit implication that you know more than those at the very heart of the party, i.e. its MPs, despite the fact you’re (supposedly) across the other side of the Atlantic.

      I do hope you have the common decency to live up to your own words and admit when you’re wrong. Although I won’t hold my breath as you’ll no doubt find some excuse not to.

      Reply

      1. PW – I made no claim to have inside knowledge. As for acknowledging that I was wrong well all I did was ask others to provide further info and at the time nobody could.
        As soon as I saw similar info from other sources I posted an example of this online (it is 08:30 here) and expressed my surprise. What’s your problem?

        To my mind the only legitimate way to alter the voting system now would be an all members ballot. OMOV. I guess we can all anticipate how that would turn out. Anything less would be stealing members votes. The vote now belongs to the members, and it would be undemocratic for an unrepresentative clique to be able to rob us of our rights. They lost that power when they lost the ballot back in Ed’s day.

      2. PW – I see you’ve finally got around to posting some evidence yourself. 1hr after I did.

  14. Talk about hoist by one’s own petard:

    The current one-member-one-vote system was originally introduced on the initiative of Labour’s right wing to make it harder to elect left-wingers to the leadership, but the system’s original proponents miscalculated their own popularity and ended up with Jeremy Corbyn. [my emphasis]

    “Keir Starmer pushes to scrap one-member-one-vote for Labour leadership elections and return power to MPs.”

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/keir-starmer-labour-conference-vote-b1923983.html

    Reply

  15. Well I was wrong on one thing – I doubted there would be as representative
    of the Labour Party on Politics Live.

    Instead we had an articulate and passionate defence of OMOV from Zarah Sulthana …

    It seems though that the PLP have seen sense and are opposed to it ..

    Reply

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