[Politics] Chukka Umunna joins the Lib Dems

[Thunder Bolt]

What an odious self serving rat he has proved to himself to be. I'll be surprised if he hasn't got being the next leader of the Libs in his sights.

Too late. The nominations closed last Friday.

To be fair, ChangeUk was always going to be a temporary stop gap for disaffected politicians. Comparing changing football teams to changing political parties is ridiculous.
Can you imagine if Brighton said they weren't going to use black players any more? Would you keep on supporting them regardless? I wouldn't, & some of our politicians have become that extreme.

 

[Simster]

He is a centrist politician, the Lib Dems were always a natural home for his beliefs. But for all that, they'd do well to sideline him. Stropping out of the Labour party as it is at the moment is one thing (and entirely forgiveable), but hawking himself about in this way is completely unforgivable. I've lost all respect for him.

 

[Titanic]

how long before he arrives in Conservatives?

When he finally grows up?

 

[Thunder Bolt]

When he finally grows up?

If you think being a Tory is grown up, then I'm glad I'm still childish.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Poor old Chukka.

Could be PM at present if he hadn't decided not to run for labour leader against Corbyn.

D'oh.

 

[nicko31]

Brave enough to admit he got it wrong with Change.

A asset for the Lib Dems, just pity he hadn't joined earlier....

 

[Meade's Ball]

Reputations in politics aren't stained for long, it seems, nowadays. If you create a new myth about and around yourself, even juggling and endorsing the matter which you were rightly criticised for - Boris' list of dunderheaded offences are oddly brushed aside, and even celebrated - then the past can be ripped apart or filtered with relative ease. I don't imagine this is the end for Chukka.

 

[Chicken Run]

What party next, The Dorothy Party....

 

[TSB]

Would have been labour leader, had they not been taken over by the loony left.
I'm happy to see him become a lib dem.

 

[dingodan]

"Chancer"
noun informal•British
a person who exploits any opportunity to further their own ends.
See also: Chukka Umunna.

 

[Machiavelli]

"Chancer"
noun informal•British
a person who exploits any opportunity to further their own ends.
See also: Chukka Umunna.

I'm going to have to disagree with you again. He was in a safe seat as a Labour MP. If he was really seeking to exploit opportunities to continue as an MP, he'd have kept within the Labour Party. As it is, he'll be relying on his personality, rather than party, to get re-elected. And as if joining the Lib Dems (or Change UK, for that matter) will enable him to further his own ends!

 

[dingodan]

I'm going to have to disagree with you again. He was in a safe seat as a Labour MP. If he was really seeking to exploit opportunities to continue as an MP, he'd have kept within the Labour Party. As it is, he'll be relying on his personality, rather than party, to get re-elected. And as if joining the Lib Dems (or Change UK, for that matter) will enable him to further his own ends!

Labour is a sinking ship, and he's just a rat with some foresight.

 

[Machiavelli]

Labour is a sinking ship, and he's just a rat with some foresight.

Maybe. In my view, we're clearly going through an interesting period and unexpected outcomes will continue to appear. Even if Labour does collapse, I'd doubt the Lib Dems are in a position to capitalise, but we'll have to wait and see on both those fronts.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

Too late. The nominations closed last Friday.

ChangeUk was always going to be a temporary stop gap for disaffected politicians.
.

Really?

Who said that?

 

[Gritt23]

What party next, The Dorothy Party....

It's about time he joined the S-Club Party.

There ain't no party like it.

 

[dingodan]

Maybe. In my view, we're clearly going through an interesting period and unexpected outcomes will continue to appear. Even if Labour does collapse, I'd doubt the Lib Dems are in a position to capitalise, but we'll have to wait and see on both those fronts.

I'm not convinced either.

But Chukka will have seen the euro election vote (no surprise that this happened after that did).

He's decided that he'd rather spend the next election cycle being praised for (and trying to taking credit for) his party doing unexpectadly well, than the inevitable Labour experience next time around, being criticized for and having to defend his party doing unexpectedly badly. He knows which way the wind is blowing. He's just positioning himself, like the most opportunistic of politicians, to take the least heat and bask in as positive a light (lit by someone else) as he possibly can. If that means switching sides, so be it.

Pin the tail on Chukkas political donkey.

No blindfold necessary.

 

[Frankie]

I'm a little surprised Cozzy didn't identify him as a potential transfer target, other than that the Lib Dems must be over the moon getting this journeyman on a free.

 

[The Birdman]

Hope he like heights sitting on the fence with the Libs

 

[Guinness Boy]

Labour is a sinking ship, and he's just a rat with some foresight.

That's a very un-nuanced view. You could just as well argue the Tories are a sinking ship. For the last few months under May the governament of this country had no control with the whip and could barely pass wind let alone a Brexit bill. If they're both sinking then you'd expect the Lib Dems or the Brexit Party to storm the next GE. That's simply not going to happen. Both may get plenty of votes but without PR they'll get very few actual seats. Given Peterboro Brexit may actually get 0 (and they may be redundant by 31 Oct anyway). If a General Election was called today then the lead party in governament would either be Labour or the Tories, but they'd need a decent partner or partners. Both major parties are a bit of a joke right now but without electoral reform there's just as much chance of Jezza being PM in the next few years as not.

 

[dingodan]

That's a very un-nuanced view. You could just as well argue the Tories are a sinking ship. For the last few months under May the governament of this country had no control with the whip and could barely pass wind let alone a Brexit bill. If they're both sinking then you'd expect the Lib Dems or the Brexit Party to storm the next GE. That's simply not going to happen. Both may get plenty of votes but without PR they'll get very few actual seats. Given Peterboro Brexit may actually get 0 (and they may be redundant by 31 Oct anyway). If a General Election was called today then the lead party in governament would either be Labour or the Tories, but they'd need a decent partner or partners. Both major parties are a bit of a joke right now but without electoral reform there's just as much chance of Jezza being PM in the next few years as not.

I agree with you, I didn't say the Conservatives weren't sinking too.

Although they are going through a change in leadership, so they can still save themselves. But I agree, both parties are going to struggle next time around.