Do we need a new party to reflect the working people of Britain?

[Surf's Up]

Interesting article in the Guardian today suggesting that the time might be right for the formation of a UKIP style party for the left. Come on you NSC politicos! Fedup with the ineffectiveness of middle-ground labour politics? Would you join/support such a party? and ditto you Tory middle-ground ers, has UKIP's time come?

 

[Danny-Boy]

Similar point made in a big article in "The Observer" on Sunday. Valid argument, they quote the membership of al three main plolitical parties being dwarfed by that of the RSPB for examle, who say they have 1 million.

I find that hard to believe TBH. Their membership fes are quite high. as are the National Trust who also have a 6 figure claimed menership.

I would suport a Party to cut down the malevolent influence of Sky on the football game. They've turned it into a world betting market in effect.

 

[Colossal Squid]

I think it's a very good point. I've said for a long time that we seem to have a far better represented right wing than we do the left. The socialist parties are completely fringe and you rarely hear anything about them whereas the likes of UKIP and the BNP are big news.

What we really want is a strong left to represent the growing numbers of people in this country who are educated and intelligent but unable to earn a living wage. All those who are disillusioned with the greedy fat cat mentality of the rich getting richer whilst the rest of us struggle to get by simply don't have any genuine representation at a local or national level.

The Greens are the strongest the real left has but their politics are undermined by their environmental agenda and the fact they're seen as hippies.

It strikes me this country is crying out for a strong left wing party to capitalise on the antipathy towards the broken right wing politics that have seen the divide between rich and poor get wider and wider

 

[Colossal Squid]

For anyone else interested the original article is here:

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/sep/09/time-for-leftwing-ukip-labour

 

[Mellotron]

Where's the party at?!

 

[D'Angelo Saxon]

Where's the party at?!

Should I bring my gat?

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

It's time to smash the two party system with...

Bring back the Gang of Four. All is forgiven!

(Centrists at the time, their policies would actually be considered left-wing these days).

 

[Titanic]

Watching the cringe-worthy performance of Ed Miliband at the TUC... I think you are right.

 

[Deleted member 22389]

Interesting article in the Guardian today suggesting that the time might be right for the formation of a UKIP style party for the left. Come on you NSC politicos! Fedup with the ineffectiveness of middle-ground labour politics? Would you join/support such a party? and ditto you Tory middle-ground ers, has UKIP's time come?

Tell you something, if Labour get back in it won't be because they have earned it. What is the best Milliband came come up with at the moment, his argument against Zero hour contracts. Are those words really enough to persuade people to go back and vote Labour? Trouble with Labour, they have become so concerned with political correctness, it really has effected how they get their message across to the general public. I certainly wont be voting Labour again for various reasons.

 

[Simster]

Tell you something, if Labour get back in it won't be because they have earned it. What is the best Milliband came come up with at the moment, his argument against Zero hour contracts. Are those words really enough to persuade people to go back and vote Labour? Trouble with Labour, they have become so concerned with political correctness, it really has effected how they get their message across to the general public. I certainly wont be voting Labour again for various reasons.

In a nutshell, I'd say Labour's biggest problem is their powder puff front bench. Ed Milliband comes across as a schoolboy, no-one trusts or likes Ed Balls, and most of the shadow cabinet are a bunch of career-centric no-marks.

Personally, I think it is their election to lose, and lose it they will. The Lib Dems will get spanked for a series of broken promises and feeble "it's all the Tories fault" shoulder shrugging, and the Tories share of the vote will hold up because they will claim the recovery as all their own doing, despite the fact that without the Lib Dems restraining their cut backs and tax breaks, the economy would have been utterly crippled.

It's a good time to be a small party like UKIP, Greens, BNP, SWP or even the Liberal party. I doubt we'll see much change in the make up of parliament but these smaller parties should really see their shares of the vote rise.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Watching the cringe-worthy performance of Ed Miliband at the TUC... I think you are right.

Did they select the right Milibland ? His brother was the stronger candidate IMO

 

[Deleted member 22389]

In a nutshell, I'd say Labour's biggest problem is their powder puff front bench. Ed Milliband comes across as a schoolboy, no-one trusts or likes Ed Balls, and most of the shadow cabinet are a bunch of career-centric no-marks.

Personally, I think it is their election to lose, and lose it they will. The Lib Dems will get spanked for a series of broken promises and feeble "it's all the Tories fault" shoulder shrugging, and the Tories share of the vote will hold up because they will claim the recovery as all their own doing, despite the fact that without the Lib Dems restraining their cut backs and tax breaks, the economy would have been utterly crippled.

It's a good time to be a small party like UKIP, Greens, BNP, SWP or even the Liberal party. I doubt we'll see much change in the make up of parliament but these smaller parties should really see their shares of the vote rise.

I agree. I hope the smaller parties take a large chunk out of their vote and teach them a lesson.

 

[Return of the Rev]

A Socialist National Party? Who can unite the country and get the trains running on time

 

[m20gull]

A Socialist National Workers' Party? Who can unite the country and get the trains running on time

Surely

 

[loz]

I think it's a very good point. I've said for a long time that we seem to have a far better represented right wing than we do the left. The socialist parties are completely fringe and you rarely hear anything about them whereas the likes of UKIP and the BNP are big news.

What we really want is a strong left to represent the growing numbers of people in this country who are educated and intelligent but unable to earn a living wage. All those who are disillusioned with the greedy fat cat mentality of the rich getting richer whilst the rest of us struggle to get by simply don't have any genuine representation at a local or national level. The Greens are the strongest the real left has but their politics are undermined by their environmental agenda and the fact they're seen as hippies.

It strikes me this country is crying out for a strong left wing party to capitalise on the antipathy towards the broken right wing politics that have seen the divide between rich and poor get wider and wider

So much this... I feel I have no representation in the halls of power; I am left leaning but can see that some views on the right could be OK, Mr Millabland and Mr "Call me Dave" don’t represent me or my kind. There is a section of the public that has lost all trust in government, the problem is, that section is probably the most important, i.e. middle earners and max tax payers or the Strivers as we are labelled.

 

[Seagull over Canaryland]

Definitely room for another political party to challenge for the centre/centre left ground. If that should materialise Labour could implode, as they are wasting any opportunity to take advantage of voter apathy toward the Coalition. Ed Miliband is a limp lettuce leaf, full of rhetoric but no substance. They definitely missed a trick in not electing his brother as leader. Maybe he will return once they have had a bit more blood letting. Even so they will have to overcome huge public mistrust. The ground is open for a new party.

Otherwise I fear we are heading for another coalition after the next election along the lines of a Con / UKIP / Green mess. The Lib Dems will be toast.

 

[GreersElbow]

I can see one forming soon, the left wingers in the Liberal Democrats may desert the Lib Dems and go else where and I could see a similar thing happening in the Labour party which is still torn between Blairites and Brownites. Labour's left appears to be failing to win the argument (although for me, I'm on the centre-right is a good thing) but it does open a void that certainly needs to be filled. I cannot see UKIP capitalising on any of the disaffected voters and members leaving their parties, there has been rumblings from the RMT of a new Workers' party and I know they've severed all links to the Brighton & Hove Labour Party they've been funding and openly supporting the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) But TUSC has failed to even break into the limelight at all in any of their elections.

But the question is; politically where does the "working people of Britain" actually stand? This is such a subjective matter it's very hard to pinpoint given geographical location pretty much determines what party the area is likely to vote for. I.e Mid Sussex is an absolute Tory stronghold and the majority of people living in that constituency are working people. Eastbourne is a Liberal Democrat stronghold, they've been holding that with large majorities for a while now, although the demographics suggest it is mainly a retirement location of choice, the elderly are often targetted by Labour and the left because of their stance on benefits for the elderly and pensions. But moving north, it is clear Labour are the working people of say, Newcastle's choice.


No party will ever fill a social class' full interests, mainly due to the fact those interests are subjective and differ among the population. Parties like Mebyon Kernow may actually be a better alternative to having large parties. Mebyon Kernow want to represent the people of Cornwall, regardless of what people think of Cornwall as a nation in its own right or a county. They're fairly popular when talking about Cornish issues, although they only hold 6/120 or so seats in Cornwall. I honestly believe regionalism needs to rise as centralised government for too long has shown it cannot equally represent the population.

Did they select the right Milibland ? His brother was the stronger candidate IMO

The TUC got what they wanted, they threatened to withdraw all funding which would destroy the labour party if they didn't elect Ed. It's quite funny really, as David would have been the better leader by far. However, the TUC may well have handed the Tories a free election come 2015.
That's my 2cents.

 

[somerset]

A Socialist National Party?

I wonder what the difference is between National Socialism and Social Nationalism??

 

[somerset]

I can see one forming soon, the left wingers in the Liberal Democrats may desert the Lib Dems and go else where and I could see a similar thing happening in the Labour party which is still torn between Blairites and Brownites. Labour's left appears to be failing to win the argument (although for me, I'm on the centre-right is a good thing) but it does open a void that certainly needs to be filled. I cannot see UKIP capitalising on any of the disaffected voters and members leaving their parties, there has been rumblings from the RMT of a new Workers' party and I know they've severed all links to the Brighton & Hove Labour Party they've been funding and openly supporting the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) But TUSC has failed to even break into the limelight at all in any of their elections.

But the question is; politically where does the "working people of Britain" actually stand? This is such a subjective matter it's very hard to pinpoint given geographical location pretty much determines what party the area is likely to vote for. I.e Mid Sussex is an absolute Tory stronghold and the majority of people living in that constituency are working people. Eastbourne is a Liberal Democrat stronghold, they've been holding that with large majorities for a while now, although the demographics suggest it is mainly a retirement location of choice, the elderly are often targetted by Labour and the left because of their stance on benefits for the elderly and pensions. But moving north, it is clear Labour are the working people of say, Newcastle's choice.


No party will ever fill a social class' full interests, mainly due to the fact those interests are subjective and differ among the population. Parties like Mebyon Kernow may actually be a better alternative to having large parties. Mebyon Kernow want to represent the people of Cornwall, regardless of what people think of Cornwall as a nation in its own right or a county. They're fairly popular when talking about Cornish issues, although they only hold 6/120 or so seats in Cornwall. I honestly believe regionalism needs to rise as centralised government for too long has shown it cannot equally represent the population.





The TUC got what they wanted, they threatened to withdraw all funding which would destroy the labour party if they didn't elect Ed. It's quite funny really, as David would have been the better leader by far. However, the TUC may well have handed the Tories a free election come 2015.
That's my 2cents.

So, boiling all your comments down to and understandable nugget, I conclude that the Conservatives are the only party staying always true to their original ideals, whilst the Libs and the Labs of this world simply adjust and shift their ideals depending on whatever the fad of the day is at any given time in an attempt to win the popular vote......

 

[brakespear]

I think it's a very good point. I've said for a long time that we seem to have a far better represented right wing than we do the left. The socialist parties are completely fringe and you rarely hear anything about them whereas the likes of UKIP and the BNP are big news.

What we really want is a strong left to represent the growing numbers of people in this country who are educated and intelligent but unable to earn a living wage. All those who are disillusioned with the greedy fat cat mentality of the rich getting richer whilst the rest of us struggle to get by simply don't have any genuine representation at a local or national level.

The Greens are the strongest the real left has but their politics are undermined by their environmental agenda and the fact they're seen as hippies.

It strikes me this country is crying out for a strong left wing party to capitalise on the antipathy towards the broken right wing politics that have seen the divide between rich and poor get wider and wider

spot on