[Politics] Natalie Elphic defects to labour

[rippleman]

Oh how ironic.

Starmer and Dodds falling over themselves to welcome a Tory and one with views that the majority of Labour Party members would certainly be opposed to (see her comments about Marcus Rashford and the glowing character reference she gave her former hisband just before he got banged up for serious sexual offences) and yet Diane Abbot is STILL banned from sitting as a Labour MP nearly a year after being suspended.

This is Starmer's Labour Party folks.

 

[Is it PotG?]

Oh how ironic.

Starmer and Dodds falling over themselves to welcome a Tory and one with views that the majority of Labour Party members would certainly be opposed to (see her comments about Marcus Rashford and the glowing character reference she gave her former hisband just before he got banged up for serious sexual offences) and yet Diane Abbot is STILL banned from sitting as a Labour MP nearly a year after being suspended.

This is Starmer's Labour Party folks.

The genius strategist Starmer has it all under control

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

She’s after a peerage, to be awarded in Labour’s first term. According to a few journalists.

And the noisy Tory voices on the radio.

Time will of course tell.

I'd be a little surprised if it happens, but I'll hardly see it as the start of the discreditation of the honours system

Others are suggesting that by raising her profile she'll get a job she otherwise (etc.)

A reply to all that on R5 from one caller is "Get a life, you're finished"

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

Sorry, but that wretched hive of scum and villainy is not for me.

You spend a lot of time on here

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Local labour party spokesman from Dover on R5 now.

"Let's see if she has an ounce of socialism in her body"

Nicky Campbell's reply

"But you don't have to be a socialist to be in Labour"

His reply

"No, you don't, but...."

Quite amusing

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Labour chair Anneliese Dodds said the Dover MP was a "good, natural fit" for her party.

Natalie Elphicke: Labour insists ex-Tory MP is 'good fit' for party

Some Labour MPs are unhappy about Tory defector Natalie Elphicke's past comments.

www.bbc.co.uk

I don't think I understand our politics anymore... it's all far too intelligent and strategic for me.

I’m with you. The more I learn the less I understand.

 

[Randy McNob]

The guaranteed narrative of the next 10 years.

Still, you can't please everyone.

John McDonnell, the former shadow chancellor, told LBC that he was shocked by Sir Keir’s decision.

“It certainly is a stunt that damages the Tories, there’s no doubt about that. But it also has implications for the Labour Party as well, because of the views that Natalie Elphicke has expressed in the past, some of which I don’t think the party should be associated with,” he said.

James Schneider, Jeremy Corbyn’s former director of communications, said: “It shows there is no principle on the back of the membership card that Keir Starmer won’t trample over in his rush to be indistinguishable from the Tories.

“On all the major issues, Britain is now a one-party state; but with our traditional British eccentricity we have two of them.”

Still, you won't see MPs like McDonnel crossing the floor, that's difference
Labour are just making themselves electable to get their foot in the door, they have to win over a heavily gaslit electorate, then hopefully, the "Narrative" will be fixing the country destroyed by the Tories

 

[Moshe Gariani]

We "Lefties" have tried and repeatedly failed to get a socialist government elected during our lifetime.

We have not changed our principles or ideas about a fairer society.

Cameron, May, Johnson, Truss & Sunak have convinced (most of) us that it is more important now to get a Labour Government elected, and at least see some of our principles acted upon, than it is to play political debating.

 

[Zeberdi]

Both my ex wives kept their married names after the divorces, and in both cases they were the petitioner.

People are a rum lot.

Perhaps if Elphicke changed her name to ‘Sellafield’ she would be less toxic. Elle is probably too phick to do that much of a PR number though.

But Labour?

It highlights for me how there is really now no clear water between Starmer’s version of ‘Labour’ and the Tories of the ’90s and it‘s that that makes it so easy for Tories to cross the floor.

Elphic cites this as the reason for her defection;

“Meanwhile the Labour Party has changed out of all recognition. Since 2019, it has moved on from Jeremy Corbyn and now, under Keir Starmer, occupies the centre ground of British politics. It has accepted Brexit and its economic policies and defence policies are responsible and can trusted.”

The problem imo is that the ‘centre’ of British politics has moved firmly to the right in recent years. What happened to the Robin Cooks of old, with their ethical foreign policy or the Barbara Castles of old bringing in equal pay for women, or the Labour Party that introduced the minimum wage etc ? The Labour Party that never would have not challenged the Government over its support for Israel’s continuing bombardment of Gaza? That was my Labour Party.

i will still support them however and do my level
best to help the Labour candidate in my constituency unseat Liz Truss - that is a given.

 

[MJsGhost]

(I still wouldn't put it past Elphicke playing the long game and rocking up as the Reform candidate come election time with a 'plague on both your houses' campaign)

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

We "Lefties" have tried and repeatedly failed to get a socialist government elected during our lifetime.

We have not changed our principles or ideas about a fairer society.

Cameron, May, Johnson, Truss & Sunak have convinced (most of) us that it is more important now to get a Labour Government elected, and at least see some of our principles acted upon, than it is to play political debating.

Precisely.

I drifted in from the far left in the late 70s when I was young. Naïve. Idealistic. Pure, if you like.

The message that politics is the Art Of The Possible really hit home during the early Thatcher years, when Labour needed to be coherent, but was split between the can-dos and the ideological purists.

I recall Militant had as their slogan: "No Compromise With The Electorate". Even as a callow young man, the absurdity of that really hit home. You can't do anything in opposition.

And....as an old man now, I figure: what gives me the right to demand that society be exactly as I wish it. All my views reflected in parliament. All my prejudices met and my desires fulfilled. At the expense of everyone with slightly different requirements. No.

No. Politics is the art of the possible. It requires compromise. To succeed you need a parliamentary majority, and this will itself involve a coalition of different viewpoints with an umbrella organization that can run the show. We call these organizations Political Parties. As a Labour man I can't expect that every other Labour person will share all my views, hopes, aspirations and prejudices. And, older and wiser perhaps, I'm content with that.

If it all goes too far out of my comfort zone I may step aside, as I did when Blair created state-funded religious schools (or attempted to do so). Albeit these days I suspect I may suck up most stuff that has my nose twitching, because right now the Tory opposition is so bad, so vile, that it would take a great deal of tomfoolery from labour to have me step away.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Perhaps if Elphicke changed her name to ‘Sellafield’ she would be less toxic. Elle is probably too phick to do that much of a PR number though.

But Labour?

It highlights for me how there is really now no clear water between Starmer’s version of ‘Labour’ and the Tories of the ’90s and it‘s that that makes it so easy for Tories to cross the floor.

Elphic cites this as the reason for her defection;

“Meanwhile the Labour Party has changed out of all recognition. Since 2019, it has moved on from Jeremy Corbyn and now, under Keir Starmer, occupies the centre ground of British politics. It has accepted Brexit and its economic policies and defence policies are responsible and can trusted.”

The problem imo is that the ‘centre’ of British politics has moved firmly to the right in recent years. What happened to the Robin Cooks of old, with their ethical foreign policy or the Barbara Castles of old bringing in equal pay for women, or the Labour Party that introduced the minimum wage etc ? The Labour Party that never would have not challenged the Government over its support for Israel’s continuing bombardment of Gaza? That was my Labour Party.

i will still support them however and do my level
best to help the Labour candidate in my constituency unseat Liz Truss - that is a given.

Patience. It's not where the tanker is headed now, it is where it will be heading once the new captain is at the helm.

Hand on heart, I don't know where Captain Starmer will take us. But I am certainly not going to condemn or dismiss based on his failure to get full-square behind the likes of Wrong-Bailey and others who imagine they know best about Israel/Gaza, nuclear weapons, our relationship with America etc.

 

[Simster]

Oh how ironic.

Starmer and Dodds falling over themselves to welcome a Tory and one with views that the majority of Labour Party members would certainly be opposed to (see her comments about Marcus Rashford and the glowing character reference she gave her former hisband just before he got banged up for serious sexual offences) and yet Diane Abbot is STILL banned from sitting as a Labour MP nearly a year after being suspended.

This is Starmer's Labour Party folks.

This is an understandable PoV from traditional left wing voters, but the two things need to be looked at in isolation I think.

Firstly, removing the whip from Abbot over that letter was an absolute disgrace. I don't think she actually said anything wrong, quite frankly and the way Labour leadership rounded on her smacked of them lazily taking the opportunity to look tough on extremism. I don't agree with her on everything but she is a black lady who knows all about racism and misogyny, and got educated at Cambridge despite none of the trappings of wealth. That deserves respect. I might expect far thick simpletons to rubbish everything she says, but not the Labour party leadership.

As for this defection, I've always said on this thread I wouldn't vote for someone who so openly stood on a far thick xenophobic ticket in this very term, so I hope Labour don't think the rest of the electorate will feel any different. As it is, she's not standing at the next GE, so I'm hoping this is simply short term politicking and another stick to beat Sunak with, rather than any endorsement of the thick cow.

 

[BLOCK F]

I think this is someone leaving the room who has decided to spend time with the least smelly and mad folk, on the way out, and as far away as possible from the oafs who do nothing other than fart and scratch their arses.

Metaphorically speaking.

Let us hope she doesn’t get to sit within smelling range of Richard Burgon, as I understand he is the undisputed champion farter in the House of Commons.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

As ever, Dan Snow knows his history.

 

[Igzilla]

This is an interesting interpretation of yesterday's defection, for all those anti-Starmer left wingers...



Additionally, this as an historical shoutout:

 

[beorhthelm]

This is an interesting interpretation of yesterday's defection, for all those anti-Starmer left wingers...

i can see what he's going for until /8



er, no. Starmer isn't going to pick up anti-immigration Reform voters because of Elphicke. they'll want to see a hardline on immigration that Starmer wouldn't be near. this is trying desperately to make sence of something that doesn't make sence.

i reckon the reasoning is either opportunism without really thinking about the consequences, or deliberatly to upset the left.

 

[Kuipers Supporters Club]

If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.

Sums up Starmer on this I’m afraid.

 

[Gwylan]

i can see what he's going for until /8



er, no. Starmer isn't going to pick up anti-immigration Reform voters because of Elphicke. they'll want to see a hardline on immigration that Starmer wouldn't be near. this is trying desperately to make sence of something that doesn't make sence.

i reckon the reasoning is either opportunism without really thinking about the consequences, or deliberatly to upset the left.

No, he won't pick up hardline anti-immigration voters but there a quite a few people who are tempted by Reform because it's something different (and looking at their manifesto, Reform tends to be on the right socially, but more left economically - certainly their commitment to public spending would cause jitters to the City). It won't be many thinking this way but a couple of dozen in every constituency could help. It's the Jim Ratcliffe/INEOS marginal gains approach.

I'd never heard of Andrew Levi before but he's got an interesting background: investor, business executive and diplomat is a heady mix.

 

[Is it PotG?]