Party discipline and political reality: British Labour and its members who voted SNP… May 31, 2015
Posted by WorldbyStorm in Uncategorized.trackback
At least one Labour party member who expressed support for Nicola Sturgeon’s SNP on social media before the general election has been thrown out of the party, it has emerged.
The party took the extraordinary decision just two weeks after the election via a letter, informing a “Mr McLean” of Labour’s membership rules and his consequent exclusion from the party until 2020.
The legalistic approach is all very well, perhaps, during good times – though given that political parties are (for the most part) essentially voluntary organisations with weak mechanisms for enforcing decisions and given the somewhat nebulous nature of political activity in this period, one would have to wonder even then if its necessarily the best approach.
But one would think that since conviction and convincing are at the heart of any political project worth its name some efforts would have been made to talk through the situation with members who had, for whatever reason, turned apostate – or partly so, during the last year. If only to understand what the dynamic was that was making them take that route and see could they be brought back fully into the fold.
There’s the old quote, possibly apocrvaphyl, from Voltaire on his death bed when asked to renounce Satan he said: “Now is not the time for making new enemies.”
The British Labour Party might consider that at length.
Off topic here, but this may be of interest to those hereabouts:
http://m.independent.ie/irish-news/news/official-ira-hid-5000-ak47s-in-secret-bunkers-31267061.html
Indeed, it may get a mention on a well respected regular column on this blog later on….
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That’s really interesting and a good spot, Ramzi.
Just a couple of initial thoughts. Curious rationale – doomsday/protection of Catholic areas. How does that fit with the avowedly non-sectarian approaches the WP was trying through the period or – if accurate – was it due to a belief if the balloon went up anything could happen, or who knows?
Secondly, interesting they fix on the ORM ‘publicly decommissioning’ its weapons. I wonder is that accurate? Possibly so.
Thirdly, is this a shot across the bows of anyone in the SI who might have been a member of the WP in the past? Surely not.
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Hi
Yes the explicit Catholic/Protestant wording didn’t ring true given the pretty solid non-sectarian nature of the Sticks
As to your third point, I think some cynical people are suggesting that it is a shot across the bows of people now in the LP who may be thinking of examining the business affairs of a certain billionaire tax exile.
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Maybe ‘he who shall not be named’ has a few poison arrows in his quiver. His man James Morrissey was on the news at one asking Michéal Martin if he would be happy to have all dealings of all business people out in the open- thought that was a shot across the bows
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Heard that: Morrissey really is this Charmless Man…..
Speaking of whch: how does himself get away with sending his ‘representative’ out to bat for him? Could RTE not insist he either show up, or be unrepresented
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Sonofstan- I get the feeling that it is Voldemort that calls the shots in rte, not rte…hence Mr Morrissey- wouldn’t it be fascinating if new beans are spilt!
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Ramzi, yeah, that makes sense.
Just re my second point, I meant to add ‘publicly decommissioning its weapons first’… that was what I was wondering whether it was accurate.
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Well, all they need to do is pose the question at the next night out of IT, Indo or RTÉ pensioners and get the answer to any queries.
(I know, snarky, but true?
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‘Senior republican sources’ – I’d very much like to see the list of senior republicans with whom Jim Cusack has a close and trusting relationship. ‘Security sources’ would be more his kind of thing. Maybe he’s been told to get a smear in early in case the WP’s Dublin relaunch comes to anything.
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The Labour Party choosing to beat itself with a stick of the Tories’ choosing is inexplicable politics. The reply ought to have been something like “any vote other than Tory is a good vote, but Labour is best. And by the way, Tory/DUP coalition”. And left it bloody there.
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Im not even going to comment on the story about the sticks.As you all know they wouldnt be on my voting list but that story is pure shite from the pen of a complete fantasist.However with regard to party discipline ,an SDLP councillor tweeted during the west tyrone count that he wanted SF;s Pat Doherty to win. His punishment was losing the SDLP whip for a few weeks.The stoops are in such disarray that they could’nt afford to lose their only councillor in Strabane!
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do Irish parties have similar rules can’t find for ILP
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http://www.labour.ie/party/constitution/#article2 ‘subscribes to the Party’s Principles and Objects and accepts this Constitution,
is not a member of another political party, and is not a member of, or associated with, any organisation, publication or institution the objects or activities of which are declared by the Executive Board of the Party to be injurious to the interests of the Party or inconsistent with its Principles and Objects’
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not quite as detailed or explicit as UK http://labourlist.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Rule-Book-2013.pdf
A member of the party who joins and/ or
supports a political organisation other than an
official Labour group or other unit of the party, or
supports any candidate who stands against an
official Labour candidate, or publicly declares
their intent to stand against a Labour candidate,
shall automatically be ineligible to be or remain a
party member, subject to the provisions of
Chapter 6.I.2 below of the disciplinary rules.
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I wouldn’t put it past any of those new Labour lackies actually voting for the Tories- to get Milliband the militant communist out…
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