Labour Party

Soldato
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Now changing its rules for union members http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-23234340

All because of the Falkirk scandal http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-23192888

About time to my mind. How a political party can force people to become members is outdated. Unions themselves are largely marginalised in today's society in the main (for good or ill) so to have these bodies wielding such influence makes no sense.

I don't support labour but a good move in my eyes, if there is real desire for a workers party as labour was then one should form not piggy back on a party which is not the socialist party it once was.
 
Soldato
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I can totally understand this decision it does seem outdated. But on the other hand I also see that as time goes on the parties really are drawing ever closer to each other.

I think we do not realise it but we are in a deeply conservative age at the moment and I mean that in the classic sense of the word. The market forces have shaped politics so much over the last 30 years that we are really trapped into certain way of thinking now.

Labours admission that they will continue the austerity plans if they win the next election shows you just how political power has been quashed. Politicians are nothing more than kind of clerical managers now, I think the visionaries are gone, we are scared of visionaries we just want to defend the status quo. But is this good in the long run?

Problems are looming on the Horizon, times are going to be hard but nobody can see another way.
 
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Soldato
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Little bit ironic the man who is the embodiment of what is wrong with the structure of the labour party is going to try and fix it. Any sensible person could have seen Ed Miliband was the worst option for leader and yet the unions got him in.

It's good for politics in the long run that the main competitive party against the conservatives can finally get round its own rules to pick a sensible leader, just taken way to long to come about.
 
Soldato
OP
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I can totally understand this decision it does seem outdated. But on the other hand I also see that as time goes on the parties really are drawing ever closer to each other.

I think we do not realise it but we are in a deeply conservative age at the moment and I mean that in the classic sense of the word. The market forces have shaped politics so much over the last 30 years that we are really trapped into certain way of thinking now.

Labours admission that they will continue the austerity plans if they win the next election shows you just how political power has been quashed. Politicians are nothing more than kind of clerical managers now, I think the visionaries are gone, we are scared of visionaries we just want to defend the status quo. But is this good in the long run?

Problems are looming on the Horizon, times are going to be hard but nobody can see another way.

I agree with this.

I think another problem is a politicians first concern is his career. We have lost politicians with the backbone or desire to change things for the concern they have over their prospects. This forces more centralisation (of political ideology) and pie fighting between parties as opposed to real policies to help.

The problem is then exacerbated by people. Half the population sees what is going on and is so jaded and avoids politics allowing this trend to continue. The other half are too dumb to understand or be concerned with politics and this don't care if it happens.

Part of me thinks we deserve what we get but that might just be the cynic in me. The even greater cynic thinks China might be doing it right.. :eek::p:(
 

Deleted member 66701

D

Deleted member 66701

The sooner the unions abandon Labour to thier Thatcherist fantasies the better imo.
 

SMN

SMN

Soldato
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That old saying about "not biting the hand that feeds you" comes to mind here. I dont know what Red Ed is doing. Very desperate stuff.
 
Man of Honour
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But on the other hand I also see that as time goes on the parties really are drawing ever closer to each other.

.

That will always happen with such a voting system and wealth. Even in the height of recession we were wealthy and nearly everyone was fine. Of course parties are going to go down the middle as that's what the public is and the way voting works. The system means parties can do radical stuff as they won't be voted in or will be voted out.
The easier our life gets the more middle road the politics will get, as there's less extrems in the general public to win/lose votes on.
This way of democracy hit its limit a couple of decades ago, it's now time to think of a New Democratic system, maybe policy/science based wherever possible, not that it will ever happen.

As for the original OP, great news, even though I'm a member of a union I despise Unions, especially the militant one. The hierarchy of the unions are so out of touch with us, it's embarssing.
 
Soldato
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God I hope not, human rights would go out the door, public debt would grow 10fold every year. It would be a disaster. It would be like daily mail in charge.

:D

I agree with the sentiment, the majority of people are stupid and unaware of the consequences their actions will have in the long term.... Somewhat disturbingly that pretty accurately describes the last Labour government too :eek:
 
Associate
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The hard part for Labour is that the big unions are driven by an increasingly small minority of UK citizens - propping up 'coal mines and steel workers' is a dead end now that the UK is repositioning itself as a services economy (with a heavy emphasis on engineering, technology and finance). But if Unite won't dump truckloads of money into Labours accounts, who the hell will?

I guess the bigger question for me is what does Labour actually want to represent? It either has to be the hardline socialist left, or the centre-left alternative to the centre-right Tories - judging by Milibands comments he would quite like to cut the cord and make it the latter, but when the unions got him his job in the first place it will take balls like grapefruits to take it through to the end game.

The irony in all of this is that if his brother had been elected party leader instead, the Unions wouldn't even be part of the equation anymore - instead Ed is going the long way around to get back to the same place?
 
Associate
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Just to add to that, it wouldn't surprise me if in a few years we had another UKIP situation but from the other end of the political spectrum.
 
Soldato
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Unions could refuse to change, I heard an expert on the tv say half an hour ago so I dont think anything is set in stone yet
 
Permabanned
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All I can say is that it has been truly hilarious watching the Labour party implode over this issue. It's like clause IV all over again, in my backyard, with London HQ calling the shots after being forced into following their words - going to the police - by the Tories nonetheless!!!

The "Scottish" leader is still in hiding..

The people of Falkirk deserve far better than this pathetic infighting.
 
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I found it brave! Well brave for a politician. It will be interesting how it all pans out. He must have backing from somewhere to dispose of the people that brought him into power!

Brave for a politician who only holds his current position in the party due to the Unions..

(For clarity, I have never been a member of a Labour affiliated Union and would refuse membership on those grounds)
 
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