Jeremy Corbyn & Tom Watson elected leader and deputy leader of the Labour Party

[HSTEd]

We have dozens of nuclear power stations to decommission, and Sellafield itself will take decades if not centuries to clean up, so there is work there whether or not any more power stations are built.

But nuclear power decommisioning 'work' normally consists of sitting around doing nothing, checking the buildings every few months to make sure nothing is crumbling.

The staff at a post-nuclear Sellafield facility would be a couple of hundred at most for atleast the first thirty years.
There is no point "cleaning up" the buildings now when you can clean up far less radioactive buildings in a few decades time. That is why all the Magnox power blocks ever built are still standing, even when all the non radioactive stuff has been demolished.

Meanwhile things like THORP and such employ hundreds or thousands of staff, all of which will dissapear if no nuclear stations are constructed [let alone the staffing associated with Moorside if it is ever built.

The outsourcing of all sorts of work there will undoubtedly have encouraged contractors to cut corners to protect or expand their profits, whereas a permanent dedicated (i.e. re-nationalised) management would be the least likely to jeopardise workforce safety to protect profit margins. It must be one of the most secure jobs in the world, but the main driver has to be doing it right (for the health of the rest of us as well as the employees) rather than producing a return for shareholders.

More than half the nuclear power stations built in Britain are still in public hands, indeed the last state owned nuclear station ceased generating electricity at the end of 2015.
The magnox stations were never sold off on the grounds that they were supposed to shutting down years ago and were not worth buying.

 

[47802]

Reported on BBC News that Jeremy Corbyn has referred to everybody within the Party to work together following the Copeland result and that, if they do, the Party will succeed. He seems to have forgotten that the electorate decide the result of elections.

Well no acknowledgement that people might not want him as prime minister or some of his policies either.

All we get Ive got a mandate within the Labour party which well ok so what that doesn't win you votes in an election, as has been said time and time again if you want to win an election you have to appeal to the middle ground, as was shown 80's but unfortunately Corbyn and his Left wing cronies seem to think they can win power without the middle ground, but the polls and recent by-elections suggest otherwise.

 

[mbonwick]

Meanwhile things like THORP and such employ hundreds or thousands of staff, all of which will dissapear if no nuclear stations are constructed [let alone the staffing associated with Moorside if it is ever built.

THORP will close next year regardless, as it's cheaper to mine virgin uranium rather that recycle spent fuel.

 

[Bevan Price]

Well no acknowledgement that people might not want him as prime minister or some of his policies either.

All we get Ive got a mandate within the Labour party which well ok so what that doesn't win you votes in an election, as has been said time and time again if you want to win an election you have to appeal to the middle ground, as was shown 80's but unfortunately Corbyn and his Left wing cronies seem to think they can win power without the middle ground, but the polls and recent by-elections suggest otherwise.

True. The name of the Labour leader does not matter; any current feasible leader would lose. Far left policies will not get enough votes to win a general election. (And I write as a person with some opinions to the left of Mr Corbyn, but I am realistic enough to recognise that such opinions do not win middle-ground votes.)

The "far left" lack vision, and fail to appreciate that it is better "to get a little of what you want" (with a middle-ground leftish government) than "zilch" (with an unsuccessful far left party.) Until his disastrous actions in the Middle East, I think that the Blair government was better for us than the Thatcher / Major years.


The only chance for Labour might be if the tories did something incredibly stupis - e.g. with NHS.

 

[HSTEd]

THORP will close next year regardless, as it's cheaper to mine virgin uranium rather that recycle spent fuel.

Yes, but there is already talk of a successor reprocessing plant as there are continuing issues with the direct disposal route in a political and economic sense.
Reprocessing is indeed more expensive than sourcing new fuel material through mining, but spent fuel disposal gets more expensive all the time. And glassy wastes are far more amenable for very long term dry storage than normal fuel elements

 

[Busaholic]

Sir Gerald Kaufman, MP and Father of the House has died, so there will be yet another by-election in a Labour seat.

 

[miami]

Is any seat safe nowadays? In theory yes, with 67% of the vote in 2015 and the Greens coming second, but Kaufman was the man behind the phrase "the longest suicide note in history" when describing labours previous folly to the loony left.

Ken Clarke, a well respected Tory MP, is the new father of the house.

 

[RichmondCommu]

Sir Gerald Kaufman, MP and Father of the House has died, so there will be yet another by-election in a Labour seat.

This is very sad news. I first met Sir Gerald when I was a student in Manchester in the early 1980's and found him to be not only a very clever man but also a very funny man too. Rest In Peace Sir Gerald.

 

[miami]

Is any seat safe nowadays? In theory yes, with 67% of the vote in 2015 and the Greens coming second, but Kaufman was the man behind the phrase "the longest suicide note in history" when describing labours previous folly to the loony left.

Ken Clarke, a well respected Tory MP, is the new father of the house.

 

[Trog]

Sir Gerald Kaufman, MP and Father of the House has died, so there will be yet another by-election in a Labour seat.

The lengths some Labour MP's will go too in the hope of making St Jeremey's life awkward is amazing.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Sir Gerald Kaufman, MP and Father of the House has died, so there will be yet another by-election in a Labour seat.

His seat of Manchester Gorton is one that is about as safe as even the Blessed Jeremy could hope for. At the last General Election, Sir Gerald Kaufman gained 67.1% of the vote and the Green Party came a bad second with only 9.8% of the vote.

 

[Tim R-T-C]

Don't underestimate the effect of the selectee themselves. It is very easy for local people to take umbrage at someone 'parachuted' into a safe seat.

It was probably a big factor in UKIP's failure in Stoke.

 

[DarloRich]

Don't underestimate the effect of the selectee themselves. It is very easy for local people to take umbrage at someone 'parachuted' into a safe seat.

It was probably a big factor in UKIP's failure in Stoke.

that or the alternative facts expressed by the ukip candidate!

 

[Howardh]

Kaufman - RIP to a most respected politician, and I wonder if, on death, a seat shouldn't be contested? But that's a Labour win in any weather.

 

[Trog]

I wonder if, on death, a seat shouldn't be contested?

Not much point in wasting money on an election if that was the case.

 

[northwichcat]

Is any seat safe nowadays? In theory yes, with 67% of the vote in 2015 and the Greens coming second, but Kaufman was the man behind the phrase "the longest suicide note in history" when describing labours previous folly to the loony left.

I think you have to look at more than just the 2015 figures to declare if a seat is safe. On 2015 figures it looked like Zac Goldsmith couldn't possibly lose Richmond Park if the Conservatives weren't putting up a candidate against him and that the Conservatives had nothing to lose by putting up a candidate against Goldsmith. However, on 2010 and 2005 figures it looked like the Lib Dems could win the seat.

Looking at Gorton they had a majority of over 17,000 when New Labour were at their prime but that fell to under 7,000 in 2010 but increased to almost 24,000 in 2015 probably as a result of Lib Dem voters switching to Labour.

 

[northwichcat]

I wonder if, on death, a seat shouldn't be contested?

When the main parties all decided not to put a candidate forward for Batley & Spen it seemed even some normal Labour voters were unhappy as it meant Labour could put forward almost anyone they wanted and they would be guaranteed a seat in parliament.

 

[Howardh]

When the main parties all decided not to put a candidate forward for Batley & Spen it seemed even some normal Labour voters were unhappy as it meant Labour could put forward almost anyone they wanted and they would be guaranteed a seat in parliament.

That's true I suppose.

 

[miami]

So the question is will it be Blair or Milliband that becomes the next MP for Gorton?

 

[northwichcat]

So the question is will it be Blair or Milliband that becomes the next MP for Gorton?

Or Tony Lloyd? He'll lose his current position once the GM metro mayor is elected.

 

[DarloRich]

To an extent I agree, but don't dismiss the result that easily. UKIP were gunning for that seat, and it'll take them a while to regroup from it.

Good - but they cocked up what was almost an open goal via a less than accurate candidate.

I'm not sure how much you can genuinely pin on Corbyn. Troughton, the Labour candidate, is vehemently anti-Corbyn and voted for Owen Smith as leader. I know people from Whitehaven aren't the brightest, but rescuing Labour from Corbyn by voting against an anti-Corbyn candidate doesn't quite seem the best solution.

Most of the problems. The electorate don't like him. They rejected a decent local person as a candidate and elected a conservative. In Whitehaven.

Whilst we talk of Copeland as a "Labour heartland", it's slightly more complicated than that. It used to be a Labour heartland. But since 2010 it has included the town of Keswick, a town as blue-blood Tory as they come, and that's seen Labour's vote share drop from 51% under Jack Cunningham down to 40% under Jamie Reed and now 38% under Gill Troughton.

The 2010 boundary changes turned it into a marginal constituency. It's not the catastrophic failure the press are so desperate to claim.

And no, I still don't think Corbyn is right for leader.

I must disagree on this being a marginal.

Keswick v Whitehaven ( 5000 people v 24000) should not create a marginal Labour seat. It is what should be a solid labour area. Ex heavy industry, long term economic decline, unemployment, abandonment by central government, (especially of a Tory hue) reduction in life chances, reduction in public funding for crucial social services, deprivation etc etc.

These are the people who should flock to the Corbyian banner of radical left wing policies. They voted Tory. It most certainly IS a catastrophe.

 

[HSTEd]

As a resident of Manchester Gorton (I am within fifteen feet of the boundary but I am on the right side of it) it will be an interesting campaign.

I expect big gains for the Greens and the Lib Dems.

 

[DarloRich]

As a resident of Manchester Gorton (I am within fifteen feet of the boundary but I am on the right side of it) it will be an interesting campaign.

I expect big gains for the Greens and the Lib Dems.

Labour should hold the seat easily if with a reduced majority. Kaufman always seemed to be a popular and respected local MP

 

[Howardh]

As a resident of Manchester Gorton (I am within fifteen feet of the boundary but I am on the right side of it) it will be an interesting campaign.

I expect big gains for the Greens and the Lib Dems.

If there's a large immigrant (particularly EU) population and the new Labour candidate is pro-Brexit, it might be worth the Libdems throwing the whole kitchen at it, never mind the kitchen sink.

Turn-out may be significantly lower, especially if locals feel the result is already done and dusted, so it could happen. Dunno what odds the bookies give on the Libdems, but 25/1??

Mind you, if it's on council election night in May, turnout could be bigger anyway.

 

[northwichcat]

If there's a large immigrant (particularly EU) population

As an estimate (using council ward demographics) around 30% of the population were born outside the UK with most of the immigrants coming from one of Pakistan, Nigeria, Ireland, Zimbabwe, China, Ghana, Jamaica, India and Bangladesh. The total number of immigrants from all Eastern European countries are outnumbered by immigrants from India. Of course, that might put some voters off a pro-Brexit candidate considering non-EU countries (like India) want more of their citizens to be allowed to come over in exchange for agreeing to trade deals.

Mind you, if it's on council election night in May, turnout could be bigger anyway.

I think the metro mayor election will be a bigger event than any local council elections.

 

[Barn]

Kaufman - RIP to a most respected politician, and I wonder if, on death, a seat shouldn't be contested? But that's a Labour win in any weather.

In my view, if the MP is murdered the seat certainly shouldn't be contested. A murderer (or a terrorist) should not be able to effect political change.

A death by natural causes is entirely different in my opinion. We then need to respect the normal position, which is that we vote for the individual and not the party. Sadly, death in office is a bit of an inherent risk when people stand for election in their 80s.

 

[miami]

In my view, if the MP is murdered the seat certainly shouldn't be contested. A murderer (or a terrorist) should not be able to effect political change.

I agree, but any party should be aware of the situation and ensure that a controversial or "heavyweight" character isn't parachuted in - I.e it would have been inappropiate to land someone like Miliband or Blair into Bately. A local candidate (councillor, activist, etc) would be the right choice. Hopefullly even with the brexit/Britain first/trumpettes we won't have such a sad situation again in our lifetimes.

 

[Busaholic]

I know Gerald Kaufman was never a Cabinet Minister, but he was a Minister in Harold Wilson's 1974 governments, and wrote a book partly based on the experience 'How to be a Minister' which I've read and can recommend for its lucidity and brevity. I've only ever attended one lecture given by a government minister, and that was by Gerald Kaufman and was to do with the new Rent Act and Housing Act that had either just been enacted or were about to be. He was absolutely on top of the subject, there was no waffle, and he could provide proper answers to questions from the audience. He was too iconoclastic and unclubbable to probably ever have prospered as a cabinet minister, but as one of the comparatively few MPs now who could be described as an intellectual he should be mourned.

 

[Howardh]

As an estimate (using council ward demographics) around 30% of the population were born outside the UK with most of the immigrants coming from one of Pakistan, Nigeria, Ireland, Zimbabwe, China, Ghana, Jamaica, India and Bangladesh. The total number of immigrants from all Eastern European countries are outnumbered by immigrants from India. Of course, that might put some voters off a pro-Brexit candidate considering non-EU countries (like India) want more of their citizens to be allowed to come over in exchange for agreeing to trade deals.



I think the metro mayor election will be a bigger event than any local council elections.

Just as a pedantic question - are Irish actually classified as "immigrants" and/or counted as such, and what if they are from the North? Surely not from Norn??

 

[PHILIPE]

Jeremy Corbyn on again yesterday during TV Interview. He was commenting, as usual, on a fairer society and the NHS in a complaint mode. Although I agree some of his principles are admirable, he never comes up with what his policies would be to deal with the issues.