Strange Famous

First time in 300 years The Speaker has been thrown out, something that constituantially isnt supposed to be possible. Im sure Brown promised him is 72 virgins and pension and the Lords etc, but this is still pretty big.

But is this a sacrifice which will be expected, or now that people have smelled blood will the calls for a General Election grow louder? I think in a years time parliament is going to look very different... I think the PLP may be buried for a generation after this.

__________________
"Do not tell lies, and do not do what you hate,
for all things are plain in the sight of Heaven. For nothing
hidden will not become manifest, and nothing covered will remain
without being uncovered."

The Gospel of Thomas

Daniel_

I don't see this sinking the Labour Party totally for a generation, because everyone had their snout in the trough.

It's not damaged one party to the exclusion ofall others, but I think simply because they're in power it will hurt Labour more than anyone else.

The sad thing is that I suspect that if (when) the Conservatives get in they will be revealed to be no more competent and no less corrupt than the current shower.

__________________

╔═════════════════════════════════════════╗
Overhead, the Albatross hangs motionless upon the air,
And deep beneath the rolling waves,
In labyrinths of Coral Caves,
The Echo of a distant time
Comes willowing across the sand;
And everthing is Green and Submarine
╚═════════════════════════════════════════╝

Willravel

The worst thing people could do right now is turn to the torys. Just as the backlash from moderate American president Clinton resulted in 8 years of Bush, a backlash against moderate and corrupt Labour could lead to Bush with a smart accent. You don't want that, I don't want that.

The best thing to do in light of the massive corruption of people like Michael Martin is to look to the younger, more optimistic generation for representation. It's time for a new old Labour, as it were. Young people tend to be more progressive, and if things over there are anything like they are over here, the banking crisis has helped to raise some important questions about governmental theory, the answers to which are very much pro-labour and anti-conservative.

It'd be nice if we could get matching Obamas.

Strange Famous

I think next year you'll see Labour in third place, you'll see a few UKIP and Green MPs, Plaid Cmryu and SNP getting even stronger.

Labour have to take a beating this time round. Its true you have your Tory Grandee's with their moats, but can you really compare that to the Two Home Secretary? To that idiotic woman from Luton?

They are all on the take to some degree, but people can deal with Douglas Hogg's moat and George Osbourne's private tennis court, and they can deal with John Prescott's broken toilet seats and maximum food allowance on expenses... thats the old kind of sleaze. The likes of Blears and Darling flipping their homes over and over again to play the property game is something new. And the govt is supposed to set higher standards.

Brown had a chance. When he came in he said he was a real Labour man, not a Blairite... and time and time again he has been shown to be weak, indecisive, obsessed with spin. The only way to remake the Labour party as a working class movement is to demolish the current PLP and chuck out 3/4 of them. You can keep Dennis Skinner and his like.

The main thing I hope from the next election is a Lib-Con alliance, but I cant see Labour doing well enough to keep the Tories from an overall majority - but the country would benefit from electoral reform, and I cannot imagine how we couldnt benefit from Vince Cable being chancellor.

__________________
"Do not tell lies, and do not do what you hate,
for all things are plain in the sight of Heaven. For nothing
hidden will not become manifest, and nothing covered will remain
without being uncovered."

The Gospel of Thomas

Daniel_

There's not a cat in hells chance of the Lib Dems holding the balance of power - it's just not going to happen under the current electoral system.

Will independents and fringe parties get more seats? Undoutedly.

Will the Conservatives form the next government - that's still in the air. And before you jump on me for saying that, I think that the Conservatives are in a position closer to that of the Michael Foot/Tony Benn Labour party of the 1980's - people hate the incumbents, but don't think that the opposition could actually solve the problems.

We have one year for someone to look competent, and I think it's going to be one of the most important years for decades.

__________________

╔═════════════════════════════════════════╗
Overhead, the Albatross hangs motionless upon the air,
And deep beneath the rolling waves,
In labyrinths of Coral Caves,
The Echo of a distant time
Comes willowing across the sand;
And everthing is Green and Submarine
╚═════════════════════════════════════════╝

Willravel

Well if you guys need any help looking, you know where to find me. The trick is to find a hardened idealist that has more than two brain cells to rub together, and it'd probably be better of he or she was younger than 45.