The Independent Group - Six MPs quit The Independant Group!

Corbyn responds with a statement about policies - which is a bit of a red herring seeing as they resigned over anti-semitism and Brexit.

Hope they join a group they'll feel more comfortable in.

Mumsnet.

The only one who really matters is Chuka Umunna, who is a credible articulate politician who I thought had a great future as a moderate in the Labour party. The others without being disrespectful, aren't of any real significance.
This reminds me of when Owen, Williams Rodgers and Jenkins broke away and formed the SDP in 1981 - they soon faded away without making an impact.
Its likely these 7 and any who join them will do the same

The fact that they're asking members of other parties to join them says a lot about where they stand.

You can't wipe the grin off my face.

Fucking hilarious.

Moggy will be joining them next.

I'm sure lib Dems like Anna sour piss and Sarah wolly stone will join them.

wanderlust wrote:Corbyn responds with a statement about policies - which is a bit of a red herring seeing as they resigned over anti-semitism and Brexit.

Typical stupidity from Corbyn.

Pity they left the party. I think they have made a major mistake.

Does look like a thinly-veiled Gang of Four job presumably to appeal to "centrists" (rather than extremists like Mumsnet  ) but the way this flops - and their credibility - will be determined by whether or not they stick to their original statement i.e. that their issue is with the culture within Labour, and Brexit aside will continue to support Labour policies as independents.

If they start producing their own manifesto we'll know they're going for cross-party appeal to establish a centrist party to compete with the LibDems.

xmiles wrote:

wanderlust wrote:Corbyn responds with a statement about policies - which is a bit of a red herring seeing as they resigned over anti-semitism and Brexit.

Typical stupidity from Corbyn.

Pity they left the party. I think they have made a major mistake.

Thing is that in making that type of response, Corbyn gives the impression that..
* He doesn't accept the criticisms of or is willing to do anything about "bullying" and anti-semitism in the Labour party.
* He is ignoring the concerns over brexit and is content to go along with allowing May to get her deal through by positioning no-deal as the only alternative


Poor leadership.

wanderlust wrote:

xmiles wrote:

wanderlust wrote:Corbyn responds with a statement about policies - which is a bit of a red herring seeing as they resigned over anti-semitism and Brexit.

Typical stupidity from Corbyn.

Pity they left the party. I think they have made a major mistake.

Thing is that in making that type of response, Corbyn gives the impression that..
* He doesn't accept the criticisms of or is willing to do anything about "bullying" and anti-semitism in the Labour party.
* He is ignoring the concerns over brexit and is content to go along with allowing May to get her deal through by positioning no-deal as the only alternative


Poor leadership.

Exactly!

Listened to the conference earlier, one of the MPs said he no longer recognised Labour, as it was a racist and anti Semitic party. Another spoke of the bullying they’d been subjected to online.

Both of the above are serious issues that need to be addressed, neither issues are endemic within the Labour Party. They are limited a small group of Twitter nuts.

I always believe if your part of an organisation you should try to influence from within, Corbyn is temporary whilst the Labour Party should be for keeps. 

However i have found myself feeling uneasy of late by the direction the party is taking. If on social media you make any informed comment that is seen to be of a centre left nature you get dogs abuse from the momentum side of the party.

I no longer feel that it is the tolerant party i have always supported, but to break away just at a time when we have the most shambolic Tory party in living memory just helps the real enemy of Labour to stay in power.

These are the type of people who were happy enough to bully me, and others, in the 70's, claiming we were Trots.

T.R.O.Y wrote:Listened to the conference earlier, one of the MPs said he no longer recognised Labour, as it was a racist and anti Semitic party. Another spoke of the bullying they’d been subjected to online.

Both of the above are serious issues that need to be addressed, neither issues are endemic within the Labour Party. They are limited a small group of Twitter nuts.

If it is only a small group of Twitter nuts, you'd think it would be easy to stamp it out or at least distance the party from them but JC doesn't seem to want to do anything about it, and that's bad for his image and the image of the party.

They want another vote on Brexit, but won't call a by-election, so their own constituency can have its say.

Part of it is what is defined as anti-semitism, some have any criticism of the Israeli state or being Pro-Palestinian as an offence. The offences that are raised are assessed and dealt with if necessary, not sure what else you want the party to do about it? It’s being used as a stick to beat the leadership with and blown out of proportion. It’s a tiny portion of people relative to the size of the membership.

boltonbonce wrote:They want another vote on Brexit, but won't call a by-election, so their own constituency can have its say.

Agreed Bonce. Should be the first thing they have to do.

This just arrived in my mailbox.


Dear David,

Well, they've finally done it. After years of briefings and threats, a handful of Labour MPs, led by Chris Leslie and Chuka Umunna, have announced they're resigning the whip and forming a new "independent grouping".

Leslie and Umunna know that a new party can't win an election. Just when Labour has the flailing Tories on the ropes, they have decided to leave the fight. Whatever they say, their real goal is simply to stop Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party coming to power and prevent a transformation of this country for the many, not the few.

They are even reportedly planning to deliberately stand in marginal seats where splitting part of the Labour vote would have the most effect - that effect being that the Tory wins. In short, they are trying to create a Blairite spoiler part



Antisemitism is a serious issue. We are committed to rooting it out of the party and hope all Jewish members will stay to help us do this.

But Leslie and Chuka have been undermining the leadership from the very moment Jeremy was elected. They are attacking Labour for "weaken[ing] our national security", supporting "states hostile to our country" and being "hostile to businesses large and small". In short, their agenda is for war and big business.

Their politics of the past cannot solve the challenges of today - and we need to do everything we can to fight it.

But they will do everything they can to sabotage Labour now, and we know they'll have major donors and corporate backing already lined up. So we need to fight back. We're bringing in more video experts to help us combat them on social media, and hiring more organisers to prepare for possible by-elections.