Labour chiefs target Brighton to sign up new members

How come the Labour party is opposed to independence for Scotland and campaigns against the nationalist SNP,
whereas they refuse to even field candidates in Northern Ireland or accept members from there,
instead suggesting that people vote for the nationalist SDLP, who want Northern Ireland to leave the UK?

I have frequently asked Labour representatives to explain this bizarrely inconsistent policy bifurcation, but have never been given an answer. Still, at least they have a “battle bus”, eh?

Perhaps they should help get their house in order and sort them out before they try and influence people into voting for them . So what do Nancy Platts,Pure Sen and Peter Kyle know about the wants and needs of the Citys Constituents?

Apparently, the big selling point when knocking on the doors, was the exciting policy of adopting Tory austerity measures and continuing cuts. Labour members and voters must be very pleased with the priority of reducing spending on social matters while proposing to splurge £100 billion on an ineffective and impotent nuclear missile system to replace Trident.

Of course, if you do want to vote for a party that is socially progressive, puts the environment high on the agenda and does not seek to demonise foreigners or the poorest, nor spend billions on unnecessary nuclear weapons systems, then in B&H you will find an excellent alternative to Labour.

What are these ‘reforms’ that Gloria Del Piero is talking about? They aren’t mentioned elsewhere in the piece, which is supposed to be about politics, but doesn’t actually touch on anything political.

I’d love to hear from Labour about a few of their planned reforms – trouble is, I’ve written to Peter Kyle asking for his views on a few subjects and he won’t reply, or at least not in a way that actually addresses the issues.

Of course I will probably vote for him anyway, on the basis that bad is better than worse – and as for the alternatives, the Lib Dems have committed hari-kari and the Greens will never go from 5 percent to winning Hove. I suppose that Labour know all this too, and think that by committing themselves to almost nothing they can get in by default. They may be right, but it’s not very inspiring, and carries quite a risk.

@feline1
As far as I know Labour remain committed in principle to a united Ireland ‘by consent’ (i.e. the unionist would have to come round to it), hence the failure to put up candidates there. The only GB party to put up candidates in NI have been the Conservatives, and that’s only been in recent years. And they’ve never done well there.

Labour’s line is not really that inconsistent with wanting Scotland to remain in the UK as we are talking about two different land masses and two vastly different histories in terms of culture, religion and so on.

How important this is all going to be to the electors of B+H only time will tell 🙂

Clive, if you don’t support anyone’s policies then what you ought to do is spoil your ballot paper, rather than give a mandate to someone who doesn’t represent your views.

Clive, your claim that Labour’s position on Scottish nationalism vs Irish nationalism is “non really that inconsistent” is bizarre. And the implication is they do NOT support Scots independence by consent!
As for different landmasses, different histories: come off it: travel to the Highlands and islands was historically always by sea, not by land… were the Highland Clearences so different in effect to the potato famine? Gaelic language was prohibited and suppressed just as Irish was: and indeed Cornish and Welsh. Again, Labour merrily field candidates against Mebbyn Kernow and Plaid Cymru… both Cornwall and Wales have a history of brutal military suppression by the English (Prayer Book rebellion… Owen Glyndwr…etc etc). The history of the islands on the celtic fringe is more depressingly similar than it is different.
As to whether this matters to voters in Hove: well we all only get one vote, and it matters to me as I grew up in Norn Irond… and it matters to my dentist in Hove, who turned out to be from Dundee. :). There are plenty of expats here! In fact there are times when I meet more people who weren’t born in this city than who were.
In any case, it’s just another example when I question a candidate on a matter of their party’s national policy and they can’t answer.

@Clive, what exactly was it that you wrote to Peter Kyle about? I see him fairly often so I could ask him about it if you’d like.

@feline1, the vast majority of people in Wales (such as my extended family) are socialists and support the left-wing elements of Labour, whereas not many actually support Plaid Cymru. There is a very different history as regards Northern Ireland, which was filled with Protestants in a manner not dissimilar to Israel. Joining an already existent country (Ireland) reduces the risks of secession. For Wales, however, independence is probably unworkable at this stage, and although I’d like to see a strong, social-democratic Welsh nation-state arise, it’s unlikely to happen and we may be better off staying together (with more devolution, of course).

Also, Mebyon Kernow is a tiny party and, although their aims are admirable, if Labour refused to contest the same seats as them they would still be unlikely to win.

Hopefully the next Labour government will be radical (I campaign for Nancy Platts and she certainly is), and actually move Britain in the direction of the Nordic model or something similar, with an emphasis on social justice and sustainable economics (not “responsible capitalism” but market socialism). The problem is the large number of ministers from Blair’s time still in the shadow cabinet, who have an antidemocratic, ideological opposition to the kind of policies I, like most members, feel that Labour should be pursuing.

@Feline1
Spoiling a ballot paper doesn’t affect the result, and I’d rather have an effect on the result – even if it means supporting bad over worse. And no one is going to represent my views perfectly – that’s not realistic.

I stick with what I said on Ireland. There are considerable differences between the clearances and potato famine, most obviously in the percentage of the total population affected. Oppressive policies in Ireland are also part of more recent history. And there was a clear majority in Ireland for Home Rule before the Labour Party was even formed – and before the SNP was a glint in Alex Salmond’s granny’s eye. You can’t just equate the two – and they ARE two distinct geographies: the highlands and islands aren’t typical of Scotland as a whole.

Didn’t mean to imply that you shouldn’t raise the issue though – it’s important, whatever your ancestry happens to be. And candidates ought to be able to answer you – that’s the point I was making: it would be nice to have some politicians who are prepared to discuss politics.

RFP, there’s little point trying to get into the entire history of these islands here… although you must surely be aware that the “Plantation of Ulster” (immigration of Scots protestants) was in Tudor times, ffs, over 400 years ago..https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantation_of_Ulster and was considerably less violent than either the genocidal suppression of the Prayer Book Rebellion in Cornwall https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer_Book_Rebellion 100 years earlier, or the brutal conquest of Wales by the Plantagenets in the 1200’s https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conquest_of_Wales
So how does that in any way provide a rationale for Labour supporting Irish nationalism and “independence by consent” there, and vigorously opposing it at the ballot box in Scotland, Wales and Cornwall? It’s bizarre and contradictory.
The contention that “well, Plaid Cymru or Mebbym Kernow wouldn’t win those seats anyway” is no excuse: in Ulster, the SDLP’s support has been decimated and they’ve been totally eclipsed by Sinn Féin.
There’s a strong argument that Labour fielding candidates there would help to normalise the situation and end sectarian politics. The Tories have been fielding candidates in NornIrond since the late 1980s. They usually lose their deposits (sniggers) but its the principle that counts.

All spoilt ballot papers are scrutinised and recorded, so although they don’t affect who is elected in a ‘first past the post’ ballot, they provide a indication on the size of the winner’s true mandate.

I don’t see what difference and differences makes, if you’ll pardon the expression: either you support democracy or not. You can’t practice abstentionism in one part of the UK and actively oppose nationalism in another and claim to be consistent, fair and logical in your approach: particularly when your party is supposed to be about improving conditions for “working people” (and unemployed people), regardless of their ethnic background. What next, will Labour refuse to field candidates in constituencies with lots of black people in them?

I agree with you that the actual engagement with many of these candidates (of all parties, not just Labour) with actual political issues is woeful. I see them all on Twitter just posting and retweeting “Vote for me!!! Lol!! My Team’s the Best!!” messages and usually blocking or ignoring people who pose actual policy questions. It’s a mentality more suited for following football teams, not governing the country.