John McDonnell to speak in Hackney

[SuburbanCasual]

I saw him talk a couple of years ago in batersea and was quite impressed. seemed like a nice guy. If he pulls his finger out he might be able to do a bit of a howard dean.

In what way? Choosing a Labour leader is nothing like electing a presidential candidate for the Democrats. Not only will he need to meet the almost impossible target of getting 40 odd MPs to back him, the election is then open to less than 200,000 people of which percentage will actually bother to vote? It's not like the US where there are millions of registered democrats, all of whom have an equal vote in the primaries...

 

[netbob]

In what way? Choosing a Labour leader is nothing like electing a presidential candidate for the Democrats. Not only will he need to meet the almost impossible target of getting 40 odd MPs to back him, the election is then open to less than 200,000 people of which percentage will actually bother to vote? It's not like the US where there are millions of registered democrats, all of whom have an equal vote in the primaries...

In my opinion, the only way he is going to make a mark on the contest is to demonstrate some kind of broad support from outside the groups you would usually expect.

Howard Dean's campaign wasnt about getting voted in primaries it was about getting lots of people involved in the process and giving a campaign, which had previously been ignored, some motentum.

 

[belboid]

the election is then open to less than 200,000 people

no it's not. I will be voting (if McDonnel gets on the ballot) as an affiliated union member.

(I think)

 

[SuburbanCasual]

Oh please, I am a T&G member and most people round here are opted out from the political fund or don't even know or care that it gives them a vote as they never recieve any paper work.

I am actually an afiliated member as I havent got round to opting out yet, I will not be voting for that useless cunt though, not that he will get on the ballot.

 

[Donna Ferentes]

I will not be voting for that useless cunt though.

He'll be devastated to learn that he'll not be backed by such an influential figure.

 

[belboid]

Oh please, I am a T&G member and most people round here are opted out from the political fund or don't even know or care that it gives them a vote as they never recieve any paper work.

I am actually an afiliated member as I havent got round to opting out yet, I will not be voting for that useless cunt though, not that he will get on the ballot.

With everything you write, I more n more suspect you to be an utter liar.

I'm also a T&G member, and thew vast majority of people - not just in my branch, but in the unin as a whole - haven't[ opted out. And those that have are overwhelmingly wankers as the majority of the PF doesn't go to fund the Labour Party (which I argue for disafilliation from even as I argue for a vote for MaccyD)

oh, he's speaking in Sheffield at the end of the month as well, might be interesting

 

[Sue]

Donna, I used to find many of your posts interesting and thought provoking. Now all you seem to do is snipe then snipe some more which makes you sound incredibly bitter about everything. Have you not got anything better to do with your life than come on here and make snidey comments about everything?

(No doubt this'll attract some snidey reply or other which I'm going to ignore.)

 

[Donna Ferentes]

It depends on the quality of the post to which I am responding, Sue.

 

[Sue]

It depends on the quality of the post to which I am responding, Sue.

Said I wouldn't reply to this, however...

That's the thing. If someone were making a comment about something you'd said and it was a shit comment and you wanted to have a go, fair enough.

However, these days it seems your only aim in posting on certain threads is to get a sly dig in.

Obviously everyone on here is free to post on whatever threads they choose. Just makes me wonder how you can be bothered to expend the energy on something so pointless, especially when you've shown in the past that you do have interesting and intelligent things to say.

Anyway, enough derailing.

 

[SuburbanCasual]

With everything you write, I more n more suspect you to be an utter liar.

I'm also a T&G member, and thew vast majority of people - not just in my branch, but in the unin as a whole - haven't[ opted out.

Maybe, but I produced a leaflet explaining how and why to do it and got my entire workplace to opt out and loads of people in the branch. Unfortunately I left the workplace for a while and the union, and now I'm back I havent got round to doing it myself.

 

[belboid]

so you & your workmates don't contribute to any anti-BNP campaigns, or to the campaign to license gangmasters, etc etc....

 

[treelover]

oh, where?

oh, he's speaking in Sheffield at the end of the month as well, might be interesting

 

[belboid]

not sure yet, I think it's on the 30th, I'll let you now more as n when...

 

[SuburbanCasual]

so you & your workmates don't contribute to any anti-BNP campaigns, or to the campaign to license gangmasters, etc etc....

T&G campaigns against the BNP are turgid auto-labourite crap, and are actually counter productive, I have done fundraising for a local anti-fascist group.

As for anti gangmaster campaigns, I've never heard anything about them, the union doesnt tell us anything about that sort of stuff.

 

[treelover]

Another interesting article here on the JM campaign, i do think he is attemtoing to develop a wider support base outside the laour party, within and without as it were.

Hackney rise
Submitted by hangbitch on 22 October 2006 - 5:22pm. Hackney | John McDonnell | Respect | TUC | unions

Labour leadership candidate John McDonnell at a public meeting in Hackney

John McDonnell is just late enough for this evening's political gathering in Hackney to spark a few nervous cellphone calls from a few nervous organisers. 'He's on his way,' they report to the crowd after the first call. 'He's probably underground,' they say after several attempts at a second. 'He's at Bethnal Green tube station waiting for a taxi,' they tell us after the third.

So, things are a bit tense at the start. McDonnell's not the only one missing. The organisers - the Hackney TUC and the Leabridge branch of the Labour party - are concerned that there aren't enough people in the audience. Then suddenly, it becomes clear that are going to be too many, and that people will have to be turned away for health and safety reasons.

'Sign of the times,' people tell each other as people who can't find a pew sit on the floor. 'Sign of the times.'

http://www.hangbitch.com/node/25

 

[treelover]

Theres always one, isn't there?

What are you going to do about disarming the police and the army and the groups that are used to oppress and repress the working class,' John?' some minor anorak from a workers' party he does not clearly define yells angrily at one point. 'What are you going to do when you lose [the Labour Party leadership election]?'