tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post2531763392372614905..comments2024-03-29T09:14:53.583+00:00Comments on All That Is Solid ...: Inside Stoke Central's Selection MeetingPhilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06298147857234479278noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-85948617156680214112017-02-01T22:37:06.578+00:002017-02-01T22:37:06.578+00:00good to find your blog Phil - door knocking for La...good to find your blog Phil - door knocking for Labour - Paul (from other end of the A50)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10796048943507681343noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-20678532940717658172017-01-31T14:10:03.174+00:002017-01-31T14:10:03.174+00:00Working on the presumption that's OK to co-opt...Working on the presumption that's OK to co-opt you as Stoke Correspondent over at Shiraz Socialist (with full acknowledgment and link) I'm reblogging this and will likely do so again. Let me know if there are any objections, Phil.Jim Denhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01642992463679646250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-26814379376746953292017-01-30T19:26:43.783+00:002017-01-30T19:26:43.783+00:00I love Gareth and he's also now convinced me a...I love Gareth and he's also now convinced me about his sincere attitude to Brexit and Corbyn. Any idea how the Tories chose that little worm Brereton? Thought we'd be facing Abi Brown or one of, as Joy would say, "Mrs Brown's Boys". I'd be amazed if we lost now.Ian Brownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-20588222662319779162017-01-30T15:47:40.591+00:002017-01-30T15:47:40.591+00:00«Deindustrialisation and cultural change combined ...«Deindustrialisation and cultural change combined with deliberate policy to break up working class communities.»<br /><br />I am probably one of the few who thinks or is willing to agree that deliberately adversarial policy was a big factor. But while being only an armchair (more precisely I use a foldable garden chair for my PC desk) "sociologist" my thinking is a slightly different:<br /><br />* The deliberate policy was to smash trade unions by wrecking highly unionized industries (the «break up working class communities» was just a consequence, a welcome one of course :-/). Anti-union consultants have long figured out that unionization is easiest in industries with large fixed capital costs and with dominant positions in the economy, and those have been almost invariably offshored in anglo-american culture countries.<br /><br />* The other factor, which certainly does not apply to Stoke in particular, but nationally, is gentrification (as well argued by the young T Blair): due to the success of the Labour Party in improving the lot of much of the working class, and in turning many lower-middle and middle-middle class voters into many many "foaming-at-the-mouth" residential property speculators and rentier pensioners (even people with good traditional pensions are quintessentially rentiers).<br /><br />There was a vital paper by a conservative think-tank in the 1970s, mentioned by "The Economist", that I have been unable to find again and the argument was that *even at the same income, status level* those who owned property, travelled by car, had shared-based personal pension accounts voted much more to the right than people who rented, travelled by public transport, had defined-benefit collective pensions (the argument has been authoritatively repeated by right-wing strategist G Norquist in the USA).<br /><br />Both Conservatives and New Labour have been relentless and ruthless into following that paper as a social engineering blueprint, working hard against renting (especially council renting), public transport, defined-benefit collective pensions.<br />Blissexnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-35837449526949438652017-01-30T14:11:42.117+00:002017-01-30T14:11:42.117+00:00«There is no such "poll". It is fake new...«There is no such "poll". It is fake news»<br /><br />Ahhhh that does not surprise me at all.<br /><br />However it is surprising that from the notes above the "Leave"/"Remain" aspect was not a significant part of the selection.<br />Blissexnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-34660709891770198602017-01-30T14:04:14.096+00:002017-01-30T14:04:14.096+00:00Deindustrialisation and cultural change combined w...Deindustrialisation and cultural change combined with deliberate policy to break up working class communities. There's the root of Labour's long-term decline.<br /><br />Of course, Gary, if you read the blog more regularly you'd know this :-)Philhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06298147857234479278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-19025833100146360112017-01-30T12:18:05.369+00:002017-01-30T12:18:05.369+00:00Stoke Central was made up of seven branches and du...Stoke Central was made up of seven branches and during the 1980s onwards, each branch could have over 100 members.<br />Hartshill branch around 300 members.<br /><br />It's difficult to say why many drifted away and it wouldn't be accurate to point a finger at Blair or Iraq.Gary Elsbynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-50684455952908352182017-01-30T00:46:59.633+00:002017-01-30T00:46:59.633+00:00There is no such "poll".
It is fake new...There is no such "poll".<br /><br />It is fake news from Labour Leave, a genuinely disgraceful outfit.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-15861877238988242012017-01-29T19:26:36.124+00:002017-01-29T19:26:36.124+00:00The interesting question is whether the candidate...The interesting question is whether the candidates were supporting "Leave" or "Remain". I have searched for those words, for "referendum", for "exit" and there is no mention of that. There are news of a poll that shows that the balance between Labour and UKIP in Stoke Central depends crucially on the Labour candidate being for "Leave".<br />Blissexnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-49435863139195315142017-01-28T15:39:25.749+00:002017-01-28T15:39:25.749+00:00Hi Garry,
Most of the info you need is contained ...Hi Garry,<br /><br />Most of the info you need is contained in the first paragraph, including a link to my report of Tristram's selection meeting.<br /><br />And yes, the party has grown substantially since Corbyn. I cannot remember the exact figures but it is around the 500 mark, Before the 2015 general election it hovered around 200-220.Philhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06298147857234479278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-44335791628951365752017-01-28T14:12:31.351+00:002017-01-28T14:12:31.351+00:00@phil as ever, thanks for your time and thoughts.
...@phil as ever, thanks for your time and thoughts.<br /><br />I'm interested in some contextual info re the numbers that turned out for the selection meeting. Do you know how many people attended the selection meeting for Hunt back in the day? What kind of growth did Stoke Central get from the Corbyn-related membership surge? <br /><br />If you have any of the info and can supply, then thanks in advance.<br /><br />I'm hoping to travel over from Liverpool to put some days on the doorstep to support Snell's campaign.<br /><br />Garry Haywoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02256874178778405444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-71984936582142156052017-01-28T10:43:21.026+00:002017-01-28T10:43:21.026+00:00Because I'm "biased" according to su...Because I'm "biased" according to sundry internet people and that my account shouldn't be trusted, here's what a number of comrades who were at the selection meeting thought about my piece on Facebook:<br /><br />"Great summary. And yup agree with it all. I didn't expect him to win, but after a few sleeps I think he's utterly the right person."<br /><br />"A good piece Phil. As members we know that the meeting was fairly balanced and those claiming otherwise just want to believe that there is some sort of conspiracy. Well done for using your blog to set the record straight."<br /><br />"That was a good record of a very long evening. I felt that all the candidates were impressive and it was anything but a setup! When you think of last time..."Philhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06298147857234479278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-35175632667792281282017-01-28T08:47:40.772+00:002017-01-28T08:47:40.772+00:00Thanks for sharing the write-up. It's good to ...Thanks for sharing the write-up. It's good to hear that the membership has elected a candidate who is neither a Blairite nor an active #chickencoup plotter. A small but bold act of local defiance which is somehow quite reassuring.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-84374418107189148852017-01-28T01:07:30.268+00:002017-01-28T01:07:30.268+00:00I'd be lying if I said I'd ever heard of G...I'd be lying if I said I'd ever heard of Gareth Snells before all this but I really hope he has what it takes. The thought of that slimey turd Nuttal in Parliament makes my skin crawl - those kippers think England belongs to them.Niknoreply@blogger.com