Take me to your leader

What alternative reality does Angela Eagle inhabit?  The BBC finally put the Sunday Politics onto iPlayer and I was able to watch her interview with Andrew Neil.  She could not have been more unlike Jeremy Corbyn who I saw on the Andrew Marr show earlier and who appeared relaxed and perfectly happy to answer Marr's questions with only the hint of soundbititis, when he repeated his spiel about pressure being when you can't feed your kids...etc.  He did not come across as a politician who had been coached to within an inch of his life by his spin doctors.  He gave the impression, rather like Obama does that what he said was his own considered opinion arrived at after some serious thought.

Contrast this with Angela Eagle who perched on her seat opposite Neil and looked as if she would rather be anywhere else but there. She repeated stock phrases about 'healing the party' but did not really explain how electing her, indeed how her standing at all was going to achieve this.  The most telling question came when she was challenged on the technicalities of whether Corbyn would have to get the backing of 51 MPs before he could defend his leadership.  Her default position on this was that it was now up to the NEC to rule on the rules, which I find quite clear but which Kinnock has suggested mean something other than they say and has he moreover paid a lawyer to agree with him on this.  Corbyn also paid a lawyer to say the opposite.  Plus ca change.

The clause in question states: 

ii. Where there is no vacancy, nominations may be sought by potential challengers each year prior to the annual session of party conference. In this case any nomination must be supported by 20 per cent of the Commons members of the PLP. Nominations not attaining this threshold shall be null and void.

This seems fairly unambiguous to me.  There is no vacancy.  Corbyn is not a challenger, he is if anything a challengee. Ergo he does not need to be nominated at all.

When Neil said ok, let's leave the decision to the NEC but don't you think it would be grossly unfair if Jeremy Corbyn were not on the ballot paper, and he reminded her that Labour espouses fairness, she stared back at him and looked as if she was about to burst into tears.  You could almost hear the voices in her head screaming, 'Don't ask me that.  I can't answer that,'  and she didn't.  She merely reiterated that it was the job of the NEC to decide.  She clearly knew it was unfair, but for reasons of her own she decided that fairness was not an issue.  If she were to become leader she would have to face far harder questioning than this.  Watching her she does not inspire confidence on any level.  They claim Corbyn is unelectable and is not Prime Minister material.  On this showing nor is she.

She also maintained that there was no plot against Corbyn.  I did a bit of digging and on the day he was elected leader of the party the following announced that they would not serve on his front bench: Rachel Reeves, Emma Reynolds, Tristram Hunt, Chris Leslie, Liz Kendall, Yvette Cooper and Jamie Reed.  It would have been polite to have waited to be asked and then declined the offer.  However it was clear that there was a great deal of resentment against Corbyn even as he was making his acceptance speech, and that those involved were going to make life as difficult for him as possible.  What price unity?  In behaving like this it was these individuals and those that followed their example who caused the divisions in the party which Angela Eagle feels she can heal.  I don't know if it is a plot.  Only those involved really know, but I do know that if they had united behind Corbyn at the very beginning before they even knew for certain what line he would take on many things, Then the Labour Party would not be in the position it is now.

Just one example of 'pot calling the kettle blackery' from Margaret Hodge on Sunday Morning on Broadcasting House. She said and I quote: 'The extreme left... try to manipulate the rules to meet their own purposes.'  That, dear Margaret is exactly what you are doing. You can hear exactly what she said here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07jqqh8#play  I particularly like her Baldrickesque plan.  If they have a plan does that not suggest a plot?

Breaking news:  Andrea Leadsom has pulled out of the leadership race, and apparently this makes Theresa May Prime Minister.  How is that democratic?  Words fail me, at least until tomorrow.

Take care.

Love Tim xx