A blog by Luke Akehurst about politics, elections, and the Labour Party - With subtitles for the Hard of Left. Just for the record: all the views expressed here are entirely personal and do not necessarily represent the positions of any organisations I am a member of.

Monday, March 26, 2012

Labourlist column

My Labourlist column this week is about the anniversary of the foundation of the SDP:

http://labourlist.org/2012/03/labour-vs-the-sdp-31-years-on-who-was-right/ 

4 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Michael Foot, an honourable man of the traditional democratic left"

Sadly, I am not at all sure about Michael Foot's democratic credentials. In 1981, he very much implied that Tony Benn had no right to run for deputy leader. He had every right.
It would have been fine to question the wisdom of it though.

Foot also made a summary denunciation of Peter Tatchell based on hearsay.

That does not strike me as very democratic at all.

Kenneth O. Morgan was very critical of Foot about this in his otherwise very sympathetic biography.

3:34 pm, March 27, 2012

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"John Smith, Roy Hattersley, Denis Healey, George Robertson, Giles Radice...could have joined the SDP, and shared the views on all the key issues like CND..."

The reality is somewhat different:

Denis Healey: “Document” Radio 4, 14 March 2011.

"I was very doubtful about the need for Britain to have nuclear weapons but I didn’t express it in public. The main reason we had them was not to deter a Soviet attack but to reassure the Americans."

It is likely that some of the others named here have similar views. Hattersley has often tended to fluctuate on this issue. He now, however, has made clear his opposition to Trident replacement.

10:18 am, March 28, 2012

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

If you know anyone whose come close to been unfairly sacked and wasn't, or anyone whose been on maternity leave, thank Michael Foot (amongst others).

9:35 pm, March 28, 2012

 
Blogger johnpaul said...

anonymous, i heard about the ferrymen 5 who were unfairly sacked for their democratic right not to join a union, and then they weren't entitled to unemployment benefit, the had foot to blame for that.
but then tony bvenn's view labour lost the 83 election as it wasn't left wing enoiugh or as Scargill was in charge hewas the democratic voice on the NUM, so he decided whtether to take 'em out on strike, Also it was too dificult for individual union members to decide labours policy so the barons could~(something that was used not to give black people the vote in South africa) undemocratic too.

regarding tatchell, his view of outer parliamentary unlawful protest wasn't hearsay.

12:11 am, March 31, 2012

 

Post a Comment

<< Home

 
Free Hit Counters
OfficeDepot Discount