frankPodmore

CLP (Constituency Labour Party) nominations are a largely meaningless ritual but, absent polling, they do suggest who's likely to win because they show who the (most engaged) members are backing.

At time of writing, Lucy Powell is on 27 and Bridget Phillipson on 14, which suggests that the conventional wisdom (also my view) is correct and that Powell will cruise to victory.

Fun(?) fact, her surname is pronounced 'pole'.

I think they should move before the May elections if they're serious. They shouldn't wait till a terrible defeat forces them to act, especially if - as looks likely - Reform will be the beneficiaries of that defeat.

This seems not good.

FINAL EDIT: It's now officially a two-horse race, as Powell cleared the 80 vote threshold and Ribeiro-Addy didn't. More MPs are backing Phillipson but I reckon Powell will win over the membership.

Well, I'll be voting for Powell, assuming she gets the last three nominations she needs. The leadership badly need someone in the room who's willing to tell them where they're going wrong. As Phillipson is already in the room and one of the people going wrong, she's obviously the wrong choice.

I don't think we can do polls on Lemmy, but I'd be interested to hear who people here want to win, especially those of you with a vote!

EDIT: Thornberry has officially withdrawn, per the Guardian, so the MPs who nominated her are now free to nominate someone else. I'm fairly sure some of those 13 will nominate Powell, if only so they can actually have an election.

EDIT 2: Paula Barker has also dropped out, leaving only Bell Ribeiro-Addy from the party's (far/hard/looney/socialist/real/actual/Trotskyite/Bennite/Corbynite [please delete according to ideological preference]) left. But she won't get the nominations, so on practice it remains a two-horse race.

Some highlights:

I want you to compare where we are now, with when I first addressed you as general secretary in Liverpool two years ago.

The Tories anti-strike legislation...now gone...Our right to strike...protected.

Hundreds of disputes across the public and private sector... won

A public inquiry into the scandal at Orgreave... secured.

And the Employment Rights Bill – about to be given Royal assent in a matter of weeks.

Not by chance.

Not by accident.

But because we fought for it.

We campaigned for it.

And we will ensure it’s delivered, in full.

Congress – we are winning for workers.

And that’s not all.

It was unions, and a Labour government working together, that saw Parliament recalled and thousands of jobs saved in British Steel.

It is thanks to our campaigning over decades that Britain’s railways are coming back where they belong – in public ownership.

And it is thanks to us and our calls for taxes on the wealthiest, that at the Budget the Chancellor abolished tax breaks for non-doms, and introduced VAT on private school fees.

Increased taxes on private jets.

And even clamped down on well-known TV personalities buying farms to avoid taxes.

Taxes that are vital for our NHS, and our schools.

Again.

Not by chance.

Not by accident.

But because we fought for it, we campaigned for it , and Congress, we won it.

It is right to celebrate our success, because our movement is needed now more than ever.

I can't believe it's called Mainstream. So lame. Anyway, website's here if you want more info:

https://www.mainstreamlabour.org/

You can become a member but it ain't free.

The article suggests it's going to organise for the Deputy Leadership election. If so it's a bit late given nominations close on Thursday. Anyway, I for one welcome our soft gooey lefty overlords.