Unions and strikes -a real threat or just a succesful media promotion.

However, it happened in the 60's and I would imagine most of the people who were responsible are dead.

That may be true - however, we need to learn from history and not let it be repeated. We do need unions, but allowing Union leaders to become all-powerful again is not the right way forward for this country and not good for democracy. It is just as bad as those in charge of huge companies becoming too powerful and not answerable to anyone - neither way is in the interest of the economy or the country.

Off piste I know, but apparently Corbynisters (sp) disrupted a minutes silence held for Tessa Jowell! Apparently because she worked with Tony Blair, and was, it is claimed, responsible for murdering people!! If this is true, that poor lady! words completely fail me!!

If they knew the Wednesday before her death she spent the evening with Alistair Cambell and Fiona and Derry Irvine and Alison they would have blown a fuse .

If they couldn’t give Tessa the respect she earned, well, all one expect from a pig is a grunt

The Trade unions created the Parliamentary Labour party over a century ago and to this day it remains as an integral part of the Wider Labour movement. Tony Blair and his cohorts tried to push the Trade Unions to one side while at the same time still accepting them paying the vast majority of the party's bills.

What did the above bring to the Labour Party. It began with placing Bankers' self serving interests before party members, ending in the financial crash of 2008.

It then allowed the view of President Bush to override the view of the wider Labour movement in the country, leading to the disaster of the Iraq war.

Blair and Brown then did next to nothing in regard to replacing social housing sold off under conservative legislation which began the housing crisis we have today.

Blair and Brown did nothing to reduce the draconian trade union legislation introduced by successive Conservative governments which has brought many employees today to be on zero hours contracts or others having to seek whatever work they can find in the gig economy.

When that so called Labour Government was voted out of office in 2010 the party had the lowest membership figures in its history and was financially on its knees as many of the trade unions had reduced their financial affiliation to the Labour party with RMT ceasing affiliations all together.

Much more could be added to the above that would demonstrate the failure of so called centre Labour party thinking and policy. However, the foregoing brought about a renewed grsssroots radical ambition, resulting in the formation of Momentum. Along with that the trade unions once more exert their influence through regaining positions held in the party and through that bringing forward alternative political thinking in its policies.

As stated, the Parliamentary Labour is once again an integral part of the wider Labour movement in the UK. Those which cannot accept that should move on and perhaps join the Conservative party, as many of those seem to prefer their policies anyway.

Whether the above will bring the Labour party to government may well be tested in the next coming few months. In that I do not support all that is being stated and proposed in the Labour party at present. However, I do support the fact that the parliamentary party is once more a true part of the overall Labour movement in the country and it is those members whose views are in prominence once again for better or for worse.

Labour Left-wingers refused to honour a minute’s silence in honour of the late Tessa Jowell and heckled during a fractious branch meeting. Members of Hampstead and Kilburn constituency Labour Party said they were shocked when a woman shouted that Baroness Jowell had voted to “murder a lot of people” by backing welfare reforms and she would not take part in the silence to respect her memory. A small group of Left-wing activists at the meeting then declined to take part.

Tessa Jowell believed passionately in Surestart so she helped so many children to have a better start in life.

What horrible people they are.

Just shows how low some will sink

Good grief!

Let's hope that Jeremy acts promptly as it has been claimed by some that Hampstead and Kilburn constituency Labour party is 'out of control'.

Oh - it was nearly two weeks ago - is there an update on what he has done?

Grandad your post indicates that you support a Corbyn far left puppet Government with Momentum and the Trade Unions pulling the strings. Have I got that right?

The Parliamentary Labour group you believe "is an integral part of the wider Labour movement in the UK". The indications are, that far from being integrated with the grassroots Labour movement or relating to the "wider Labour movement" outside of London, the Parliamentary Labour group is divided and not all leaning to the far left. The concerns of the middle to left Labour Parliamentary group about the far left's attempted take over of the Party is not a secret.
The discontent in the wider Labour movement or grassroots Labour voters outside of the London bubble is there though being suppressed by the far left militant activist group Momentum, along with it seems now the The Unions. It may be the Unions have sensed a main chance, perhaps seeing power through a Corbynist far left Government as their last chance to run the country through the backdoor.

I realise that you say you "do not support all that is being stated and proposed in the Labour party at present". However what is concerning is the impression given that as one, the Parliamentary Labour group and the overall Labour movement in the country are united, and it is their united "views that are in prominence once again for better or for worse".

From what you say, this would indicate, that the entire Labour movement, inside and outside of Parliament acting as one, are far left Corbynist supporters, intent on getting into power as a Puppet Government, controlled by the Trade Unions and Momentum activist Trotsky/Marxist group.

The attitude of, "for better or for worse", is a terrifying concept in this scenario. Indicating that power at any cost is all that matters. The attitude that we might get a communist Puppet Government, but Labour will be in power. This assumes that there are no moderate to left Labour voters, that they are all far left wing, or, if that is not true, the moderate to left wing will just go along with it, vote for Corbyn at a future General Election, to get into power, whilst holding the notion that it can be sorted out once in Government, when the far left can be controlled or got rid of. If this is the right interpretation of what you have said, then in my view Labour will collapse or divide. I see that this might happen anyway. I see no evidence that the Labour movement is acting as one as you suggest. Many, many Labour people recognise that the far left is not how they see socialism in the UK.

Interestingly whilst reading your post and responding, I saw shades of "Militant" and the 1985 stand that Neil Kinnock and the grass roots Labour movement took against "Militant". Kinnock's speech at the Labour party conference in Bournmouth was judged outstanding by his own and other political party's. Here it is:
At the Labour party conference in Bournmouth in 1985 Kinnock stood up for the grass roots Labour voter and membership.

The report says: ‘He [Neil Kinnock]then built up to an attack on the Militant Tendency;
" I shall tell you again what you know. Because you are from the people, because you are of the people, because you live with the same realities as everybody else lives with, implausible promises don’t win victories. I’ll tell you what happens with impossible promises. You start with far-fetched resolutions. They are then pickled into a rigid dogma, a code, and you go through the years sticking to that, out-dated, mis-placed, irrelevant to the real needs, and you end up in the grotesque chaos of a Labour council hiring taxis to scuttle round a city handing out redundancy notices to its own workers.

As Kinnock spoke, Hatton shouted “Liar!” from the back of the hall, prompting the Labour leader to address him directly:

“I’m telling you, and you’ll listen – you can’t play politics with people’s jobs and with people’s services or with their homes.”

Eric Heffer walked off the stage in disgust, apparently with tears in his eyes. Immediately after, the Labour establishment rallied behind Kinnock. Healey called it a speech that “will change the centre of gravity within the movement” while Barbara Castle exerted that it was the best leaders speech she had heard in 25 years.
In her memoir Fighting All The Way, Castle went one further, claiming that it was “the most courageous and effective speech i have ever heard a politician make.

tidesofhistory.wordpress.com/2017/10/01/kinnock/

All that is needed now is one unafraid voice to speak for the real Labour movement, the one that is outside of the London bubble. There are a few MP's waiting in the wings, will they have the courage that Kinnock had, to stand/lead for the Labour party of the grass roots in the face of a far left coup -de -etat. Let's hope so, the "better" is unthinkable and the 'worse' is unimaginable as far as I can estimate.

The lack of respect for the late Tessa Jowell by the far left members of Hampstead and Kilburn constituency Labour party, indicates just how much intolerance there is of people who don't share their exact views.

Tessa Jowell a deceased member of their own Parliamentary Labour group, who spent here life, attempting to make other peoples lives better. Just one of the many things that Tessa will be remembered for, apart from the good work and the high regard in which she is held by her constituents, was her commitment to the concept and development of Sure Start. It was a triumph.

This far right aggressive, volatile and vociferous response as part of their gross intolerance, abuse and disrespect for other views is militant violence.

This was a particularly distasteful example of disrespect for the deceased, that shames those involved and the Labour party that is "rearing" this sort of far left violent intolerant culture.

The information about Tessa Jowell and Hampstead and Kilburn is disgraceful. I posted on another thread, asking why given this governments austerity approach, the Opposition remains distrusted by many ordinary voters. This incident tells the story imo.

Ally, I was at the conference when Neil gave that speech , I have posted it from uTube , it has been mocked by the far left here and the most oft question was - how did he fail to win an election? The fact that Neil and to fight back from the disastrous 1983 elections, free the party from Militants is ignored .

And the fact that whilst grassroots members were working their socks off to help in the fight back was mocked too.

Whilst we were fighting back for fourteen years Corbyn was running a campaign from his own home to bring the militants back into the party . What Labour Party member would want Hatton and his ilk back?

Those fourteen years were tough, and Corbyn was fighting against us.

The Conservative party allows into its parliamentary ranks those who for financial gain will allow a company they part own and manage to break international sanctions.

Those international sanctions were brought in against Russia following a missile attack on an airliner flying over the Ukraine in which all aboard perished including many children.

For any person to use the above tragedy for financial gain is truly despicable.

In the office today, but I will respond to your post of 23:55 yesterday Allygran1 much later today if I get the time as I find the time as I find that an interesting posting

Other than that, Jacob Rees-Mogg a truly disgusting and loathsome person and senior member of the Tory party.

Not one Corbyn supporter here has condemned the behaviour of those Hampstead and Kilburn members .

Tessa was a good woman, a caring woman, loyal to the true Labour Party.

Not one Tory supporter here has condemned Jacob Rees mogg for making financial gain out of a missile attack on an airliner in which all on board died.

Jeremy Corbyn , a truely disgusting and loathsome person and leader of the Labour Party

That's as maybe Grandad, I think a lot of us would be surprised and perhaps appalled at where our hard earned cash and company/state pension pots are invested, even you!! I can only presume that you approve at the disgusting behaviour by Hampstead and Kilburn. If that's the case, then all I can do is feel sorry for you!
annie my much loved cousin died of melanoma related brain tumour, and his fear and suffering were just awful. Perhaps if these odious people were to understand what a dreadful disease this is, they would be less vocal in their personal condemnation of anyone. I won't be holding my breath you understand!!!

niggly I am sorry your cousin died from this x

I am shocked that Grandad1943 uses something allegedly done by JRM as a defence for the rabble in Hampstead and Kilburn. Proof of my claims that Corbynites will defend the most disgusting antics from fellow militants .

Thank you annie?

niggly, a cruel illness, Tessa suffered badly in her last days , even children suffer this

A formal complaint has been made regarding the behaviour of the rabble who mocked Tessa .

Seems some party members were distressed, some will leave the party.

I'm glad to hear that annie. Perhaps a reprimand will be considered appropriate!!!

I doubt it niggly, there have been complaints against the anti semitism which is rife there, nothing been done,

After the failed tribute to Tessa they all stood for a minute silence for Gaza . Seems they are not capable of doing both.

Proof again when I said not a labour socialist party. I don’t think I can stay a member much longer, will hang on untill the Welsh Labour leader is elected. Momentum are hard at it here.

Of course that sort of behaviour is wrong, but it is rather unfair to assume that those of us who support the policies of the present Labour Party, support that sort of behaviour, because we don't.
We are not "pigs" we just don't agree with the right wing of the party.

Regarding Jacob Reese Mogg, so he has good manners, that is not enough to make his views likeable.