Jobs in peril as frontbenchers play party games.

We should all be working to shore up the Post Brexit collapsing confidence in future jobs, Steel jobs and jobs in other companies like Airbus Newport are in new peril.

Progress has been made recently in building up a case to retain steel jobs in the UK. We want strong statements from all parties that UK and EU cooperation will continue. Already some jobs are haemorrhaging out of the country.

It's a disgrace that political parties are playing self-indulgent games with orchestrated resignations on the hour as part of an organised treachery.

Young people in Newport are angry and distraught by the referendum result that they believe has damaged their future jobs prospects. They claim that Brexit will be worse than they thought. A massive three million people have called for a second vote. I expect that to be debated at the Petitions Committee on Tuesday when I will urge an early debate on the subject.

Comments

[Alyson Cottrell]

ps So glad that you agreed to take part in the 'diversity project' :)

[Alyson Cottrell]

Perfectly written here and perfectly spoken in Parliament today. Awesome as always xx

[Edward]

You are very likeable, Paul. I personally would be very happy for you to be a candidate for the Labour leadership. But it'd be 100% understandable if you didn't want to do that.

I personally also like Jeremy Corbyn and he was elected by the party membership so I think he has every right to still be the Labour leader despite all the knives in the back by his own MPs. If there's another leadership election and he stands again I think he's got a good chance of winning.

You could probably also win in my own personal opinion and I'd be happy for you to be leader. But that's certainly not something I'd ever want for myself as I couldn't handle the public scrutiny, the pressure and being demonised by Rupert Murdoch's terrible empire of lies and xenophobia. But, hey, I have no ambition to be a public figure whereas that's something you're comfortable with.

[Ad]

It just goes to show that the public CAN stir things up and it has also shown how small time most of the leaders and legislators in Westminster are. Hopefully when it all begins to settle, whenever that will will be, people will see through the self importance of the public school/ Oxbridge/ careerist lot that love to stab each other as well as us, the dwindling voters, in the back.

Hopefully we aren't sucked into any crisis from without the soap opera of betrayal and self-advancement in the near future. It could potentially finish them off in terms of authority.

That said I can't help but look on with some satisfaction that their trajectory is hitting the rocky slopes after years of them complacently feathering their own nests and using the country's military to destabilise, manipulate and ultimately to rob. Its funny now that they are left friendless and without any allies to fall back on. Its all going to shit for many of them and hopefully this could be a change in trajectory towards further undermining of the establishment.

The more that they revel in inequality and broaden the gap, the more that they stamp on the interests of others like the brats that they are and presume to be unassailable the more people can see that they have feet of clay. They are not the superior geniuses that they pretend to be. Their authority is shallow if not in fact hollow.

People talk about Brexit supporters not having sufficient facts or capability to make a decision in their own interest. What about the fact that the ruling class precipitated its own crisis? Why? What about the fact that austerity comes amid a widening inequality gap? Where is the justice in that?

They will never have enough. Stupidly, they even use their power to take away the crumbs which the majority rely upon. And I should say not just at home but in a global sense too. So it looks to me at least like they are beginning to get their comeuppance. Which, being optimistic, could be the start of a better footing for the interests of the majority.

I respect you, Paul, as I'm sure you realise and there are others no doubt worthy of the same. However, I'm quite shocked at how political allies are so ready to turn against each other at the most opportune moments for themselves. Its a cliche that politicians are generally self-serving liars without scruple or principle. I'm afraid though that in many cases it is actually true.

It goes for both parties in recent administrations. What will be left at the end? Its a fatal manouevre by the Labour party for all the wrong reasons and what replaces them if they get their way? Will it be even worse at fighting elections, making good decisions in our interests and less capable? Its a shambles. And that is a worrying state of affairs if you pull your attention away from the political/ media bubble for five minutes.

That is more a plea for caution rather than doom mongering. I don't pretend to be an authority but they've been so shit for many at home and abroad for so long now (huge understatement I realise) that there is uncertainty at which forces will grow and take advantage. Hopefully the Chilcot report will help to put some things into perspective, whenever that will be. Joining Bush's war seems more shortsighted than ever. The reaction, the inevitability of real consequences... I don't pretend that I can even attempt to tackle it at the end of this meandering post. I just hope for all our sakes that the report is honest, adequate and begins or helps to bring about a real change as it should. Hopefully then they can use the same template for a speeded up version on Afghanistan.

[r coburn]

Hello Paul,
Why don't you get more recognition for your loyalty to the traditional Labour Party and put yourself up for the Labour leadership?
I believe you are the person who has the qualities to unite the party and the membership.

[Mark]

The result has been successful in the sense that it has got rid of a Prime Minister who hasn't done enough to reform the EU and shouldn't have called for a referendum in the first place. Now we need a general election to give us the democracy that leave voters apparently crave so much, repair our relationship with the rest of the EU and learn our lesson that referenda on any meaningful issue are not right for the UK.

[crindauboy]

Hello Paul,
well common sense has prevailed and the majority voted to leave the EU,even though you told me you would vote on the remain side,I was appalled at you giving credence to the people calling for a second referendum.You have always struck me as someone who believed we had democratic system of government in this country,There was no best of three or any other such rule before we had the referendum.Its shameful that this protest has gained any ground,and that you as an elected member of parliament did not dismiss the idea immediately.You mentioned that 3 million had signed it,on investigation is been proved that 77,000,00 signatures came from The Vatican,and that Bots as they are called were being used to make false signatures.The Prime Minister was asked about this in Parliament yesterday, He totaly dismissed the 2nd vote and rightly told Parliament that the result was the will of the people and would stand.
Now we have the total shambles that is the labour party,Jeremy Corbyn has always been a Euro-skeptic,you can look back at his previous record and its there for all to see, he swallowed his principles under pressure from the PLP, and tried to convince the electorate he believed we should remain in the EU.Most people saw through it,including the PLP
who are now baying for his blood. Labour were so arrogant in the last general election that they did not listen to the people of the country in as far as leaving the EU was concerned, that they wouldn't offer a referendum, this was one of the reasons they lost.The conservatives could see the way the wind was blowing with the amount of votes that UKip
were getting,David Cameron promised us a referendum he won the election.Little did he think that the vote would go the way it did,Labour made the same mistake as before they showed the pure arrogance they have,and didn't really come out on one side or the other,Corbyn will be gone by the end of this week,and there isnt anyone with any charisma to take over,I think its going to be a long long time before labour gets back in power,In the mean time we have to put up with the conservatives who have also lost there way home. I hope that you have given further thought to giving any credence to the 2nd vote brigade and will make a public statment to this effect
Best Regards
Crindau Boy

[Philip Squire]

You're right. Those whose jobs are in peril need leaders to inspire confidence. So why was Mr. Corbyn's first pronouncement that we had to serve notice under Article 50 immediately?
And why will he not confirm that he voted In?

[Edward]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlR0KElxxVg

[Paul Flynn]

So Cameron is a great leader? He is a better performer than Jeremy but he is now finished.

Paul Flynn MP  

01633 262 348/ 0788 792 5699/ 020 7219 3478 

Twitter: @paulflynnmp
www.paulflynnmp.co.uk
blog paulflynnmp.co.uk

[Paul Neilson]

A petition is not going to change anything. What is needed is for MPs to vote down Brexit. There is no constitutional role for a referendum to be binding on Parliament. When the UK is so evenly divided such a narrow majority should not be allowed to undo 40 years of history. Most organisations require a two thirds majority to bring about rule changes as do MPs to force a general election. Surely such a monument decision as Brexit should require such a majority. Even golf clubs wouldn't change rules with less. Most MPs opposed Brexit so they should vote against it. If this triggers a general election it would at least be about a genuine issue rather than replacing one Eton old boy with another.

[Martin Cursue]

Paul,
Please get your head out of the sand. The only people listening to Jeremy are hard-left clones. If you want to remain totally irrelevant to the rest of the country, carry on. If you want to have any chance of making people's lives better, accept the fact that you have to appeal to voters who aren't in the local Labour party. That doesn't mean abandoning your principles. Jeremy is a great rebel. Pricking the conscience of those of us who try to be too "pragmatic". He was my local MP when I lived in London and he is a great guy. But Jeremy is not a leader.
I have been a Labour supporter since I was at Uni 40 years ago. And the greatest time was under Blair (sorry) when Chris was the first openly gay minister, Clause 28 was abolished, homophobia was made a hate crime ...
If you insist on supporting Jeremy you are betraying the party, the country, the world.
I am sorry if that sounds dramatic, but it's the truth. You cannot achieve anything in opposition.
Martin

[Chattadesk]

Sir, I totally agree. Whilst not a Labour Party supporter, nor (now) a full time resident in the UK but one who resides in the EU I am totally disgusted by these resignations which realistically appear only to be for 'self good' rather than for the good of the public constituent. MP's should remember they are elected to represent the views of their constituents (which I know full well you do very well) and that may differ from personal (MP) and or individual party views. MPs are not elected for any other reason. Since Brexit (regretfully from here) all that has happened is 'me me me' not 'them, them them' Regardless of personal views all now MP's have a legal and moral duty to represent the popular vote. If they wish to resign on principle then they should resign from the commons NOT from an unelected but appointed body (Cabinet/Shadow Cabinet).

[Stephen Staples]

Open letter to Jeremy Corbyn

Dear Jeremy,
I am a labour voter, all my life (now 61), and a member of the party for some 20 years. I look on at current events aghast and staggered by the complacency of your Labour leadership.
With reference to your current statement on Facebook (Friday 24 June 2016 5.13pm), If you think that Labour currently represents the mood of the country and can somehow turn the country round and guide it from the wilderness, then you are very much mistaken, and have clearly not appreciated current events nor events since the previous election. Let me explain why I say that.
Let’s deal with the referendum first. Labour’s campaign was at best confused, lack lustre and half-hearted. You argue two thirds of labour voters voted Remain (I certainly did). However, if you correct this for the London effect, it is no surprise Remain lost because Labour performed so badly. I observed no leadership whatsoever during the campaign. Talk to people outside of London and they will say they saw more of UKIP than Labour. I live in East Yorkshire and every poster everywhere has been Leave, apart from the one I put on my front door. There was no organised message, no policies, no guidance. Just you and others giving equivocal speeches from afar, without belief or passion. Apart from Jo Cox of course, but we didn’t get to hear her message in this side of Yorkshire until she was killed. As a result, Labour have contributed significantly to the UK (and especially its younger generation) being in the incredible mess we find ourselves. Your standpoint that Labour did not participate in ‘project fear’ and thus can leap into the void is absolute fantasy. Labour participated in ‘project nothing’: no ideas, no vision, no leadership, limply expressed. One cannot blame the average Labour member for this. Clearly the only policy was ‘don’t make too much fuss’, and even that lacked conviction. The lack of vision, policy, unity and passion is firmly and absolutely your responsibility, and your abject failure. In its current state I, a card carrying member, would not trust Labour to get a good deal on a new car, never mind negotiate an unnecessary EU exit.
Now to the current and near future. The Tory party are as you say in disarray. You argue that somehow Labour will step into the arena and convince voters that Labour is the way forward, with some vague left wing rhetoric. Presented in a disjointed anarchic manner, which dates from the ‘Citizen Smith Tooting Popular Front ‘era, do you really think that the country in general will take this as anything other than a complete insult? It merely confirms their opinion that Labour is out of touch, and clearly has not understood the feeling of dissatisfaction during the austerity years. The Labour movement has become a London-centric, left-wing-activist organisation, that thinks communicating with the electorate is to hold some rambling after-dinner party discussion, or act as some super agony aunt, so that Jeremy can read out ‘Irritated of Islington’ or ‘Concerned of Croydon’, and that a serious economic debate can be held quoting Chairman Mao. This is not Leadership in my view, but a dereliction of duty. Hold an election in the near future, on this basis and Labour will be an also-ran. We have sunk below the status of Labour during the Michael Foot years, and stand in complete shambles.
So what’s the way forward? As of this morning (Sun 26th June), Labour is in further disunity, with supposedly half the shadow cabinet set to resign, citing your lack of leadership. You say you want to remain as leader. Now is the time to prove it with passion, action and vision. From what I have observed so far I am not optimistic of any encouraging or positive developments, only further bad press, gaffes and lack of ideas. However, I am giving you this last chance to demonstrate your commitment to being a Leader. (That is not the same as you having a commitment to the Labour party, which I do not question.) But for leadership to be effective we need to see policies, vision, holding the Tories to account for the mess we are in, yes, but also demonstrating a positive, viable way forward which can unite the country and give the ordinary person in Batley and Liverpool or Nottingham a sense that we understand them, that we know what we are talking about and can provide a common interest that everyone can support. I want to see passion and unity, and a way forward for potential Labour supporters outside of London.

Stephen Staples and Kate hainsworth-Staples Labour party members

Stephen Staples
10 high road
Everthorpe
Brough
HU15 2AP 07715351056 Lab Mem A844944

[Chris Edwards]

We need Goverment of National Unity, not party infighting. Labour will never form majority government again. Collotion with SNP is best you could hope for. We4 need PR - would incrase labours seats in Parliament