#21

Feels like there’s no hope of that because if you do think these things are worth taking seriously then you look to replace someone like Corbyn with someone who at least espouses similar ideas around social issues etc.

Still find the current Labour party a bit sad and baffling and can’t really understand how anyone could feel passionate about them.

#22

That whippet in the logo is what makes me feel really unsure, TBH. Although I’m not really sure how you set about finding a unifying image for The North.

#23

Yes

1 Like
#24

I say good luck and jah bless to them (anything north of St Albans)

#26

It’s got GJ* banned from twitter though, which is a good thing. The resulting angry twitter hashtag is good for working out who to block though, as it’s full of right-wing bigots.

*(not going to type out their full name because they have google alerts)

#27

Been looking for a political project to put my energy into post labour party but I don’t think this is it. Good luck to them though.

1 Like
#28

looking forward to hearing everyone singing this at the party conference

2 Likes
#29

this is all i can think of when i see the acronym

image

1 Like
#30

That said I don’t think the cherrypicked Tweets are great to see but very much depressed that this will now be a standard ‘thing’ that anyone vaguely left will be attacked with.

I think the main issue I have with the NIP is that it can’t have much play in the south by its nature which feels quite depressing for anyone outside its remit who would like a genuinely left political party running around. What if it does really well and then it can’t really stretch south to do more?

#31

Feels a bit like the “why can’t the SNP stand here in [English constituency]!” vibe that gets pedalled most elections.

#32

If the SNP was a genuinely left party I guess…

#33

No idea what the tweet stuff is. Moving on…

I think the main issue I have with the SNP & Plaid Cymru is that it can’t have much play in England and Wales by their nature which feels quite depressing for anyone outside its remit who would like a genuinely left political party running around. What if they do really well and then it can’t really stretch into England to do more?

I think the main issue I have with the British Labour Party is that it can’t have much play in France by its nature which feels quite depressing for anyone outside its remit who would like a genuinely left political party running around. What if it does really well and then it can’t really stretch into France to do more?

Etc.

I’m being a little bit flippant. Or am I?

A fair question about your question would be to ask: on what basis the NIP should ‘stretch south’?

The answer to that is, I suppose: The NIP operates within the distinct ‘coherent unit’ of England. Whereas in the examples given above, Scotland, Wales, and Britain, to varying degrees, each have their own distinct legal systems, local government, geography, health/education, language and whatnot.

Britain not being the same thing as the UK, of course. With a whole can of worms opening when you try to rationalise that. I deliberately mentioned France, rather than NI or Ireland, cos, whilst it’s not currently a going concern, it’s not entirely theoretical either.

And the NIP seem to be going with Northumbria as the extent of their ‘coherent unit’. Which may seem like a stretch, or illogical, or even wrong, to some. But who are we, outside of that, to argue, if enough people within it decide it best suits them? Especially if the basis of the party is fairness, equality, and co-operation (or ‘left’, if you will, rather than some blood and soil right-wing fuckwittery).

So rather than the NIP, or whoever, ‘going south’, it simply comes down to: start yer own left party to cover that instance.

And rather than have a cry about how that would split the Union, maybe stand back a moment and realise that these left parties, with co-operation, could quite conceivably be part of a bigger whole, somewhat minimising the ‘threat’ of independence within the UK.

Ultimately the UK is an illogical country (its not even that, is it - it’s a state of convenience) with a disproportionately large and influential England (large parts of which are shat on by Westminster, hence the NIP) sitting outside of (and, therefore, in the mind of many, above) an asymmetric attempt at devolution.

#34

Stop being a big silly. You’re better than this.

#35

Eh? It has some good MPs just as Labour does but it’s not exactly a socialist party from what I’ve seen. I don’t think it’s right wing or wildly bad just think people calling for it south of the border mistake competence in leadership for the same thing as it being strongly leftist.

#36

Not reading this.

The concept of the North of England as a separate area is not the same as Wales or Scotland.

Anyway, whatevs. If my only option is good for them or fuck em then if course ‘good for them’

#37

I’ve acknowledged this fully.

#38

Stop being a big silly again. You’re surely better than this.

Doing the tired offhand comment about the SNP not being socialist or ‘properly left’, when talking about constitutional matters is just lazy. It contains the implicit notion that Labour is more legit than the SNP, and/or the UK nation state is more legit than an independent Scotland world be. Which is demonstrably nonsense and to be an apologist for Westminster, all told.

You’re basically being At It.

You may not believe or mean that to be your message. I dunno. But the snark without any context whatsoever is just pointless fuel to aggro rather than an offer of any sort of worthwhile addition to a debate. Unless you’re an outright and explicit one-world commie calling for all nation states to be dissolved as of now.

#39

I’d debate with you if you didn’t carry your baggage of strawmen into any discussion to try to rope onto me.

This is also why I didn’t read your huge long post.

Under Corbyn Labour was just about leftwing enough for me.

Having just read the Huff Post thing on the NIP’s manifesto I do owe you an apology because they are clearly just on some weird windup. I see nothing about nationalising industry etc so yeah, fuck em. Joke of a party until I hear different

#40

Been following them a bit on twitter and listened to some of the Novara interview, not sure how well they’ll do in Hartlepool but I think broadly the project is a good one.

At the very least it doesn’t seem clear that electing a Labour government, would in itself deal with regional inequality and the conservative levelling up agenda is…basically smoke and mirrors so it seems quite useful to have people at least presenting an agenda that might work? Even if it does just end up with regional devolution/federalization.

Also kind of like the fact that they really seem to wind up all the blue ticks.

3 Likes
#41

I think they’re useful inasmuch as they put pressure on Labour’s left flank, although it’s impossible to see the party do anything but continue leaning rightwards with the current mob in charge. It’s clearly a meme movement that was born out of winding up dullards online though, and my main worry is that such a flimsy concept will further delegitimise the left if it gets squished at the ballot box. The idiots in this country vote in huge numbers for whatever soapbox racer Farage is currently in though so who knows.

2 Likes