We truly are living in very interesting times. Or times of great opportunity. Or the End of Days. Or scary times, or upbeat times, or any sort of time it is perceived to be in the eye of the beholder. The country's racist, the country isn't racist. It's worse than the seventies. The seventies were a golden time. It's Thatcherism all over again. Thatcher would have been a Remainer. Remainers are whiners, Levers are bigots. Corbyn's a disaster, Corbyn's the Messiah. Leadsom's a liar. Leadsom's being stitched up.
Frankly, it's never been more tempting to fuck off to the middle of a moor with a tent and big bag of books. Which, if I didn't have children, a wife and a job, I'd probably be doing right about now. My fellow countrymen haven't shown themselves in the best of lights over the last few weeks, and I'm not talking only of Brexiteers. The roiling shambles engulfing both the Conservatives and Labour are enough to cause anyone to shake their head sadly and then walk off a cliff in despair at human nature.
However, for better or worse, we're all bloody well stuck here, so might as well stand and fight.
To that end, I've put my money where my mouth is, and actually joined the Labour Party. Not out of any great admiration at the way they're currently conducting themselves, which lends "shambolic" a degree of respectability. But it is time to get involved. The Lib Dems are irrelevant and I could never, ever be a Conservative, on account of my base instinct is to like people, not wonder how much money I can wring out of them.
Of course, this also means I get a say in the upcoming Corbyn/Eagle deathmatch. Not a choice which excites me if I'm honest. I am by no means anti-Corbyn. I would point out that every electoral test he's had, he's won. I was slightly mystified last year when at the council elections the BBC tried to paint a large increase in the vote as "a disaster for the Labour Party". Really? This was the point at which I thought ah, yes, there probably is a consensus that he needs getting rid of. All of which rather warms me to the man.
But dear me the Corbyn acolytes, I can't be doing with them. I've watched time and again in horror as anti-Corbyn voices are shouted down, accused of lies, sometimes in the most ridiculous of terms (I read a facebook comment saying the party needed a "Purge" uh, guys, anyone on the left needs to disassociate themselves from the word "Purge", seriously, go away, read a book on 20th century history and then come back to me). Importantly, not engaged with. NB I don't think this is actually the fault of JC himself, more that there's a certain brand of wide eyed acolyte which is only capable of thinking in binary terms. I don't, I'm a grown up, I can do nuance.
It is of course, loudest on social media, and it's depressing that people still don't seem to have learned that social media doesn't equal real life. But when it translates into meetings descending into shouting matches it isn't constructive. If the Momentum types were serious about consensus politics, then the smearing and accusations would cease. Discipline is what's required.
But the PLP haven't exactly covered themselves in glory either, and Eagle least of all. Humming and hawing despite having a website already set up. Praising Corbyn widely and then shafting him (anyone for Gove?), not as yet, for me, a compelling candidate. Though in fairness I've yet to hear much of what she stands for, so I'll keep an open mind for now.
In simple terms, it looks like a choice between a well-meaning guy backed up by some idiots, and a bunch of chancers who seem marginally more competent, but you wouldn't leave them to water your plants. Not the most compelling selection. But choose we must.
Frankly, it's never been more tempting to fuck off to the middle of a moor with a tent and big bag of books. Which, if I didn't have children, a wife and a job, I'd probably be doing right about now. My fellow countrymen haven't shown themselves in the best of lights over the last few weeks, and I'm not talking only of Brexiteers. The roiling shambles engulfing both the Conservatives and Labour are enough to cause anyone to shake their head sadly and then walk off a cliff in despair at human nature.
However, for better or worse, we're all bloody well stuck here, so might as well stand and fight.
To that end, I've put my money where my mouth is, and actually joined the Labour Party. Not out of any great admiration at the way they're currently conducting themselves, which lends "shambolic" a degree of respectability. But it is time to get involved. The Lib Dems are irrelevant and I could never, ever be a Conservative, on account of my base instinct is to like people, not wonder how much money I can wring out of them.
Of course, this also means I get a say in the upcoming Corbyn/Eagle deathmatch. Not a choice which excites me if I'm honest. I am by no means anti-Corbyn. I would point out that every electoral test he's had, he's won. I was slightly mystified last year when at the council elections the BBC tried to paint a large increase in the vote as "a disaster for the Labour Party". Really? This was the point at which I thought ah, yes, there probably is a consensus that he needs getting rid of. All of which rather warms me to the man.
But dear me the Corbyn acolytes, I can't be doing with them. I've watched time and again in horror as anti-Corbyn voices are shouted down, accused of lies, sometimes in the most ridiculous of terms (I read a facebook comment saying the party needed a "Purge" uh, guys, anyone on the left needs to disassociate themselves from the word "Purge", seriously, go away, read a book on 20th century history and then come back to me). Importantly, not engaged with. NB I don't think this is actually the fault of JC himself, more that there's a certain brand of wide eyed acolyte which is only capable of thinking in binary terms. I don't, I'm a grown up, I can do nuance.
It is of course, loudest on social media, and it's depressing that people still don't seem to have learned that social media doesn't equal real life. But when it translates into meetings descending into shouting matches it isn't constructive. If the Momentum types were serious about consensus politics, then the smearing and accusations would cease. Discipline is what's required.
But the PLP haven't exactly covered themselves in glory either, and Eagle least of all. Humming and hawing despite having a website already set up. Praising Corbyn widely and then shafting him (anyone for Gove?), not as yet, for me, a compelling candidate. Though in fairness I've yet to hear much of what she stands for, so I'll keep an open mind for now.
In simple terms, it looks like a choice between a well-meaning guy backed up by some idiots, and a bunch of chancers who seem marginally more competent, but you wouldn't leave them to water your plants. Not the most compelling selection. But choose we must.
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