• frankPodmore@slrpnk.netOPM
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      4 days ago

      Well, yeah. Being a successful politician and especially a successful political leader means dealing with people who want your job and will tear you down to get it.

      • IcyToes@sh.itjust.works
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        4 days ago

        Assuming they are going to work in good faith. We all know the Mandleson quote about working every day to bring about the end of Corbyn. Folk like Wes Streeting also.

        Who was it? Care to name names?

          • IcyToes@sh.itjust.works
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            3 days ago

            So you say he’s hard to work with. I ask who said it, other than Zarah and you don’t answer. There is no substance to back up your assertion it seems.

            I’m starting to wonder if you made the point in good faith.

            • frankPodmore@slrpnk.netOPM
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              3 days ago

              Thank you for clarifying what you meant. However, I’ve already made it clear that I think other figures in the Labour party behaved liked malicious fools towards Corbyn - that was indeed my opening point - so I don’t really understand why I’m now being called upon to defend the conduct of these people.

              As for Corbyn’s behaviour, I was thinking of the many accounts from people he worked with of the difficulty of pinning him down to a decision and his inclination to suddenly change his mind, or make decisions without consulting his team, only to then later u-turn. All of this is stuff I would find difficult to work with; certainly I would not be happy to have a boss tell me one thing, only to then tell someone something else shortly after I left the room!

              In terms of specific examples, I think the ‘Seumas [Milne - an ally], I don’t think this is a good idea’ moment, actually captured on camera, is a good illustration of his sudden changes of mind, as was the ‘We should trigger Article 50 now’ comment and subsequent clarifications (and/or disavowals), after the referendum, also on record. There are many similar examples in the several books about Corbyn’s leadership, variously by his allies, enemies, and third parties. All of this adds up to a clear picture of someone who many people have struggled to work with. The repeated Your Party false starts show a continuation of the trend. There are no centrists to blame now and he’s still stumbling, in the exact same ways he always did.

              Now, I’m expecting the litany of excuses for all of this. I’ve heard them all before, but I’m afraid I find them collectively unpersuasive. Either Corbyn is the unluckiest man in history, always making good decisions and behaving perfectly, only to find everyone around him fails to reciprocate, or he’s not very good. I’ve had many conversations with supporters of Corbyn (I mean those who didn’t know him personally), where they’ve expressed their frustration and exhaustion with trying to defend the vicissitudes of his leadership. Generally my advice to them was not to do it, as there’s no reason at all they should; I suggest the same thing to you.