That Starmer fella...

There is an unfortunate truth to this. You can try and conjure the ghost of the softboi neolib glory years, and Mandelson can flatter himself all he likes (the daft cunt), but it's hard to ignore a significant factor in Blair winning in 1997 because Murdoch for what ever reason wasn't on board Major's pro-Europe Tory party bus.

Was about to post something similar. We don't have an independent working mainstream media, as the Tory party give their owners what they want; or the state controlled media is too scared of what the Tories might do to them. The constant flow of journalists working in politics, or politicians working as journalists, needs to stop also.

As it is, Labour's best chance is 'Buggins Turn' as it was with Blair, if the Tories end up not servicing the needs of media barons anymore.

Blair's Labour was not in hock to the unions. Other funding models are clearly possible.

Ah, the good old days.

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"Other funding models" is a great euphemism though.

Boris Johnson thought about paying for his own nanny and furnishings, but then realised that other funding models were available.

We don't have an independent working mainstream media, as the Tory party give their owners what they want; or the state controlled media is too scared of what the Tories might do to them.

I believe that for the last 12 months the single greatest buyer of advertising space has been the Government, so there is a lot of truth to this. I also find this slightly scary: https://rsf.org/en/ranking#

There's also been a global pandemic and shit tonnes of information has been required to be communicated.
That'll be the main reason for the government being the major purchaser of advertising space.
That and there's fuck all to buy/fucking nowhere to go.

It's not all conspiracy.
Unless the shovelling of public money to right wing media to communicate government orders is how you want to frame it.

So I can understand everyone's background in here: how big is your TV and where is it?

Ha ha

It's a valid question.

I had a false wall built for mine. I'm unsure what this says.

I don't have one*. Nor do I watch iplayer etc. I listen to the radio for my government-mandated comms.

(* that's the worst isn't it)

Yep.
updates list

SAME!

Quite why people are putting faith in the word of a man who proudly stated he was working to undermine the Labour leadership every day, I don’t know.

Corbyn?

49”, on the wall in the sitting room. What did I score?

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Ah, the good old days.

The biggest danger to workers rights in the UK was Brexit, and the Unions tied Labour's hands to do anything reasonable about it.

You can take the piss as much as you want but it's a statement of fact that Labour does not need the unions for funding. It's also a statement of fact that Labour's affiliation the unions has been a fucking liability to our electoral chances. It's also a statement of fact to say that that cash for honours stuff was nonsense - the CPS found no case worth pursuing.

If you think union affiliation is good for Labour, make a positive case for it. I'm no Blair fan but I don't think his position on unions has yet been bettered.

Its hard to see your tv.

You can take the piss as much as you want but it's a statement of fact that Labour does not need the unions for funding

Yes, but who is going to fund the party instead?

Yes, but who is going to fund the party instead?

There are a tonne of options which do not require us to be in thrall to the unions.

• we could have a subscription model above and beyond the membership model which frankly I find a bit of an anachronism
  
• we could follow the Tory model of donations from the world of business
  
• we could continue with the union model - albeit with a modernised relationship which confers no veto for them on Labour policy
  
• we could argue for political parties to be funded by the state - would require legislative change but frankly I can see a good argument for it
  
• we could argue to expand the current funding model for opposition parties from the Lords and the Commons - again not my favourite but its a realistic possibility
  
• one off fundraising is an option too - wouldn't want to base your whole model on it, but crowdfunding works
  
• we could pursue a mix of multiple options above - which I like a lot, as the more diverse our revenue streams are, the less we 'owe' one particular faction, and the more independent we can be with policy
  
  

This idea that if we want to be funded we need to grant people like Len McClusky the whip hand over voters / members is just nonsense. It's proven nonsense because Blair's Labour didn't have this as a feature of its party.

and how are their interests more valid than that of unions?
Can Labour be 100% funded by small individual member donations? And what's the difference? Its essentially then just become a giant union right?

we could have a subscription model above and beyond the membership model which frankly I find a bit of an anachronism

Like a union?

we could follow the Tory model of donations from the world of business

and represent their interests first? That's what I'd want with my big donation

we could continue with the union model - albeit with a modernised relationship which confers no veto for them on Labour policy

so the PLP can do what they want?

we could argue for political parties to be funded by the state - would require legislative change but frankly I can see a good argument for it

This is good, but the I doubt the Tories will go for it, unless it also does redecorations and childcare

we could argue to expand the current funding model for opposition parties from the Lords and the Commons - again not my favourite but its a realistic possibility

I don't know anything about this tbf

one off fundraising is an option too - wouldn't want to base your whole model on it, but crowdfunding works

so funded by whoever can afford to invest at the time?

we could pursue a mix of multiple options above - which I like a lot, as the more diverse our revenue streams are, the less we 'owe' one particular faction, and the more independent we can be with policy

Sorry - just had a coffee

Lol I never worked out how to multi-quote effectively so I'm going to back away slowly

nor me, its the first time its worked!
If only I could crack uploading pictures....

The opinion I know you have all been waiting for
https://twitter.com/GMB/status/1392372820332748800

I thought that link was GMB union related!

ahistorical nonsense. what a ghoul