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feel you on this, just such non issue stuff that a strong party, a strong leader, would glaze over or exert control over in a more savvy manner.
https://x.com/SkyNews/status/1816094045887697006
aspana begum speaking out highlights the position they're coming at mps with this sort of stuff, weaponising support for her driving anti domestic abuse policy as whip leverage? smacks more of a party worried of keeping the wheels on than a party in control.
starmers surrounded himself with weird people, with weird ideas, and weird sensibilities. it'll be a long 5 years for a party on fag paper marginals.
Maj
You're in government
You have a stonking majority
4% of that stonking majority vote against you on a matter of conscience
What do you do next?
For all you 'smart politics' guys, bringing down the banhammer in the way that Labour have done is not actually smart politics. The headlines are dominated by this, there's disquiet in the PLP. Smart politics gets you a tactical gain. I understand that Starmer and Co see a tactical gain here in making steps to further eliminate Left voices from the party, but that's a intra-party tactical gain rather than a national politics one. Putting intra-party politics ahead of national ones is a bad order of priorities, see the Tory party for the last forever.
Smart politics would be to smile in public and say 'We get this is an emotive topic, and we can see why these rebels have done what they have done, but let's be clear if they do it again then we will cut them open in parliament square for the public to gaze upon the goo that lives within'. And then if they rebel again then you cut them open in parliament square etc etc. Parliamentary parties have many ways of maintaining order that fall short of removing the whip, going straight for the nuclear option doesn't necessarily make you look big and strong.
As it is, the Starmer administration has just reacted in the exact way you would react if you were a bunch of thin skinned authoritarian weirdos who hated the left more than anything else in the known universe.