Labour Party leadership election 2015

[Filuwaúrdjan]

McDonnell was always going to get a very senior post and Corbyn's leadership campaign was heavily focused on economic matters so this shouldn't be a surprise. Other names appointed so far are mostly a mixture of soft Left and trad. (ish) Right.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Diane Abbott is not a great person, but hardly a racist.

Very male-dominated cabinet especially in the big roles.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Will be interesting to see who gets Defence.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Abbott will actually be shadowing International Development. Bryant as Shadow Leader of the House.

[Phony Moderate]

As someone on Twitter pointed out, in the 1950s the media would have merely said "The new leader of the Labour Party is Mr. Corbyn" and then shut up.

[politicus]

As someone on Twitter pointed out, in the 1950s the media would have merely said "The new leader of the Labour Party is Mr. Corbyn" and then shut up.

Those were the days..

[Filuwaúrdjan]

So we have (apparently) confirmed...

Leader: Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North)
Deputy: Tom Watson (West Bromwich East)
Chief Whip: Rosie Winterton (Doncaster Central)
Shadow Chancellor: John McDonnell (Hayes & Harlington)
Shadow Foreign Secretary: Hilary Benn (Leeds Central)
Shadow Home Secretary: Andy Burnham (Leigh)
Shadow Business Secretary: Angela Eagle (Wallasey) - also Shadow First Secretary to the Treasury
Shadow Health Secretary: Heidi Alexander (Lewisham East)
Shadow Education Secretary: Lucy Powell (Manchester Central)
Shadow Culture Secretary: Michael Dugher (Barnsley East)
Shadow International Development Secretary: Dianne Abbott (Hackney North & Stoke Newington)
Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury: Seema Malhotra (Feltham & Heston)
Shadow Leader of the Commons: Chris Bryant (Rhondda)
Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland: Ian Murray (Edinburgh South)
Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland: Vernon Coaker (Gedling)
Shadow Justice Secretary: Lord Falconer
Shadow Lords Leader: Baroness Smith
Lords Chief Whip: Lord Bassam

Strongly rumoured are:

Shadow Defence Secretary: Gloria De Piero (Ashfield)
Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions: Owen Smith (Pontypridd)

But there are a fair few other posts as well...

[okierepublican]

Apparently John McDonnell has said he would want to assisinate Margaret Thatcher and gave credit to the peace to the IRA. Congratitulations to Prime Minister George Osborne.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Yikes.

[warandwar]

Apparently John McDonnell has said he would want to assisinate Margaret Thatcher and gave credit to the peace to the IRA. Congratitulations to Prime Minister George Osborne.

I think you're exaggerating a bit.

[Barnes]

A nice mix of factions and personalities for the Shadow Cabinet; in all, I'd say pretty strong choices for the most.

McDonnell will be the largest source of target and in reference to the above posts here is a section of the BBC's profile on the new shadow Chancellor:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[#TheShadowyAbyss]

If Corbyn remains Labour leader going into the 2020 elections, this will be very interesting.

[okierepublican]

Apparently John McDonnell has said he would want to assisinate Margaret Thatcher and gave credit to the peace to the IRA. Congratitulations to Prime Minister George Osborne.

I think you're exaggerating a bit.

http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2015/09/meet-your-shadow-chancellor-John-mcdonnells-greatest-hits/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/labour/7808953/John-McDonnell-says-he-would-like-to-assisinate-Margaret-thatcher.html

Although he did apologize about thatcher, but still. Is that who the people of the UK want walking into number 11 Downing Street?

[andrew_c]

If Corbyn remains Labour leader going into the 2020 elections, this will be very interesting.

If that happens, Tories will be picking up blood red Labour seats while winning a Thatcher-sized majority.  Labour would end up with about 150-175 seats.

[Blair]

This is what I said about Corbyn.

Rather than talking about austerity/inequality we're having to defend why our Shadow Chancellor said he wanted to shoot Margaret Thatcher, and supporting the IRA. It's not even about the logic of his statement-it's the fact that it's a distraction.

Although, I feel sorry for the Bloke-looking at the Press this is going to be Miliband x1000

[YL]

A nice mix of factions and personalities for the Shadow Cabinet; in all, I'd say pretty strong choices for the most.

McDonnell will be the largest source of target and in reference to the above posts here is a section of the BBC's profile on the new shadow Chancellor:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Even if he has decent ideas those quotes are always going to come back to haunt him.  He just has too much baggage for such a high profile role.

[afleitch]

We're actually living in that Simpsons episode where Homer becomes sanitation commissioner.

[Blair]

I'm torn on McDonnell-as much as Corbyn needs to reach out he won on an alternative economic message, and he needs someone who can shout that and be a confident performer. McDonnell deserved a role, and it would have been stupid to give someone the role when they clearly didn't agree with it.

Can't understand why Burnham is given Home Secretary (He's quite right wing on immigration for labour) surely someone like Flint, Creagh, Creasy, Eagle. Seems bad that we have all 4 great state offices filled by men after a leadership race that was won in all three sections by men.

Tories now have another stick to beat us with

[DavidB.]

Awkward. Seems like he could use some media training.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/jeremy-corbyn-blanks-reporter-in-excruciating-noninterview-when-quizzed-about-lack-of-women-in-top-shadow-cabinet-roles-10499447.html

It doesn't help that Labour MPs are stirring up the pot.

https://twitter.com/DianaJohnsonMP/status/643180094383628288

[Phony Moderate]

Given Labour's history it is probably better for Corbyn to have a Chancellor that is both personally and politically close to him.

[DavidB.]

Luciana Berger will be "Minister for Mental Health" in his shadow cabinet, probably to avoid rows over alleged sexism. Smart move if it doesn't look too much as "damage control".

He was already being accused of anti-Semitism for sacking Ivan Lewis as shadow secretary for Northern Ireland (not by very serious people though), so appointing Luciana Berger, who is Jewish, might be a smart move in that respect as well, although I don't think that matters nearly as much as the sexism thing, which is hitting the headlines of newspapers like the Independent.

[Phony Moderate]

Dennis Skinner on top form: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6MeMmozV1o

[Blair]

Luciana Berger will be "Minister for Mental Health" in his shadow cabinet, probably to avoid rows over alleged sexism. Smart move if it doesn't look too much as "damage control".

He was already being accused of anti-Semitism for sacking Ivan Lewis as shadow secretary for Northern Ireland (not by very serious people though), so appointing Luciana Berger, who is Jewish, might be a smart move in that respect as well, although I don't think that matters nearly as much as the sexism thing, which is hitting the headlines of newspapers like the Independent.

There's nothing anti-Semitic about him sacking Ivan Lewis-it's just his nutty online following who are calling Lewis a Zionist.

It's funny because the Cabinet Split is 16 women, and 14 men-which is much better than the tories. He's given the big posts like Defense, Health and Education to women-I assume though that he had to give Burnham a 'Great office' and wanted his own chancellor-meaning that he would have had to sack Benn as Foreign Secretary.

Although looking back at my own words the most prominent labour women with experience- Cooper, Kendall, Flint, Creasy, Creagh and Reeves all ruled themselves out. Giving people like Powell education shows that he's tried to balance it out (despite Powell being awful) Likewise the Eagle twins are given big posts despite neither of them IMO being that exceptional.

It's going to be a laugh with Mcdonnell as SC though

[ChrisDR68]

If Corbyn remains Labour leader going into the 2020 elections, this will be very interesting.

If that happens, Tories will be picking up blood red Labour seats while winning a Thatcher-sized majority.  Labour would end up with about 150-175 seats.

I agree with the first two points but Corbyn's Labour Party will probably win a few more seats than this. Likely to be in the 190-210 area due to the party's entrenched position in much of inner city and urban England and Wales.

You can already anticipate the complaint's about the right wing media and gullible electorate when this experiment inevitably comes crashing down in flames.

These people will still be unrepentant though just like they were in 1983 and 1987 (and to a lesser extent in 1992 and 2015).

[Hnv1]

Not a Corbyn fan but could he do? All top women prospects refused to sit in his cabinet, his leadership is unstable from start so it would be better to have an ally as chancellor, and letting Eagle who lost the deputy race get the 2nd most revered post isn't all that democratic either.

I wonder what kind of surprises Cooper and the rest are gonna stir from the backbenches