Eagle squeaks over Scottish Labour’s Trident vote
Here’s another so-called Labour member creating dissent and division where there needs to be unity.
Maria Eagle has played directly into the hands of Labour’s enemies. If she was serious when she spoke of Jeremy Corbyn being ill-advised to admit he would not use nuclear weapons, why did she not take her own advice to heart?
There is a review of Labour’s defence policy, Trident is part of it, so it would have been more proper for Maria Eagle to note the position held by Scottish Labour and include it in the decision-making process.
Corbyn did appoint her as shadow defence secretary in the knowledge that she disagreed with him. Perhaps he was trying to teach her a valuable lesson – that her opinions are not as important as the will of the people?
That is a rare thought in politics these days!
Maria Eagle, the shadow defence secretary, has asserted her authority over Scottish Labour, saying the wider Labour party’s defence policy is determined at a UK level and it remains committed to the renewal of the Trident nuclear programme.
On Sunday Scottish Labour voted to reject the renewal of Trident, at the urging of Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader. Eagle told BBC Radio 4’s World at One: “This does not change UK Labour party policy. Defence is not a devolved matter so Labour party policy on this must be set at a national level.”
Her remarks reflect anger in parts of the shadow cabinet that Corbyn decided to encourage Scottish Labour to reject Trident even though it had been agreed there would be a review of Labour’s defence policy, including on the nuclear deterrent. Corbyn welcomed the decision as a sign that democracy was opening up inside the Labour party.
Eagle also criticised the Labour leader’s decision to say in a recent BBC interview that he would never press the nuclear button if he were prime minister. She said|: “I don’t think Jeremy was well advised to answer that question in the way which he did.”
She also reminded the public that Corbyn had appointed her as shadow defence secretary knowing that she disagreed with him on unilateral nuclear disarmament. She said the review she was undertaking was serious and based on extensive consultation, including among Labour voters and the wider public.
Source: Maria Eagle asserts authority over Scottish Labour on Trident | UK news | The Guardian
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You’d need a heart of stone not to laugh, only last week the Scottish branch office, newly brushed and powdered, paraded its new found ‘autonomy’, now cruelly exposed by Eagle as (in the words of John Garner) not worth a bucket of warm piss.
‘Scottish’ Labour’s problems cannot begin to be resolved until they walk the walk and declare the independence of their party – a post referendum politicised electorate can see straight through the same old lines Slab have been coming up with for over 10 years. Labour will die if they don’t grasp the nettle.
You don’t get it.
Eagle was wrong to say what she did.
You are right that she was wrong to come out and say this, so openly stabbing her leader in the back. However, although there is a review being carried out, I very much doubt if it will hold sway with the majority of the Labour high-heid-yins who want to retain Trident. Much as I would like to see Scotland matter, which it obviously doesn’t in Westminster, the votes of a few Scottish Labour members will have absolutely no effect since, as she says, defence is not devolved.
It’s a review of the party’s policy on Trident – not just the policies of a few “high-heid-yins”. Everybody’s opinion will carry equal weight and a resolution by Scottish Labour should be even more persuasive.
Wrong? Eagle was simply blurting out the truth, reinforced by Jackie ‘The Bomb’ Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, saying that Slab’s conference decision wasn’t impotrtant as London – Head Office – would decide. But the cat is out of the bag.
No – that is not what you have been trying to say. Your claim is that Maria Eagle slapped down Scottish Labour for being a bunch of upstarts who spoke up against what their bosses are doing, and that is – of course – complete nonsense.
The Labour Party is currently reviewing its policy on renewing Trident. The views of all members are to be taken into account and the resolution by the Scottish Party sends a particularly strong message, especially as Scotland is where the nuclear submarines are actually based.
Do you understand now or do I have to tell you again?
secret tory evil eagle should f**k off and join the tories and stop trying to destroy labour from within she is nothing more than an infilTRAITOR