Tuesday 21 July 2015

Labour Oppose By Abstaining. Some Opposition.

The Media of course is reporting on the fact that 48 Labour Mps voted against the Welfare Bil last night  not that the majority of what is supost to be "Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition" didn't

As expected, the government's welfare bill was passed by a large majority: 308 votes to 124. Labour's decision to abstain on the legislation (its amendment was defeated by 308 to 108) made that inevitable.
More SNP than Labour MPs voted against the Bill which had its first reading in the Commons on Monday, a
Including teller Kelvin Hopkins, the total Labour rebellion stood at 48 of Labour's 232 MPs. The rest of the No votes in the main second reading division were 55 SNP, eight Liberal Democrat, six DUP, three SDLP, three Plaid Cymru and one each from Green and UUP.

The second teller was the SNP's Owen Thompson.
As far as I can make out  7 Welsh MPs voted against the welfare Bill all thre Plaid, The sole Liberal Democrat and Labours An Clwyd , Paul Flynn and Geraint Thomas 

After the result was announced, the SNP's Pete Wishart mockingly asked the Speaker whether the Commons could be rearranged to designate his party as the official opposition.

Labour duplicity we enhanced when Andy Burnham the favorite to win Labour Leadership election published a Facebook post taking an even-stronger stance against the bill. In the key section, he wrote:

 "Whilst we may have lost the vote tonight, that doesn’t mean the battle has to be over. Tonight I am firing the starting gun on Labour's opposition to this Bill. If I am elected leader in September, I am determined that Labour will fight this regressive Bill word by word, line by line. I am clear that if the Government do not make major changes to protect working families, children and the disabled, then, under my Leadership, Labour will oppose this Bill with everything we’ve got when it comes back before MPs later this year."

Mr Burnham you did not lose the vote last night you abstained 
If there was ever a time to show leadership it was last night but you chickened out .

Can we really believe apart from Jeremy Corbyn if any of the three leadership candidates were in charge of the party last night the result would have been any different?
We are facing 5 years of a cruel and malicious government in which more Scottish and MPs will act as an opposition than Labour MPs

And Just 46 MPs from English constituencies  including the Greens Caroline Lucus can claim to oppose the welfare cuts from the start .

Small wonder that  the Guardian have reported  there have been cases of people in England with no real connection to Scotland joining the SNP.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

mention should also go to swansea east's caroline harris. the newly elected mp will have probably permanently blotted her copy book with the labour whips but she had the courage to vote against the party line on these terrible cuts. her counterpart in swansea west - geraint davies - also voted against!

glynbeddau said...

Thanks GD I must try and recongnise the names of the new intake of Welsh MPs but its not easy with most of them being non=entities.

Anonymous said...

There were 7 Welsh Labour ‘rebels’ the three you mention, the two Green Dragon pointed out and Ann Clywd Cynon Valley MP and Gerald Jones the new Merthyr Tydfil & Rhymney MP, but 18 still Abstained, spineless hypocrites every one ofthem and don’t forget the 10 Welsh Tories voted for the Bill it and one who was to scared and abstained.

Labour is lucky Media Wales supports them totally, BBC Wales is afraid or rocking the boat and ITV Wales hasn’t go the resources because there’s no mention anywhere that 72% of Welsh
Labour MP defied Carwyn Jones either who opposed Harriet Harman’s stance, we can imagine what the papers and BBC would be saying if it was Nicola Strugeon being defied by SNP MP’s .

It would serve Labour right if Jeremy Corburn got elected leader, he wont win but at least he’ll prove there is an alternative to Tory Austerity that previous Labour leaders were to gutless to promote

glynbeddau said...

Yes you can ad Jo Stephens (Cardiff Central) and Madeline Moon ( Bridgend) to the list of 7 Labour Mps from Wales . Time was i recongnised the name of every Welsh MP it is getting harder because they hardly light up the Commons.

Unknown said...

I would say at least your seven had the courage of their convictions, our sole remaining Labour MP in Scotland, the Shadow Sec of State for Scotland also abstained. Now the lying begins.