That Option No Longer Exists

A long awaited return, as the Labour leadership have now finally said something we can talk about. Although they're very keen we don't talk about that. We do talk about us not being able to talk, and also: Whether Sir Keith's response to the Tory handling of Covid is the right way. Why Jon shouldn't leave the party Becoming a branch delegate as a tiny way to influence things.

We rock down to forensic PMQs, where Keir Starmer got a letter from the government the other day, opened it and read it… is he a sucker? Adam thinks Sir Haircut’s playing a long game, can Jon agree constructively where he’s right and challenge where there are gaps. Is the NHS the wedge issue for Labour that we always seem to think it is. Is it too big to be conceived to be in danger? As we pass the date of the 2020 election that should have been - will Johnson or Starmer make it to 2024? And...

Recorded as part of a mega-session a few days ago, while the Prime Minister's health was still deterioating rather than merely his personality and competence (so we couldn't be as rude about him as he likely deserves), we instead kept on topic (Labour) and tackled the meaning of the new Shadow Cabinet. Interestingly, after "Who are the members of the Shadow Cabinent," Google's next assumed question is "What is the point of the shadow cabinet?" Well, for us (and especially Jon) it gives us a...

Locked down, no-one can leave. Oh, how we wish that was the membership of the Labour party as the inevitable post-leadership election exodus takes place. Or does it? Jon is placing the leadership election as an event worse than coronavirus, but not as bad as 12 December 2019. Adam thinks thr party has come back to him. What is the legacy of five years of supposed left hegemony, is it positive? And how much does Adam give the Corbyn era out of ten? More coughing, though fewer answers than...

And why, with all the toilet roll panic buying we're glad we had those posters of Sir Keir through the post. Jon and Adam clash, comradely, on the leadership election (again…well, it does go on), and on open selection. We speculate about just who is funding Keir Starmer, and how you're meant to sell the Green New Deal. But mainly we spend our self-isolation telling each other why it is impossible to draw conslusions from local meetings - when no-one is able to really understand what's going...

It's a trickly time in the Labour Leadership. It really seems to have the potential to drag on, but all the candidates have been 'personally' texting Adam, even getting their buddies to give him a call. They don't give a flying SMS about Jon though. Has his choice of Twitter icon spared him from a deluge of internal party marketing or does the keeper of the database simply not believe Jon has something as sophisticated as a cellular telephone. They are a bit capitalist, after all. After a...

It's AGM season, and Adam went off to his first branch meeting since re-joining. Did he stay awake, or end up Chair? Do the nominations for leaderhip coming out of the CLPs have anything to say about the likely final result? Is the fake Keir Starmer running for leader? Is Liam Byrne really the grassroots of socialism in the Midlands? Are the people in the loaded Brexit vox pops clever or stupid? We get to the end of none of these questions.

To be clear, we're not only worried about the Hammers; the real question is can labour ever win back the men (and it is mostly men) from the all-seater terraces? We also don't manage to completely ignore the leadership debate, with Jon having made his choice and having a lot of thoughts on a certain drop out. Why does Jon dislike fellow Labour member Jess Philips so much? Is it a good idea for a party to have so much internal 'debate'?

It's always darkest before the dawn: a statement that is both factually untrue and unrepresentative of a January which seems to be dark inside and outside of the Labour party. Our tellys have gone dark too as there's no point watching. With Adam back in the tent pissing everywhere, and both being part of the selectorate for the leadership we propose that: the labour leadership election is important not so much for the Labour Party, but for the wider social movement. Because a left-led Labour...

Just how "I told you so" will Adam get, given that he was predicting a Tory majority and blaming Jeremy Corbyn? Just how well did Adam's Renew party do? Adam and Jon are united in defeat. Who or what will they blame? And what now for centre left and Corbynite left?

*A short story, after the melt Charles Dickens, by Jon. * Thatcher was dead: to begin with. There could be no doubt about that. Johnson had been to the funeral himself, sat near Osborne who was failing to hold back the tears. She was as dead as a doornail. Or less metaphorically, the 96 football fans who her government smeared and denied justice after Hillsborough. It was a cold afternoon in early December, and after cancelling another interview, Johnson was heading home for an evening with...

There's an election going on. Our thoughts on the campaign, the polls, and predictions and some stuff from the behind the curtain as Jon kills himself canvassing and Adam thinks he might go for the Labour leadership. We learn that when you knock doors: there are people who seem angry about voting Tory, there are people that seem guilty, there are those who feel somehow forced to; but you never get to meet any that are enthused or happy about it. It's Christmas and Swinson's Lib Dems is the...

There was not a mass debate, but merely a head to head. We go over the back and forth of the cut and thrust. Crucially no-one laughs at anything, no matter how many jokes we attempt. What's the deal with the Green New Deal Why Boris Johnson is not popular. The dementia tax, have we forgotten about it? What will the Tories do for policies? Arron Banks: Clever or Stupid? Why Dickens is a melt and why we might get presents for Boris's kids. How many again? Plus, after the credits, a little...

With the election run up now thoroughly underway, Jon and Adam take a look at last week in what passes for politics without a parliament, and look at which MPs we'll never see again. Since everyone is stupid in election season, we've decided to add a new featuer in which Jon tells Adam why left-dominated Corbyn's Labour isn't stupid policy area by policy area, starting with Education. It's actually very educational. Well, in so far as we can manage. In our new 'targeted stupidity' section,...

Like Donkey Kong: the election. Corbyn chose it (kinda) presumably because it was bad politics to lose the vote to Johnson for an election that was gonig to happen anyway. Possible election outcomes in order of Adam's fantasy: Conservative overall majority ( = fairly hard deal-based brexit and slim chance of a no-deal in under a year? + sets up the ultimate battle: a Labour leadership election. Similar Tory 'mild win' as before - more of the same...chaos Labour somehow in pole polition to...

Will there be an election? When? On Europe (because that's a thing people do still seem to talk about) we discuss the likliehood of the 31st of January extension and how much longer even the Europeans will let this carry on. Jon also tells us the most efficient way to cancel your membership of the Labour party (in case you haven't left already...). We take a look at the media, and whether it can adequately cope with modern politics and, indirectly, how broadcasters can find a way to make...

First talk about whatever the heck is going on with Brexit right now. Right here, right now. Who's going to vote for this deal that isn't a deal yet as it hasn't been voted for yet. And… Alastair Campbell has still got it (it being causing trouble for Labour). The CBI lied about the costs of Labour's nationalisation programme plans, despite John McDonnell and Jeremy trying thier best to bring them with us for the last three years. Does the option of trusting any agents of the status quo...

This week we hear just how (physically) close Adam has got to Jeremy Corbyn, what he thinks of the architecture in Brussels, and listen to some appalling audio quality. We also find out what Jon gets delivered mid recording session. From the substance, this week is all about Labour’s alternative Queen’s speech, and we ask whether the concept of a Government of National unity still exists, and will er get one? This week's clever or stupid? LBC Host James O'Brien. The Worst Tory Ever World Cup...

We all know the Tories don't have conference, they have a rally. You know, like certain well known European leaders of the late 30s. Since it's been dominating the airwaves what did we learn from this year's? Do Tories trust Boris? Naturally we look as briefly as possible at taste in political discussion, and Adam's also got a bit further through Dave's book and provides a handy synopsis (though there still hasn't been much about pigs). Be grateful; he's reading it so you don't have to! Also...

Neither of us are in Brighton, but that doesn't stop us being alight with conference gossip. We talk about the big heavyweight (or not so, now) battle between John Lansman and Tom Watson, about Tony Blair's toilet habits and about just how wonderful John McDonnell is. We debate if the option of ever having an open democratic discusion without the press screaming 'divison' and longer exists. Adam has been reading Dave's book. We ask if the head of Momentum is clever or stupid. And we talk...