Yes and No, Bob, Yes and No.

Yes we are down and staring into the soup bowl of life but we are not out.

The headlines in Stoke are: 'Where did it all go wrong for Labour'. Why Labour?

Yes there were some gaffes both Nationally and locally, but simplistic answers only belong in idealistic parties such as the BNP.

Proper, modern socialist parties needn't look to the past to see how we got it right (the 20th Century belonged to Tories but our small stage part reformed at every opportunity), we just have to move on and appear to be less big brother.

Our friend in Belfast ponders the thought of Nationalising companies in FTSE 100 but I can't see why. Is he idealistic or simplistic?
Easy answers, maybe, but not simplistic and idealistic ones that Oswald Moseley staged.

What gain for the British worker in FTSE 100? There was a time when an increase in the market meant exporting from factories was inevitable. Not any more, as there appears to be no connection at all.

Labour has lost out simply because of bad PR. Gordon hasnt been left alone since he decided against a GE when all those reaserchers come MPs banged on about calling one (supported by not one single LP member in Great Britain).

The media have harrassed him on being Scottish, for apologising when wrong (A first) and when 'officials' lose things. The 10p fiasco was exactly that. They got it back to front.

I am of the opinion that Labour's top 50 achievements are to be proud of but now the aim must be for 100.

I want my Government to stop persecuting me and I'll feel better about it and myself.

I'm available for interview in all CLPs that have MPs who disagree, 24/7.

Gary

Gary,you're a semi-literate, sad, ranting loser. You represent a party of losers who must be desperate if they put a loser like you up for election. You're a loser. Get the message? LOSER.

Come on Frank, you can do better than that. Elsewhere on the web Gary eats those sorts of comments and spits the pips out when he's finished.

Gary,

Please don't blame Gordo's PR I read somewhere (probably a Conservative blog) that he (read the tax payer) now spends more on PR than Tone ever did but as they seem to say a lot on Mr Fawkes blog you can't polish a turd.

Frank, I can't tell you how much you have hurt my feelings.

Jaymason, I do blame my party's PR, it is absolutely awful. I think this is because my party has had to contend with something that no other British Political Party has had to administer around, Globalisation.

The Tory years came about as oil started to flow and they squandered that benefit on attacking British workers. In other words, they failed Britain. We live today with awfulness of their decisions, that being high gas,electric and council tax prices.

Gordon has addressed this with social reform and in my view, has scored a near 100% success rate.However, a bad PR can undo all of this in an instant

Douglas Alexander nearly broke Gordon's arm in persuading him to go to the Country in October 2007. Bully for him.
Jaqui Smith telephoned SKY news (never denied but never accepted either) and informed them that Gordon was going to an October GE 100%.
He didn't call one and he has never been let off the hook. Why?

Nobody has ever cautioned Jaqui Smith over this and ranks were closed. Gordon, forever the leader but now a 'bottler', carried the can for something he had no part in.

The Tories are on a continuing roll because of this one lapse in the junior deprtments actions.These people now run my Country.

All in all, the Tories have no substance, they only have my party's bad PR.

Get over it. Dave lives in a meadia hyped dreamland that waves a white flag to substance and a red flag to social justice. I'm used to it and if the truth is know, i've missed it all these years. Let the press turn us over and let them ignore social reform in pension credit, fuel allowances and free travel etc etc etc.

One day the Tories will tell us what they will do with it all but we know they have a desire to 'balance the books' and 're-distribute wealth' in ways that we have not yet forgotten or forgiven.

I almost choked on my late night Frosties when I read Gary Elsby's comments above. Gary stated that I had pondered "the thought of Nationalising companies in FTSE 100" and subsequently asked whether I am "idealistic or simplistic." Well, I would have been both - if I had actually 'pondered' nationalisation as an acceptable path of action. Read my article again, Gary. I actually state: "I am not calling for the nationalisation of the companies listed on the FTSE 100..." I honestly don't know how anyone can read "I am not calling for nationalisation" as a plea for bringing the FTSE into public ownership!

Nevertheless, I agree with much of the rest of your analysis though I would not say that Labour lost the recent elections "simply because of bad PR." The public image of the party is undoubtedly a crucial factor but so are the policies pursued by it and it is because of that I can sympathise with those lifelong Labour supporters who either stayed at home last Thursday or cast their vote elsewhere as a result of the "10p fiasco."

The jist of my post was that Labour has to reposition itself on the left of British politics. I say this not as some disgruntled Trot or youthful idealist but as a moderate democratic socialist. Lost votes will not be regained with stunts like the Jeremy Kyle-style proposal to monitor benefit claimants phone calls with lie detectors or Liam Byrne's boast of plans to bring in "strict new criteria for foreign workers." Not even the most loyal Brownite would suggest these moves will be making any future list of top 50 achievements. At least I hope not.