Cable Forum - View Single Post - Shadow Cabinet Anger Over Shock Corbyn Letter

**Hugh** · 29-11-2015, 16:09

From today's Times.

http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/...cle1639136.ece

Quote:

For those who were there, the shadow cabinet meeting was a microcosm of everything that is wrong with Corbyn’s regime: his own lacklustre leadership, the low calibre of his allies, and what his critics call a duplicitous approach to party management.

The leader opened the meeting by explaining why he was opposed to war. “He read out rather dismally his prepared statement,” said one shadow minister. “He just mumbled away.”

Corbyn’s position was quickly undermined, though, by the shadow foreign secretary, Hilary Benn, who handed out copies of the UN security council resolution which Labour had called for and a list of preconditions the party had demanded at its conference.

“He demonstrated how the tests had been met,” one of those present said.

Michael Dugher, the shadow culture secretary, took up the argument, openly attacking Corbyn’s position. He said: “We set these tests. We set a pretty high bar. We’ve had a principled approach. You can’t set these tests and then when the government passes these tests set them another one. The public will think that approach is a ******** one.”

Dugher also made the argument that Labour was an internationalist party, whose responsibilities “don’t end at our borders”.

In a further broadside at Corbyn, he said: “There is another tradition which is pacifism that I respect. But pacifism is not a basis for public policy and neither is it a basis for any credible opposition that aspires to government.”...

...When Corbyn broke his word and sought to dictate the frontbench position, there was fury. A frontbencher said: “People are absolutely incandescent. This is not straight- talking, honest politics — when you agree a line and then go and shaft your colleagues.”

A shadow cabinet member said: “This is incredibly damaging for Jeremy. When he got elected he said he wanted to unite the party and have debates. He’s shown that is a complete sham by his actions this week. The approach he has taken has been profoundly dishonest. There’s nothing ‘new politics’ about stirring up the angry mob.”