But we are not in 'momentum' and should not be labelled as left wing when it doesn't fit anyway.

It is an irritating stereotype used by people in the absence of any argument.

It's particularly annoying to be labelled as a 'leftie' purely because I have an open mind receptive to new ideas.

We are in the society because we have to be, but that does not mean that we are of it....

Open our minds and let us be rid of redundant 'left' and 'right' stereotyping.

So why bother debating politics? Or following it at all for that matter - just show up on Election Day, vote Tory, and forget all about it until the next time.

wheres nick

But we are not in 'momentum' and should not be labelled as left wing when it doesn't fit anyway.

It is an irritating stereotype used by people in the absence of any argument.

It's particularly annoying to be labelled as a 'leftie' purely because I have an open mind receptive to new ideas.

We are in the society because we have to be, but that does not mean that we are of it....

Open our minds and let us be rid of redundant 'left' and 'right' stereotyping.

I'm a member of Momentum, and I have to say I think this whole thing's a bloody farce.

The headline is obviously tantalising for our opponents, but look at the details of this story and you'll see it's a storm in a tea cup. The Electoral Commission have said they'd investigate, as they do with almost any non-party organisation involved in the election. Momentum said they'd be happy to take part, having already released their expenses for the election.

The Standard, the Times etc have their story though. Needless to say that when the investigation actually comes back with its findings, they'll report them on the 35th page, but for now they can stamp it on the front page with the usual 'hard-left', 'Trots' etc labels.

It's nearly as ludicrous as this whole 'purge of the moderates' argument that's going on. But that's for another thread me thinks...

Good question!

Momentum was born out of a group in Labour called the CLPD - the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy. It was run mainly by people like John Lansman and Mcdonnell, and it was a sort of protest movement at the top-down reorganisation of the Party by Mandelson.

Instead of party members electing local council nominees and Parliamentary candidates, the decision making was transferred to Whitehall and the NEC. That basically meant you got people like Tristram Hunt being put up in a place like Stoke on Trent, a person with about as much to do with Stoke on Trent as Alan Mullery does with Crystal Palace.

So their first job was to wrestle control back from the beureaucracy and give it back to members. Then, during the election, they were tasked with mobilising new Labour members, which they evidently did with incredible success.

As for policies, Momentum now is a really large organisation, with nearly as many members as the Tories. It took in people from anti-war backgrounds, climate backgrounds, housing, immigration, education...so lack of policy ideas is certainly not an issue!

As for free education not being financially viable, how do you think they manage to do it in Germany then?