British Prime Minister May scared of election debates with Labourite Corbyn

This 18 April 2017 video from Britain says about itself:

Jeremy Corbyn | BBC Interview | Labour welcomes the General Election

19 April 2017

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Theresa May announced her government’s intention to hold an early general election. If two-thirds of MPs vote today to accept abrogating the recent provision for fixed five-year terms in office, parliament will end all business on May 2 and a ballot will take place on June 8.

May’s surprise decision gives a measure of the escalating crisis of British imperialism in the aftermath of the narrow 51.9 percent vote to leave the European Union in last June’s referendum. Since that time, May, who supported the “Remain” camp, has led her party while at the beck and call of the pro-Brexit forces within it based on the constant assertion that “Brexit means Brexit.” But her hard-line pose has never successfully concealed, let alone mended, the deep divisions within the ruling class. Instead, she has been pushed into threatening a “hard Brexit,” including the UK’s exclusion from the Single European Market.

By Lamiat Sabin in Britain:

General Election: 50 Days to Show May the Door

Wednesday 19th April 2019

Election battle begins – but cowardly PM refuses to face Jeremy Corbyn in televised debates

JEREMY CORBYN welcomed yesterday’s announcement of a snap general election on June 8, saying it was an opportunity for a Labour government to put the interests of the majority of people first.

The political party with the largest membership in Europe has 50 days to campaign for a win.

Prime Minister Theresa May made her announcement without the usual prior briefing to journalists. It represents a remarkable U-turn in the light of her previous insistence that she had no intention of holding a general election before the scheduled 2020 poll.

She claimed that divisions at Westminster risked hampering the Brexit negotiations and that she wanted “unity.” The government has a majority of just 17 MPs. Ms May admitted that she needs a stronger position in the Commons to secure her plans for Britain’s future outside the EU.

“I have concluded that the only way to guarantee certainty and stability for the years ahead is to hold this election and seek your support for the decisions I must take,” she said.

Mr Corbyn said in a statement: “I welcome the Prime Minister’s decision to give the British people the chance to vote for a government that will put the interests of the majority first.

“Labour will be offering the country an effective alternative to a government that has failed to rebuild the economy, delivered falling living standards and damaging cuts to our schools and NHS.

“In the last couple of weeks, Labour has set out policies that offer a clear and credible choice for the country.

“We look forward to showing how Labour will stand up for the people of Britain.”

No 10 said that Ms May won’t be going up against Mr Corbyn in TV debates.

A spokesman said: “Our answer is no. The choice at this election is already clear.”

A pugnacious Mr Corbyn said: “If this general election is about leadership, as Theresa May said this morning, she should not be dodging head-to-head TV debates.”

Campaigners need to get out on the streets as soon as possible to talk to voters about voting Labour to prevent more cuts to services, the NHS, education and welfare, grassroots activist group Momentum said.

A spokesman said: “Over the last week, Jeremy Corbyn has announced commonsense policies to rebalance our economy in favour of the majority, which polls show are extremely popular with the public.

“We now need to mobilise and communicate these policies to as many voters as possible so we can get Labour into government to build a society that works for the many, not the few.”

The Conservative record in office is one of disaster for this country – and Labour’s policies are consistently popular. We need to get the message out: here.

There’s a mountain to climb for Labour supporters but we need to use the upcoming campaign to shine a spotlight on the party’s exciting and transformative policies, writes CHELLEY RYAN.

SCHOOLS should prepare for a “crucial election for education,” the leader of the National Union of Teachers said yesterday: here.

Unite: Labour under Jeremy Corbyn presents a real positive change for Britain. LABOUR could win the snap election — it has policies that voters want, union leaders said yesterday. Unite condemned Prime Minister Theresa May for going back on promises not to call an early general election and added that voters will not forgive her U-turn: here.

POLITICIANS of all shades have weighed in on the snap general election called by PM Theresa May yesterday: here.

KICK TORIES OUT ON JUNE 8th: here.

Bring down the Tories on June 8th to save the NHS, and end benefit and education cuts: here.

19 thoughts on “British Prime Minister May scared of election debates with Labourite Corbyn”

Wednesday 19th
posted by Conrad Landin in Britain

IT WAS surely inevitable that Theresa May’s announcement of a snap election would be blamed on Jeremy Corbyn.

The PM has jumped, critics of the Labour leader say, because the party is not an “effective opposition.”

Most of the naysayers, of course, were eerily silent when Labour supported Tory austerity, took a year to oppose the bedroom tax, declined to pledge to return Royal Mail and the railways to public ownership and said a Labour government would be “tougher than the Tories” over benefits.

Realities aside, the narrative has gained traction. And while not the only reason for Labour’s poor polling, many are convinced that so-called moderates’ briefing against the party leader has made the party less attractive to voters.

Matt Zarb-Cousin, until recently Corbyn’s media spokesman, went public with this view last week. He has accused former shadow cabinet member Michael Dugher and Bermondsey MP Neil Coyle of undermining the party’s fightback.

Still, and in spite of their public pronouncements, many of Corbyn’s critics may be concealing a smile. If they are right and Labour is destined for defeat, they will have their best opportunity yet to topple Corbyn. Their chances of reversing the Labour left’s recent insurgence would be bolstered by the timings of May’s announcement. A Labour leadership poll would almost certainly take place before Labour’s September conference.

So there would be no chance for the left to push through the so-called “McDonnell amendment,” which would lower the threshold for leadership nominations. Corbyn only made the 2015 ballot because party members put pressure on their unsupportive MPs to nominate him.

Now MPs know a leftwinger is likely to win, they would use their power to keep any such figure out. Should Labour lose the election, therefore, there will be even more pressure for Corbyn to stay on and contest any leadership challenge: as the incumbent, he does not need to be renominated.

Regardless of the general election outcome, one internal Labour battle looms nearer. Several MPs, including rightwingers Alan Johnson and Tom Blenkinsop, have already indicated they will not stand again. So far no parliamentary candidates selected under Corbyn have been from the left, with the Labour right’s bureaucratic machine more desperate than ever to maintain a foothold. Whether this can carry on with the sheer pressure of a general election is another matter.

http://morningstaronline.co.uk/a-2516-Critics-are-smiling-at-the-chance-to-topple-Corbyn#.WPeP22ekIdU

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