The Labour mindset in a nutshell

Just had a quick look at the new LabourList website and I can't say I was terribly impressed with what I saw.

It's being billed as the Labour alternative to Conservative Home and Lib Dem Voice, but so far it's not a patch on either of them. Its contributors list is stuffed full of the great and the good of New Labour, so I doubt it will provide a real voice for grassroots members that both its major party rivals do.

The feeling of a top-down, Pravda-style publication is enhanced by having as its main headline at the moment: 'Responding to the Tories' poster campaign, Gordon Brown says:'. It also contains a big picture of Brown in his 'war room'.

Design-wise, LabourList also looks rather dull. OK, it is still better in that respect than the dreary Labour Home, but it could certainly do with a bit of sexing up.

But my attention was caught by this posting from Derek Draper, which I think sums up the problems with LabourList as it currently is and sums up the Labour Party mindset in a nutshell. Their response to having contradictory views on the site is to seek to close down the possibilities for criticism.

I was particularly amused by this sentence from Draper:
In order to ensure an insightful, engaging debate we will also place other comments judged to be grossly unintelligent or obtuse or trolls in our trash can.

Heavens, if they're going to stop grossly unintelligent or obtuse people from having their say, that's millions of Labour voters disenfranchised for a start.