The Labour Leadership Campaign

[Christmas Tree 4725]

The New Labour dynamic duo...... Tom and Jerry

[Meenzer 15531]

Ah, the Eagle has flown?

[Christmas Tree 4725]

Diane Abbott shadow chancellor ....... You couldn't make this stuff up

[JJ 0]

The whole "David Milliband would have won in 2015" narrative will be repeated in 2020 if the Tories win again with "Andy Burnham would have won in 2020." It's self fulfilling prophecies of stuff that can't be proved wrong.

 

Would David have been a better option? Perhaps. But Labour have just come off their second general election in a row where they got less votes than the Tories did in 1997 when they were completely demolished. It's not like he'd have made all the difference.]

 

At least we might get a coherent message with Corbyn in charge. Ed Miliband tried so hard to appeal to everyone with such mixed messages he ended up appealing to no-one. Even with Labour's pathetic number of votes for the size of the party, how many of those voted Labour as "the only way to keep the Tories out?"

 

Sure, Corbyn's Labour Party may turn off voters like Renton. And I'm by no means calling Renton a Tory here, but I've said before, Labour's strategy over the past 5 years has been to ignore the 10 million or more voters who are so uninspired they won't bother voting to concentrate on a couple of hundred thousand voters in marginal seats who may vote Labour or may vote Tory. It's been an abject failure.

 

Now as someone living in Scotland I don't personally think Labour will begin to make massive inroads in Scotland with Corbyn in charge, mainly because the left wing voters have jumped on the independence bandwagon, and won't be tempted back by a party who remains in direct opposition to that. But there is a disillusioned left in England who has been voting Green, voting UKIP or most likely, not voting at all.

 

Just because most of the Parlimentary Labour Party in recent years haven't come across as good social democrats, doesn't mean the majority of their voters aren't exactly that.

 

Look at the people who were throwing their toys out the pram at this result. Rachel Reeves, Tristram Hunt, Chris Reeves and others. The majority who were part of the problem and had no chance of being part of the solution. At least I learned who Jamie Reed is today I guess.

 

We will have a real opposition for the next few years. I hope the days of Labour traipsing through the halls to support toxic Tory policies are now over. If you don't think Corbyn can be Prime Minister in 2020 that's fine. But don't pretend Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper or Liz Kendall had any chance either.

 

Labour could continue sleep walking into complete irrelevance, using buzz phrases like "we need to listen to the electorate" and other empty meaningless phrases. They could continue to bleat about Tory austerity while supporting it themselves. They could continue to make noises about tory immigration policies while producing "controls on immigration" mugs. Or they could try something different that may reasonate with the electorate.

 

The next few years will be very interesting. Thank Christ the Westminster consensus has a chance to be broken up.

 

I welcome the change.

[Alex 35083]

don't think he'll be leader at the next election anyway

[Happy Face 29]

Sure, Corbyn's Labour Party may turn off voters like Renton. And I'm by no means calling Renton a Tory here, but I've said before, Labour's strategy over the past 5 years has been to ignore the 10 million or more voters who are so uninspired they won't bother voting to concentrate on a couple of hundred thousand voters in marginal seats who may vote Labour or may vote Tory. It's been an abject failure.

 

It has. But the majority of us delighted by this news live in safe labour constituencies, where millions of those abstainers live too.

 

It's those marginals where a few thousand votes matter that the battle is won/lost in our voting system.

 

It's a gamble that in those largely southern towns there are enough disillusioned left wingers engaged in politics but choosing not to vote that can be won back and outnumber those from the centre left that might be scared off by the more radical ideas.

 

Personally, I see it as a worthwhile effort. Nobody under the age of 48 has ever had the opportunity to vote for a party with real socialist values that could actually win in this country. I tire of comparisons to Foot, it MIGHT be as disastrous, but it's a completely different landscape and electorate. It's worth one attempt at testing the appetite for this change rather than chasing the Tories to the right and hoping business and media won't just crush it again and side with the authentic Tories.

[Happy Face 29]

91 of the 100 lowest turnout constituencies are already labour.

[Dr Gloom 21924]

I'm loving the media reaction to this. The foundations of the establishment are shaking. How refreshing to have an opposition that is genuinely opposed to the government and can make a convincing argument for something different.

 

Even if he is unelectable, still up for debate, or if his party splits, too early to say, it is a good thing for politics in this country.

[The Fish 10857]

If nothing else it will change the debate in this country.

[ewerk 30616]

don't think he'll be leader at the next election anyway

In which case his leadership will have been a complete disaster.

[ewerk 30616]

If nothing else it will change the debate in this country.

That depends on whether he is taken seriously by the media and general public. Which largely depends on whether he can find a way to get his message across seriously.

[ewerk 30616]

And he also needs to stop supporting the holocaust. I'd make that one a priority.

[The Fish 10857]

That depends on whether he is taken seriously by the media and general public. Which largely depends on whether he can find a way to get his message across seriously.

Won't the Tory-lites in the Labour Party now be replaced by more... socialist MPs?

[Happy Face 29]

And he also needs to stop supporting the holocaust. I'd make that one a priority.

I thought he was supposed to be a Holocaust denier rather than a Holocaust supporter.

 

If you're going to smear him the accusations shouldn't contradict

[ewerk 30616]

Won't the Tory-lites in the Labour Party now be replaced by more... socialist MPs?

There will likely be a shift in the balance of the shadow cabinet but since when has anyone given a shit about what the shadow cabinet has to say.

[Renton 21627]

I'm loving the media reaction to this. The foundations of the establishment are shaking. How refreshing to have an opposition that is genuinely opposed to the government and can make a convincing argument for something different.

 

Even if he is unelectable, still up for debate, or if his party splits, too early to say, it is a good thing for politics in this country.

The establishment is shaking! No it's not, it's pissing itself laughing.

 

Sorry HF is tired of comparisons with Foot, but for me the similarities are obvious, except Foot was so much more impressive and had the backing of at least some of the Westminster party. Alex is right, Corbyn will not lead the charge in 2020 anyway. Don't know who will though or of the party will still exist. Obviously time for celebration.

[PaddockLad 17274]

And he also needs to stop supporting the holocaust. I'd make that one a priority.

If this post didn't have the posters name on it my first guess would be that it was by CT. Thats a measure of how fuckin ridiculous it is.

[ewerk 30616]

As they say in France 'langues dans joue'.

[Renton 21627]

Btw HF, your constituency isn't that safe. Before 1997, it was always Tory in my life time. Prepare for that prospect again.

[Happy Face 29]

The establishment is shaking! No it's not, it's pissing itself laughing. [emoji38]

 

Sorry HF is tired of comparisons with Foot, but for me the similarities are obvious, except Foot was so much more impressive and had the backing of at least some of the Westminster party. Alex is right, Corbyn will not lead the charge in 2020 anyway. Don't know who will though or of the party will still exist. Obviously time for celebration.

The similarities are clear, but then so should the differences be. And I don't mean the perceived ability of the two ideologues. Very few leaders have remarkable intelligence these days, they should have conviction and be informed by brilliant minds they surround themselves with though.

 

The main difference is where under 30s get their news from these days and what motivates them to be involved in the political process.

[PaddockLad 17274]

The establishment is shaking! No it's not, it's pissing itself laughing.

Sorry HF is tired of comparisons with Foot, but for me the similarities are obvious, except Foot was so much more impressive and had the backing of at least some of the Westminster party. Alex is right, Corbyn will not lead the charge in 2020 anyway. Don't know who will though or of the party will still exist. Obviously time for celebration.

It's time to find out if Labours founding principles and ethos matter and can help society in the early 21st century. If Corbyn is a disaster, and even though I voted for him there's every indication that he could well be, we'll end up with a bland as fuck choice as in the U.S. between two largely neo con corporate cock sucking blocks, albeit one with a slightly less scary PR message. This is the UK's last chance, but I think the Tory propaganda machine will cut his knackers off before his first PMQ's. Edited September 13, 2015 by PaddockLad

[Renton 21627]

I'm actually amazed people think there was and would be no difference between Labour and conservative. Really?

[PaddockLad 17274]

I'm actually amazed people think there was and would be no difference between Labour and conservative. Really?

Seeing as the Tories said they'd slow down the planned austerity cuts as soon as they won the election, which was basically the core economic policy in Labour's manifesto, then I'd say the two were pretty similar.

[Renton 21627]

Seeing as the Tories said they'd slow down the planned austerity cuts as soon as they won the election, which was basically the core economic policy in Labour's manifesto, then I'd say the two were pretty similar.

So for you living in the UK 1997 to 2010 was the same as 2010 onwards? Is that really the case? Not in my experience like.

[Happy Face 29]

I think the problem is in the last 2 elections Labour have embraced taking the blame for over spending in that period and committed to austerity measures approaching similar levels. Not that labour 97 is the same as Tory 2014.