The labour Leader thread...

scorza said:
It's interesting isn't it? Corbyn struggles to get the required number of nominations from the Parliamentary Labour Party, but seemingly has no problem getting votes from Labour party members. This seems to indicate to me that the PLP has completely different values and opinions from that of the grass roots.
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There has been a mismatch, traditional Labour voters have had enough of New Labour (which is essentially Conservative-light).

Corbyn represents a more traditional Labour leader, but also has the benefit of being a good public speaker, lacking a strong regional accent (never popular in a leader) & connects with many middle class left leaning people also.

If they have enough electoral appeal shouldn't be the primary focus, if you turn into the opposition to beat them - what's the point of being in opposition?. It may be true that without moving closer to the centre they may lose the next election, but without a strong 'left' the line of the right pushes further along.

This government is far more right-wing than Thatcher ever was, just by Labour shifting right the goalposts have been sliding over the years.

More people from the mid-grounds could be pulled back to the centre-left than people think, Labour could have done significantly better in the last election if they didn't pick somebody void of charisma as a leader.

There is still a significant number of SNP & Lib dem voters who would be willing to move across given the 'right' leader. Obviously to people who are never going to vote for the left they will scorn him, but tbh the views of people who will never vote for them regardless matter little.
 
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elmarko said:
There has been a mismatch, traditional Labour voters have had enough of New Labour (which is essentially Conservative-light).

Corbyn represents a more traditional Labour leader, but also has the benefit of being a good public speaker, lacking a strong regional accent (never popular in a leader) & connects with many middle class left leaning people also.

If they have enough electoral appeal shouldn't be the primary focus, if you turn into the opposition to beat them - what's the point of being in opposition?. It may be true that without moving closer to the centre they may lose the next election, but without a strong 'left' the line of the right pushes further along.

This government is far more right-wing than Thatcher ever was, just by Labour shifting right the goalposts have been sliding over the years.

More people from the mid-grounds could be pulled back to the centre-left than people think, Labour could have done significantly better in the last election if they didn't pick somebody void of charisma as a leader.

There is still a significant number of SNP & Lib dem voters who would be willing to move across given the 'right' leader. Obviously to people who are never going to vote for the left they will scorn him, but tbh the views of people who will never vote for them regardless matter little.
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I'd agree with that, and add that Corbyn is the only candidate that I've seen demonstrate anything approaching leadership skills. I have a lot of respect for Andy Burnham as a politician, but he's done nothing to stand out during this campaign and I just don't think he'll be inspiring as a leader. Whether Corbyn can become PM is another matter, I think he can as long as he sticks to the principle of looking after British workers - if he goes down the route of multi-culturalism and social justice warrioring, then he's got no chance - we've had enough of that.
 
scorza said:
It's interesting isn't it? Corbyn struggles to get the required number of nominations from the Parliamentary Labour Party, but seemingly has no problem getting votes from Labour party members. This seems to indicate to me that the PLP has completely different values and opinions from that of the grass roots.
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That is the case in my opinion. The grass roots are the traditional working class people/union members the party was founded upon. The parliamentary party are not representative of the grass roots at all and are a bunch of sell outs that would do anything to get into power. Kendall may as well be a full blooded Tory, Burnham and Cooper are Tory lite, Corbyn is the only candidate that actually stands for genuine Labour party values but is a nobody and a genuinely left leaning Labour party has in the past been be unelectable
 
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I just can't stop laughing...

The hard-left MP Jeremy Corbyn is on course to become the next Labour leader, according to the first public poll of the campaign.

As the party descended into open warfare over its future yesterday, a YouGov poll for The Times found that Mr Corbyn would beat the previous frontrunner, Andy Burnham, by 53 per cent to 47 per cent in the final round of voting. A poll of first-preference votes puts Mr Corbyn 17 points in front.
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Bring it on. :D
 
hard-left MP Jeremy Corbyn
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Translation: traditional Labour man. He'll only appear 'hard-left' to people who think Blair and Miliband were properly representative of the party (they weren't).

Not surprising that a leftist leader is now preferred over a right-winger.
 
I would never normally vote for Labour, but Corbyn as leader might get my interest. As long as the party moved somewhat in his image.
 
Tefal said:
cause labour doesn't really have any labour people any more.
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With the corporatisation of politics you have a similar path for both parties. The politicians are growing further away from the people who elect them. Labour, especially, given their roots, are furthest away from their core support. Corbyn probably represents the nearest person to their roots. The rest are best described as Bliairte New Tory or Red Tory. With the whole country shifting further right Corbyn has not a hope in hell of being PM unless the Tories gift it to him by self destructing.
 
Labour are at risk of splitting into two parties if they don't stop fighting each other. You will have the socialist left on one hand and the social democrats on the other.
 
Ultimately depends on how the national mood is come 2020, I think that the system will degrade to the point of uselessness and both parties get equal share of the seats.

Also depends how the EU vote goes and what reforms are tabled as a result.

I won't really care though, pointless.
 
I believe I saw someone mention "respecting Burnham" above, I think he did a good job of smashing that idea to bits with criticising abstaining straight after abstaining himself. Labour were a weak opposition under Millipede at times but they are bordering a joke now!
 
XeNoN89 said:
Brilliant, I hope he gets in so they go further left and have even less chance of winning the next election :D
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Depends how the tory party leadership changes doesnt it? Cameron did say he would'nt fight another election if he won the last one. If its a bad change you never know...
 
Labour need a clear message and, sadly, Corbyn is the one candidate offering that. I can see why many grass-root Labour members find him so attractive as a potential leader.
 
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