Corbyn's days (very) numbered?
- Thread starter GlennB
- Start date
Someone somewhere suggested that, did they? Well, never mind hey, it'll be great when all the nasty mainstreamers have gone and the Trotsky-ites can have their perfect little party, waving their red flags and having nice little meetings amongst themselves, won't it. Who knows, they might even apply for charitable status for their little pressure group.
Curious that you'd put Andy Slaughter in the category "right wing".
Except it's not just the right wing who are against him. I think a number of his policy ideas are sound but he is simply not the man to persuade all those undecided voters to support them. Add to that his dubious conduct during the Brexit campaign and its no wonder they wanted him gone. And before anyone complains about the MPs and party loyalty Corbin voted against the Labour government on hundreds of occasions, by his own standards the MPs were right to act according to their opinions.
The Tories choose their leader in almost the same way. They also let the MPs do the initial selection of the candidates and the final choice needs 50% +1 votes from the members. They have a different way of getting down to the final two (the MPs do it rather than the members) but if there are two clear front runners plus some also-rans it makes no difference.
The Tories have a lot less members than the Labour party, and those members are, arguably, equally non-representative of the public as a whole.
The Tories have a lot less members than the Labour party, and those members are, arguably, equally non-representative of the public as a whole.
Archie Gemmill Goal
Banned
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- Nov 18, 2015
- Messages
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The problem for Labour is not the leader and changing him won't make a jot of difference to the electability of the party.
Can anyone tell me what the Labour party actually stands for these days? They seem to have a complete inability to actually argue any principle any more and end up pathetically falling between two stools every time.
Their view on immigration is typical - they won't argue for it because that would annoy too many people, they won't argue to stop it because they don't want to come across as anti-foreigner so they just pussy-foot around it by acknowledging its a concern or somesuch.
It seems they can just about conjure up some enthusiasm to oppose something like austerity or Scottish independence but even then it's fairly lukewarm and not really driven by a vision of what they would propose instead except more of the status quo.
Not one of their senior politicians is a leader, they're barely competent politicians chasing opinion polls and the ground that will upset the least people (while ironically annoying everyone)
If Labour becomes a small left-wing party again with clear principles and grassroot support great. If it becomes a centre-right alternative to the Tories fine. What it can't do is keep pretending to be both.
Can anyone tell me what the Labour party actually stands for these days? They seem to have a complete inability to actually argue any principle any more and end up pathetically falling between two stools every time.
Their view on immigration is typical - they won't argue for it because that would annoy too many people, they won't argue to stop it because they don't want to come across as anti-foreigner so they just pussy-foot around it by acknowledging its a concern or somesuch.
It seems they can just about conjure up some enthusiasm to oppose something like austerity or Scottish independence but even then it's fairly lukewarm and not really driven by a vision of what they would propose instead except more of the status quo.
Not one of their senior politicians is a leader, they're barely competent politicians chasing opinion polls and the ground that will upset the least people (while ironically annoying everyone)
If Labour becomes a small left-wing party again with clear principles and grassroot support great. If it becomes a centre-right alternative to the Tories fine. What it can't do is keep pretending to be both.
dudalb
Penultimate Amazing
Could Labor be going the way the Liberal Party did in the 1920's'ie,become hopelessly divided?
Thing about Corbyn is whether his policies are right or not might be irrevelent;he seems to be a horrible spokesman/advocate for them.
Thing about Corbyn is whether his policies are right or not might be irrevelent;he seems to be a horrible spokesman/advocate for them.
To what Archie said: Hear, hear.
If Labour MPs just want to be elected and have no political beliefs they're not prepared to abandon in pursuit of election then they should just defect to the Conservative party.
If they do actually have any political beliefs then they should join, form, or remain in a party that most closely supports those beliefs.
If Labour MPs just want to be elected and have no political beliefs they're not prepared to abandon in pursuit of election then they should just defect to the Conservative party.
If they do actually have any political beliefs then they should join, form, or remain in a party that most closely supports those beliefs.
The requirement for a successful political party is to both have a set of beliefs and to get elected to government to enact them. If one precludes the other you're not a party you're a protest movement. If Corbyn had a coherent platform and could articulate it to the electorate that would be fine, but he hasn't and he can't. He got elected to the leadership because he is 'anti-establishment' and he tapped into the dissatisfaction with the status quo.
Or they can leave the party and form a more relevant one. Which I think is more likely.
dudalb
Penultimate Amazing
It could be a repeat of the Liberal party break up of the 1920's.
I think the more career minded mp's are worried that it might be a repeat of the SDP split off in the 80's.
This.
Although having a coherent platform and the ability to articulate it is not enough if you can't lead your MPs.
He's an overgrown student politician. Of the sort that score points amongst their peers by demonstrating ideological purity.
Yes, agreed.
Francesca R
Girl
Lovin' this new kind of politics Jezza. . .
Francesca R
Girl
I think it is this slogan and others like it that is responsible for the slow train-wreck of self-annihilation of Labour.
Spot on, you three.
The fight now is between the Corbyn cultists and the centre left over which of them retains the use of the Labour name and organisation, and which of them has to clear off and start afresh somewhere else. That I am not in the least surprised that the unions have aligned themselves with the cultists says everything you need to know about the state of the left in Britain in the 21st century.
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Fewer, dammit.
Indeed, this is all very true. However, the one difference is that you can't just pay £3 to the Conservative Party and get a vote on the next leader that afternoon.
I wish less people would confuse a personal preference for a rule.
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