Corbyn becoming leader will certainly shake Labour up, with the possibility of SDP II: Electric Boogaloo happening with the remaining Orange Bookers in the parliamentary Lib Dems. And then there’s the upcoming Tory civil war surrounding the EU referendum. Interesting times…
I was actually comparing Blair with the likely Tory governments of the late 90’s. In any case Osborne has announced big cuts in tax credits which were a signature Blair policy. And of course he has cut spending in a lot of other areas as well which wouldn’t have happened to nearly the same degree in a Labour government.
The fact is that the differences between the Tories and a Labour government under Cooper/Burnham would be enormous. The idea that Labour needs Corbyn in order to provide a real choice is nuts.
I remember the early 80s and how the media destroyed Michael Foot. No matter if some want think this is that, it really isn’t. To begin with, you cannot map the circs of 1983 onto 2015.
Having been somewhat aghast at Corbyn in the beginning I have gown into the idea however … I don’t think any of these 4 will win the next general election.
I honestly think the next Labour Prime Minister stands out like a Martello Tower across bleak Yorkshire Dales.
But Corbyn is interesting, intriguing even. He may well even set the stall out for the next Labour PM 
Polly Toynbee is a proper left-winger, much more than I, but also a shrewd analyst; she makes a good casewhy Corbyn would be a disaster for Labour.
I still wonder what the hell happened with Chuka Umunna - up-and-comer in the party, young, dynamic, popular, announces his campaign for Party leader…and then abruptly withdraws three days later, claiming to be “uncomfortable” with the “level of scrutiny” involved in a leadership race. What dirt did someone find?
A gay club-scene DJ? I’m sure he led quite the decadent life for some years. None of our business of course but plenty of people will have stories to sell, and the public loves gossip.
Curious how Osbourn’s coke habit never seems to gain much traction, maybe the public are tiring of all that hypocritical bullshit …
From a non-partisan POV it seems really very clear.
Labour were unelectable as a far-left organisation. Only a softer new-labour stance made it possible to come to government.
A swing back to the left makes them unelectable again.
Oh sure, Corbyn is bound to appeal to Labour traditionalists and will definitely re-ignite a discussion on what Labour is for and may well bring in new supporters…but…a Labour manifesto built to Corbyn specifications is probably going to drop a huge amount of silent, undemonstrative floating voters. Far more than will be attracted by the purity of the socialist message.
As it happens, I registered as a labour supporter just so I can take part in the leadership debate. I rather fancy the idea of having a say in the on the political discussions that will ensue…now, who to vote for?
What? He hasn’t been outed at all (Or is even gay) he was in trouble because he went to an exclusive nightclub in London which caters to the super wealthy, not really good venue to varnish your Socialist credentials.
The story I heard was that the “nightclub” was of the variety that involved unclothed ladies. Although frankly the man is over 18 and the clubs are legal, so if that’s all there is to the story he should just own it.
First I’ve heard of the “gay” thing; I know he has a girlfriend.
The Mail, etc, would relentlessly create sleaze around the candidate. The truth doesn’t matter. Also, the actual leadership campaign would be pretty comprehensively undermined.
If he’s a socialist, even the ‘champagne’ version, I’m Donald Trump.
So anyway, I’m leaning towards the ‘if we’re going down, lets do down in flames’ vote.
Corbyn was elected as I started to develop a political conscious. I find it incredibly hard to disagree with anything he says, to even find fault in how he has voted in Parliamnt. The problem is it is probably not electable as PM.
In contrast, we have three career politicians expert in prospering within hierarchies, at saying nothing at great length, who stand for whatever will get them elected.
That should not be the case. In the spirit of my youth I think we may as tell everyone to fuck off, throw everything up in the air and - with luck - change the world.
I remember the first time I heard this track. It was played immediately after the one o’clock news at lunchtime with numerous warnings to turn off your radio after the news if you didn’t want to be offended. How could a small group of complete outsiders fundamentally change everything in the creative arts in a matter of months - it’s impossible, and yet I saw it and lived it. Fuck it:
The gay rumour has certainly been around for a while, which of course doesn’t mean it is true. I did read an article a while back that suggested the gay smears were being put about by his fellow Labour Party opponents - more specifically ones linked to the trade unions. This would be a natural enough occurrence. The most dirty, smear-filled campaigns are as likely to be within a political party as between opposing ones.
So how long until there’s a coup by Labour MPs? One, two days at the most?
Jeremy Corbyn’s parliamentary guest, Dyab Abou Jahjah. The Tories must wonder what good they’ve done in previous lives to deserve an opposition leader like Corbyn.
So basically the election is to decide the guy who is to be the divorce lawyer for the UK.
Is he advocating violence, or expressing an opinion?
Neither answer to that question is particularly helpful for a politician trying to become PM.
Im *can *give Corbyn the benefit of the doubt. I can give him the benefit of the doubt and conclude he was trying to engage on controversial issues. This is what he and his supporters will also tell us. However, it is a fine line between getting his hands dirty “engaging” with unsavoury characters(politicians do it all the time) and actually being sympathetic to the cause. My knowledge of 1980’s era Left wing politics is that far too many were sympathetic to the cause. The Left will have no qualms about showing us pictures of Donald Rumsfeld meeting with Saddam, and will shout from the rooftops about Thatcher’s backing of Pinochet; They will do so without nuance. Well, if Corbyn is elected his opponents will now have 35 years of a back catalogue of his controversial meetings, interviews and speeches. Politicians are usually kept in check by their own career prospects. The promise of advancement prevents them being overly controversial on a regular basis. Corbyn has had none of these self moderating limits.
Very recently UKIP were condemned for having allies on the Far right in Europe.
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/oct/20/ukip-does-deal-with-far-right-to-save-european-grouping
I dont know much about this Far Right Polish party, but I suspect they arent regularly going around trying to kill British citizens and soldiers at this very moment. Well, Corbyn’s “allies” are and were. I expect the potential electoral and media backlash to be even greater.
If it’s okay, it is important to me. It’s pretty important to the police as well, not to mention to a democracy; one is obviously illegal, the other a protected right.
Stop this and people selling tens of thousands of books about the Queen being a lizard will be next.
“If it’s ok”? Please, stop with the attitude. I was simply pointing out that anyone attempting to become PM is on a sticky wicket when they have to continually defend themselves against such attacks. Assuming Corbyn wins the leadership contest he will be attempting to become de facto head of the British Armed forces. This is not some made-up controversy such as Ed Milliband’s British hating father; this will be the real deal controversy wise.
Stop what? Nobody is trying to ban freedom of speech, we’re pointing out that a man positioning to be the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom should not be fraternising with people who celebrate the death of British soldiers. Do you understand the difference?
Corbyn, and his supporters, are the gift that keeps on giving to the Tories.
“Judge a man by the company he keeps” seems fair enough to me. I would never want to see anyone locked up simply for inviting a speaking or holding a specific view (and that means any view) but Corbyn certainly will and should be under intense scrutiny for such associations if he is looking to become leader of the country.