Corbynmania?

I agree, Bruce.  Corbyn seems to be man of integrity with left-wing views that younger voters might feel are fresh.  I can understand his appeal to many who are tired of many politicians who seem (are?) more interested in espousing views that they think will get them elected rather than what they genuinely believe in. It's amusing to see the near-panic within elements of 'new Labour' at the prospect that he might win.  

Of course it's very hard indeed see a Labour party led by Corbyn winning a general election and, as you say, the Tories would probably be delighted to see Corbyn become leader. On the other-hand, the next election is a long way off and much might change in both main parties before it arrives so it might do our democracy good to have an Opposition with a very different set of policies challenging the Government.  Arguably the new SNP members will provide some of that but the Labour party doing so would be a significant shift.

Given the persistent low level of voting and interest among the young that we have seen for many years now, if Corbyn's leadership sparked such interest I would think it worth him winning for that alone.

Good luck to the fella, I say.

Mike

In short, the options are stick to founding Labour principles and figure you'll never get back into power or say 'Sod it' and go for glory with Tory lite. But still pretending you care. It seems.

What is the point of having a party that is Tory Lite? History suggests that the more Tory Hq goes right the more Labour moves left, maybe that is a naive model but some to some people priciple are stronger than the blade of grass blowing in the wind.

Either have a real choice or just cut out the middleman and vote Tory or Eukip.

As a great man once said Here is a list of my principles, if you don't like them I some more.

Some sensible and rational comments here, which is more than we can expect from the press and politicians if/when Corbyn wins.

He may not be the next prime minister, but I think he is needed. One of Thatcher's achievements was to move the political concensus to the right. Ideas which were considered mainstream in the '70s (and still are in Scotland) are now labelled as crazy because they don't fit with the norm anymore.

People like and agree with Corbyn's policies, but are told he's unacceptable. A colleague of mine supports UKIP, but found she should be voting Green when she did an online quiz! He's addressing Labour's problems, which were so cruelly exposed by the SNP in May.

It's going to happen anyway so let's get behind him and reject the dreary orthodoxy of the other three.

Keith

+1 And I hope it does backfire on Blair. Whilst I can't align myself with all of Corbyn's policies and ideas, it is at least refreshing in its difference. We need an alternative, which hasn't been the case with New Labour or the Lib Dems when they've all been claiming the middle ground. 

Mike, but can you see a Labour Party Led by Burnham, Cooper or Kendall winning a General Election? I can't...

He's certainly tapped into something and may well be getting my vote, but I was surprised ( especially with his on-campus appeal) to learn that he has no real higher education to speak of.  I'm all for ending the public school and Oxbridge closed shop, but this would be very unusual in someone who wants to be PM.

No, Kevin, neither can I.  I don't think Cooper or Burnham were the least bit impressive while they were in government. Kendall's only selling point as far as I can see is she isn't directly associated with the last Labour government. I can see any substance in her at all.

Mike  

Is that a Problem? In my book that's a plus.

Athough I think Corbyn's ideas are " Old Labour" and rather out of step with the current society that's developed in the last ten years or so, I can see him appealing to a large number of young people who're looking for some clear differentiation between the parties. The Tory media will be working overtime to discredit him & maybe as a consequence folk may see them for what they are.

This story has been told before, but it's worth re-telling.

In 1975, the UK opposition party held a leadership election. One of the candidates was a complete outsider, an oddball with little ministerial experience and considered as possessing some very outré and dangerous ideas. The outsider had no chance, and would be a complete turn-off for the electorate, the party was told.

That outsider was, of course, Maggie Thatch.

Why do you think it unusual?

The prospect of Corbyn discussing world 'events' with Trump as future leaders of the 'free west'....there's food for thought.

G

It's not that unusual for PMs, at least from the 1960s on:

Wilson - grammar school, Oxford

Heath - grammar school, Oxford

Callaghan - secondary school, didn't attend Uni

Thatch - grammar school, Oxford

Major - secondary school, didn't attend Uni

Bliar - private school, Oxford

Brown - secondary school, Edinburgh

Cameron - private school, Oxford

If I were sitting next to, or opposite, Trump, the temptation to tip or flip that wig would just be too tempting...

Possibly more relevant is his lack of experience of any form of government, admistrative office, or leadership.

i think the most senior post he has ever held was something like head of the planing department of Haringay Council.

There is outsider, and outsider.

Bruce

I suspect that beneath that fine 'syrup' lies a secret........

Because the vast majority of British PMs  in my lifetime ( I admit I forgot Major) together with current western leaders, have had a higher education.

Bruce, I think there is one thing that will really do for him should he ever become leader, and that's his very "old left" attitude to immigration; which is to say, "any attempt to control immigration is racist".  The UK electorate may accept socialist ideas, or overlook a perceived lack of experience, but they will NEVER accept uncontrolled immigration.

I suspect being Head of Anything in a Local Authority is a far better qualification than some PPE degree and a few years as a special adviser that many career politician clones can boast...

Perhaps I asked the wrong question: why does any higher qualification make you more suitable for high office, given the complete horlicks some highly educated politicians have made of things?

Very fair!

What a shame Alan Johnson has never stood for lab leader. He appeared to have lived in the real world prior to politics.

Bruce

For me, the biggest beneficiaries if Jeremy Corbyn wins the labour leadership won't be the Tories,  for them this is mostly irrelevant, it will be the Liberal Democrats... They have been routed, and desperately need to rebuild their  support. If labour shoot off to the left I suspect the Lib Dems will gain a significant wave of disaffected more centralist labour support. I imagine Farron is praying for a Corbyn victory, and the SNP fearing it. Who said politics was boring...

Simon

Having lived in Haringey, I didn't see much evidence of public carpentry at all...

Chortle

I think that the other reason that Mr C has so much support is that he has at least had a vision of the future. Instead of just saying how terrible the Tories are he has actually proposed something. You may not agree with any of it but at least he has presented an alternative. None of the other three candidates have done that. In the same way that Labour failed to provide an aspirational future at the last election with which the voters could identify with or at least support in opposition the that of the Tories, the other three candidates have spent the last few weeks simply criticising Mr C rather than offering their own strong vision. They are seen as just being more of the inept same.

I will be surprised if he is the next prime minister but I hope he will actually galvanise the labour party into what it could be, ready to be elected and create that better society that some of us would still like to see.