Jeremy Corbyn re-elected: what now for Labour?
Posted by: hungryhalibut on 24 September 2016
It's hardly unexpected, but Jeremy has been re-elected with a larger mandate than last year. At a time when the country is about to embark on Brexit, which will affect the country for years to come, an effective opposition is critical, yet for the past year Labour has been looking inwards and fighting amongst themselves, rather than pulling together and doing what it's supposed to be doing. This can go one of two ways; MPs rally behind the leader with a massive mandate from the membership, or they continue to bicker and backstab and blow the party apart. While I didn't vote for Jeremy he now has the mandate and in my view it's the party's responsibility to get behind him, whether they want to or not. Jeremy too needs to make concessions, including on how the shadow cabinet is elected. I do so hope they can find a compromise and move forwards, as recent months have been an appalling display.
wenger2015 posted:Best join the Conservative party or if that's a no no, then it leaves the jehovahs wittness's as the only alternative....
actually on reflection best stay with Jeremy
It's far from a joking matter, for without an effective opposition the Conservatives are unfettered. Yes I'm a member of the Labour Party, and also a highly educated middle class liberal of the sort that Chris says the party needs to attract, so I would say that, but robust opposition is an essential part of parliamentary democracy, and holds true whichever party is in power.
As someone who works in local government I know only too well the devastating impact of the cuts, and as someone who has had to experience the workings of the NHS and spoken to consultants nurses and doctors I have seen at first hand how one of the UK's greatest assets is sinking to its knees. Rolling back the state was part of the Conservative mission, and we are really feeling it. Here in the south we have a train service that is pathetic and a Government that will not remove the franchise and simply blames the unions. We have ended up with Brexit because Cameron was afraid of his backbenchers. We have Theresa May, with her ridiculous grammar schools policy that virtually everyone believes is regressive.
Against all this we need strong opposition, and if Labour can get this right it has a chance of winning the election. Maybe a big chance, maybe not. But voters to not take kindly to parties that fight amongst themselves. I heard somewhere that Jeremy has yet to do a Today Programme interview, which I found rather telling. I received an email from Owen Smith today that I thought was way better than that from Jeremy, but also majored on working together. At least they agree on that, because unless the party can at least appear divided, we are doomed to even more Tory dogma led austerity, and we will all suffer the consequences.
Hungryhalibut posted:wenger2015 posted:Best join the Conservative party or if that's a no no, then it leaves the jehovahs wittness's as the only alternative....
It's far from a joking matter, for without an effective opposition the Conservatives are unfettered. Yes I'm a member of the Labour Party, and also a highly educated middle class liberal of the sort that Chris says the party needs to attract, so I would say that, but robust opposition is an essential part of parliamentary democracy, and holds true whichever party is in power.
As someone who works in local government I know only too well the devastating impact of the cuts, and as someone who has had to experience the workings of the NHS and spoken to consultants nurses and doctors I have seen at first hand how one of the UK's greatest assets is sinking to its knees. Rolling back the state was part of the Conservative mission, and we are really feeling it. Here in the south we have a train service that is pathetic and a Government that will not remove the franchise and simply blames the unions. We have ended up with Brexit because Cameron was afraid of his backbenchers. We have Theresa May, with her ridiculous grammar schools policy that virtually everyone believes is regressive.
Against all this we need strong opposition, and if Labour can get this right it has a chance of winning the election. Maybe a big chance, maybe not. But voters to not take kindly to parties that fight amongst themselves. I heard somewhere that Jeremy has yet to do a Today Programme interview, which I found rather telling. I received an email from Owen Smith today that I thought was way better than that from Jeremy, but also majored on working together. At least they agree on that, because unless the party can at least appear divided, we are doomed to even more Tory dogma led austerity, and we will all suffer the consequences.
HH,
I almost replied with a +1, but caught myself just in time, so instead I will say that I pretty much agree with everything you say above.
I am also pretty much in the same position as yourself, being a member of the Labour party and part of that same highly (if that means University graduate) educated middle class liberal demographic. However, although currently a member of the Labour party, I have not always voted Labour, and depending upon the circumstances have in the past voted for the Liberals (not recently) and the SNP (not because I want Independence for Scotland, but because I think that by and large they govern a devolved Scotland pretty effectively and fairly).
I too actually am horrified at the thought of an unopposed Conservative Government eating away, as they surely will, at the education and health systems, and would love to be able to be part of a Labour party movement that strives to address some of the social injustices in our society.
My concern is not so much with Corbyn, the man himself, even if I don't think he is an effective leader. At times, he comes across as a fair and principled person, and I do support some of his main policies.
My concern is largely twofold:
Corbyn, and those around him, appear to be much more interested in introspection and blind adherence to rigid party principles, from which they will simply not budge an inch, rather than reaching out to those in the left middle ground who might be persuaded to join ranks if some semblance of compromise to some of these principles were offered. Much of what Corbyn says and does appears to me to be focussed on appealing to and appeasing those people in the party, the so called 'Activists', who often have very clear agendas of their own. Most of the time, he is simply preaching to the converted. I must add that I have nothing against 'Activists' per se, because all parties need activists in order to be effective, but I despair when I see so called 'Labour Activists' campaigning vigorously and gleefully for the de-selection of all Labour MPs who did not support Corbyn in the recent leader elections.
I am concerned by the bullying tactics, despite the occasional protestation of Corbyn himself, of some of the people with whom he has surrounded himself. I was going to name one or two individuals, but have decided not to do so. This is accompanied by an adoption by some of the rising activists who have returned to the Labour fold, of old far left rhetoric that in my opinion is used deliberately to be divisive and to antagonise, rather than to reach out to others who also concerned about social injustice in general, and the prospect of a dominant right wing Conservative government for years to come. Even if I do largely support some of Corbyn's key policies, I don't know that I will feel comfortable being part of the new party structure that appears to be emerging.
Perhaps my view will change in the period leading up to the next election, but sadly I don't think it will.