Jeremy Corbyn becomes new Labour Leader

[brennan]

Indeed he is. Leftist policies aren't popular currently in the UK, most people are voting for conservatives or UKIP now.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_general_election,_2015

The single largest voter block is 'didn't vote'. Between them the Conservatives and UKIP took less than 50% of votes cast. I think there's plenty of disenchanted support for the left in England - after all who have the left in England had to vote for since 1997?

Edit: it is also a mistake to think that UKIP supporters are neccessarily on the right. They take a fair amount of support from the disenchanted anti-immigration working class.

 

[gay_Aleks]

I should think he'll bag himself a directorship with some major corporation before too long.

That or major talking engagements. And there's loadsa money to be made there.

"This is, uh, my new, uh, book, uh, "How I lost against, uh, Robo-Cameron". Uh."

 

[bhavv]

after all who have the left in England had to vote for since 1997?

Green.

 

[gay_Aleks]

The who? What's those Green people you're talking 'bout?

 

[Kyriakos]

They also had the (RIP) Lib dems

Until they gave them enough votes to be in a gov coalition, which killed them.

 

[Ajidica]

Edit: it is also a mistake to think that UKIP supporters are neccessarily on the right. They take a fair amount of support from the disenchanted anti-immigration working class.

Wasn't the original push to enter Europe and the Common Market from the conservatives with Heath?

 

[brennan]

I'm not that old. It could have been - as part of the 'it's good for business' bit of Conservatism. Maastrict of course was Major iirc.

 

[sherbz]

I think the interesting thing is that at the start of the leadership election, the terms of the debate were framed largely around how Labour could win back votes from the tories. But Corbyns great victory is that he has actually managed to give those that protested, and even those who dont vote, a voice. This is what makes him different from the westminster politician. He actually cares about people who feel disenfranchised. And this also explains why you had Labour grandee after Labour grandee come out and say "dont vote for Corbyn", and the opposite happened, with 85% of registered members backing him as their first preference, which is a fairly astonishing statistic. He also has the power to convince the people who deserted labour and vote for other parties to come back. That would include BNP supporters, UKIP supporters, Green supporters and SNP supporters. He might lose a few people on the right of the party though to the Lib Dems though.

But all of that actually makes him unpredictable in terms of how successful he will be. He ran a very slick online campaign. The first British politician to actually manage one (IMO). If i were a tory, i think it would be foolish to write him off.

Having said all that, the cynic in me says that he wont be able to win in 2020. And thats if he even makes it to the election, as he is clearly at odds with many of his MPs. But if Labour win the mayors contest in Bristol, and then win London next year, youu could see the snowball keep on a rolling.

For me personally, i am happy he won. He is a conviction politician and makes a refreshing change to the idiot careerists who dominate our political system. But i dont agree with him on a number of issues. Yet you know where he stands. I think he will be useful to have in the mainstream. I am sick to death of Nigel Farrage sucking up all the anti feeling in society. And Corbyn is similar to him, albeit the left wing version.

 

[kiwitt]

I suspect something will happen to him over time if he gets too popular. Can't have someone stop the future or even current Corporatocracy

 

[brennan]

Amid calls for a display of unity several big names have declared that they are unwilling to work with the man who won such a huge mandate from party members. One MP even went so far as to submit his resignation from the front benches via twitter (that would get you fired from most organisations these days). A couple of heavyweights plus Lord Prescott and Ed Milliband have lent support or declared their willingness to work in Corbyn's Shadow Cabinet.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/sep/12/labour-frontbenchers-rule-out-serving-in-jeremy-corbyn-shadow-cabinet

A victoriousJeremy Corbynvowed “things can and will change” as he was handed the clearest electoral mandate of any Labour leader, but he also faces the challenge of forming a shadow cabinet after at least seven members of the party’s frontbench indicated they would not serve under his leadership.

Yvette Cooperled the group of shadow cabinet members declaring they could not serve under his leadership in the hours after it emerged that the MP for Islington North had won 60% of the vote in the first round, winning in every part of the electoral college including among party members.

Their decision is a risk, because if Corbyn has a political honeymoon, they may find themselves marginalised in a party otherwise united behind its new leader, who won a slightly higher share of the vote in the first round than Tony Blair did in 1994.

Corbyn told the London conference at which his victory was announced that “this great democratic exercise” meant “the fightback of our party now gathers speed and gathers pace”.

The new leader now faces the task of constructing a broad-based shadow cabinet, pulling out of a major TV interview with Andrew Marr on the BBC on Sunday to start the process. Within two hours it was clear that Rachel Reeves, Emma Reynolds, Tristram Hunt, Chris Leslie and Liz Kendall as well as Cooper would not serve under his leadership.

Chuka Umunna, the shadow business secretary who congratulated Corbyn before adding that winning office was the ultimate way to putLabourvalues into action, is also expected to return to the backbenches.

Those who said they would be willing to join the new shadow team include MPs Liam Byrne and Mary Creagh, the former leadership candidate who dropped out mid-campaign.

Lucy Powell MP, vice-chair of Labour’s last general election campaign, said she could also serve under Corbyn if the position was right and certain “conditions” were met. Rosie Winterton is also being tipped to stay on in the testing position of Chief Whip.
...
The defence secretary, Michael Fallon, opened the Tory attack on Corbyn. “This is a very serious moment for our country. Labour are now a serious risk to our nation’s security, our economy’s security and your family’s security,” he said.

“Whether it’s weakening our defences, raising taxes on jobs and earnings, racking up more debt and welfare or driving up the cost of living by printing money, Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour party will hurt working people.”

 

[Arwon]

When does Tony Blair get arrested then?

 

[Birdjaguar]

Who aren't really leftist at all.

Link to video.

 

[Yeekim]

I totally read "Jeremy Clarkson" in the title and was... very confused for a while.

 

[Kyriakos]

The defence secretary, Michael Fallon, opened the Tory attack on Corbyn. “This is a very serious moment for our country. Labour are now a serious risk to our nation’s security, our economy’s security and your family’s security,” he said.

Eh...
This is the same person who recently ordered the drone kills against british citizens. Yeah, Corbyn is the security risk to people.

I'd love for Corbyn to become PM, although last time a labour left candidate was going to be PM he happened to sort of die. So Blair entered the scene.

 

[EnglishEdward]

The defence secretary, Michael Fallon, opened the Tory attack on Corbyn. “This is a very serious moment for our country. Labour are now a serious risk to our nation’s security, our economy’s security and your family’s security,” he said.

“Whether it’s weakening our defences, raising taxes on jobs and earnings, racking up more debt and welfare or driving up the cost of living by printing money, Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour party will hurt working people.”

I saw Michael Fallon speak on television last night, and was amazed at the hypocrisy.

This is precisely what George Osborne has been doing for each of the last five years.

 

[amadeus]

Do voters want someone like this as PM? Has there been that big of a swing to the left in recent years? I haven't seen it, but I'm not a close watcher of UK politics.

 

[EnglishEdward]

Do voters want someone like this as PM? Has there been that big of a swing to the left in recent years? I haven't seen it, but I'm not a close watcher of UK politics.

No, there has not been a big swing to the left in the UK.

What has happened is that all the major political parties
have swung to the right, and left the electorate behind.

Conservative planning assumes >> 2% economic growth for each year until
next election in 2020. If they get that, they will likely be re-elected in 2020.

However if there is little or no growth, it is less clear; and if there is
another recession, their totally unjustified reputation for economic
competence may simply evaporate as it did with the previous
conservative, the John Major, administration in the 1990s.

 

[brennan]

We hope that the electorate have been left behind. Otherwise this really is electoral wilderness stuff. But i'm optimistic, based on my understanding that Labour had a huge lead in the polls before Blair was voted leader back in 1994, that all the received wisdom about Blair and his shift to the centre/right being what made Labour electable is a historical fiction post hoc ergo proctor hoc

Of course since the political paradigm presented in the media has gone with that questionable assumption for so long it may be hard to show the fiction for what it is to the electorate.

Edit: looked at the headlines this morning and it's all 'RIP the Labour party'...

 

[Tahuti]

Heard he is for British withdrawal from NATO. Is that true?

 

[brennan]

It is. But I would guess/hope that it is one of his personal preferences that, if he has any sense, he will not push to become party policy.