Wipeout for Labour in Hartlepool

There are real shifts in politics and this feels like one. It's reached the point for me where if someone says they are 'left' 'leftish' 'Labour' I don't really know what that is likely to mean, and I say it about myself. What it does tend to mean in reality is a lot of negative groaning about lots of apparently insoluble problems (again, speaking about myself here) - most people feel that women and minorities are now equal in law and the problems people talk about in that arena are personal ones that the government can't or shouldn't interfere with, that Brexit has been quite bearable compared with Coronavirus, that 'left' voices are suddenly demanding closed borders for the pandemic having insisted that open borders are essential for decades except for other countries,, and that climate change is frightening but also impossible to deal with apparently and when people actually ask what they can do, it seems to boil down to stone faced people who've bought a new car recently lecturing them about which bin to use. Even I laughed occasionally at a couple of Johnson's one-liners this year, and felt for him when he was ill, and thought the vaccination programme was good, and was pleased about the Hong Kong passports promise, and was also pleased to see a much less white and male Cabinet, and I despise the fucker.

First female MP in Hartlepool, yet another female first for the Conservatives.

I love this from The Mirror:
MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle appeared to mock the party's attempts to change its image. He said: "Good to see valueless flag waving and suit wearing working so well... or not?''
He’s so bloody blind that it’s idiots like him who are losing Labour support.

Oh - and first female MP to ever be elected there - that is worth a cheer, even if I do vehemently disagree with her politics.

Hartlepool voted for brexit so Labour parachuted in a remain supporting candidate.
I hadn’t realised that - that’s clearly quite a stupid thing to do! Hartlepool was 70% leave!

I was at a CLP meeting in January 20, dissecting the general election defeat, where the visiting speaker (from another CLP) was analysing “why people voted wrongly”. People voted wrongly!!! Says a lot doesn’t it.

Labour MP on BBC Breakfast (didn’t catch his name but shadow local govt sec) saying the problem is not Starmer, the problem is “the Labour Party itself” which “hasn’t changed enough”. I interpret that as code for “there’s still a lot of momentum/Corbynite/sanctimonious wokebros amongst us, alienating people who would otherwise vote Labour”.

R4 good atm with Peter M

Two Cs - Covid and still Corbyn big issue

Learn from Blair winning that’s all that had

Doctrinaire thinking and behaviour is, ultimately, harmful.

I would love to think Labour’s unpopularity is caused by people waking up to the party’s misogyny. But it seems to be more than that

I think there are a lot of things at play. Hartlepool voted for brexit so Labour parachuted in a remain supporting candidate. They just don't reflect the people whose votes they want.

The whole message of the liberal left: "This is who you are and what you will be called. This is what you will believe. This is what you will perceive. This is what you will say. These are the derogatory names we will call you if you try to say anything other than this. Those who don't think in the superior way we do are wrong people who just don't matter. Now vote for us."

Yes.

And ”It seems that labour just don't like the people they expect to vote for them.."

It was a woman who won by a huge margin?

That’s great.

Labour being so weak concerns me too. I want strong opposition not floundering everywhere with Corbynism flip flop.

You can’t hold people in contempt and expect them to vote for you.

Momentum is part of the problem not the solution

Alan Johnson after the 2019 election nailed it

www.theguardian.com/politics/video/2019/dec/13/i-want-momentum-gone-alan-johnson-slams-labour-left-video

They can do one.

I’m a Tory, but I take no joy from Labour’s idiocy. We need a healthy strong opposition for politics to function properly and safely.
A one party state benefits nobody but its politicians. Just look at Scotland.

I would love to think Labour’s unpopularity is caused by people waking up to the party’s misogyny. But it seems to be more than that.

It’s hard to believe how popular Johnson is, when he has mishandled the pandemic so badly (apart from the successful vaccination programme). He can preside over an unnecessary disaster, with a huge death toll, and still win votes.

Meanwhile, the Labour Party has been useless as opposition, totally ineffective. Maybe, despite all the Tories’ lethal faults, they just look more sane than Labour?

God I hope this doesn’t drive a lurch back to Corbynism though. I really think Keir Starmer has it in him to be a decent PM and to get the party back to a focus on making life more equitable for working people. But he’s surrounded by those who think politics is something you do to the little people, and there’s still a high possibility of it all going south.

Oh man they don’t know what they’re doing

The two things I notice from the news are statements from Momentum doing a "told you so" and a suggestion that Labour could change its goals and aim for an alliance with the Greens.

I don't see either of these things steering Labour more in the direction of women's rights.

"It seems that labour just don't like the people they expect to vote for them.."

Yup.

The whole message of the liberal left: "This is who you are and what you will be called. This is what you will believe. This is what you will perceive. This is what you will say. These are the derogatory names we will call you if you try to say anything other than this. Those who don't think in the superior way we do are wrong people who just don't matter. Now vote for us."

And they're continually surprised that the message back from the majority of ordinary people living real lives in the real world is a politely muttered 'fuck off' as they walk away.

One thing Labour is terrible blue at is listening

Or trying to understand why

We keep bloody telling you why we won't vote for you, Labour, but you are not fucking listening.

Magnificent interview on the Today programme with Steve Reed. Key point from the interviewer - "It seems that labour just don't like the people they expect to vote for them.." Wow, he got that right! Steve Reed came the closest to accepting reality exists I have ever heard a Labour MP come - in recent years. There may be hope......

No, if they didn't pay attention after losing other nearby seats they won't now.

My Twitter contribution is "If you voted Tory, unfollow me as we have nothing in common." This just shows the absolute tone deafness of the party and some of the voters, they have absolutely no interest whatsoever in listening to why people have stopped voting for Labour in droves. "If you don't agree with me, you're not worth knowing."