Labour - fit for purpose?

[Meshy12]

I just watched a newsnight interview with Mark Serwotka (Gen Sec of the Public and Commercial Services Union).

He say that Corbyn only lost due to Brexit and that Labour should not compromise its values and heritage by becoming a more centric party. He reminded Kirsty that Corbyn is very popular with its members and won a lot of electoral votes in 2017. He supports Rebecca Long Bailey as the next Labour leader (who is basically a female Corbyn).

It is arguable that Labour should not have to abandon its socialist values to appease the electorate. But then that runs the risks that they will lose their role as the main opposition party. But others will argue that times have changed and Labour needs to become more centric and appealing to the masses.

So if Labour continues to be highly left leaning and if and when Brexit is “done” - will Labour ever be able to win its lost votes to increase its power in Parliament and potentially even win a majority next election?

Or will that be the end of Labour as we know it - leaving space for a new centric party to take that opposition role?

I know the independent party/change Uk aimed to fulfil that role but miserably failed - I wonder why.

on the hearts of many Labour men

Times have moved on and they can't self reflect, they are irrelevant right now.

We don't want extremes in the uk or hating the '' other side '' for the sake of it. Different times. Move on, modernise..

No they won’t win with another ultra left leader, was discussing this with political scientist mate who came round for dinner last night. His voting outcome predictions were really close and have been for all the three elections I have known him.

George Osborne got it right. When in opposition, move to the centre. When in government, move the centre. Labour under Blair knew that, Labour under Corbyn forgot it.

I saw a great article after this election claiming that people in many Western nations are voting more on cultural issues than economic ones. I think Labour is incoherent on culture except to just break everyone down into identity politics groups and slagging off the west as a history purely of slave holding and colonization. It's depressing as it just deconstructs everything. You also have the real danger of the left eating itself as we see transgender ideology using feminist arguments which deny any role for biology in the differences between men and women. I know Jo Swinson (sp?) was LibDem but I was delighted she lost her seat when she was incapable of defining what a woman was. All of that type of politics is BS and turns so many people off. I would gladly do anything to keep these awful people out off power. I just don't agree with the philosophy undergirding so much of their arguments. I was having a mild discussion via an internet forum with a guy who identified as a 58 yr old gay man. We weren't even discussing politics but he accused me of "tone policing" I have no idea what that is except "I don't like your tone young lady!" But it seemed like he had no come back to my argument so instead he attacked HOW I said it.

All of this bullshit is wandering way too far from how people actually live and talk. I have voted Labour all my life but did not vote at all in the election. I couldn't vote for Labour or the Libdems as the way they talk about issues is so alienating. And the way they see the world is depressing and hopeless. I also don't like them and was very unsure of the world they want to create, they're untrustworthy. (That's not to say the Tories are but Labour needs to be much more coherent).

I'm sure many voted for Boris because at least they knew what the hell he was talking about. He uses straightforward language and doesn't patronize the electorate. I really miss the days of John Smith, when Labour leaders came up through the unions and could talk intelligently and were down to earth. Now that politics has become a profession too many Labour policy wonks in London seem to not know how to communicate successfully.