Well, there we have it: Jeremy Corbyn has just been announced the next Labour Leader

[InTheBox]

With 59% of the vote (first round).

I've just been following the live BBC broadcast and just wanted them to get on with it.

No doubt people on both sides of the political spectrum will be overjoyed with the result.

Thanks for that, blacksunday - it wasn't in the original article. However, I still can't find any Tory rebels so I imagine the possibility only arose because some of the 330 Tories were absent (there were only 308 votes in favour). Had there been any serious possibility of losing the vote (i.e. had Labour said they were voting against instead of abstaining) they would have made sure everyone was present and there would have been no possibility of defeating the bill.

I think there were a minority who opposed the bill, even if they supported cutting welfare in principle.

Age should NOT matter. They'll piss off the valuable grey vote if they try that line

"The Tories are shitting it. If he posed no great threat and was such a joke they would just let him get on with it an bury himself."

Don't kid yourself. If nice guys with sensible policies got to be Prime Minister we'd have had a Green government for the last 10 years. Corbyn will be destroyed by a mixture of the Murdoch press, the parliamentary Labour Party, the Tories and the towering expectations of his supporters.

Tell you what, let's keep a link to this thread and check back in a year or so.
Or on 8 May 2020

Claig, you said exactly that about UKIP. Then the election happened.

BigChoc - won't be Boris - he had a chance when he might have been up against someone bland and Blairite and frankly boring, but the Tories are ruthless when it comes to picking leaders and dumping 'losers' (much more than Labour), I rate Osborne's chances in a leadership contest (especially with his most recent 'make over', he's beginning to look every so much more like a normal person), or alternatively, a female leader of the Conservatives would be a very clever move, particularly if they can find one who's had a 'proper job' outside of politics.

I am worried by Claig's predictions - because the opposite always happens !

If they did, blacksunday, they must have escaped the notice of everyone (including the guardian live blog who named all the Labour rebels) because I've done quite an extensive search now and I can find no mention of Tory rebels anywhere.

Dinosaur's I agree, They wouldn't be daft enough to choose someone with the nickname "Bonking" who drops clangers < sad >
I hadn't thought of a woman, but you are right that could be a great way to soften their image : now the memory of MrsT is only toxic to those who would never vote Tory.

Claig's perhaps exaggerating but does raise an interesting point. If the Conservatives are all about protecting the status quo and tradition, and Labour will be soon extremely progressive and rocking the boat, then the energy will only be coming from Murdoch's media and not from Cameron/Osborne.

This will make Corbyn's fighting spirit look very attractive to those seeking change.

So far all they have come up with is Corbyn is a "threat to national security, economic security and your family's security". That is not good enough. The public
security
security

whoops posted by mistake!
meant to say that
security
security
security
is a pretty pathetic and obvious bit of rhetoric

do they really think we are that dense

Shabhan Mahmood has gone, she won't serve in Corbyn's Shadow Cabinet. They are falling like skittles. There is now going to be a New Labour, but not like the last one.

"do they really think we are that dense"

Yep.

'do they really think we are that dense'

They really do. Remember Blair's devil eyes poster. They really think the public are that stupid that they will be swayed by this sort of Barman Gotham City the Penguin villain type stuff.

But...as a country we are that dense. It's how they get away with crap.

At this rate Dennis Skinner will be getting a call to be in the shadow cabinet .

"Corbyn will be destroyed by a mixture of the Murdoch press, the parliamentary Labour Party, the Tories and the towering expectations of his supporters."

Well that last is in our control isn't it. He's given us a chance, let's not waste it, and let's not expect the poor chap to do all the work. Time for anyone who wants to see a balance restored and the left revitalised (and society/ economy with it) to get out there and start helping in whatever small way they can. I've heard another 15000 people have joined up just since the result. It's a start.

Really interesting thread. I haven't read through to the end yet so don't know if this has been covered, but for all his principles I would really like to hear a little more of what JC has to say for himself regarding his apparent inertia following allegations of institutional child abuse in his own constituency. He denies inertia, but there is certainly very little evidence of any action. theneedleblog.wordpress.com/2015/08/01/derek-sawyer-jeremy-corbyns-former-constituency-agent/

But...as a country we are that dense
I like to think that it is (at least in part) because large numbers of people are just too stressed and busy coping with daily life to really wake up and see the various ways in which they are manipulated and exploited.

Then again the old 'you can fool some of the people some of the time' quote comes to mind.
I suppose that, to keep people subdued/oppressed etc those in power have to get it just right, too much and people will rebel.

Their techniques are not finely tuned enough to cope with the rise of social media/internet etc?
If they were that clever they spend more time monitoring the exchange of idea's on the www and respond accordingly?

Or maybe they did but it wasn't possible to contain or manipulate people like it was in the old days when we could only consume but not create the mass media?

(Or of course, in any large way they can, if there's people with influence out there!)

"At this rate Dennis Skinner will be getting a call to be in the shadow cabinet"

Yes, we are that dense. We think in stereotypes mostly.

Len McCluskey wants a close ally of Corbyn as Shadow Chancellor. I agree. It has to be John McDonnell. The media are doing their best to try and make it Angela Eagle instead. If it is McDonnell then we will know that the gloves are off and Corbyn is goingto go full out against the Tories. The panic in Tory ranks will grow to fever pitch.