Well, there we have it: Jeremy Corbyn has just been announced the next Labour Leader - Part 2

[Donotknowhownottomind]

Just opening the continuation of the last thread...

The 70s were absolutely dreadful in the NE.
Also the whole country suffered 60% inflation over three years (and top rate of tax was 99%). Imagine the impact on your life savings if infliation is 60% (not quite Zimbabwe and yes salaries rose, a bit, but it was very very tough. There was also a terrible property crash which left many people ruined.

I certainly agree that there is no guarantee Corbyn will allow union power to bring the country to its knees again but it remains a risk. The 70s were not all bad. We started with the 1970 Equal Pay Act which for the first time said women and men should be paid the same, but it was a tough decade.

Something like 9% of Labour MPs are behind Corbyn so it's going to be an interesting ride.

radegund I think an MP's primary role is to represent their constituency, not their constituency party! (It's perfectly possible for an MP to switch parties without triggering a bye election).

Very good speech by Corbyn today I thought - speaks with conviction and authority. Big cheering crowds outside - and he rushes to shake their hands on the way out. Looked like a great atmosphere there. Nothing wrong with that.

But still more 'disengenuous hand wringing' from the BBC - howabout

Corbyn's seat of Islington North has some areas of real deprivation - it's only gentrified in parts in recent years. He's a very good constituency MP and will be meeting people at his advice surgeries with terrible problems every week.

In fact MPs of all parties, unless they represent a fabulously wealthy area, will have more contact with the general public than many of the journalists who complain about them being career politicians. The only non-media bubble working class person those journos will ever meet is their cleaner.

mistigri I don't disagree, and of course MPs need to represent all their constituents (including those who would never vote Labour in a month of Sundays!). I just think that it's possible for people to have a moral conviction that Corbyn isn't the best thing for Labour or the country despite the fact that he won so convincingly, and I wonder how that's going to play out when local supporters need galvanising for Mayoral elections, the GE etc...I'm sure people who have been members for longer will have seen this many times before however.

Radegund I imagine it is a lot easier to galvanise your foot soldiers when there are so many of them (300k ish by now and no doubt more will sign up) and many are recent joiners who may be more motivated. I can't see this being an issue for the Mayoral election - after all the candidate has just been elected, presumably by many of the same voters who voted for JC - and the general election is a long way away.

For anyone who objects to references to Corbyn's teenage-style politics, it might be worth remembering his 500 refusals to accept the party whip. Without doubt some could have been a genuine, principled stand - but 500???

Sounds a lot like a teenager yelling "shan't" to me ...

I don't like Corbyn.
All the shallow unjustified attacks on Corbyn are just .

I can't see this being an issue for the Mayoral election - after all the candidate has just been elected, presumably by many of the same voters who voted for JC - and the general election is a long way away.

Depends how many of those new people are based in London though or JC supporters. Plus it won't be easy to get votes in outer London.

Presumably on some of the occasions that he went against the Whip when Labour were in power he was also going against policies that had been in a manifesto which had won a general election (and therefore had a democratic mandate). I don't think that was wrong if those were his true beliefs and he felt he was doing the right thing, but by the same token I don't think that all the unwillingness to work for him can necessarily be written off as elites thumbing their noses at the will of the membership.

A very valid point, Radegund - and as I said, it's not so much the principle of refusing the party whip as the sheer number of times he's done it. Hard to see how he can expect unity from the rest of his party now ...

I've also just seen how he chose to appear at today's commemoration at St Paul's, and can't help remembering Boris Johnson remark about "a cross between Lenin and Worzel Gummidge" I realise it wasn't a fashion show - I might even agree that it shouldn't really matter - but maybe he could remember that a lot of people died so he could have the freedom to conduct himself like this?

Cannot believe anyone takes remarks on dressing appropriately from Boris get a haircut Johnston seriously lol

I doubt the people who died would care what he wore TBH.

I've spoken to veterans for most of today, I can tell you. They care, they care he refused to sing the National anthem, they care he snubs the red poppy and they care that he didn't look presentable

There were a few and faces today.

howabout FWIW Boris isn't someone I have a lot of time for generally, but even he's not wrong all the time - and I confess I really had to smile at the image he called up with that one

I know the Conservatives consider anyone under 50 irrelevant

I'm under 50.
Most the Cabinet are younger than me!

It's just annoying that Corbyn has created totally unnecessary bad news for himself, all he had to do was wear a suit that fitted and sing. Hardly difficult. If he can't manage that how on earth is going to manage anything else??

shutthatdoor we weren't discussing whether Khan will win, but whether new labour party members can be mobilised on his behalf, and I think the answer to that question has to be 'yes'.

Re the age of the Tory voting population and whether the under 50s are relevant to then. The answer is - not very.

The age of the cabinet is immaterial. The Tories, to give them their due, have got it spot-on when it comes to targeting older voters. About half the electorate is over 50. The vast majority of older voters are registered to vote, and most do so, whereas only about half of voters under 25 are registered and not all of them bother.

Is Corbyn funny?
BJ is - "a cross between Lenin and Worzel Gummidge"

PMQ might be interesting today.

I have no problems with Corbyn sticking to anti monarchist and pacifist views. Good for him. However it doesn't get you elected in the UK.

Wow annie, that's a lot of vitriol - a lot of extremely sexist vitriol.

Janet - exactly...of all the things to alienate people on - the bloody national anthem???

Inkanta - he may have made a good speech, but then his dress, behaviour and general surliness mean that this becomes the focus and no one listens to what he is saying.... he needs to realise that being leader he has to ensure that his policies and the opposition to the government make headlines, not the fact that he looks a mess at an official Battle of Britain memorial service, that he walks off with 2 packed lunches meant for veterans, that he doesn't sing the National Anthem (even though he put aside his principles to join the Privy Council) and that he messes up the make up of the Shadow Cabinet (technically it's 50% women, but why did he not put Angela Eagle as Shadow Chancellor - such an own goal to put his left wing mate in charge).

JC has never led anything, has never supported his party (voted against them 500 times) and currently he looks out of his depth and as if he doesn't want the job. If his performance doesn't professionalise and improve he will be seen as a bumbling buffoon within a month...and there are lots of Labour party backbenchers just waiting for this to happen...very sad for our democracy.

Alyosha - don't give a shit. They're words in use in the English language and sometimes they're apt words and in this case I think they're very apt. Obviously you disagree but that's your prerogative. She's part of the press that's unfairly trying to twist things.

Reckitwrlph - Yes, he may need to get more savvy and wise up to some protocols.

I thought that he looked great at the TUC gathering yesterday, and was wearing his jacket - and enthusiastically clapping and shaking hands with the public.

He was narked when chased by Sky journalists on Sunday - I saw that. But again you have to ask yourself is that appropriate behaviour to chase someone down the street - shouting out silly questions.

And as for not singing the anthem. The media accuse him of REFUSING to sing it but we don't know. He may just not sing in general. Many don't

for example he favours a maximum salary!

He thinks nobody should be earning £millions a year from their employment. I agree. He doesn't mean like £100k.

like Michael Foot, totally unelectable

Foot was going to win that election - the SDP breakout was timed to undermine him. It's obvious the PLP is hoping a replay will work again. The country wanted Foot for PM; at the last minute it seemed he would have no party to lead, so many voters defected with Owen & co.

It's worth noting that Corbyn's principles are to the right of Foot's. The SDP is still described as centrist but, by 2015 standards, they would be called hard left.

Corbyn is a social democrat.