to think Corbyn is dead in the water

[oldshilling]

Yes he's a nice chap with a nice beard, but silliness (principled though it might be) like refusing to sing the national anthem is not going to endear him to more than a small minority of the population.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-34263447

And the signs are that he intends to be the gift that keeps on giving, in terms of pointless gestures that don't really achieve anything but make him a mega-target for the right-wing press.

Either he gets turfed out before the next GE, or he surpasses Michael Foot as the biggest loser in Labour's history.

Good for him.

Change has to start somewhere. If you're somebody who'd like to see the end of the unelected and outdated monarchy, then Corbyn's respectful silence is a hint that one day it might be possible.

Y'know when this country really was broke after WW2, Britain embarked on massive private and social house building schemes. The NHS was formed. All this is forgotten apparently because of the winter of discontent. In the place of socialist values we have had small state, free market greed that has led to tuition fees, sky high rail fares, economic crashes every decade, a rental trap, millions locked out of the home owning democracy. Too many selective memories!

Why would they ego? Their stories reflect their readership views.

Just as the paper fur which JC writes a column reflects it's readership.

That's perfectly normal not a sign of Tory Terror.

I'm with hellocampers. I very much doubt he will be around by the next GE. I predict a vote of no confidence within 12 months. FWIW, I like him, but there again I liked Ed, so clearly I am not representative of public opinion.

Change has to start somewhere

Magical - that's a great line.

I wouldn't sing the national anthem either
Its an awful song. Why can't we have an anthem celebrating the land and its people
I believe all people are equal so I wouldn't sing or curtsey

Y'know when this country really was broke after WW2, Britain embarked on massive private and social house building schemes. The NHS was formed.

You do realise this was paid for by the Americans, right?

Prosperity doesn't come from thin air. It certainly doesn't come from printing more money, like Jem appears to believe.

Most people do NOT have a deep affection for the bloody queen. That's rubbish.

I can't help but wonder why, if he's so useless and Labour are so finished, the Tory press and many people here seem to need to spend so much time and energy ripping him to bits and shouting so loudly about all his perceived faults

If he HAD sung the national anthem you would all be calling him a hypocrite - so he can't win really

He turned up and showed his respect - unless the national anthem has a new verse thanking the veterans of The Battle Of Britain specifically, I don't see how not singing it is disrespectful at all

I'd agree that he has made politics more interesting. It is still early days, but I doubt I could ever vote for him.

He is undoubtedly a principled man and a "conviction" politician and I do kind of admire that, but I just don't share enough if his convictions myself.

With regard the National Anthem, I dislike singing it and often don't purely because I find it totally uninspiring as a piece of music. I am not anti monarchist, whereas I understand Corbyn is. On the off chance that he perhaps also thinks it is an uninspiring dirge, I might have to agree.

(sorry, I'm behind, still on page 1)

"Bertrand - you'll find that Charlie Windsor is also a great advocate of homeopathy"

And?

caitlin he will not stand at the next GE. Not does he expect or intend to do so.

I wish I could believe that this period would be good for the party. That the party could debate properly what they are for. But history tells us how bad the party is at that.

I think he was quite right to refuse to sing the words of the national anthem. A national anthem should be about a country and its people not an ode to the monarchy. It is good to see somebody stand up for what they believe in. I don't think the monarchy is half as popular as the powers that be would have us believe.

I like him.

bloody good for him, not singing the ridiculous national anthem

I like him more and more as the days go by..

Prosperity doesn't come from wage stagnation or making the poor poorer. I guess as long as the super rich continue as usually its ok.

There are millions of people in this country who are struggling to make ends meet. Young professionals are struggling to afford housing. Austerity is socially and morally regressive.

SheGot afraid that's what left wing activists do. Militant tendency in the 80s were exactly the same. They are akin to the Tory toffs.

Patronising stupid and generally rich so playing at being bothered about the working class.

Cameron and Corbyn have a lot in commen.

But isn't there alot of ecomomists who believe in the opposite to austery? Spend more, and effectively grow your way out of debt?

I just don't understand why austerity has to be so harsh. Why not do it over a longer time? I actually agree with lots of things the tories want, their "ideology", its just the way they implement half of it!!

I think we're all agreed that tax credits has grown arms and legs and actually, it is shocking that X years ago a family could survive with 1 sole breadwinner, and now 2 parents working can still need support from the state. Wages should be high enough!! So yes they need scaled down, but why do it faster than the wage rises? Why not just freeze them and let inflation do its job? Why take £100 p/m + from the countries poorest? The poorest will spend that £100, thus boosting the local economy. The richest, who'll benefit from the tax cut will likely safe that money and not spend it.

The same goes for bedroom tax. Its not right that families are living in b&bs while single pensioners rattle around in 3 bed houses. But they implemented it overnight with no time for anyone to move, and they didn't even apply it to pensioners anyway!!

Cuts may need to happen, perhaps austerity is the answer, but why can't someone do it sensibly ?!

Party will tear itself apart in less than 3 months.

Tories will prevail as they did under thatcher while loonies shout from the sidelines and the electable Labour Party that Blair transformed will be back to square one.

And yes yes Blaire did stupid things but he rebuilt the schools and saved the NHS.

I never sing the national anthem either. David Cameron can sing or not sing for all I care. To me David Cameron is a disgrace to our country (and to God, if there is one) because of how he has treated the disabled, the poor, and those fleeing war.

And he was electable

He doesn't seem to have had the thought that many young men lost their lives in a fight for freedom, part of which was the Battle of Britain. The freedom to make puerile gestures like not singing the National Anthem.

Had Hitler won WWII, he'd have probably been put up against a wall and shot for that stance.

What's the "electable Labour party" though? They've lost twice. The other 3 candidates were utterly uninspiring and more of the same so equally unelectable.

Indeed. Taken alongside his unpalatable foreign policy views (support for Hamas/ Hizbollah, Sinn Fein/ IRA, Putin; his leanings towarads anti-semitism) not singing the National Anthem is very consistent. In a troubling way.

And I say that as someone who never sings it.