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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be ashamed of the Labour Party leadership

956 replies

20nil · 11/02/2017 21:43

Long term member, did not support Corbyn, but even I am surprised by quite how bad he's been.

Where is the opposition? I get that Brexit is difficult, but where is Labour on the collapse of the NHS, the explosion of homelessness, the decimation of local council funding and the ticking bomb that is school funding?

Why is it that we now look to the Lords, the Cof E and petitions to be the opposition?

Shocking state of affairs.

OP posts:
Original poster
20nil · 25/02/2017 20:02

Thing is, even if the next person can't hope to win, they might be able to at least build the Party's appeal. JC can neither win nor lead.

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Rugbyplayersarehot · 25/02/2017 20:16

Exactly 20

Bragadocia · 25/02/2017 21:21

Here's some polling that was in the Independent yesterday. Dan Jarvis comes out as the least unacceptable for voters of all persuasions, but not very popular with Labour voters.

Labour leadership polls

Original poster
20nil · 25/02/2017 22:26

Interesting; thanks. Whichever way you spin it, JC and JM really are in trouble.

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Fakenewsday · 26/02/2017 12:30

Absolutely 20

EnthusiasmIsDisturbed · 26/02/2017 12:51

There has to be a challange soon and for MP's to stop being manipulated by we are losing because of disunity line being used by Corbyn, McDonnell and Momentum it's utter rubbish

The public need to see there is an MP who is prepared to put themselves out there even if they loose they can challenge agian and if they loose again maybe then it will be time to think of the party splitting

It won't damage the person/s that challenge Corbyn the public know how split be party is and they reject him and labour moving to the Left

It's ridiculous just how politics repeats itself we have a right wing Tory party leading the way and once again it's the left of the party making sure Labour are unelectable as it was when being led by Foot

BadLad · 26/02/2017 13:13

It might not be the only reason why they are not doing well, but I do think disunity and the perception of disunity are incredibly damaging to political parties.

derxa · 26/02/2017 14:25

I've been watching Corbyn at the Scottish Labour conference. He devoted the first part of his speech to the memory of Tam Dalyell
www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/jan/26/tam-dalyell-obituary.
An inveterate one man protest movement. OK but Corbyn didn't even get his name right.

EnthusiasmIsDisturbed · 26/02/2017 18:59

I agree that disunity is damaging

But there is no denying the party is split and leadership is terribly poor and that the public have rejected Corbyn as leader and Labour moving more to the left

MP's have to be strong enough to stand up gain confidence with voters that they will not be silenced or toe the line to a leader who they know is leading the party in the wrong direction keeping quiet and allowing Corbyn to take the party further away from any chance of winning an election is also damaging and reflects badly on those that will be left to pick up the pieces when he does resign (I think he said he would after the next election which he would obviously lose)

Viviennemary · 26/02/2017 23:38

He is getting worse by the day or even by the hour. He says he is taking some of the blame for the by-election defeat. Oh wow how big of him. Will he take some of the blame for the total demise of the Labour party. Probably not. It really does same something about the way the Labour party is run that such a situation is allowed to occur.

LassWiTheDelicateAir · 27/02/2017 00:12

An inveterate one man protest movement. OK but Corbyn didn't even get his name right

It's "Dee ell" what did he say?

The difference between the 2 is of course that Dalyell was widely known despite never having held ministerial posts. I had never heard of Corbyn before he became our beloved leader.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 27/02/2017 09:54

It really does same something about the way the Labour party is run that such a situation is allowed to occur

It does indeed - and it's far too late for JC to pretend to take responsibility now, when he's clearly been forced into it; a proper leader would have taken the initiative himself

Maybe, in the end, it's all too late for the current Labour party and perhaps it's time for it to split so that something better can be formed?

EnthusiasmIsDisturbed · 27/02/2017 10:22

I think another leadership challenge (please MP's have another vote of no confidence it's not just Corbyn people have no faith in you are all looking weak) and if he is still there maybe it's time to split

Someone or a group have to show strength in all of this right now they are not

derxa · 27/02/2017 10:29

It's "Dee ell" what did he say?
Dal-yell or something like that. Not Dee-ell. It was cringe worthy.

Fakenewsday · 27/02/2017 11:02

Did anyone see the report that 1/3 of labour voters want a leadership change? So that's declared labour voters like us, and then add all the swing voters that need to be convinced...Corbyn is clearly a vain man who will never blame imself, it'll always be the traitors in the msm etc.

Fakenewsday · 27/02/2017 11:04

Idk about anyone else but as a labour leader if I found myself agreeing with Trump about the media's 'fake news' I'd be worried the power had gone to my head to be travelling in such company. What next, JC banning the BBC and their pesky questions?

Lalsy · 27/02/2017 11:27

Just read John McD article about the "soft coup", written a week ago and which he now says doesn't represent his current view. You couldn't make it up.

The media stuff really annoys me. They have had Paul Mason, Gary Young and Owen Jones on side from the start and have failed to get whatever the message is out even to their audiences. Yes, the media is hostile but plenty of JC's failings listed on this thread have video or documentary evidence, or he has discussed/excused them himself.

As an aside, I went to the OJ-organised Stop Trump rally last week and the speakers were talking about social housing, NHS privatisation and why the revolution must be intersectional, ffs. I was hoping for a broad coalition with just one focus - Trump and his bigotry - so that decent people of all political persuasions feel able to sign up and take to the streets. The left makes me despair sometimes.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 27/02/2017 11:52

I don't know if figures exist for this, but I sometimes wonder just how many of those Labour party members are actually people who joined on the £3 (?) ticket in a deliberate attempt to elect JC and wreck the party

I realise some see protests as being more important than actually getting elected and doing something about perceived problems, but my mind genuinely boggles that so many can vote for this fool and go on doing so

TheLittlePaperbagPrincess · 27/02/2017 11:58

I'm ashamed of the leader, the MPs and some of the membership. If the MPs think all the losses are down to Cronyn and not at least in part down to the division/disloyalty, they are kidding themselves. If Corbin thinks it just down to rebels and not at least in part down to him, they are kidding themselves.

For what it's worth, I think Harriet Hartman hit the nail on the head- party doesn't listen to women well enough and hasn't for a long time.

Original poster
20nil · 27/02/2017 12:32

Someone has to take ultimate responsibility for the Labour shambles and that someone should be the leader. A good leader has to be able to take most of the important constituencies with them, members, voters, supporters and the undecided. Yes, the media is hostile, but it always has been so learn to deal with it. Corbyn has failed on every count with only a large section of new Party members staying loyal (and even they are drifting away).

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Fakenewsday · 27/02/2017 12:57

I thoroughly disagree with Zoe Williams guardian article about putting policy first - it's impossible to formulate coherent policy with an extremist in charge so no wonder the debate is how to get him out. It's funny because she correctly identifies that he can't build consensus, so terrible for uniting the labour movement...

EnthusiasmIsDisturbed · 27/02/2017 14:52

Yes according to Zoe we should stop navel gazing Hmm

Ffs that is why the labour are in such a mess if it wasn't for Corbyn and his followers (which she was one of them) we might have a leader who can lead an opposition who would win safe seats and who would challenge the governments Brexit plans

But the are too busy wittering in about real left policies and moaning about the media/Blair/red Tories and doing fuck all else

I wonder what another of Corbyn's comrades has to say Owen Jones has been very quiet

Lalsy · 27/02/2017 15:50

Yeah, OJ said he'd be writing something at the weekend, and then that a video would be posted today.....nothing on his twitter that I can see. He has to carry some of the blame for this mess.

I agree. And those arguments presume that those opposed to JC have dishonourable or malicious motives. I cannot support him because some of his actions reveal attitudes that turn my stomach - like telling women to ignore abuse or calling Hezbollah his friends "to be inclusive" (quote from Home Affairs select committee last summer). I cannot and will not get behind such a man.

And those who did try to formulate proper policy with him - like Lilian Greenwood, Danny Blanchflower etc - found it impossible because of incompetence, incoherence and all the rest of it.

Chipstick10 · 27/02/2017 16:15

Labour is now only for the Islington set, and places like tower hamlets. They would rather not have to deal with white van man .

DaffodilsAndCrocus · 27/02/2017 16:18

Baroness Chakrabarti made a Plea not to be left alone with the oiks did she not?!