Corbyn is lovely, why the negativity?

[Wettingthetopbunkbed]

Really, why?
Just because he's a bit different in his presentation. He in principled and compassionate, I for one wish he would become the PM.

It's not personal about his supporters - my anger is reserved for JC, the front bench and McCluskey. His supporters haven't made JC carry on in the face of all the moderates resign, his supporters haven't made McCluskey's faction of Unite act against Coyne and suspend him from the union. That all rests squarely with the people in charge. They are loonies. fwiw, i've had old friends call blairites traitorous and disloyal because they can't understand what's not to love about JC.

It really isn't personal. NoLonger explains it well. I really dislike the culture of flinging insults about that seems to permeate political discussion but I will point out that is not one-sided.

I listened to this episode of The Reunion on R4 today about labours crushing defeats in the 80's, the death of John Smith and the formation of New Labour from 2014. It's almost cringy at the end when the participants say that they fully believe that the party would never self destruct again in the way it did in the 80's.

It's really interesting www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04gnjhk

I agree insults are pointless and don't help either side. I believe May and Corbyn are both good people and that those of us who support the Tories or Labour tend to have the interests of everyone at heart but just different ways of doing it. It is probably those with no interesting politics and who don't vote who are more of the problem. As I was saying to one of my 18 year olds last night all I would prefer is that he votes (which he is very keen to anyway and was disappointed he was too young to vote last year).

I also said just like my mother the whole of her life there is no requirement to tell anyone ever how you voted. It can be 100% confifential. It's no one else's business.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-39666686

Q: Reality Check: How many children are in classes of more than 30?
A: 1%

Be smart, vote Lib Dem not Labour!

I'm the one who said 'culty clique'.

I was referring to the people around him who shout down his opponents and call them red Tories, and appear genuinely to believe a few thousand people at a rally is as important as getting elected. They're aggressive and unpleasant but that's no call for me to respond in kind.

I certainly didn't mean any of the many people who like him or his principles and intend to vote for him.

I apologise completely and unreservedly if that's how it made you feel. Here's to a better government and better days at some point.

Look, if it's just a few Momentum hard cores re-electing Jeremy....why not join the party and vote him out?

He was democratically elected on a platform appealing to many of the disenfranchised...twice. Now this division is making the job easier for the Tories.

It's not a few. It's a total take over the party.

There is absolutely no evidence he is appealing to the disenfranchised, he is appealing to the members of the current party. That's not enough.

I just don't think he is helping Labour get elected. New labour understood that you needed to pull people who were left leaning but perhaps not entirely socialist to vote for them. It's got echoes of the 1980s for me.

just to add I seem to know a good number of jeremy supporters looking at my fb feed; I remember when we all voted for TB back when things could only get better (). They are all reasonable, intelligent and cultured folk. Not frothing at the bollocks or anything.

I thought about it, make, but if I re-join now it's going to be taken as evidence that I'm convinced by Corbyn, isn't it? Because the membership has been one of the main factors his supporters cite as proving his popularity.

I will not join Labour again, and I will not give them any more of my money until I see some willingness to compromise, to reach out to moderates as well as hard-Left supporters rather than sneering at 'retro-Blairites' and dismissing the most successful period that Labour has ever had, some recognition that the point of a political party is to form a government, not just hold rallies.

I'd be willing to compromise. I do not see that coming from the Corbyn side. And that's why they're going to lose and keep losing.

Sorry no I can get personal with a bloke who has shown no leadership and no opppsition to the tories. That is personsl.

I agree sneering at people that are left leaning but not enough for them isn't helpful. Spent time leafletting for labour but I don't feel encouraged to either vote for them or really be part of them.
If they don't appeal to people like me I think it's a worry.

Breaking news, McCluskey won the leadership election, but by a smaller margin than expected. Turnout was only 12.2% which is low even for a union ballot.

That's an awful turnout. So something like 92% of unite members didn't vote for him or bothered voting for him.

Wow. Only 8% actively wanted him? That's hardly a comprehensive mandate.

Naive question here but I am curious to know:
What happens if labour do really really badly in the local elections in May? Will they have time to elect a new leader before the general election or do they have to have a minimum timeframe for electing a new leader prior to a general election? I don't think 4 weeks is enough to do anything so I'm merely wondering if it is technically possible that JC could be ousted by the party before the general election.
It's bizarre that so many of the Labour Party have left and they are so many points behind in the polls and yet JC refuses to step down for the greater good of the party.
I've been a lifelong labour strong supporter and even I'm having doubts about whether I can put my cross next to labour with JC in charge.

Just read on twitter that 5.5% voted for him.

My older son by the way has never voted Labour but Corbyn is the first leader he's been attracted to in terms of policy so it is possible some people will come out to vote just because of his appeal who would not have touched Labour with a barge pole under its previous leadership.

Yes, it's hardly a ringing endorsement, is it.

Janet yes, that's possible. On that note, I think younger voters could have a big impact, if enough of them get out and.. well.. vote.

I find it really difficult to understand how anyone really believes JC/MCDonnells policy's make sense. If someone told you you can have a perfectly expensive awesome world and don't worry the richest in society will pay its free to you don't you question it? Don't you wonder if the numbers make sense? You like him because he's lovely and has nice ideas. I'd happily give more more money to all his priorities but the numbers make no sense and are economic growth negative. First of all to make it work it won't just be tax on richest it will have to be much much bigger and more widespread. And he'll spend it badly because the man has no grasp of writing detailed policy and its implications financially and socially on society because he's so horribly lazy. He likes a sound bite more than Blair because there is literally nothing behind it. It's chasing unicorns! Utter madness.
And it's desperately sad because he's letting down the poor, he's betraying the disabled he's pretending to represent people that he really hasn't done the work to understand how to help. I'm furious with him and the Labour Party. I think he's dishonest actually to suggest his simple answers work.

janet I was attracted to Michael foot at 18 because at 18 you have lots of ideals and very little sense of economics. You are passionate and think the world all needs changing but as you get older you still want to change things but know that to do do you need to persuade the vast majority of the voting public that your policies are credible and you can lead and deliver.

Unfortunately JC still sounds and talks like an 18 year old because he's never matured from a teenage activist to a mature considered adult.

That's why he's going to loose labour the election big big time. Just like Foot did.

Not keen on any future leader who gets physical cover from his PR team from journalists and won't speak to them. And who constantly blames the press for his ills while his parliamentary party disintegrates.

Anyone for mandatory voting? I have a DC who insists on voting but I get tired of people who don't bother and then complain. Though it's hard to force yourself out if you're in an area where it's always one party. There seem to be 60 swing seats and possibly more with MP's resignations. So proportional representation?

Don't anyone knock on my door or send me expensive leaflets. I want a clear message about what policies will cost.

And Scary - increased and valuable apprenticeships are not a con, better than the all go to uni con Blair encouraged because "graduates earn more" - he was clearly economically and mathematically challenged. As for CEO multipliers - all of us agree as does TM and every political party and the tide is changing though not fast enough. I think all political parties agree to stop foreign buy outs of housing - which should go further to limit UK nationals including one famous Labour MP who had 80 properties.

Sorry, meant to add that Corbyn cannot be accused hypocrisy over his private schooling - he didn't choose where his parents sent him. And he clearly divorced rather than send children to private school. So I can see he is committed to his beliefs. I await his other commitments.

Agree. 'Tax the rich' isn't really enough. There aren't enough of them to pay for all the things they are promising. Especially when higher corporation taxes mean job losses for shop workers and factory workers. It will soon be 'tax everyone' because it's not been costed properly.