Jeremy Corbyn - PM by default?

[Considermesometimes]

I am not a 'woke' labour supporter. I come from a long line of many generations of stout labour supporters. It would be unthinkable up to now in my family for anyone to vote for any other party. I would be shown the door at my gp's house for even having this conversation.

However, I am seriously seriously worried, I would go as far as to say terrified of the prospect of voting for Labour this time, and Jeremy Corbyn actually becoming Prime Minister.
I am interested to know how others are dealing with this problem.

I am worried that some of the policies such as seizing assets and homes from people, massive taxes etc. We are home owners and work very hard, it could all be jeopardised.

Forced closure of private schools in this area would be a complete and utter disaster. As it is we have to finish early on Friday afternoons, and do not have funds for every day stationary much less hundreds of extra children. What would happen to our already very full classes of 33-38 with all the extra children from the private schools? How is this even possible? And yet it seems Labour are fully committed to it when pressed on the issue.

The huge privatisation plan of utilities looks to cost around 200 billion pounds. I don't want our money spent this way! I would much prefer better schools and hospitals, and crime to be under control in this part of the country. I can't even get a GP app for my asthmatic dd at the moment. I could not care less about the Utilities or the railways etc. The LP just do not seem to understand at the moment what matters to most people.

The whole defence and nuclear issue. I don't feel we live in a particularly safe world. I like the fact we have some defences against the nut jobs in the Middle East or North Korea. The fact that other countries would not trust the UK under Corbyn to share intelligence with us, and his lack of decision making in a crisis, or even his basic understanding of deterrents is deeply disturbing.

I just don't think Corbyn is up to the job in any shape or form. Nor do most of the party.

I have thought about voting Lib Dems, but looking at the numbers that will almost certainly result in Corbyn being PM. There is almost no chance at all of Lib Dems getting 326 seats. A vote for Lib Dems is a vote for a Labour government probably propped up by the SNP who will demand another independence referendum in six months.

I am livid with the party for allowing this to happen, how is Corbyn still the leader of the party it is beyond me. How has this been allowed to happen? Chuka Umunna would have made an excellent PM, but all the best candidates are leaving the Labour party.

I don't think I can vote for anyone. That is my final conclusion, for the first time in thirty years I will not vote. What are you planning to do?

@GenuineQuestions, the myth of the last Labour government leaving the country on its knees was debunked a long time ago. National has doubled since 2010 and austerity is widely acknowledged as an ideological choice, not an economic one.

Child poverty has increased dramatically in the last nine years. Here’s the evidence.

cpag.org.uk/child-poverty/child-poverty-facts-and-figures

the myth of the last Labour government leaving the country on its knees was debunked a long time ago. National has doubled since 2010 and austerity is widely acknowledged as an ideological choice, not an economic one.

It’s been debunked only in your own mind - what exactly were we supposed to do with the 120 billion+ a year deficit Labour left us - keep running it? What would that have done to the national debt, eh?

Careful. The Trussell Trust only ran 2 foodbanks in 2004 but they’re not the only people to run foodbanks.

Exactly. The Foodbank I volunteer at is now run by the Trussell Trust but was run by the church before that. It has been in operation at the church as long as I’ve lived here (since 1999).

Yet another example of labour die hard educating someone in the field who actually knows what they are talking about... This is the problem with labour in a nut shell and why they loose core voters.

Very true.

Ironically, the local Labour Party turned up at the Foodbank about a year ago offering to help and support us. We’ve not heard from them since. Such a shame - they would have learned a lot more from talking to actual clients than by looking at the dodgy statistics.

@CendrillonSings it's been debunked by everybody who knows what they're talking about. It's quite clear here...

theconversation.com/fact-check-did-labour-overspend-and-leave-a-deficit-that-was-out-of-control-41118

I honestly do see where you're coming from, Alsohuman and Deathgrip, but logically I just can't agree when - with apologies for repeating myself - none of it is binding. That politicians lie is a given, and I honestly fail to see the value in something where they can (and do) write whatever the hell they choose in the knowledge that it can be junked at will

Personally I'd much rather note things like voting records, the known wishes of major party funders, existing statements of views, etc - especially where they relate to senior politicians as opposed to fringe nutters best ignored

National debt figures.

www.ukpublicspending.co.uk/uk_national_debt_analysis

Alsohuman

So answer the question - if we had kept running a colossal deficit at the same rate Labour was when we kicked them out, would the national debt today be lower or higher than it is?

Really? That’s what you took from my comment? Fancy reading the rest of it?

I didn’t take it from your comment deathgrip - I just wondered what you thought of the idea as how else to stop vast sums of money from leaving the country?

The schools will still only have the amount of children the building can hold so that’s a non issue.
From page 2 (yes a long way back, I haven't time to read the whole thread)
No. Most private schools could easily accommodate twice the number of pupils so class sizes would be state school size very quickly and standards would soon fall.

As for making big companies pay their fair share of tax ... good luck with that one!

This is no longer a labour party that speaks for me, ^or for anyone that is reasonably okay with a job, life, house and investments of any kind*

Classic “I’m alright jack” statement.

But what about those of us who AREN’T “reasonably ok” ?

Who don’t have a job, a life, home ownership, let alone investments? Screw em?

What if you lose those things through bereavement, incapacity, redundancy, divorce?

Life can turn on a sixpence and before you know it you can (unless independently wealthy) be struggling like us.

But that doesn’t matter to you because right now you and yours (I’d be surprised if there’s nobody in your circle with your claimed background) who isn’t suffering under the current govt, do you not even care about them?

You say your family would never recover from a labour government, there are many of us wanting the chance to recover from this Tory govt and the damage it’s already done to us.

The damage they’ve done to our country to the economy will have hurt your family too I’m sure.

And I have to agree with deathgrip we ALL benefit from a country that’s run well, with services able to do their jobs etc

Bankers/big investors are ALWAYS threatening to leave if they’d be expected to pay their fair share etc it really doesn’t happen and people griping now saying they WILL leave before anything has even been published manifesto wise doesn’t make it “fact” at all!

What IS fact is that brexit, even though again nothing has really happened yet HAS resulted in small businesses going under. Medium and larger businesses moving operations, assets or parts of operations to other eu countries.

There’s also quite a history of business owners claiming nmw, maternity leave & other rights etc would cause major job losses - never happened. They generally just don’t want to bear the costs of treating employees decently and take a pay cut on their generous salary (which is at least in part thanks to the work of those employees), and the businesses that genuinely can’t bear those costs were very likely not viable in the first place.

As to the times article, I can’t access it and I’m not wanting to give them my data. Who’s it written by? What evidence are they basing that on? And again that’s a paper owned by murdoch I mean he’s not biased, oh no 🙄

“I currently support the foodbank in my area. I do around 6 hours a week, as well as donations, I also do collections. I sponsor many charities, and support whole heartedly further investment into those with disabilities, mental health services and children's services. The issue is that I can not continue support if my company goes under. All the people that rely on my support will not be able to.” Wow! You’ve somehow managed arrogance, ignorance and virtue signalling in one paragraph!

If we had a govt running the country better than it currently is, then the need for food banks, charities etc reduces. If you’re so happy to support those accessing these services directly then why do you object to them being properly and consistently supported but indirectly through increased taxation of those better off? What difference does it make if you’re donating or paying through taxes?

“We shouldn’t need food banks. Nor should people with disabilities or mental health and children’s services be dependent on charity” Exactly

GenuineQuestions - myself and many others NEVER considered Blair and new labour as true labour and certainly weren’t socialists. We don’t believe we’ve had a labour govt since thatcher got in 1979. That’s 40 years ago! 40 years of Tory govt have in our opinion wrecked this country, and think it’s time to try something else.

But yes blaming that govt for the GLOBAL financial crash and using a long standing treasury dept joke and twisting it STILL is utterly ridiculous, not to mention the FACT that these current tories have despite the claims that austerity was necessary to save money have actually worsened the economy.

“The system of helping those that are disadvantaged depend on those that can work work. You can't do one thing without the other.” Currently many people who COULD work are unable to find jobs because there aren’t enough (govts own stats show this if you look beyond the ‘x fewer people are now unemployed’ claims when they’re counting as employed anyone who works at least 1 hour a fortnight!), or are not being supported (if sick/disabled) to get into or stay in work.

Yes we need more people working, most people want to work, to earn to feel useful and to be occupied and challenged and have all the benefits of working that go beyond earning a wage. This govt has done NOTHING to create jobs, it’s made it easier for companies to treat employees badly including sacking on a whim, it’s made it harder for employees who are sick/disabled to get reasonable adjustments made or for employers to be understanding of their needs in other ways.

You can’t bang on about wanting more people in work and not only do nothing to facilitate that but even make it harder for certain sectors to gain and maintain employment.

and people griping now saying they WILL leave before anything has even been published manifesto wise doesn’t make it “fact” at all!

Yes, loads of people threatened to leave Britain if Brexit won the referendum and America if Trump became President.
Now people are threatening to leave if Corbyn becomes PM.
It would be very interesting to see what percentage of these people actually follow/ed through with their intentions.

We don’t believe we’ve had a labour govt since thatcher got in 1979. That’s 40 years ago! 40 years of Tory govt

Then perhaps it’s time you accepted that you’re the one out of step with the country, rather than the other way round? Because if Labour sticks with the hard left, well - here’s to 40 years more!

I don't think many overall would leave solely due to Corbyn. The exception I think are Jews. I saw something that said 47% of Jews would consider leaving. Frankly if 1% left due to fear of Corbyn and his cronies, we are in terrible and tragic dangerous territory.

Interesting, for all public comments, many defend Corbyn but few do when it comes to anti-semitism. I suspect as they probably believe it to be true otherwise the EHRC wouldn't have taken formal action to investigate the Labour party.

I find it terribly sad. I think the labour front bench need a jolly to Kraków and whilst there visit Aushwitz

Mistle, how old are you please? You seem very naive, and do you think that we never had any homeless people whilst the labour party was in power?
If there was a decent person as leader of the opposition, with realistic goals, I wouldn't hesitate to vote for Labour, however, whilst Jeremy Corbyn (I cannot use his initials as he is completely insignificant, and he is an insult to the real JC, who of course was a Jew!) is the leader I can't possibly vote for them. In my opinion, and I think that it is just as valuable as yours Mistle even though I am not a secondary school teacher (all of whom I presume must be very politically astute by the fact of you mentioning it), I do not think that Corbyn and his cronies have the slightest idea how to run a country; he will have the whole country bankrupt, and defenceless within a year if he gets into power, and if he is not thrown out in the first 5 minutes. So, with an extremely heavy heart, I think that I am going to have to vote for the Conservatives, as it is the only way to ensure Corbyn doesn't get into power. If the Conservatives do win, it will have the benefit of the Labour Party sacking Corbyn, so that at the next opportunity I will be able to vote Labour. By the way, as I asked your age, I will tell you mine, I am 61, disabled, with hardly any pension due to me as for most of my life I was a stay at home mum, then became too ill to work, so have not paid in enough N.I. to get much of a pension.

Imagine the horror on here if somebody actually suggested some hard left policies!

am 61, disabled, with hardly any pension due to me as for most of my life I was a stay at home mum, then became too ill to work, so have not paid in enough N.I. to get much of a pension.

And you’d even think of voting Conservative? Unbelievable. Turkeys and Christmas.

@Bl3ss3dm0m

do you think that we never had any homeless people whilst the labour party was in power?

There were homeless people in 2010, but homelessness has increased 165% since the tories took over.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/metro.co.uk/2019/01/31/165-increase-homelessness-since-tories-took-power-8419274/amp/

So 13 years of the blessed Labour Party in power didn’t eliminate homelessness? Colour me shocked!

with an extremely heavy heart, I think that I am going to have to vote for the Conservatives, as it is the only way to ensure Corbyn doesn't get into power. If the Conservatives do win, it will have the benefit of the Labour Party sacking Corbyn, so that at the next opportunity I will be able to vote Labour

I suspect you're not alone, either in the intention and the reason for it. Rightly or wrongly, I honestly believe it's not that some actively want the current Tory lot in power - more that it's felt Labour would be even worse

The fly in the ointment, of course, is whether a Tory win would result in Corbyn, McDonnell and some others actually going. Not having a crystal ball I couldn't say, but if they can't get elected against the current rabble I'd hope they'd realise it's time for a major rethink

I am 61, disabled, with hardly any pension due to me as for most of my life I was a stay at home mum, then became too ill to work, so have not paid in enough N.I. to get much of a pension.

After the way the tories have treated disabled people, you’d vote for them?

After the way they’ve treated women headed for retirement?

Which party do you think is more likely to provide support to pensioners without a decent pension?

I really want to understand why you think that you personally would be better off under the tories with these circumstances, given that we have a decades worth of evidence which proves otherwise.

Rightly or wrongly, I honestly believe it's not that some actively want the current Tory lot in power - more that it's felt Labour would be even worse

And yet despite many requests, most can’t even begin to quantify why they feel that way.

I don’t understand why it’s so difficult to acknowledge how much of the personal anti-Corbyn feeling on this thread is a resulted of a concerted media campaign.

Why on earth anyone voted for a party just because they always have is beyond me. What a ridiculous reason!!
I’m voting labour this time. I have voted for them before but not every time. I look at policies and the political climate at the time and vote for who I think best represents my personal views and circumstances at that time.
I can never understand when people proudly declare ‘I would never vote Tory’
Vote with your fucking head - not your misplaced loyalty!
And if you don’t want to vote... well then, don’t!

I don’t understand why it’s so difficult to acknowledge how much of the personal anti-Corbyn feeling on this thread is a resulted of a concerted media campaign.

Because it isn’t. Most people are intelligent enough to make up their own minds no matter what media they consume, and it’s insulting to imply otherwise. Of course, if you acknowledged that, you’d then have to come to grips with the fact that most people despise Corbyn of their own free will, and that thought simply does not compute for his followers...

Because it isn’t. Most people are intelligent enough to make up their own minds no matter what media they consume, and it’s insulting to imply otherwise. Of course, if you acknowledged that, you’d then have to come to grips with the fact that most people despise Corbyn of their own free will, and that thought simply does not compute for his followers...

If people had made up their own minds on the matter, they’d know the information on which their opinion is based and be able to share it. They also wouldn’t use the same handful of Daily Mail fodder catchphrases, instead of actual concerns.