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?

How predictable 😒

And I’m from N.Ireland. My dad was in the RUC and has seven medals from service. Corbyn was NOT a supporter of the IRA. He talked to them and listened to them ( on behalf of Blair) and helped bring about much needed peace. Thank God.
The Tories are potentially going to destroy that peace and it terrifies me.
Btw a vote for Swinson is a wasted vote, she won’t win and at best will prop up a Tory government. You’ll get Brexit if you vote Tory, Brexit Party or Lib Dem.

As I said. Busted.

Why do you keep calling the Libdems the yellow tories?

Op I can’t argue with you as an ‘undecided voter’ any more. You’re not. You’re just anti socialist and intent on dragging people along on your journey of neoliberal destruction. Anyone you thinks Chukka would have been an ideal leader has zero interest in an ethical party in government anyway.
Time to go back to your Tory or Lib Dem rulers and tell them you’ve been a good help in dragging the people of this country even further into poverty and misery. Slow handclap for you.

"Swinson ruled out a coalition yesterday with Labour."

Sorry but I don't believe her on this, if the votes result in a possible coalition then she'll walk back that stance in a second- she'd be bloody mad not to, not least because not matter what else she may think of Labour, she knows that it would be the only way to try and stop Brexit through a people's vote.

She HAS to rule it out now, she's campaigning! Saying a potential coalition with Labour is possible is tantamount to telling the public 'go ahead and vote Labour if you want because we'll work with them to stop Brexit' when she really wants the public to only think of the Lib Dems as the party to vote for to stop Brexit and therefore vote Lib Dem.

bert So you think Corbyn is going to suddenly become reasonable and centre ground?? That his manifesto is going to scrap all of his pledges and public policies? You don't think Momentum are going to be running the show indefinitely.....

I don't think you support Corbyn either - so who are you voting for?

I agree with most Labour policies but will probably vote LibDem as this election is about Brexit for me. Or specifically, avoiding leaving the EU.

I am interested to know how others are dealing with this problem.

Quite easily, I vote Conservative.

I don't think Corbyn is massively left wing for me, he's centre left. But politics has moved so far to the right that apparently wanting to build council houses makes you a loony lefty.

I would love a minimum wage of £10 per hour. I work in retail and earn just over the current minimum wage but high street retail is struggling now and I remember my store reduced staff the last time mw was increased. I have worked in the same store since it opened just over 15 years ago. When it opened they employed just over 100 people and it was a 24 hour operation so plenty of unsocial hours increments to be had if you were a mum wanting to work around childcare.
Now the same store employs just over 50 people. The hours of operation have been reduced and the unsocial hours increments reduced so you only qualify for 2 hours of a late shift. There has been no Christmas temps this year and in fact the wage bill budget has been cut by 25% for this period even though it is the busiest time of the year in retail.
And still the store is struggling to survive and I worry a hike in minimum wage will mean they go under. I would rather earn what I do now than earn nothing A’s year another high street retailer goes under.

@Considermesometimes You tell me- you’re the one with the inside information!

*"Swinson ruled out a coalition yesterday with Labour."

Sorry but I don't believe her on this, if the votes result in a possible coalition then she'll walk back that stance in a second- she'd be bloody mad not to*

You would think so wouldn't you, but I don't think she will prop up Corbyn. Not for a minute. The Libdems nearly folded altogether after their last coalition, they are not likely to rush into it again with Labour.

Bert I don't have inside information. I am just reading the same papers as you are. You still haven't answered. I know for many years on here you have been devoted to the LP, have you decided to vote LibDems out of interest?

And if so, is it just brexit or for other reasons?

@PhilSwagielka

"I'm well enough to work but there's always the fear that if I become too ill to work, I won't be able to claim benefits."
Why do you think you wouldn't be able to claim benefits if you were too sick to work?

Scrapping SATs and scrapping Ofsted have been things Labour have said they would do if in power.

Were they lying?

“ Bert I don't have inside information”

You said you had read the Manifesto.

If you are switching to libdems are you doing so for brexit only, or because now you believe and buy into the party?

Make no mistake, if Boris wins a majority government we will leave the EU with no deal so that's what you're voting for when you vote tory.

Johnson has made it clear in the WA he cobbled together that he would negotiate a comprehensive deal with the EU by 2020 and he made it clear in his statement yesterday that he would not extend the 2020 deadline under any circumstances, unlike the recent WA parliament has no say in the actual trade deal deadline or extension, only government ministers can choose to extend that deadline if they wish (they won't!).

So BoJo will simply run out the clock until 2020, send some people to Brussels to pretend to negotiate and we will leave with no deal in 2020 because this time Parliament will be truly powerless to stop him. All to the delight of the ERG, BoJo's friends in the city who are betting against the pound and to Donald Trump who has complained about the current deal, he wants no deal so the UK will become a giant fire sale opportunity.

I can just about accept us leaving the EU but knowing that it will be with no deal no matter how bad that will be for the UK is sickening.

rain That could also happen with Labour as they are in favour of a second ref, so if leave win again thats it anyway.

"I don't see that at all. Ask any Jewish person how they feel about that statement."

I'm Jewish. We are not a homogeneous group (there are a number of hateful right wing/authoritarian Jews in the UK). I will be voting Labour (despite being Green at heart, and being in a safe Labour seat).

Labour is no worse (and probably somewhat less bad, despite the amount of attention being drawn to it) than the rest of society in terms of anti-semitism. Don't confuse people being anti the policies of the Israeli government with racism.

This is not a dictatorship (yet, though if you vote the Tories in again it may go further that way). Even if Jeremy were incompetent or corrupt or anything negative (actually he's just a normal decent person, which is what the system is so afraid of), he won't be running the country on his own. There is a whole government to do it.

And to those who've fallen for the Bolshevik spiel, Labour is back where it was in the 70s/80s politically, which is what people think of as Labour anyway. New Labour was right wing. Virtually the whole of UK politics has shifted right over the last few decades, which is highly concerning to me.

See chart at bottom: www.politicalcompass.org/uk2017

So the only racists around here are those who would vote for a party that is essentially where the Nazis were, politically.

Considermesometimes - I know but if the country votes to leave again then that's that, at least there's a chance remain will win. If there's a people vote the choice can only be remain or no deal because in reality Corbyn can't negotiate another deal with the EU, that ship has sailed, the EU won't do it. It will be a clear binary choice again but hopefully enough people will be aware of what no deal means for the country.

he won't be running the country on his own. There is a whole government to do it

A Prime Minister still has the ultimate power.

He can decide on whether to press the nuclear codes, take us to war, he will be the one representing us in the world. He will make all the big decisions. In this country it is not just a puppet job, Corbyn if he wins, will be in full control of the whole country. I did not think twice about voting in Blair each time, and then supporting Brown and others, but I can't for the life of me feel that Corbyn is competent enough to do what must be the toughest job in the country at the worst possible time (brexit) I don't see someone I can trust and feel confidence in. I voted for him in 2017 but even in that short space of time I see him stumbling over his words, unable to clarify his position on anything, and generally not particularly in control of his party or of anything else. He seems to be struggling. There has been a steady decline.

I like him as a person, but I don't think he is PM material. Who does? And why? I don't want the 'pensioner next door' running the country thanks, I want a dynamic visionary labour leader that actually makes a difference.

Well imo he is a dynamic visionary to lead the county back to greatness. I don’t think he’s massively far-left either.

The smear campaign against him has been continuous and effective. The richest people in the world are terrified of Corbyn, as they should be. 80% of the UK press is right-wing. He’s up against it.

What’s your biggest fear of having Corbyn as leader? What can he do that will affect the country more than the Tories already have?

Don't confuse people being anti the policies of the Israeli government with racism

People keep wheeling out this line which just shows they haven’t sodding looked at what’s going on. People aren’t talking about criticism of Israeli policy when they’re talking about anti-semitism in the Labour Party, they’re talking about blatant anti-semitism and holocaust denial.