Is a more left Labour government what people want?

[punkhairbrush]

I keep hearing statement after statement from Labour MPs and Rayner saying they essentially want a more left version of the Labour Party. From my understanding the majority of the public are fed up with work not paying and whether we like it or not, nothing being done about the welfare state and also illegal immigrants. Surely a more left approach isn’t going to solve either of these issues and will just cause Labour to be even less popular than they are now. Or have I got it all wrong?

Well seeing as people have voted as far right as possible, I’m guessing the answer is no.

In a word, no. That's what the far left tell us ' we' want and if we pipe up and say no actually, then we're uneducated, ill informed, stupid beings with no right to vote. Democracy is only a thing if we agree with everything they say and act accordingly.

Surely a more left approach isn’t going to solve either of these issues and will just cause Labour to be even less popular than they are now. Or have I got it all wrong?

Well, it wasn't long back a "more left" version of Labour tallied more votes in two General Elections than Starmer's iteration did in 2024. They may not have ended up in Government, but it's clear that version of the party was attracting votes "for" something rather than just as a means to remove the Tory Government.

Starmer's Labour won a loveless landslide, their approval cratered within a year and is showing no signs of recovery. Clearly the stupidity of trying to out-Reform Reform is getting them nowhere, so it's difficult to conceive of them making any change that could accelerate that unpopularity. It's clear as day absolutely nobody likes this version of Labour, IMO that's because they don't actually stand for anything or anyone. They've tried to be all things, and that's just resulted in everyone hating them because if you want Right, the Tories are better, if you want Far Right, Reform is the original, if you want Left, The Greens have stolen that platform.

Labour in England is going through the same thing that has killed Labour in Scotland over the past 27 years. They went off chasing a Centrist vote, but abandoned their ethos and convictions to do it. They've nothing to fall back on because the party deliberately run anyone with convictions out of the organisation, and now their old stomping ground has been taken over by a newcomer.

Yes.

The electorate have sent a very clear message and it isn’t “we want more left wing policies”.

No, people have not indicated that they want Labour to veer to the left. Greens did well amongst students. Maybe if Labour listened to people instead of calling them far right that might help. The left is largely for the middle class and students.

Plenty of people voted for left leaning parties. Green, SNP, Plaid Cymru.

It depends, I suspect they want better public services but less emigration, tougher policing etc so basically they want better life for them.

No, they don't want a more left wing government, they want a competent government that have a coherent plan for improving the economy, growth etc. They don't want u-turns, incoherent sixth form standard of policy making, and politics of envy.

More people voted for left wing parties than right wing parties. But we need centrist, far left or far right would be a disaster

Labour need to appeal to the majority of people from left to centre left. They are not likely to get win votes back that they've lost to the right, so trying to claw them back from the greens make sense.

As big as Reform's win was in council seats, they're only hovering at about 25% in the polls. The electorate is very fragmented and it makes sense for Labour to try and broaden their tent, leftwards.

What did the majority do though?

The reason Corbyn got more support but didn't win was because his support was very deep in areas already Labour areas, typically the large cities and more affluent areas. He loves speaking to people who already agreed with him and the hero worship that came with it. He did little to nothing to persuade other people that what he was selling was a good idea because he loves the hero worship too much. He couldnt even bring himself to explain his Brexiteer position to his own party, preferring to go MIA. Your Party has blown up because in their heart of hearts, his supporters know he is a stubborn old man who loves the sound of his own voice. Going further Left when the Greens have already taken that vote and have taken the Muslim vote that Labour were also courting is not going to make them more popular. They need to move to the centre.

Sorry, I meant to attach this.

Right wing parties 47%
Left wing parties 43%

So not much in it. And the picture will be very different in Wales and Scotland where the left leaning parties won more votes than the right.

Well, its what I want. A Labour government that just tries to be Tories Lite is not what I want. I want a government that spends money on health, policing, education, social care, and prisons, and taxes people and corporations fairly. I really can't see what the problem is with this.

I think they should stop giving themselves wage increases and put money into things people want such as being able to get a doctor's appointment like you used to be able to Spend money fixing roads and pavements They should be making places accessible for disabled Much smaller classes in school I've no idea what's left or right Id just like to see changes that improve people's lives

That 10% "other" will be mostly left-wing parties (Plaid, SNP).

Weren’t around half the seats in England won by Green/Labour/LD?

No, that chart is for England only.

Eta: Would be interesting to.know what the others are though.

If people want a “left” government, why have so many voted Reform in local elections? Reform can hardly be described as “ left”?

Most people dont actually care about left or right. They just want a party that will make their lives better.
Unfortunately we seem to have politicians that are massively out of touch and totally self serving.

As much as I agree with you on Corbyn, I don't agree with the premise the Labour Party needs to move to the Centre.

The overton window in England has been shifted so much that there is no place for a "centre" party. Reform pulling 26% of the vote, and the corresponding rise in Green support as a counterweight means that a centrist party is just going to be left standing with their knickers around their ankles while the Left v Right narrative goes on over their heads.

The Labour party as is, is effectively a Centre party, and it's getting them absolutely nowhere because they are not seen as sufficiently robust in rebutting the wildly inaccurate claims of Reform re Welfare, Immigration and so on, but at the same time they are also seen to be too "soft" on these issues by right-leaning folk because they have failed to communicate that since they took office in 2024 year on year net immigration has fallen and the Welfare bill has been cut.

Labour are also dealing with a hostile media that has a vested interest in supporting Right-wing narratives, but they are hopeless communicators themselves, and do not do themselves any favours in that regard. They can't go more "Centre" because it would just be perceived as yet more of the same wishy-washy stuff that is currently comprehensively failing them.

It's the wrong question IMO.

I think people want an economy that works for them and to feel well-defended and to feel pride in their country.

I think any party who could persuade the electorate that it could deliver those things would get in.

For all the talk of a loveless landslide, Labour did get a big victory. I think because people thought they would deliver the above.

Now, they think Labour can't. And, whatever the reality, the optics are that Starmer is a cronyist and a grifter.

So now it's "they can't deliver what we need, and they're just as corrupt as the last lot. And less entertaining to boot."

I think the revulsion is disappointment.

People in Westminster talking about left and right are using the wrong framing, imo.

But there is no money to spend🤷‍♀️

Working and middle class voters don’t want to pay more tax, and there’s no easy ways to tax the super wealthy.

The UK is already in far too much debt which is costing billions a year in interest. We can’t borrow more

The Boris wave of 2 million (mainly) African and Asian immigrants was to try to scribe growth in the economy but people done want any more imnigrants

Theres no easy answers🤷‍♀️

Ah, thanks.