Labour has lost the election, what now?

[Isitmebut]

After 13-years of a New Labour, and trying from 2010 a New-Old Labour as demanded by their core vote, what now?

Commentators talk of the political 'centre', 'centre left' and 'far left' - where is Labour's next direction of travel, who within will take them there, will they still need to keep the trade unions sweet?

Indeed do the trade union barons having brought in THEIR Miliband brother, funded/sponsored the offices of the shadow cabinet and most Labour MPs, and dictated most of the policies of the past 5-years, bear any responsibility for Labour's current loss?

Interesting times.

"trade union barons"

Grow up.

I think Labour are finished, they will never win again. they will have to become a real socailsit trade union backed party like Old Labour and they will have to ask for proportional representation.

Labour cannot survive in the centre with UKIP taking its working class vote on its left flank, so Labour has no alternative but to move further left. It all depends on whether UKIP survive. If UKIP fold, then the same old Labour-Tory Establishment game can continue, otherwise Labour must go left.

Labour may even split in the future, with the Oxbridge graduates forming a centre party and the rest going left. PR voting is the only hope they have for the future.

The Labour Oxbridge graduate, Philip Collins, a former Blair speechwriter has got it totally wrong as usual. He thinks Labour shouldn't go left and have to stay in the centre - the old Blairite disaster that has caused them to get into this mess.

Wise up - if you were pathetically unaware of it.

If you want me to post all the quotes/links on Len McClusky's conditions of providing funds to the Labour Party e.g. 'no Conservative lite austerity', which is no doubt why Brown/Darling were UNABLE to cut UK (over) spending by 2010, or Miliband/Balls provide ANY detail in their 2015 Manifesto other than a few £billion on the wealthy - I will.

There were other policies in the Manifesto as well, but the whole structure e.g. State Controls, could have been written by the trade union movement, as there was sod all in there for anyone other than those on the MW and Zero Hours - and they were likely to lose their jobs.

OK, I'll withdraw "union barons" and include saints, but what's next?

I hope Thanet South get rid of ukip then all they will have is an ex tory.

Ed Balls having gone is a good thing.

Claig .... IMO the problem with New Labour was that Brown thought he had harnessed capitalism to ensure "no more booms and busts", to fund a Welfare State, but it was always prone to funding problems on the first major recession, never mind the worst economic recession 80-odd years - triggered by the financial recession.

In my opinion they are better off in the 'middle', pro (or not anti at least) business - and a more inclusive manifesto with real ideas how to build a better Britain, rather than think an economy runs itself no matter what you throw at it - so solely concentrating on rearranging the wealth deck-chairs on a UK economic Titanic.

Labour are done for now. They definitely have an uphill struggle now to rebuild confidence in the,. Unions are finished as well - they have no power and are toothless. Their only way forward is to ask for PR but it's not a system I would vote for.

'n my opinion they are better off in the 'middle''

I don't think so because they are like the LibDems, all they have is progressive rhetoric about "fairness", "fair society", inclusion, equality etc - just words, while they really have to follow a Blairite Tory type austerity policy anyway because they are too scared to deviate from it and their Oxbridge management team think that is the only solution.

The public pretend they like it and are "caring" and tell that to the pollsters because they don't want to be called "nasty" by the left wing BBC but in reality they vote Tory because they believe they are better for the economy.

Red Ed pretended he was not a Blairite but the Scottish people weren't fooled and called Labour "Red Tories" which is what they are. No one believed Miliband and the "fairness" spin fools no one.

They have to ditch their Oxbridge elite team who were never left wing and go back to radical left wing policies - millions of new homes built, nationalise banks and railways etc, stop the metropolitan obsession with political correctness, stop the nanny state and become a people's party in order to stop UKIP and that will frighten the Tory grandees and win votes even from UKIP's People's Army who know we are all being screwed.

Jon Cruddas is the only one who can do it - they need Lord Glasman's Blue Labour - but they won't do it because they are all politically correct and they will probably make some NHS warrior like Andy Burnham (Oxbridge graduate) leader and then of course they will be trounced once again.

Their problem is they are a middle class progressive Oxbridge party pretending to be working class and the public know it.

The Oxbridge graduate, Jonathan Powell, Blair's former Chief of Staff was on the BBC and like all of the Oxbridge graduates he said that Labour can't win elections on the left and have to win from the centre.

It's wrong and that is why Labour will never win again because the Tories are better for neoliberal economics and the new factor of UKIP means that Labour face a challenge on their left and in their centre from a new party.

Bob Crow and len McCluskey could win elections for them because they had/have the guts to go radical left wing and solve the housing problem, nationalise banks, create British investment banks, create Open Universities like Harold Wilson did etc, put people back to work in their millions, confront globalisation etc. That would pose a real challenge to the Tories. But it won't happen because Labour's ruling elite are from Oxbridge and don't want to really challenge the elite.

Claig ... Re 'the Middle' .... may I remind you that back in 1997, with the economy under the Conservative light years better than in 2010, Blair won a 166 Labour seatmajority being in that middle gound?

P.S. Labour's "British Investment Banks" or more clueless government quangos, finally directing money to Labour regions etc etc etc.

Er Claig, Bob Crow died last year!

We were both there in that election and we both know why Blair won. I voted for Blair then just like millions of other Tories and it was simply because the entire country had had enough of Tory arrogance and sleaze. There was a sea change and it was nothing to do with economics or centre grounds. Blair was a total joke at the time, they called him "Bambi", he was useless and that is what he was but it didn't matter, because I and millions of Tories cheered him on because we couldn't take anymore arrogance and sleaze from the Tories.

After that the media. Murdoch and the war party backed Blair as he followed Bush in Iraq. When Murdoch ditched Labour, they lost.

Didnt Bob Crow have a heart attack on holiday????

How can he win??

Murdoch won this election. Him and all other Non-Doms with claws in the press.

AWholeLottaNosy, I know Bob Crow died but it is his spirit and ideas hat could beat the tories. When he was on Question Time, I and millions tuned in. He could run rings around the Tories and if he was in charge of Labour, then the elite would have faced a serious challenge.

And even now, when Len McCluskey is on, he runs rings aroud them too.

Dimbleby was very good last night. The Labour type, Peter Kellner, one of the Yougov founders, went on about Blair and Labour needing to be in the centre and Ed being too far to the left.

And Dimbleby said but do you really think that Ed was that? And he said if Blair came back now and said the same stuff he said then, would he realy win now? Of course he wouldn't. Bambi was OK for that time, but he would be wiped out now.

Labour have only one direction to go and that is real left. Anything else is just me too, just Oxbridge.

Claig ... how many countries that TRIED the rhetoric/parties of the far left since the crash are doing OK in Europe (or wider) now, without changes we did years ago e.g. labour market reforms, currently restricting companies to take the chance of hiring within stagnant economies?

Isitmebut, after the Second World War, the Labour Party put us back on our feet. We were in huge debt, but they rebuilt the country, gave us our NHS and gave working people a chance.

It's a great country and a great people. There is nothing we can't do. Where there's a will there's a way, we can still lead the way.

Claig ... Labour cannot live/govern on those past laurels, especially having had 13-years in power to change the lives of the poor/working class and blew it.

Spending 5-years denying that legacy and a total strategy of attacking the Conservatives, does not an effective new government make, especially with that badly thought out (practically) manifesto designed more for soundbites, than plans to build on the past 5-years.

Yes they gave us here in the UK (not you lol) the NHS, but looking at that NHS record over the past 13-years despite the money/debt lavished upon it, and THEN accusing the Conservative coalition for 5-years of going to do what they DID - ending in those accusations of Tory NHS cuts to come that were totally OTT, has all been rather desperate.

WE need visionary governments when running deficit/debt economies, not Oxbridge student union debating society type attacks.

Murdoch won this election. Him and all other Non-Doms with claws in the press.

I've read some shit on here but this snippet is right up there with the best of it.

've read some shit on here but this snippet is right up there with the best of it.

Thanks.

Miliband now.

No pun intended but its like watching a political 'Highlander' film .... "there can only be one".

Ed M has just resigned.

Harriet Harman to be caretaker leader.

Harriet Harman is a good choice....just waiting for the huge thunderclap, the windows come in, and Miliband's 'wisdom' to fly to her.

Waiting.

In April 1992 Major had a 21 majority which whittled to good-as nothing after 5 yrs.
As near as I can tell, Tories now have a working majority of 12 or 15.
How long will that take to whittle to nothing??