The country surely has to be ready for Labour now??

[83DanishMum]

Education Secretary Kemi Badenoch!
Home Secretary Suella Braverman!
Levelling Up Secretary...Jacob Rees-Mogg!!!!!! 😂🤣😭😭😭

Populist Prime Minister Truss has apparently already appointed her joke of a cabinet. Never did I think there could be a Home Secretary worse than Priti Patel!

Barely any mention of the climate throughout this whole diabolical leadership scrap, other than the fact that Liz doesn't like the look of solar panels. 🤦‍♀️FML.

What have the Tories actually achieved during their tenure? Except Brexit which has made things worse. Anyone??

I don't find Keir Starmer inspirational but he's clearly decent, credible, honest and competent. He understands we need a green economy, investment and jobs asap. He doesn't pick a fight with our European allies. A coalition led by him including Lib Dems and Greens would also be fine by me. Some adults in the room at last, please!!

Contrary to Daily Fail scare mongering the polls suggest he wouldn't need any deal with the SNP.

Surely the country is ready for a Labour led government at last???

I wouldn't vote for them currently!

@pastabest explains why, far better than I could.

Why NOT the SNP? because @AmandaMirandaPanda they would hold the PM to ransom over another Indy ref which I wouldn't support

That is why people keep voting Tories in, because they know how bad they are, they know exactly what to expect.

Except they don't know how bad they are - or at least how bad they can be. They are getting worse (further right) with each reincarnation of PM. You thought Boris's cabinet of fools was bad. Wait till you see what we've got coming on Tuesday.

Yes, she's a fool. She's lurching in the wrong direction.

I'll be voting Tory again

To be honest, I can't put this statement over and above the way the Tories are destroying the rights of women through childcare, maternity, employment, education, birth choices, abysmal rape convictions, Womens safety, refusal to make misogyny a hate crime, and destroying the future for young people.

No way will I vote Labour. Wouldn't have a clue what we'd get.

Tory? No thanks. And there's the problem.

I be agree to an extent @Acheyknees - those you named were heavyweights we need more of. It's the same in the Tory party, as Johnson purged all the decent ones. However I do think Starmer is decent, and people like Wes Streeting is pretty strong and articulate, Lisa Nandy is decent if not exciting, Yvette Cooper strong, Emily Thornberry, David Lanny strong. I agree nothing like the New Labour lot but infinitely better than Braverman and Co.

You don't belive a sovereign country should be allowed to vote on if its stays in a union that makes their lives actively worse? Not a huge fan of democracy then?

Sick of reading this, we have absolute muppets currently, Labour would be fine in comparison. Why do people need Labour to be perfect but the Tories are ok to be corrupt?

@WallaceinAnderland - exactly so

Does not inspire confidence and a bit of an arm chair general - Who on earth can make that comment and expect to be taken seriously. I cannot take man who says most women don't have penises seriously

I reckon Yvette Cooper could do a decent job.

The Labour party need to accept that they are really two (at least) completely incompatible parties now that their voters on either side can't get on board with the other side of the party. Neither side is electable on its own merit either.

@pastabest exactly the same can be said for the Tories though. The one nation ones and the populist bunch currently sat round the cabinet table. The populist group are becoming ever more Katie Hopkins-esque in their sensationalist Trumpian divisive mode, and are alienating the more central moderate Tories to the extent they will be more likely to vote for someone rational like Starmer.

By the way Owen Jones does not speak for Labour.

To add to that @pastabest I think your point would be valid had Corbyn still been leader, but Starmer has shifted Labour to the centre and therefore way more palatable.

You don't belive a sovereign country should be allowed to vote on if its stays in a union that makes their lives actively worse? Not a huge fan of democracy then?

@JustAnotherPoster00 I think that as it stands we've had a horribly divisive period with Brexit. The Queen is going to die in the next few years and there will be another massive national debate about republicanism which will be vicious. The last thing we need is yet another divisive row about indyref2. Don't get me wrong, debate is valid but the way politics is so polarised at present this will all be really destructive to the nation. Indiyref1 was meant to be a once in a lifetime vote. Since I voted Remain I'm fucking furious that we Brexited, but I would not condone another EU referendum in the next 20 years as that's not democratic either and would only cause more division and resentment.

We need to work to unite the nation instead of tearing ourselves apart like they are in the States.

Sick of reading this, we have absolute muppets currently, Labour would be fine in comparison. Why do people need Labour to be perfect but the Tories are ok to be corrupt?

This is so true!

Do you not think that it's more devisive for Scotland to never have a Tory majority but end up under Tory rule, what England wants the devolved nations have to suffer

Yes I (essentially) say all of that in my post.

The reason why the Tories are in and sitting comfortably though is first and foremost, Brexit and secondly because there is no real opposition from Labour, even with Starmer, fence sitter extraordinaire.

I'm a working/middle class, female public sector employee in a caring profession, university educated with a degree relevant to my public sector role.

Labour shouldn't even have to worry about my vote. My vote should be guaranteed in the bag for them.

Its not by a very very long way, not helped by the fact that they put the work experience kid in as a candidate in my constituency at the last election because it's considered a safe Tory area. I understand they want to put their top candidates in the safest seats but you don't change hearts and minds by not even bothering. The Lib Dem's on the other hand gained a significant amount of votes and really narrowed the Tory lead, their candidate and local party was out day and night, talking to people door steps, attending coffee mornings etc as was the rest of the party when it came to the council elections (which they won).

I just feel contempt and a bit abandoned by the Labour Party.

But they had a referendum not long ago. The whole country will be better off without the Tories.

I stand by my example of being a Remainer but accepting the result - as shitty as I believe it is - for now. Otherwise let's just have a new referendum every year! We'd be constantly arguing.

OK, so there was Brexit. I guess it made sense that the party that brought that shit onto us should be the one to lead us out of it.

Then there was Covid. BJ managed to muddle through. I hate the guy but I can appreciate objectively that he has some kind of charisma.

Now though...this cost of living crisis going completely unchecked, two frankly dire candidates for the leadership..

After everything this country has gone through the past few years, if the next election doesnt see a Labour win, I honestly and truly give up on it. If Labour doesnt win this time around, in these circumstances, it never will.

And by the way I believe that in the long term Labour should be dismantled and replaced by something new.
It doesnt stand for the people it used to stand for anymore.

This! I’ve been wailing for years that I’d love to vote for Labour, if only they’d stop trying to destroy single sex spaces and insulting women with whom they disagree - ie most women.

Labour, Libdems and Greens need to sit down and reflect that democracy means the will of the majority gets enacted. Many Tory policies do reflect the will of the majority. (The actual Tory politicians are a total embarrassment.) But people want low income tax, grammar and private schools, and support for Ukraine. We want single sex groups at rape crisis centres. People do not want self-identification for transwomen and the destruction of girls’ safeguarding.

Labour, Libdems and Greens need to stop telling us what to think and start asking what we think. Until they do, they have zero chance of being elected.

Labour, Libdems and Greens need to sit down and reflect that democracy means the will of the majority gets enacted

That's not true though is it. The majority voted for parties other than the Tories.

This

people want low income tax, grammar and private schools, and support for Ukraine

• low income tax. Maybe, but I know many people in my circle (low/middle class post graduate working in public sector) who would prefer higher income tax in return for excellent public services and a healthy NHS & social care system.

• grammar schools - not in my area they don't. They want comprehensive schools that are excellent and they are fed up with grammar schools creaming off the highest achievers

-private schools - in my experience people are fine with there being choice but fed up with them being allowed to be "charities" and therefore not pay tax.

• support for Ukraine. This is a given. Who said support for Ukraine is the preserve of the Tories? Any leader (Starmer or indeed Truss or Sunak) would have given the same level of support to Ukraine. It's a cross party issue and it's not contested.