Current Affairs The Labour Party

[Groucho]

I see there’s a few complaining that Jeremy Clarkson has said he’d vote for Keir Starmer.

Sorry but isn’t that how Labour are going to win? By attracting voters from other parties?

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

Sorry but isn’t that how Labour are going to win? By attracting voters from other parties?

It's absolutely how they go about winning if they can manage it

It's how they won in 97 too

 

[Hickson9]

Tories moving toward a 'Green Deal' vision for the future of the economy. We'll see how real that is, but it underlines again the sea change that Corbyn heralded in British political economy: the first to call for an end to austerity (adopted by all parties), the first to call for a reconfiguration of the economy that addresses climate change (now accepted across the board).

You need to move on from Corbyn mate. Labour were utterly destroyed at the last General Election.

If Corbyn had been successful, we wouldn't have Starmer's Labour.

The only way you are going to get the kind of change you want, any time soon, is backing Starmer's Labour.

Otherwise, you are just shouting in to the void and no one is listening.

 

[Aberblue]

Tories moving toward a 'Green Deal' vision for the future of the economy. We'll see how real that is, but it underlines again the sea change that Corbyn heralded in British political economy: the first to call for an end to austerity (adopted by all parties), the first to call for a reconfiguration of the economy that addresses climate change (now accepted across the board).

So you've never heard of the Green Party, then? That's been their main policy for over 30 years.

 

[davek]

So you've never heard of the Green Party, then? That's been their main policy for over 30 years.

Its not a major party.

Clueless.

 

[davek]

You need to move on from Corbyn mate. Labour were utterly destroyed at the last General Election.

If Corbyn had been successful, we wouldn't have Starmer's Labour.

The only way you are going to get the kind of change you want, any time soon, is backing Starmer's Labour.

Otherwise, you are just shouting in to the void and no one is listening.

2019 was a Brexit referendum.

2017 was the clearer picture of what a manifesto like Corbyn's can attract...only stopped from taking power by right wing neo-liberals in the LP bureaucracy who actively sabotaged the LP campaign.

Maybe you should acknowledge that before moving away from the Corbyn issue.

 

[Hickson9]

2019 was a Brexit referendum.

2017 was the clearer picture of what a manifesto like Corbyn's can attract...only stopped from taking power by right wing neo-liberals in the LP bureaucracy who actively sabotaged the LP campaign.

Maybe you should acknowledge that before moving away from the Corbyn issue.

We won't have an election until 2024.

We need a unified Labour party to have even a slim chance of stopping Tory rule until 2029.

The policy lessons of Corbynism should be learnt. The image of the party needs to be considered. And how messages are communicated also needs to be considered.

But it shouldn't be looking back with yearning at what was ultimately a failure, nor banging on with navel gazing party conspiracy theories that the electorate just doesn't care about. It should be constructive and used to get Starmer's Labour in to power.

 

[davek]

We won't have an election until 2024.

We need a unified Labour party to have even a slim chance of stopping Tory rule until 2029.

The policy lessons of Corbynism should be learnt. The image of the party needs to be considered. And how messages are communicated also needs to be considered.

But it shouldn't be looking back with yearning at what was ultimately a failure, nor banging on with navel gazing party conspiracy theories that the electorate just doesn't care about. It should be constructive and used to get Starmer's Labour in to power.

It doesn't matter what policies you have if the media are fervently neo-liberal and are petrified of their owners and clients losing their grip on power and their profits tapped into.

It's completely naive to view the Corbyn years as one in which image can be set aside from that.

As for Starmer: I'm at a point where I'm openly considering dumping the party (membership) and voting some other way too. Starmer's moves so far leave me with a firm view that he'll be the heir and successor to Blair, who made the country less equal and destroyed organised labour as much as the Tories ever did.

Just because it says Labour it doesn't mean it's Labour.

 

[Aberblue]

Its not a major party.

Clueless.

Still, they had this policy for 30+ years. Whether they're a "major party" or not isn't at issue.

 

[Hickson9]

It doesn't matter what policies you have if the media are fervently neo-liberal and are petrified of their owners and clients losing their grip on power and their profits tapped into.

It's completely naive to view the Corbyn years as one in which image can be set aside from that.

As for Starmer: I'm at a point where I'm openly considering dumping the party (membership) and voting some other way too. Starmer's moves so far leave me with a firm view that he'll be the heir and successor to Blair, who made the country less equal and destroyed organised labour as much as the Tories ever did.

Just because it says Labour it doesn't mean it's Labour.

I respect your view and fair enough if the Labour party isn't "Labour" enough for you. I'd be interested to know where else you might go though? As a civil servant, I don't participate in party politics at all, and have no insight in to the inner workings of any political party as such.

Anyway, you're never going to get a socialist country though, regardless of how you vote. The concentration of power and wealth will ensure that.

The best we can hope for in our society is that we end up with a more regulated and greener form of capitalism, with a more interventionist state to redress imbalances and inequalities that arise.

 

[Aberblue]

I see there’s a few complaining that Jeremy Clarkson has said he’d vote for Keir Starmer.

Sorry but isn’t that how Labour are going to win? By attracting voters from other parties?

You'd think so, but some people rate what they consider to be ideological purity before things like winning elections, gaining real power, etc.

 

[Spadge Vernacular]

Its not a major party.

Clueless.

Like the Socialist Party then

 

[davek]

I respect your view and fair enough if the Labour party isn't "Labour" enough for you. I'd be interested to know where else you might go though? As a civil servant, I don't participate in party politics at all, and have no insight in to the inner workings of any political party as such.

Anyway, you're never going to get a socialist country though, regardless of how you vote. The concentration of power and wealth will ensure that.

The best we can hope for in our society is that we end up with a more regulated and greener form of capitalism, with a more interventionist state to redress imbalances and inequalities that arise.

If Starmer turns away from the last two LP manifestos on the economy I'm gone. If there's a socialist alternative on at an election, however small the party, it'd get my vote - though I wont join. Failing that, I'll stop voting.

As for what's possible: we had a post war consenus for 35 years on the basis of a mixed economy and a meaningful welfare state and national health service. That type of social democratic pol-economy existed all over western and northern Europe. We need a return to that, because the market has failed. Globalism has failed, and so too has the return to economic nationalism.

 

[dwightschrute]

I dont think its purity r.e Jeremy Clarkson, it would just be a worry about what a labour manifesto would we have to look like to make him keen to vote for us. He's made plenty of sexist, racist, outdated gammon comments and is the epitome of a rural england tory toff. A pointless talking point anyway as its just him WUMing, if hes voted tory all his life and could vote in Johnson hes not gonna stop now aged 60!

 

[Hickson9]

If Starmer turns away from the last two LP manifestos on the economy I'm gone. If there's a socialist alternative on at an election, however small the party, it'd get my vote - though I wont join. Failing that, I'll stop voting.

As for what's possible: we had a post war consenus for 35 years on the basis of a mixed economy and a meaningful welfare state and national health service. That type of social democratic pol-economy existed all over western and northern Europe. We need a return to that, because the market has failed. Globalism has failed, and so too has the return to economic nationalism.

The choice right now is simple. Starmer's Labour or Johnson's Tories.

On a wider note, in what way do you think the market has failed?