If politics were won on the centre ground we'd have a Prime Minister Miliband. UKIP's rise is entirely due to the Labour Party abandoning workers in deindustrialzed regions in an endless chase of the center. It's gone so far Tony Blair has gone on record as saying he'd rather lose than win on a leftist platform. The return of the Left to power will never happen if it can't provide a substantial alternative to the Right.
It should be noted, all of the people Corbyn was running against sucked, which no doubt contributed to his victory, in addition to the protest urge you identified.Even if they didn't have the £3 members Corbyn still won. Unfortunately the party is doing what every party does in opposition - retreating to the far extremes in a quest for purity. Labour did it in the early 80s, the Tories did it in the late 90s early 2000s. He's a feel good candidate for the party faithful - a protest leader.
It always requires a moderate to step back in, take over and lead the party to power. British politics is fought and won on the centre ground, and right now the tories are dominating that to an extent that should be unthinkable.
Well said.
Politics has become one of the nations favourite soap operas in the last few years, and the level of hysteria is pretty tragic.
Also lol at crab saying he misses Miliband...He seemed like a nice enough block beneath all the uncertainty and lack of credible positions on a range of issues.
Oh THIS is interesting:
George Eaton ‏@georgeeaton 4m4 minutes ago
Labour NEC votes for six month membership freeze date and two days for registered supporters with £25 fee.
There is no vast left wing base waiting to return home to vote labour if they go further left. It doesn't exist in british politics. I don't know why you would think that, as objective evidence says exactly the opposite.
People don't move from Labour to the Tories because Labour aren't left wing enough. People stopped voting Labour because they kept picking leaders who were a laugh - and Ed, unfortunately, didn't have the charisma or presence to be seen as a PM. Sad but that's politics.
There is no vast left wing base waiting to return home to vote labour if they go further left. It doesn't exist in british politics. I don't know why you would think that, as objective evidence says exactly the opposite.
ExactlyIt should be noted, all of the people Corbyn was running against sucked, which no doubt contributed to his victory, in addition to the protest urge you identified.
.
Oh THIS is interesting:
George Eaton ‏@georgeeaton 4m4 minutes ago
Labour NEC votes for six month membership freeze date and two days for registered supporters with £25 fee.
The funniest thing about Corbyns opponents being bad first time around is that Eagle is worse than all of them.
Has Corbyn demonstrated any capacity to appeal to these voters?AGAIN, I'm not talking about people moving from Labour to the Tories. I'm talking about people moving from Labour to UKIP, which is an even bigger problem, because those are seats in regions that used to be uncontested. If Labour is losing its strongholds there's no amount of embarassing Tory voters by making a very very sad and serious face while in substance agreeing with their policies that's gonna be able to bridge that gap.
Oh THIS is interesting:
George Eaton ‏@georgeeaton 4m4 minutes ago
Labour NEC votes for six month membership freeze date and two days for registered supporters with £25 fee.
I think someone else will emerge from the shadows in the coming weeks.
But if it weren't open to the £3 type members, would Momentum feel like such a strong force? Right now his 'mandate' feels stronger because of such vocal support, but if it were harder to join, would it feel more like something that could be challenged by now?
pray for jarvis
I think someone else will emerge from the shadows in the coming weeks.
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Who's that Labour MP?!
Why it's someone to split the vote against Corbyn!
They have barely any chance of winning unless Eagle steps down. It'll be a mess if there's not just one contender.
I'm still pretty baffled that you have to pay to join a political party in the UK.
He was told to leave, wasn't he?
Parties here have their funding much more tightly regulated than in America; it's necessary for funding when you can't go cap in hand to Wall Street. It's standard in most countries that aren't America, where you just have to pay in dignity.
I'm still pretty baffled that you have to pay to join a political party in the UK.
i wonder what happens if the labour right and centre leave, form a new party, and then win a GE with a minority
From an outsider perspective, it puts a burden on the poor to be able to join parties and have a say in the leadership process.
The thing is, in most countries, political parties are purely private organizations. Labour pays for its own leadership contests out of pocket. So if you want to join, you pay.From an outsider perspective, it puts a burden on the poor to be able to join parties and have a say in the leadership process.
Yes, it's pretty similar in most countries. The Canadian Liberal Party recently did away with paid memberships to vote in favour of trying to become a "movement", because I guess their projections are that they can make more by expanding their email list via adding more supporters and then pestering them for donations.I don't think it's a uk thing, it's like that all over.
Traditionally, Labour was a "shell" party - it was essentially organized and run by the trade unions. Being an actual member of the party was relatively rare, and on paper the Conservatives always had larger membership. This was because, as the trade unions decided, anyone who is a Labour affiliate can vote in the Labour leadership, and by being a member of an affiliated trade union you are yourself an affiliate. So the poor could always vote without having to pay as long as they were a member of a union (or other similar organizations, including working men's clubs, which used to be bastions of support for the unemployed).
That's an outdated system now because Thatcher gutted the unions, but it was never really reformed because by the time the impact was really clear, Blair basically ran the Labour Party like a personal fief and actually liked the fact participating in the party was difficult. There were cautious reforms under Miliband, so that joining if you are unemployed is only £1.92 a month, or $2.50 a month in US terms. They've not gone further than that because the Labour Party is already in a critical financial position and couldn't afford to do so; they'd need political parties to receive state funding, but the Conservatives have always opposed that because they're much wealthier. Should have been done under Blair, but again, Blair
I think it's disgusting that they've limited those eligible to vote. Why shouldn't those who've joined in the last six months have their say? They're just as much of a member as anyone else.
And then if you're going to limit those eligible to vote, don't let people get around it for a fee of £25. It's money grabbing, not real democracy, and not very inclusive at all.
That makes more sense and I understand why (though still disagree with the concept), but asking for £25 is absurd.
So wait
Cos I joined Labour after the election I can't vote for the leader?
So wait
Cos I joined Labour after the election I can't vote for the leader?
It'll be six months from whenever the leadership vote is, which will probably be in September or something, so as long as you joined in, uh, I'd guess in February or at least before mid-March, you'll be alright.
If you joined than that, you'll need to cough up £25.
Im still not getting why people in his own party dont back him though?
Like the media crucify him which is what Joey "The Sun reader" Blogs votes based off
but how does he get into the party, stay in the party and then get to a leader postion with views that seemingly 80% of his party dont agree with?
Why does the party not say "ok hes the guy thats been picked, lets get behind him" because all the infighting is what makes the party look a joke. I mean milliband was a joke and surely didnt have half as much support at corbyn does now. All these people being thrown up are just limp replacements from what i can tell
Ed Miliband was 8 points ahead of Corbyn in the polls at this cycle (before May gets a boost).
Corbyn is performing *terribly* - historically badly. And you can't put that down to infighting, given that both Blair and Miliband suffered worse and did better.
(worse up until this point that is!).
Registered Supporters
Registered Supporters will also have an individual vote at future Labour Party leadership elections and, if they are on the electoral register in London, the Primary for Labours candidate for London Mayor. They will be required to pay a small fee to participate in such elections.
Labour Party members can sign up to be a Registered Supporter, but they will still only receive a single vote in any selection in which registered supporters are entitled to participate.
From the signup page to become a £3 supporter
It doesn't put any length of support on it. So surely they've got to let everyone who voted in last year's leadership election vote this time too?
Registered Supporters will also have an individual vote at future Labour Party leadership elections and, if they are on the electoral register in London, the Primary for Labours candidate for London Mayor. They will be required to pay a small fee to participate in such elections.
If Theresa May goes for an election now, it could be a massacre like never before. I reckon she would be foolish not to take advantage of Labours state of affairs, just like Gordon Brown hesitated while ahead in the polls.
Where could my membership take me?
As a member, youll be a key part of the team. Youll be eligible to vote in leadership elections, you can help shape party policy, you can attend local meetings and you can even stand as a candidate.
So whether you want to chip in to help us reach our goals because you share our values, or because you have ambitions to serve your community and country, the only place to start is through joining the Labour Party as a member.