The Labour Party Leadership

[hellywelly4]

Without being unpleasant, please can someone explain in simple terms what Jeremy Corbyn's policies are, and why none of the 'big names' (Hilary Benn, Yvette Cooper etc) haven't put themselves forward for the leadership. I've always been right of centre, and I do have a problem with understanding their thoughts!!!

[Jackdaw33]

They know they would be on a loser and might face deselection if they stood.

[douglas9401]

I think there may be a plan afoot to let the wooly left theorists have a go with the electorate then the others can come back with something like New Labour next time.

[hellywelly4]

As I see it, if Jeremy wins another leadership contest, there would be no way to 'get rid of him' and then things might get nasty.

[petal54]

troubling times all round,these MP's still have to work together

[jourdain2]

I would love someone to come along and explain all this simply. My younger daughter affects to be something approximating to a slightly softer Marxist. When Corbyn was elected, she said (in hushed voice) 'Mum, it's a train crash about to happen, isn't it?'. I agreed. Since then there has been silence on the subj.. I'd love to be able to converse with her on this. :(

[Peter Pedant]

corbyns policies
he doesnt have any - OK large corporate statism - buy everything on tick
nuclear disarmament - his personal policy not labour policy
managed economy
think harold wilson late sixties

why dont others stand ?
they think they would lose

[Peter Pedant]

God is anyone an marxist nowadays ?

you have to start off by admitting that all the brave marxist paradises in eastern europe and africa of the late twentieth century .....
werent really marxist
which is a kinda week start to any discussion

[jourdain2]

Did I say that younger daughter was rational on this, PP? She has a husband with a weird (Liverpool/Irish/Marxist) family! I am not that sane myself, but I struggle.

[tonyav]

and why none of the 'big names' (Hilary Benn, Yvette Cooper etc) haven't put themselves forward for the leadership.


They'll probably lead the new new labour party !

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/29/labour-rebels-plan-to-elect-own-leader-and-create-alternative-gr/

[TTG]

lol @ Corbyn mentioning foodbanks in the commons the other week. Has he mentioned Thatcher yet in a speech?

[gulliver1]

TTG, "Has he mentioned Thatcher yet in his speech"? Didn't you read the opening words in this post, it says "without being unpleasant" !

[Khandro]

Corbyn has never done a days job in his life, he knows a lot about 'politics' knows about the history of the labour movement, has read Karl Marx and all, but that is about it really.
He reminds me of what Socrates said to Ion, who considered himself to be an expert on all things, "So your knowledge of generalship makes you a general?"

[ToraToraTora]

Corbyn represents traditional Labour, those that think socialism is feasable and desirable. They and he hark back to a time when the Labour party was needed when the poor were exploited with no representation. The PLP is mainly populated with wet Tories in Labour disguises. They worked out that old Labour is not viable but they needed to con the old Labour voters to get into power, hence Blairism from 1997-2000. The PLP now find themselves at odds with their leader, a decent bloke that has the support of the party at large but not the actual MPs. The "big names" - know this and also know that Labour will not sniff power for some time so they will allow the train wreck and hope to emerge later, for those young enough, to fight the 2025 election. If Corbyn retains the leadership, there may well be a split and the formation of a new party. Hope that helps.

[Gromit]

No heavy weight candidates have put their names forward because they know they will lose badly.
The purpose of a stalking horse candidate such as Owen Smith is to test for cracks in Corbyns lead. If he wins by less that last time, they can say he is less popular and should go, even if he beats Smith by twice as many votes.
Corbyn stands for anti-privatisation, nationalisation, social care, and a broadly socialust agenda. Funnily enough, that is what Smith says as well, so he is not a real alternative.

[mushroom25]

//If Corbyn retains the leadership, there may well be a split and the formation of a new party.//

this was tried under uncannily similar circumstances in 1981. in a flourish of publicity 28 labour mps defected to the newly formed SDP. a year later one of them precipitated a by election and promptly lost. then for reasons best known to themselves they aligned with the liberal party and sank without trace.

[hellywelly4]

Thank you all for your observations. I think I know quite a lot more now. I haven't chosen a 'best answer' as this subject is so emotive it might cause a revolution!!!! Interesting to read different people's opinions.

[ichkeria]

A lot of the issue is not policy but quality of leadership.
Corbyn is a campaigning politico with some good ideas (and a lot of terrible ones) but he has not the first idea how to lead a serious political party that aspires to power.
But lLabour does need to modernise in a way somehow that can take the party grassroots with it. Blair was great at winning elections but rubbish at involving his party or even his cabinet in policy and governing. Labour, in the process of reacting against that, had ended up with the exact opposite in Corbyn.