Not Looking Good For Labour

[Khandro]

'The Labour Party is expected to have “one of its worst local election performances in recent history”, the prediction coming just three months after the party experienced its worst national election loss since 1935.

Locals will be voting in 118 councils in England on May 7th, and the Labour Party is expected to lose up to 315 seats including Labour strongholds like Sheffield which the party has held for 75 years, according to an internal party document seen by the BBC and reported on Tuesday.'

I wonder why?

[emmie]

people are disillusioned perhaps with Labour, they gave them a kicking in the GE, and this is the fallout perhaps...

[naomi24]

I'd love to hear dearly departed Mikey's take on Labour's hopeless performance and abysmal prospects. I wonder if he'd still be supporting them? Surely not, eh? He wasn't a stupid man by any means.

[emmie]

but a lifelong supporter....

[ichkeria]

I’m not sure it matters unduly. Three months after a catastrophic election defeat and with a low key leadership contest underway and with the government still in “its too soon to start blaming them for much” mode the chances of Labour recovering in some local elections is pretty much zero anyway.
What’ll matter more is what happens in the coming months.

[naomi24]

Most of Labour's lifelong supporters appear to be no more, emmie.

[emmie]

i think he would have been horrified by Labour's performance overall..

[ichkeria]

Our politics is very divided at the moment, as the main parties move right and left.
Despair at Labour is countered by the strong feelings engendered in some by the “other lot”
You only have to look at the hysterical reaction to Rishi Sunak and his Yorkshire tea making.
It might, on top of that, not take a huge amount of incompetence by a government wrestling with the possible economic impact of the covid-19 and uncertainty over Brexit trade talks to give a “new look” Labour leadership some er momentum.
Who knows.
A year ago the Tories were allegedly about to disappear up their own fundament

[naomi24]

Do you seriously expect things to change for Labour within the foreseeable future, Ichkeria? It seems to me they're in complete denial and tumbling headlong from bad to worse.

[Khandro]

How long do you think you may have to wait ichi?
You sound a bit like Mr Micawber :0)

[ichkeria]

Who knows? Like I say.

I don't "expect" anything. Just putting another slant on things, because it's not only about how well the oppostion looks, but also how well or badly the government does.
If Keir Starmer manages things as badly as his soon-to-be predecessor he will surely be up for some sort of award ...

[youngmafbog]

Local elections dont always reflect elections for national leaders

[Gromit]

Since losing the General Election the Labour Party have spent their time on internal politics and have completely cease to be the Opposition.
As a result the calamitous start of Boris’ Premiership have gone unchecked.
So if Labour get a kicking in May, well they thoroughly deserve it.
If Labour choose the right leader in April, and that results in them working as a proper opposition again, then there might be a bit of an election bounce (though probably not).
Labour’s only hope is the Government faulters, but Prime Minister Cummings is a good strategist, and is not gaffe prone like his underling, Johnson.

[Khandro]

Gromit //...If Labour choose the right leader in April, .....//

But who would that be? The contenders ALL look like losers to me.

[Gromit]

Khandr,
You do have a point. Yesterday I likened it to:
// a 5 month long leadership beauty contest with three ugly candidates. //

[Khandro]

Yes Gromit, I think the Labour party have taken 'democracy' to the point of absurdity, they really ought to take a leaf out of the Tory book & elect their leaders from the MPs, not the 'great unwashed'.

If this was the case, I think you'd have got a better line-up.

[ichkeria]

It’s still the Tory membership who elect the leader, albeit from a shortlist of two

[Khandro]

yes, but the MPs nominate the runners, not the likes of Len McCluskey.

[ichkeria]

Candidates need support from a certain number of MPs, then a certain number of CLPs and 3 affiliated bodies.

[jourdain2]

Just a quick comment that, to me, all the current candidates for the Labour party leadership look disastrous for the party. I'm not
a socialist (nor am I an unthinking conservative), but I recognise the need for balance in politics - and they are pushing Keir Starmer as a moderate!? Wake up, please, the coffee is boiling over! We need an effective and sensible Opposition.

[andy-hughes]

I think the local election annihilation will be the equivalent of after-shocks after a major earthquake - the initial damage was so catastrophic that there's not an awful lot left to fall over.

Labour really do need to start understanding the actual reasons for their election loss, and not accept the reasons that they wish were the reasons, but clearly are not - talk about 'Winning the argument ...' and similar piffle from Jeremy Corbyn and his fans.

Reality is hard to live with, but Labour seem keen to distance themselves ever further from Planet Earth, and are busy spinning into a vortex of Marxist theory and pointless talking shops.

They need a leader who will get a grip, and looking at the candidates, they will still need one when the next leader has been chosen.