Has The 4Th Labour Leader To Win A General Election Been Born Yet?

[ToraToraTora]

Labour have existed for 120 years, they've had 5 prime minsters and only 3 have won a general election. (Tory lite Tony doesn't count). So with that appalling record who actually supports them?

[naomi24]

//The older generation of Tory voters won't live forever, and the younger voters won't put up with the current incompetent Tory leadership for long. Labour will win again, but it may not be in our lifetime.//

Many of the older generation of Tory voters were once the younger generation full of impossibly idealistic left wing notions just as the younger generation are now. The former generation grew up - as will the current one.

[Mozz71]

//stop it you'll have gully sobbing into his desayuno!//

Well, it doesn't effect him out in the Costa del (Ar)Sol does it?

[Mozz71]

//Many of the older generation of Tory voters were once the younger generation full of impossibly idealistic left wing notions just as the younger generation are now. //

I'm sure some were, but I bet a majority of them grew up in the capitalist Eighties, dreaming of filofaxes and brick sized mobie phones.

[woofgang]

"//The older generation of Tory voters won't live forever, and the younger voters won't put up with the current incompetent Tory leadership for long. Labour will win again, but it may not be in our lifetime.//"
Allegedly Russia thought the same about religion-that they didn't have to worry about doing much about it to exterminate it because the churches were mainly used by old women and they would die and the Church would fold....only their places were taken by the next generation of old women.

[ToraToraTora]

the kids are all socialist till they get assets, simples!

[gulliver1]

09.46 P/P, you know what Peter, I bet TTT is wishing right now that he could retract best answer and award it to you.

[woofgang]

He can, you just click on best answer and it changes.

[Jackdaw33]

I know what a Nimby is but what is an Imby(Imbie)?

[gulliver1]

09.59,hang on woofgang I will text him .

[naomi24]

Most young people tend towards impossible leftist idealism - they always have. Nevertheless they aren’t averse to reaping the benefits of a capitalist society. Just take a look at our universities and the student unions. Nothing changes…. but most (not all) do eventually grow out of it.

[ToraToraTora]

09:58, I rarely read PPs drivel me old china.

[ichkeria]

The Tony Blair argument rather falls flat if you ask yourself what would have happened if John Smith had led the party in 1997.
Or does he not count either :-)
The Tory party has always been good at reinventing itself, Labour less so.
But as has been said many times before, both Labour and the Tories have been written off as finished before.
Not so long ago the Tories hadn’t won an election outright since 1992. And after the Euro elections they were supposedly dead.
2019 was an odd election, not only for being held near Christmas. But also there were effectively two opposition parties running for power. Johnson managed to dissociate himself from the previous Tory leadership. Successful reinvention.

[ToraToraTora]

ich: "The Tony Blair argument rather falls flat if you ask yourself what would have happened if John Smith had led the party in 1997. " - they'd have got hammered, smith was an old fashioned socialist, one of his last policies was openly declaring that he'd raise income tax, he'd never have killed the old Labour sacred cows like TLT did. Direct taxation is the socialist way of keeping the poor down. Most Income tax is paid by the poor yet they still love it. Noo Layba were only entertained because they were in effect Tories.

[Jackdaw33]

//what would have happened if John Smith had led the party in 1997.\\

Labour may well have won but with nothing like the majority Blair got.

[ichkeria]

Exactly. So the argument that Tony Blair only won because he was the leader is bogus.

[ToraToraTora]

as much as labour would like to think that people love paying income tax for the common good they know in their heart of hearts that it's bowlocks and anyone promising to raise it will get get tub cuffed on prime time TV, Smith would have got savaged by the The Grey Man.

[ichkeria]

Well we’ll ne we know but I think it’s much more likely that Labour under a well-liked leader would have romped home against a Tory party in the mire after 18 years in power.
There’s no shame in that :-)

[dannyk13]

Ich, voters do not vote for leaders, they vote for a party and, occasionally, for a local candidate.

[Spicerack]

I reckon they'll never win.
In 15 years they won't be the opposition either.

[Jackdaw33]

//Labour under a well-liked leader would have romped home against a Tory party in the mire\\

Smith was leader for two years. He hadn't had time to become not well-liked.