[Update] Jeremy Corbyn wins Labour Leadership

[Ramrod]

Why I’ve finally given up on the left

‘Tory, Tory, Tory. You’re a Tory.’ The level of hatred directed by the Corbyn left at Labour people who have fought Tories all their lives is as menacing as it is ridiculous.........the fact remains that the Labour party has just endorsed an apologist for Putin’s imperial aggression; a man who did not just appear on the propaganda channel of Russia, which invades its neighbours and persecutes gays, but also of Iran, whose hangmen actually execute gays. Labour’s new leader sees a moral equivalence between 9/11 and the assassination of bin Laden, and associates with every variety of women-hating, queer-bashing, Jew-baiting jihadi, holocaust denier and 9/11 truther. His supporters know it, but they don’t care........The half-educated fanatics are in control now. I do not see how in conscience I can stay with their movement or vote for their party. I am not going to pretend the next time I meet Owen Jones or those Labour politicians who serve in Corbyn’s shadow cabinet that we are still members of the same happy family. There are differences that cannot and should not be smoothed over.

I realise now what I should have known years ago. The causes I most care about — secularism, freedom of speech, universal human rights — are not their causes. Whatever they pretend, when the crunch comes, they will always put sectarian unity first, and find reasons to be elsewhere.

So, for what it is worth, this is my resignation letter from the left. I have no idea who I should send it to or if there are forms to fill in. But I do know this: like so many before me, I can claim constructive dismissal.

[Osem]

Yes they rather like adopting the sort of tactics they accuse others of - it's why I've long regarded them as hypocrites of the highest order.

Originally Posted by Osem

Yes they rather like adopting the sort of tactics they accuse others of - it's why I've long regarded them as hypocrites of the highest order.

It's important to remember these people are the nutters though. There are plenty of moderate people on the left and the right that look at these people and think they're mad. We shouldn't let discussions be framed by the most extreme elements or we'll become like America where no political discourse is possible without being hating each other.

I think Cohen is right but also a bit melodramatic. He is right the Labour party has currently been hijacked by these people, although in fairness Corbyn doesn't appear to share the hatred which infests some of his supporters, but he is wrong to 'leave the left' because of it. There are plenty of people on the left who don't share the views of these social media warriors.

I said this in the other thread but I don't like the way this trend is going in the UK. Everyone seems to be getting angrier and thinking evil of their political opponents.

[ianch99]

I like the way the "Left" are painted as a single entity, of a single opinion and having a single agenda. Sort of Ladybird book politics ..

Do you mean like all Tories are baby-eating bigoted haters of all those who disagree with them?

[denphone]

There is good and bad in every party and anybody who thinks there is not has rose tinted glasses on....

[ianch99]

Originally Posted by Hugh

Do you mean like all Tories are baby-eating bigoted haters of all those who disagree with them?

If you say so ..

[Osem]

Originally Posted by denphone

There is good and bad in every party and anybody who thinks there is not has rose tinted glasses on....

You can only get those at Labour conventions Den. The Tories have a blue tint in theirs and any tint is wasted on the Lib Dems because their spectacle lenses are about an inch thick.

---------- Post added at 14:58 ---------- Previous post was at 14:51 ----------

Originally Posted by Damien

It's important to remember these people are the nutters though. There are plenty of moderate people on the left and the right that look at these people and think they're mad. We shouldn't let discussions be framed by the most extreme elements or we'll become like America where no political discourse is possible without being hating each other.

I think Cohen is right but also a bit melodramatic. He is right the Labour party has currently been hijacked by these people, although in fairness Corbyn doesn't appear to share the hatred which infests some of his supporters, but he is wrong to 'leave the left' because of it. There are plenty of people on the left who don't share the views of these social media warriors.

I said this in the other thread but I don't like the way this trend is going in the UK. Everyone seems to be getting angrier and thinking evil of their political opponents.

I don't think they're all evil - misguided, idiotic, shortsighted, hypocritical but not evil. There are plenty of decent people in parliament, we just don't hear enough from them and as a consequence people like Corbyn get elected. I think Corbyn knows full well who's attaching themselves to his coat-tails and if he continues to tolerate their nonsense he's effectively condoning it. People like Corbyn and Livingstone have a nasty side to their characters which they usually manage to contain. It's their nonetheless.

[Ramrod]

Jeremy Corbyn becomes first Labour leader ever to score negative debut poll rating
The left-wing firebrand scored minus three - worse than every other party leader since 1980, including Ed Miliband.

[Osem]

Originally Posted by Ramrod

Jeremy Corbyn becomes first Labour leader ever to score negative debut poll rating
The left-wing firebrand scored minus three - worse than every other party leader since 1980, including Ed Miliband.

[heero_yuy]

Originally Posted by Ramrod

Jeremy Corbyn becomes first Labour leader ever to score negative debut poll rating
The left-wing firebrand scored minus three - worse than every other party leader since 1980, including Ed Miliband.

My favorite spectator sport: Watching Labour implode.

[Gary L]

The thing about Corbyn is.

there's more people that don't vote, than there is that do vote.
there's a good chance that Corbyn may appeal to those that don't vote. because those that don't vote can't be bothered with the 'normal' promises and lies you hear from the usual ones.

Corbyn is unusual.

Facts are not your friend...

Two-thirds of the voting population voted in the 2015 General Election - twice as many as didn't vote.

Originally Posted by Hugh

Facts are not your friend...

Two-thirds of the voting population voted in the 2015 General Election - twice as many as didn't vote.

General election turnout

Year UK England
2015 66.1% 65.8%
2010 65.1% 65.5%
2005 61.4% 61.3%
2001 59.4% 59.2%

But Gary's point is still valid albeit a bit inaccurate.

So it's right, whilst at the same time it's wrong?

Not sure that 31% (there's more people that don't vote) is still more then 59%(than there is that do vote)...