Next Labour leader - Starmer and Rayner win

Sweet Square

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You can pick up on a specific seat and show pretty much what you like.
The fact remains that New Labour won 408 seats in 1997.
408 with a predominantly centre left policy. And won 3 straight elections.
And now, 203 with a hard left policy and given a good kicking.
History tells us that you have to appeal to the vast majority of the electorate.
And hard left policies are not going to win you an election. All you will become is a minority protest party.
Full stop.
:rolleyes:


Honestly the election result would have be a lot easier to take if Labour did in fact run on a far left platform. Sadly this country instead rejected basic social democratic reforms.
 
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devilish

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Why hasn't JC resigned yet? This was the biggest defeat for labour in the past century.
 

Lentwood

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My understanding is that Virgin (I can't comment on the other companies you mentioned) are not reliant on the BT infrastructure, and certainly not in my area.
Virgin Media DO own some of their own infrastructure, as do the other providers I mentioned (Expo-E strong in London, Level 3 bought the old Co-op network in the North West!). The problem is even together the “independents” only own a small percentage of the fibre in the ground and that still doesn’t mean that it’s their own network/infrastructure.

Its impossible to say because it’s all dependant on your postcode but most of the time what has been sold to you as a “Virgin” circuit will still be using BTs infrastructure. Virgin will ship the router and take over the management of the network but the physically fibre/copper etc...probably belongs to BT and even if it doesn’t the likelihood is it will touch BTs network somewhere
 

sun_tzu

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Why hasn't JC resigned yet? This was the biggest defeat for labour in the past century.
Probably 3 factors I think
1. There is currently no deputy to take over (that said I don't think he would have resigned to let Watson take over)
2. If he resigned the NEC could appoint a temporary leader... I suspect this would be difficult as it would be seen favouritism to any candidate who wanted to stand (and a limited pool of candidates with the stature who wouldn't stand)
3. He probably feels he can better influence the process to get a successor he approves of (probably rlb) as leader than ex leader
 

Maticmaker

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Labour will either need a leader who can 'walk on water', able to heal the rift between left and right in the Party, play a 'blinder' as opposition leader against Boris in the House and then be a charismatic leader who can win the next election by returning the traditional voters who lent their votes this time (to whoever!) back to the fold, without losing any others in the mean time!

Good luck with that!

Or,

Surely two leaders needed before the next election? One who can force an armistice or drive one side or the other out of the party, quickly and probably with casualties all over the place, and then one to come in and restore calm, smooth the ruffled feathers, fill in the holes and prepare the party to storm to victory in the next election.

Could the same leader do both jobs? Highly unlikely!
 

Ultimate Grib

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Our local CLP has had 32 new members since the result of the election was announced. I would take that as people wising up to the fact that the right leader is paramount but I have been hurt in the past when making logical assumptions so who knows :(
 

Virgil

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the olds are at it again
For me the more important feature is that when real life kicks in for most people....... marriage, children, mortgage, desire to get on etc the Labour lead evaporates. 35 onwards. Says a lot for the orphan quote that you should be a socialist at 20 but a conservative at 40. However much he is now disliked Blair realised this. If the Labour Party is ever to gain power however much it sticks in the craw of the left it has to appeal to the aspirations of those striving to achieve better for themselves and their children. Currently all that seems to matter is the disadvantaged.
 

ThierryHenry

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... and just at the right moment here’s a really perceptive tweet storm that applies the thinking in that article to the election and Brexit.

That’s the best deconstruction of the reasons behind the result that I’ve seen - excellent find, thank you.
 

ThierryHenry

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Our local CLP has had 32 new members since the result of the election was announced. I would take that as people wising up to the fact that the right leader is paramount but I have been hurt in the past when making logical assumptions so who knows :(
I’ve been a member for years (2015, and Corbyn, Smith) but done nothing other then vote. How do I find out info about my CLP/ what does being part of a CLP actually mean?
 

EwanI Ted

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This is interesting

‘We must not abandon our policies’ v ‘We must not bury our head in the sand’

 

Ubik

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This is interesting

‘We must not abandon our policies’ v ‘We must not bury our head in the sand’

All very familiar. Can't imagine someone like Hattersley getting a look in at the moment though.
 

Ubik

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Pitch so far is very "Corbynism but competent".
 

Nou_Camp99

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Labour have to ask themselves one question. Do they ever want to get back into power? The radical left approach won't get them back into number 10. This country isn't a left leaning country. It's probably a slightly right leaning country and moving further right by the year. It could be a long long time until that changes if it ever does in our lifetime.

Appoint an anti-Corbyn strong leader with centrist policies and Boris will be in trouble. The Tories will make a mess of these next 5 years. It's cast iron guarantee. It's just a question of will labour continue to make an even bigger mess of it. I fear they will sadly.
 

Drifter

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Centrists just don't get it .There is no call for a Blair 2.0 to ride in and save us all.
 

Nou_Camp99

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Centrists just don't get it .There is no call for a Blair 2.0 to ride in and save us all.
Labour have won 3 elections in nearly 50 years. All won by a centrist, Tony Blair. These just facts.

I don't want to sound patronising but there's a reason for that. This country isn't going to vote for a socialist government even if I'd like them to. I voted for Corbyn and would again because I can't stand Boris or the tory party but that doesn't mean to say I thought he'd win. I never once thought he'd win.

Do we want to win an election and start making the decisions and put through legislation?

If Labour appoint a corbynite to be next leader then Tories will 100% win the next election. They still might win if they appoint a centrist but it wouldn't be a sure thing at all.

It's time to wake up and smell the coffee. You can't help the vulnerable in society in opposition. You have to get into power.
 

EwanI Ted

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Interesting interview.
Irrespective of the points he makes, which I don't wholly agree with, my first thought after watching that was - why aren't we allowed articulate politicians any more? That quip about "We had Boris locked in a box and we gave him the key" is classic Blair, both a light hearted quip and a strong distillation of the situation.
 
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Smores

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Interesting interview.
I completely understand he's fighting for his corner of the party but he needs to stop now. His association with the party is not helpful and Labour need to be seen to be post-blairism and post-corbynism.

I'll be voting Starmer but if RLB gets in then the true centrists like him need to accept it and fall in line and stop this battling. They can make a positive contribution in selling Labour publically and battling in private or they can slag it off and damage it once again.

I'm also not convinced this debate now isn't damaging in itself. These accusations may stick whoever wins.
 

ThierryHenry

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Irrespective of the points he makes, which I don't wholly agree with, my first thought after watching that was - why aren't we allowed articulate politicians any more? That quip about "We had Boris locked in a box and we gave him the key" is classic Blair, both a light hearted quip and a strong distillation of the situation.
The intelligence that shines through ever answer is the main point for me too - I feel like I’m in a time warp hearing someone actually answer the questions being asked, while making interesting thought-through points. Compare that to Corbyn’s petulant, unclear interviews through the campaign that would repeatedly fail to address the questions asked of him.
 

esmufc07

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I completely understand he's fighting for his corner of the party but he needs to stop now. His association with the party is not helpful and Labour need to be seen to be post-blairism and post-corbynism.

I'll be voting Starmer but if RLB gets in then the true centrists like him need to accept it and fall in line and stop this battling. They can make a positive contribution in selling Labour publically and battling in private or they can slag it off and damage it once again.

I'm also not convinced this debate now isn't damaging in itself. These accusations may stick whoever wins.
With the amount of blame being put on Blair and New Labour following the election defeat I'm not surprised he is coming out and defending that era. I think he also genuinely believes the Labour Party could be finished as a political force if it does not fundamentally change, hence his scathing assessment of Corbyn the other day.

Out of interest did you agree with anything Blair said?
 

esmufc07

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Irrespective of the points he makes, which I don't wholly agree with, my first thought after watching that was - why aren't we allowed articulate politicians any more? That quip about "We had Boris locked in a box and we gave him the key" is classic Blair, both a light hearted quip and a strong distillation of the situation.
Yeah it was a great line. I just think Blair/Campbell and the people who he surrounded himself with where just much better politicians and much better at playing the political game than this lot are. They are woeful in comparison.
 

RedChip

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Labour have to ask themselves one question. Do they ever want to get back into power? The radical left approach won't get them back into number 10. This country isn't a left leaning country. It's probably a slightly right leaning country and moving further right by the year. It could be a long long time until that changes if it ever does in our lifetime.

Appoint an anti-Corbyn strong leader with centrist policies and Boris will be in trouble. The Tories will make a mess of these next 5 years. It's cast iron guarantee. It's just a question of will labour continue to make an even bigger mess of it. I fear they will sadly.
But what if the Tories don't make a mess of things? Labour need an alternative vision of the country that is better for everyone regardless of how the Tories do in these next five years.
 

sun_tzu

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- why aren't we allowed articulate politicians any more?
Because it's all red Tory centrist spin and that's what has caused all the world's problems... It can only be solved by having politicians who are loyal to the cause that are allowed in front of a camera regardless of their ability to communicate.

Basically chuck starmer in that box we have let Boris out of and out burgon in front of the cameras to make a case for voting labour.

Blair is even by today's standards a very media savvy communicator... Back in his prime he was pretty much unrivalled (certainly this side of the Atlantic I'd say Bill Clinton was somewhat similar in this regard in the states)

I mean this is classic Blair... Delivering this with a straight face is pretty impressive

A day like today is not a day for soundbites, really. But I feel the hand of history upon our shoulders

perhaps though the soundbite that is of most relevance is this one

"They say I hate the party, and its traditions. I don't. I love this party. There's only one tradition I hated: losing."
Final conference speech, September 2006.
 

nickm

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Centrists just don't get it .There is no call for a Blair 2.0 to ride in and save us all.
1) How can you be so sure given the thrashing the Corbyn left just got? A thrashing the "centrists" predicted.
2) What do you mean by Blair 2.0 anyway? Because you desperately need someone with the ability to think stuff through as well and as clearly as he did and then sell it. Nobody on the Corbynite left has anything like that ability.
 

nickm

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With the amount of blame being put on Blair and New Labour following the election defeat I'm not surprised he is coming out and defending that era.
I know. I love this, it's like someone scores 5 against Ole's United team and it's Fergie's fault.