Would Jeremy Corbyn as Leader make Labour unelectable?

Original post by Lady Comstock

Would this go down well with the electorate?

Yes it would make Labour unelectable, no it wouldn't go down well with them.

Reply 2

It could go either way, but Corbyn to me comes across as much more experienced and moderate than Michael Foot. Many Labour supporters I talk to speak of Corbyn in a very positive manner. He's less of a Michael Foot figure, and more of a Neil Kinnock one. Others simply view him as the best of a bad situation. Honestly, I think Labour reverting back to its socialist roots could prove very beneficial, especially to the Old Labour supporters, as it provides a clear alternative to the Tories. Much of the electoral apathy amongst voters is often due to the main parties being very similar to one another. Corbyn manning the helms for Labour could help the party remove the Tory Lite label it currently receives.

However, the Middle England voters might be a bit worried about a socialist potentially getting into power. Corbyn would have to ensure that the Labour Party comes doesn't come across as Anti-Business for Labour to gain ground in those areas.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 3

Chief Wiggum

20

I honestly don't really think anyone can predict such things accurately...

Reply 4

Original post by Chief Wiggum

I honestly don't really think anyone can predict such things accurately...

Indeed. Many people predicted that Churchill would easily beat Clement Attlee in 1945, and look how that turned out! Labour ended up with its biggest landslide and largest share of the vote that would only be beaten by Tony Blair in 1997! Same goes for Neil Kinnock in 1992. It was touted as his election, and he was seen as a Prime Minister in waiting, and yet Major won with a relatively comfortable majority!

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 5

Sam280297

14

Jeremy Corbyn would be a disater for the labour party. Especially as the lib dems may well move left and if Corbyn moves the party even further left, the lib dems will occupy the position that labour were in so they will take a large portion of the vote from labour and ukip will take some more votes off labour.
We could potentially see the tories on about 40% with labour, lib dems and ukip all on around 15%, and then the snp could well take every single seat in Scotland with around 60-70% of the vote, especially if they impress the scottish people during the next few years

Reply 6

Green_Pink

13

No. Most people in the center voted Tory anyway simply because they're generally less incompetent. Corbyn won't win many of those back, but will attract many from traditionally Labour-voting backgrounds who supported the Greens or UKIP or stayed at home at the last election. Not saying he'd win an election, but it's certainly not impossible.

Reply 7

Original post by Sam280297

Jeremy Corbyn would be a disater for the labour party. Especially as the lib dems may well move left and if Corbyn moves the party even further left, the lib dems will occupy the position that labour were in so they will take a large portion of the vote from labour and ukip will take some more votes off labour.
We could potentially see the tories on about 40% with labour, lib dems and ukip all on around 15%, and then the snp could well take every single seat in Scotland with around 60-70% of the vote, especially if they impress the scottish people during the next few years

Lib Dems? They're in an even worse state than Labour is! It's going to take some time before they are back on their feet. Even then, they're more likely to target the seats they lost to the Tories, especially those in the South West. But if they're going to re-establish themselves as a party on par with Labour and the Tories, then they seriously need a strong leader - similar to that of either Paddy Ashdown or Charles Kennedy.

Reply 8

Original post by PokeCJG

It could go either way, but Corbyn to me comes across as much more experienced and moderate than Michael Foot.

Michael Foot served in the Wilson and Callaghan Cabinets for many years.

What "experience" of High Office does Corbyn have exactly? He is a nobody. He has just been an undistinguished backbencher all his political life.

Foot was a great orator who could hold the House of Commons in the palm of his hand.

Corbyn is a boring ranter who can't even cope with a Channel 4 interview.

Foot was an intellectual. Corbyn has a second rate mind.

Do you actually know anything about Michael Foot??

Reply 9

Original post by Green_Pink

No. Most people in the center voted Tory anyway simply because they're generally less incompetent. Corbyn won't win many of those back, but will attract many from traditionally Labour-voting backgrounds who supported the Greens or UKIP or stayed at home at the last election. Not saying he'd win an election, but it's certainly not impossible.

It honestly depends on both who the leader of the Tory Party is upon the election, and how stable the party is. The party could easily fall into the same bickering rabble that it did in the build-up to the 1997 election. The reason? The EU. Come the referendum, we could easily see a repeat of the Maastricht Rebels. If Britain votes to leave the EU, then these Eurosceptic Tories could easily launch a leadership coup. Cameron's already making the same "Back Me or Sack Me" speeches to his cabinet that Major did to his.

Reply 10

Plagioclase

21

If Labour continues trying to become the Conservative Party 2.0 then there isn't going to be a reason for them to exist. I genuinely feel like a growing number of Labour politicians could easily pass for a member of the other side of the House. Labour is supposed to be the party of the left and this inexorable drift towards the right is a betrayal to all of the values they were founded to support. I don't know what effect Corbyn would have on Labour's election success but at least Labour would still have a reason to exist.

Reply 11

Meta Cognition

4

I have no idea, but what I've seen from his policy proposals I have no doubt he's not the best guy for the job.

Reply 12

Original post by chocolate hottie

Michael Foot served in the Wilson and Callaghan Cabinets for many years.

What "experience" of High Office does Corbyn have exactly? He is a nobody. He has just been an undistinguished backbencher all his political life.

Foot was a great orator who could hold the House of Commons in the palm of his hand.

Corbyn is a boring ranter who can't even cope with a Channel 4 interview.

Foot was an intellectual. Corbyn has a second rate mind.

Do you actually know anything about Michael Foot??

And yet that boring ranter appears to be comfortably ahead in the leadership polls. Must be doing something right!

And as for Foot, whilst I can't discredit him for having the experience necessary to lead the Labour Party, he not only led the Labour Party to its largest electoral defeat in recent memory, but he failed to seize the initiative during a period where the economy was not only at its worst during the 80s, but unemployment was rife. Whilst you could easily say that Foot was in the wrong place at the wrong time with Thatcherism reaching its peak (To be fair, he WAS), his manifesto nonetheless failed to convince the population that Labour had moved on from the admittedly chaotic period of Callaghan's leadership.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 13

Original post by Plagioclase

Labour is supposed to be the party of the left and this inexorable drift towards the right is a betrayal to all of the values they were founded to support.

If you study Labour history you will find you are not the first person to make this complaint.

Every single Labour Government has been felt by the left to be a "betrayal." Even Atlee's post war administration was criticised by the Bevanites. Macdonald, Wilson, Callaghan, Blair, Brown the list of governments which disappointed the left exactly matches Labour administrations as night follows day.

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Reply 14

pol pot noodles

19

It won't help them beat the Tories. I doubt few if any people who would go back to Labour because of Corbyn voted Tory in this year's general election. A Labour lurch to the left would only help them take votes from other left wing parties and probably cost them even more ground in Middle England. The fact is in England at least socialists simply aren't a big enough demographic to justify kowtowing to anymore.

Reply 15

Plagioclase

21

Original post by chocolate hottie

If you study Labour history you will find you are not the first person to make this complaint.

Every single Labour Government has been felt by the left to be a "betrayal." Even Atlee's post war administration was criticised by the Bevanites. Macdonald, Wilson, Callaghan, Blair, Brown the list of governments which disappointed the left exactly matches Labour administrations as night follows day.

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Yes, except the criticism of Labour drifting towards the right is somewhat more valid now when they are supporting actions that Thatcher would have shied away from than when Labour was genuinely on the left of the political spectrum.

Reply 16

SotonianOne

3

Original post by PokeCJG

And yet that boring ranter appears to be comfortably ahead in the leadership polls. Must be doing something right!

Being ahead in Labour leadership polls is hardly an achievement. You can lead in approval ratings for teachers which surveyed year 5 school children and it is practically the same thing.

He's not leading in UK election polls and he will never lead in an election.

Reply 17

Original post by PokeCJG

And yet that boring ranter appears to be comfortably ahead in the leadership polls. Must be doing something right!

And as for Foot, whilst I can't discredit him for having the experience necessary to lead the Labour Party, he not only led the Labour Party to its largest electoral defeat in recent memory, but he failed to seize the initiative during a period where the economy was not only at its worst during the 80s, but unemployment was rife. Whilst you could easily say that Foot was in the wrong place at the wrong time with Thatcherism reaching its peak, his manifesto nonetheless failed to convince the population that Labour had moved on from the admittedly chaotic period of Callaghan's leadership.

Don't get me wrong, Foot was a disaster, and comfortably the worst Labour Leader
since, since, well maybe ever.

But he was ten times the statesman and politician Corbyn is, and you know what, even Corbyn would admit that!

Being the Leader of the Opposition and potential Prime Minister is the toughest job in politics. Very very few people have the necessary qualities.

Corbyn doesn't have a prayer if he is elected. And neither will Labour.

Reply 18