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Would you give Labour a chance in 2020?

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Unfortunately, with the recent UK and European slant to the right, I think UKIP will be more likely to be elected than Labour
Reply 261
I wasn't old enough to vote in 2015 but I almost staunchly supported the platform Labour stood on under Miliband. However, given that Labour was leading the Tories in most polls from January 2011 all the way until early 2015 but that they lost so decisively tells you that the pollsters and pundits can never really be accurate. The end of the Miliband era was also the end of the social democratic image the Labour Party had held so strongly since John Smith was elected leader in 1992.

Most people still believe the myth that Labour overspent whilst in government whilst making more irrational decisions that the Conservatives have done in the last six. They also blame Labour for the crash and for uncontrolled immigration soaring over the past few years. With the rise of UKIP as well as the Brexit vote, the party is losing its key demographic whilst pushing into its comfort zone by a lurch even further to the left under Corbyn and Mcdonnell. The party is now merely a fringe movement which has no appearance of or aspiration to be the alternative government the British people need. I would not immediately write Labour off but as a Blairite I would not give them a chance under such messy, nonsensical policies in a world shaping fast to be a catalyst for broad regimental change. If, however there was a change in leadership to a more centrist MP such as Dan Jarvis, Chuka Umunna, Keir Starmer, etc then I would seriously reconsider my opinion as it seems to be an internal battle between progression and tradition. 2020 will see Labour lose heavily to the Conservatives and personally I don't see them entering power until at least 2030 but what's amazing is that a swing of 10% (which gave Blair his landslide in 1997) will be needed in the future for JUST a working majority of three!
I consider both the position over EU membership and the near complete loss of Scotland to be more serious problems for Labour than their leader. Don't expect Dan Jarvis or a Blairite to be much more effective than Corbyn at winning the 2020 general election. Chuka Umunna? You're having a laugh if anybody from the Old Labour industrial heartlands can stomach him.

Brexit could be haunting Labour even after Britain leaves the EU. If Labour supports Brexit then it could put the kybosh on UKIP in Old Labour industrial heartlands but it prevents a coalition with the SNP.

The secrets of the Conservative's success is that they have just enough support in England to win a general election and the Parliamentary wing of the party is reasonably united when it comes to proceeding with Brexit. They do however face competition from the Lib-Dems in pro-EU parts of London and the south of England.

Would Labour do better in 2020 under proportional representation? If so, then would it be an advantage for Labour to support PR in the future therefore leaving the Conservatives out in the cold over their uncompromising support for FPTP?
Unless the Brexit negotiations are spectacularly messed up, no hope. I'd think they would be fortunate to be above 200 seats.
Original post by TheDefiniteArticle
Corbyn is not an extremist. He's a centre-left politician with some kooky views on foreign policy which hopefully he'll stfu about well before the election.
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John McDonnell said the IRA are heroes. Corbyn wants to scrap the nuclear deterrent. Im no fan of labour but if you don't have the support of your own MP's you aren't fit to be PM. He is a terrorist sympathiser and is a dangerous man.
The lib dems are a bigger threat to the tory majority than labour at the moment. Although who knows? The polls could be wrong!(as they always are).
. Hopefully after he loses Diane Abbot become leader of the opposition. Then we have Tories till 2030.:smile:
(edited 7 years ago)
I think it will be a landslide victory. After all the **** the Tories are putting the people of this country through. People will be protest voting like they did with brexit.
Original post by ChickenMadness
I think it will be a landslide victory. After all the **** the Tories are putting the people of this country through. People will be protest voting like they did with brexit.


There's more chance of hell freezing over then of a Corbyn led Labour Party obtaining power in 2020.
UKIP are more likely to be the party of protest for disillusioned voters. Labour also have to beat the SNP in Scotland & get a result similar to 1997 in both England and Wales to get elected. It just isn't going to happen.
Original post by Tempest II
There's more chance of hell freezing over then of a Corbyn led Labour Party obtaining power in 2020.
UKIP are more likely to be the party of protest for disillusioned voters. Labour also have to beat the SNP in Scotland & get a result similar to 1997 in both England and Wales to get elected. It just isn't going to happen.


nah labour have been stealing UKIP voters in the north. Think most people know UKIP is Tory Version 2 at this point.

Really if you want to protest vote against the tories labour is the only party that has a chance of winning so you would vote for them to stop another conservative government. You wouldn't vote for a tiny party. Especially because people protest voted in the last election and we ended up with this government.
Original post by Tempest II
There's more chance of hell freezing over then of a Corbyn led Labour Party obtaining power in 2020.
UKIP are more likely to be the party of protest for disillusioned voters. Labour also have to beat the SNP in Scotland & get a result similar to 1997 in both England and Wales to get elected. It just isn't going to happen.

They need a proper leader for a while hopefully the grim reaper will get corbyn. Should they move to Blair territory but change 2 things they could win a landslide, if they oppose immigration and the free market
Original post by ChickenMadness
I think it will be a landslide victory. After all the **** the Tories are putting the people of this country through. People will be protest voting like they did with brexit.


It's not just the number of votes that matter but where they are. The problem is that the vast majority of the poor and those screwed over by Tory austerity already live in Labour constituencies.

I can see Labour stacking up huge majorities in many safe constituencies but failing to win the marginals. In most general elections only around 200 constituencies really matter as they are the battleground. In 2015 the Conservatives won on 36.9%. I think it would be possible for them to win on just 30% of the vote in 2020 if the opposition is badly split.
Reply 270
Original post by Peter Ian Staker
They need a proper leader for a while hopefully the grim reaper will get corbyn. Should they move to Blair territory but change 2 things they could win a landslide, if they oppose immigration and the free market


Nope I'm afraid the results of 1997 and 2001 we might not ever see again. Because of boundary changes, the amount of constituencies will be reduced which is disadvantageous for Labour but advantageous for the Tories. Tory seats are usually much further spread out and rural as opposed to inner city towns or outskirt towns that Labour usually hold on. Even if they did switch tone, yes they would have a better chance of winning but like said before, the SNP have taken most of Labour's safe Scottish seats with large majorities so those are almost impossible to retake.

If they oppose immigration then they will lose a LOT of ground, especially to UKIP. The free market they already oppose under Corbyn but after the 2008 crash and massive deregulation that was pretty inevitable.

With this all in mind, just to win a working majority they need a swing of 10% from Conservative to Labour which is the same amount the landslide achieved in 1997..
Original post by fleky6910
John McDonnell said the IRA are heroes. Corbyn wants to scrap the nuclear deterrent. Im no fan of labour but if you don't have the support of your own MP's you aren't fit to be PM. He is a terrorist sympathiser and is a dangerous man.
The lib dems are a bigger threat to the tory majority than labour at the moment. Although who knows? The polls could be wrong!(as they always are).
. Hopefully after he loses Diane Abbot become leader of the opposition. Then we have Tories till 2030.:smile:


Tbh I'm no longer a Corbyn supporter - I voted Owen Smith last time around - and I've never been a fan of McDonnell. However, I still think that if the Brexit recession hits before 2020, Labour will win then regardless of who's in charge.
Original post by TheDefiniteArticle
Tbh I'm no longer a Corbyn supporter - I voted Owen Smith last time around - and I've never been a fan of McDonnell.

The political left in Britain has been bedevilled by charmless and lacklustre leaders in recent years, and Owen Smith is one of them. He is the sort of man the unions would pick as their leader without any regard for the people. Another problem is that he is Welsh and there is something unlikeable and unappealing about Welsh leaders of Labour - a bit like Neil Kinnock. Corbyn, for all his faults, is quite a colourful and charismatic person. It seems remarkable how an old man is able to inspire and attract so many young people. It's the baby boomer generation which dislikes him the most.
Original post by Arran90
The political left in Britain has been bedevilled by charmless and lacklustre leaders in recent years, and Owen Smith is one of them. He is the sort of man the unions would pick as their leader without any regard for the people. Another problem is that he is Welsh and there is something unlikeable and unappealing about Welsh leaders of Labour - a bit like Neil Kinnock. Corbyn, for all his faults, is quite a colourful and charismatic person. It seems remarkable how an old man is able to inspire and attract so many young people. It's the baby boomer generation which dislikes him the most.


Corbyn inspires people because of his purity (he's a zealot). He's not especially good at public speaking and ergo not charismatic.

The thing about young people and echo chambers is that because most are still idealistic and a bit naive, they find zealots and their purity appealing to them. In later life most people come to value realism a bit more and start to realise that having a government that can bring in the minimum wage or tax credits is better than an all or nothing approach.
Original post by Rakas21
Corbyn inspires people because of his purity (he's a zealot). He's not especially good at public speaking and ergo not charismatic.


I dispute this one. Corbyn is not really Old Labour so he isn't true to party tradition. He is not another Michael Foot or a Clement Attlee. It's difficult to deny that Corbyn is the most charismatic political figure on the left in recent times by far. Blair does not count in this contest!

The only other charismatic figures I can think of are Tommy Sheridan of the Scottish Socialist Party and George Galloway of Respect but his support base was largely confined to Muslims. Both are now has beens and spent forces in politics. Ken Livingstone enjoyed a sizeable support base in London but he was not all that well known outside of London. Arthur Scargill was once a prominent figure but has now retired from politics and is largely unknown amongst the younger generation. Natalie Bennett was a lightweight leader who was effectively pressured out by her own party after that car wreck radio interview. Caroline Lucas probably comes in as second to Corbyn - and wins considerable respect from many people as a politician even if they do not agree with half of what she believes in. Can anybody even name a prominent member of any other far left party?

The thing about young people and echo chambers is that because most are still idealistic and a bit naive, they find zealots and their purity appealing to them. In later life most people come to value realism a bit more and start to realise that having a government that can bring in the minimum wage or tax credits is better than an all or nothing approach.


It was the younger generation who were responsible for the landslide victory for Thatcher's Conservative party in the 1983 general election when older blue collar workers overwhelmingly voted Labour under Michael Foot.
Original post by zippyRN
Komrade Korbyn in 2020 ? with Putin in power in Russia ... pull the other one


Probably a comment from a Sun reader
Never ever will I vote NaziLabour
Original post by SMEGGGY
Never ever will I vote NaziLabour


Oh my word, what an idiotic reply

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