Labour Leadership 2016

Here's another interesting perspective on Labour's electoral woes:

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/sep/03/lack-of-working-class-labour-mps-has-alienated-voters

It's all Neil Kinnock's fault! :)

Hardly surprising, the other thing they don't seem to mention is the candidates being brought in who have no connection with the area, simply because it's a "safe" seat.

On top of that, it's not just the lack of working class MPs, it's the lack of MPs who have done any job outside of politics. The progression of PPE degree through to researcher through to politician seems much more common now for both parties.

PPE degree

Is this where people are taught to give answers along the line of "We're going to do what's best for Britain, and best for the British people."?

Wow. The MI5/PR/Labour MPs planted by Tory party strategists findings are just nuts.

Officially the loony left.

Apparently the poll itself is a conspiracy... Which is wonderfully meta

Wow. The MI5/PR/Labour MPs planted by Tory party strategists findings are just nuts.

I'd expect that there is some level of PR agency work aiding the coup. #SavingLabour and the 24 hours of resignations alone were probably worth a bit of money.

Also, that gif doesn't show that Smith supporters are the least likely group int he UK to think media has been biased against Corbyn (or any of those claims, in fact). Confirmation bias (on both sides) clearly in effect.

Smith supporters are far more sceptical of such claims, with 44%, 24% and 11% believing them respectively. Belief in these theories is more prevalent among Labour voters in general, however, as well as among the general public at large.

Yet, interestingly, just over half of the general public believe the media has been biased, and nearly half of the UK public believe PR agencies have been working against Corbyn. (Not so loony left on that count).

The MI5/planted MP thing does seem quite paranoid to me though.

Other bits from that poll:

Corbyn supporters more interested in unity than Smith supporters:

Smith’s supporters are more split on what the rebels should do. Despite the fact that 77% think that Corbyn should invite the rebels back into the shadow cabinet, only 29% think the rebels should accept this offer.

The most popular option is for the rebels to split and create a new party (24%)...

Overall, 31% of Smith’s supporters favour a reconciliatory approach, whereas 52% prefer a hostile approach. By contrast, 79% of Corbyn’s supporters think that the Labour rebels should now get behind Corbyn.

Also, Corbyn supporters more likely to support working with other parties in parliament.

Ultimately, however, if Corbyn wins, this is unlikely to solve anything:

Unfortunately for Corbyn, victory at this leadership election probably won't settle the matter for long. A majority of Owen Smith’s supporters (56%) want to see another challenge, whilst 29% think this should be it until after the next general election. A further 15% are not sure...

https://yougov.co.uk/news/2016/09/02/8-more-things-weve-learned-our-labour-leadership-e/

https://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/pvxdr2lh73/InternalResults_160830_LabourSelectorate.pdf

They think finding a challenge before they've even found a challenger is sensible?

I was speaking to my dad about the leadership the other night. Working class, always been resolutely anti-corbyn (while admitting that they'd agree on most things if down the pub - maybe Corbyn should go to the pub?), but thought Smith was an absolute joke. He'd rather have Corbyn.

And the general public are almost twice as likely as Corbyn supporters to believe that election officials erase and change votes made with a pencil.

Most disturbing thing is that 18% of the general public think that election officials change votes :/

Labour MPs have been planted by Conservative strategists to undermine the left wing of the party

A curious one. If you recall, it used to be alleged that Trots were undermining the Labour Party from the left. At the last leadership election, a number of Tory supporters registered as Labour supporters to vote for Corbyn. I always thought that, if I had been a Trot or Stalinist, I would not have sought to join the Labour party but the Conservative Party. What better way to undermine the country?

In fact it is clear that a number of prominent Tories are actually lefties who are seeking to make the whole country rise up in a spontaneous reaction and left wing revolution. Ian Duncan Smith, Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove, fraternally, we salute you.

Excerpt from Ashcroft's focus group research

Maybe Anthony Casey is a secret Tory MI5 plant out to discredit Corbyn with the ballsed-up traingate fiasco?

This made me laugh.

1 Attachment

^ wutlol

any word on ASWAD?

#ub4corbyn just makes no sense at all. Love the honesty of Michael Deacon's headline:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/06/jeremy-corbyn-held-a-press-conference-with-ub40-and-i-have-no-id/

Corbyn supporters, seriously, do you still think this man is going to be elected Prime Minister?

Nah. it was funny at first but now it just feels like a fucking mess at the worst possible time.

Satire is dead

No, because boundary changes, SNP in Scotland and the majority of the public just nod along with whatever Rupert says.
I'd vote for him, though.

Where did that fake Guardian piece with Owen Jones come from?

I assume it was a spoof of this

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/may/04/russell-brand-endorsed-labour-tories-should-be-worried

:(((((

Boundary changes are a depressing/petrifying prospect but the idea that Rupert needs to say anything at the moment when team Corbyn are doing all the work for him is frankly fanciful.

I'd vote for him too, if I still thought there was any point. I agree with his policies. My current feeling about the whole thing is WHO THE FUCK IS ADVISING HIM?!?!?!11!!

The whole think stinks of him being very much not surrounded by good people, which is essential in politics. Who told him the UB40 thing was a good idea? They should be taken outside and shot, which obviously I mean in a Jeremy Clarkson kind of way, not a Pol Pot kind of way.