Brits, what do you think of Corbyn?

[abaris]

Good or bad for labor? As an outsider I tend to the good side, since Tony Blair lobbied against him. But that might only be a personal reason.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-34231724

[Autumnlicious]

I'm not a Brit. However I noticed the vanishing left-wing in the US as the Democrats move to the Center-Right and the Republicans move even more Right wing each year.

The appearance of New Labor and the reinvention of the US Democratic Party in part were reactions to the Reagan and Thatcher eras.

The world of Thatcher and Reagan is long dead.

So now you have two versions of the "lefter than the Republicans/Tories" that moved rightward to attract votes back from their conservative counterparts. But you no longer have the world with the threat of the Soviet Union or the rising tide of communism. Instead countries like China have moved towards embracing the capitalist economy while using it to fund authoritarian rule.

This leaves Labor and the Democrats with a problem -- if the world that they moved to the right for no longer exists, where should they go now?

Jeremey Corbyn and Bernie Sanders, I feel, represent a potential pull towards the direction of the Left, which may restore balance to our currently bitterly divided politics.

It is my belief that the choice between "Conservative" and "Conservative-Lite" (as exemplified by the Blair era and the adoption of many conservative ideas like RomneyCare by President Obama) has bored people and stagnated both political factions.

How can politicians compromise like they did forty years ago when there is no threat of strong opposition, only a weaker and watered down opposition?

Perhaps with the re-emergence of the Left we will see the Tea Parties of politics be suppressed in favor of a better functioning democracy.

With that, I hope Corbyn succeeds. If he wins or makes it a tough race for the Tories, I feel both Labor and Tories will be better off and more involved.

If anything, someone as milquetoast as exemplified by Ed Milliband or Obama would then be seen as the centrist he is as opposed to the distorted image he has between parties. That would be healthy.

(Yes, I have included comparisons between the US and UK intentionally)

[Ashground]

In general elections I voted Labour in 2010 and Conservative in 2015. I was hoping Labour would pull it together and give me a serious alternative next time. I guess I'll just continue to vote for the lesser of two evils.

To answer your question I honestly don't know what this means for Labour, except to say that I have voted Labour before but can't see myself voting for someone who wants to unilaterally disband our nuclear deterrent and withdraw from NATO.

[I_am_not_mafia]

New Labour were just Tory-lite. Why have a pale comparison when you can have the real thing? Occasionally a party needs to be kicked out of office for a while to remind them not to take their votes for granted. But because New Labour were right of centre and just as corrupted as the Tories, it's allowed the Conservatives to be even more right-wing.

I have never voted Labour but I think Jeremy Corbyn will be good for politics because it is giving a voice to a huge swathe of the political spectrum that have been denied a voice and will pull the Tories back to the centre ground. It also means that Labour will be able to work well with the SNP and provide a decent opposition.

Government is only as strong as the opposition and New Labour have been weak, corrupted and self serving.

Also don't forget that Tom Watson is deputy leader of the Labour party. He has been a thorn in the side of the establishment for a while now.

The only downside is that he did vote for the Iraq War and voted consistently against an investigation into it. But he did bring down Tony Blair.

[Fidel_Castronaut]

He will alienate the 100 or so seats (eg. Nuneaton) that are required to win the election.

Seems as though a lot of people forget what the UK was like in the 1970s when the Trotskyists within the Unions held sway over the Labour Party. McKlusky and his friends are no different, just with 21st century suits on.

His economic policies are pretty fun, though. QE to fund investments in housing and other social welfare programs, which sounds great until you consider that QE as a permanent policy (not just when interest rates are low and consumer confidence is lower) = inflation and interest rate hikes artificially above the market rates, meaning borrowing is more expensive and house building slows as contractors incur higher costs, meaning less new people buying even fewer new houses.

Oh and what about him divorcing his wife in the 90s because she wanted to send their children to grammar school? Can't fault his principles I guess.

Corbyn is a left wing tea party, unelectable to those 100 seats. Which is a shame, because I would class myself as a centrist liberal who is keEn to have someone that will implement workable economic policies whilst maintaining a progressive social policy. Corbyn has thus far presented neither. The overwhelming rhetoric from labour and the nationalists currently is 'kick the Tories out', which is very frustrating to me as a swing voter myself. I don't want an opposition that is focused on kicking out a party that more people voted for in the general election, I want an opposition that offers actual policies and opportunities for people who need them. Just saying 'kick the Tories out' makes them seem like a protest party, which if they're not careful is something they might become.

[Napoléon]

The final nail in the coffin for the Labour party if you ask me.

[I_am_not_mafia]

An unelectable extremist who hijacked their party has already served as prime minister – her name was Margaret Thatcher

The Iron Lady's similarities with Jeremy Corbyn are striking – right up to her election, many Tories saw her as a walking electoral disaster

[Napoléon]

Lol, Thatcher and Corbyn similar? Okay, that's an interesting one.

[Fidel_Castronaut]

I read that article in the Indy this afternoon and sighed.
"I'm talking about his potential appeal to, wait for it, middle Britain."

As a 'Middle Englander' and a swing voter, I can say with some confidence that Corbyn has no appeal to me. I've hesitated saying this up until now but the guy is a loon. His seeming lack of ability to object to anti-semetism, political and religious extremism as well as his, for lack of a better word, insane economic policies (though to be fair he hasn't explained how he will use QE if elected, just that he will) means I will not be voting for a labour government in 2020 (probably the liberals like I did last time around).

Im willing to suspend my final decision until I've heard more, however as I fundamentally disagree with him on his economic policies and his stance on international relations and security (NATO, de facto pro Hamas etc), I can't see me changing my mind.

[Fidel_Castronaut]

Oh dear, new Shadow Chancellor is a guy who praised the IRA for their "determination":

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/09/...32172.html

There was a phrase used in the 80s used to label the extreme left of the party that rallied under Foot, "Loony left". What we are seeing in the Labour party now is the re-emergence of that loony wing, though this time, scarily, they have actual control of the opposition.

Just a question for those who may be pro-Corbyn, what exactly is it that is attractive about him? I don't want this to seem like a loaded question, but what is it about completely unworkable policies that makes him seem like a good bet? I talk here of things like the use of QE, or the re-opening of unprofitable coal mining pits under government control whilst similarly holding a large desire for green energy policies (which I agree with).

I'm just interested really. People keep saying "re-invigorate politics" or "kick out the Tories", but none of those things are actual good reasons to vote for someone unless they have some substance to back it up. Here are some of things that apparently he wants to implement, some of which I agree with, most of which I don't:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-34209478