Labour Party (UK) Leadership Election, 2016

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Guess which prominent American leftist just endorsed Jeremy Corbyn.

[Bacon King]

Ugh. I thought Corbyn was at least above this kind of dishonesty. At this point I'll be heartbroken if he still somehow wins.

Of all the reasons to be heartbroken about a candidate's dishonesty, "staging a campaign video to argue for more public transit spending" is all things considered pretty mild, no?

[Phony Moderate]

Cast my vote yesterday. Voted for the more moderate and reasonable candidate.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Ugh. I thought Corbyn was at least above this kind of dishonesty. At this point I'll be heartbroken if he still somehow wins.

Of all the reasons to be heartbroken about a candidate's dishonesty, "staging a campaign video to argue for more public transit spending" is all things considered pretty mild, no?

I already dislike Corbyn for his boneheaded brand of leftism, his ability to alienate everybody and his total lack of any political sense. I thought honesty was his one saving grace.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Guess which prominent American leftist just endorsed Jeremy Corbyn.

Or has he?

All aboard the clown car etc.

[parochial boy]

I just sent in my ballot, Owen Smith in the end.

And re the train thing, all Corbyn needed to do would be to take any commuter train around London or Manchester at peak hours to have made his point, how hard could it be?

Although uber-parasite branson getting involved in partisan politics in this way, at this particular time, is pretty despicable tbh. The East Coast mainline has become significantly worse since it was re-privatised.

[Vega]

Would I be wrong to say that momentum has shifted to Smith?

[MaxQue]

Would I be wrong to say that momentum has shifted to Smith?

Yes, you would be wrong.

[Phony Moderate]

Would I be wrong to say that momentum has shifted to Smith?

Yes, you would be wrong.

And 'momentum' tends to count for less in party internal elections anyway.

[Blair]

Would I be wrong to say that momentum has shifted to Smith?

Yes, you would be wrong.

the result will be a lot closer than people expect

[Antonio the Sixth]

Well, if even Blair has given up, I guess we can safely say RIP Smith... and RIP Labour.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

No one really knows for sure what's going on; the selectorate is not known and there's no reason to assume that different parts of it will move in the same direction. Which is problematic in terms of attempting to survey it in any form (are you talking to the right people? etc). There hasn't been a single published poll since the very start of the process and even if there was one there would be inevitable question marks (given the above issue) as to accuracy. There have been straws in the wind but they can be argued in different directions (and have).

[Cassius]

Just watched a clip from one of the Corbyn-Smith debates, and it's actually painfully noticeable that Smith is a bit of a gobby motormouth who speaks before engaging his brain. I mean, he's addressing an audience which seems to be pretty pro-Corbyn anyway and he just jumps straight on the hook by questioning whether Corbyn voted Remain or not and then proceeding to make a rather mean spirited (and easily countered) sideswipe at John McDonnell for failing to attend a rally, when apparently he had health problems. I really do think that swinging behind Smith was a big mistake for the PLP.

[Phony Moderate]

I really do think that swinging behind Smith was a big mistake for the PLP.

Say what you will about Corbyn but he would have never pretended to be a moderate in (for instance) 2007 to give himself a chance of winning the leadership.

[Famous Mortimer]

What's wrong with questioning how Corbyn voted? The EU seems to be the one issue that divides Corbyn and his base.

[Phony Moderate]

What's wrong with questioning how Corbyn voted? The EU seems to be the one issue that divides Corbyn and his base.

Well obviously only he knows that for sure. His supposed lack of passion in campaigning for Remain is surely a more important issue.

[Blair]

As I've said a million times we can thank the heavens that we've got Owen, and not Angela Eagle.

Even others like Dan Jarvis or Keir Starmer (both unknowns) lacked the experience to take on Corbyn. Labour crop of talent is awful at the moment- as I've also said hundreds of times in 2010 we should have had Harman, Johnson, or D Miliband rather than skipping a generation

[MaxQue]

As I've said a million times we can thank the heavens that we've got Owen, and not Angela Eagle.

Even others like Dan Jarvis or Keir Starmer (both unknowns) lacked the experience to take on Corbyn. Labour crop of talent is awful at the moment- as I've also said hundreds of times in 2010 we should have had Harman, Johnson, or D Miliband rather than skipping a generation

Harriett Harman? There is actually people liking her? Even the moderates I know in Labour Party don't like her.

[SPQR]

This is painful to watch even for somebody used to the internal wars in the Italian center-left.

[Blair]

As I've said a million times we can thank the heavens that we've got Owen, and not Angela Eagle.

Even others like Dan Jarvis or Keir Starmer (both unknowns) lacked the experience to take on Corbyn. Labour crop of talent is awful at the moment- as I've also said hundreds of times in 2010 we should have had Harman, Johnson, or D Miliband rather than skipping a generation

Harriett Harman? There is actually people liking her? Even the moderates I know in Labour Party don't like her.

She was often mocked (because God forbid a female leader is a outspoken feminist) but was a competent character- her 2007 deputy leadership election is the most impressive internal victory considering she was expected to come 4th.

My point was that we needed a big name from 2010-2015; we made the mistakes the Tories made with going for Hague in 97, and then IDS in 2001.

[Slow Learner]

Theresa May rn:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orYcAiFqknU

[Hnv1]

A girl I used to see told me she voted for corbs (and she's Welsh nonetheless), I just gave her a 30 minutes bollocking on it. I fear Smith will stay under 45%

[jaichind]

Poll Boost for Jeremy Corbyn in Labour Leadership Battle
By Jack Maidment
August 31 (Press Association) -- Jeremy Corbyn has a 24 point lead over Owen Smith in the Labour leadership contest, according to a new poll.
A YouGov survey for The Times of those entitled to vote in the contest puts the current Labour leader on 62% with Mr Smith trailing on 38%.
Mr Corbyn received just shy of 60% of the vote when he was elected to the job in September 2015.
The new poll is likely to give Mr Corbyn's campaign a boost as the fight for votes continues.
However, it will do little to assuage the concerns of the 172 Labour MPs who backed a no-confidence motion in Mr Corbyn -a move which ultimately led to Mr Smith's challenge.
The poll puts Mr Corbyn ahead in all three groups of people who are eligible to take part in the vote.
It found that 52% of full members intend to back Mr Corbyn compared to 40% for Mr Smith.
Meanwhile, among registered supporters it was 70% to 25% in favour of Mr Corbyn.
Mr Corbyn also has the backing of the union affiliates by 54% to 33%.
An estimated 640,000 members and supporters have been tasked with choosing between the pair.
Voting in the contest is already under way with a winner to be announced on September 24.

[afleitch]

Corbyn is the one true religion. And there's not much Labour can do about it. And I think the MP's might be too feart to split, even with the fear of deselection.

[Blair]

I always thought that Smith could at least get to 43-45%.

Shocking thing is 68% of members who joined before GE 2015 support Smith. These are the people who canvass, work as Councillors etc. Labour's 500,000 is a paper tiger