Owen Smith's doomed leadership challenge began two years ago today

[Sumner 1868]

This board backed him overwhelmingly.

Discuss.

[Hnv1]

This board leans soft left, nothing new about that.

I still think PM Corbyn is going to be a disaster, economic chaos and the breakup of the Union. Discuss

[America Needs R'hllor]

This board leans soft left, nothing new about that.

I still think PM Corbyn is going to be a disaster, economic chaos and the breakup of the Union. Discuss

This. The fact that Corbyn is gaining support doesn't make him good. I mean, Trump won the 2016 election for Republicans, does that mean that every right-winger should enthusiastically support him?

[Blair]

God I could write a book on that Summer.

As with all political things it's worth noting where we were that summer. Corbyn had been a god awful leader of the opposition (misreading speeches, not dressing properly, chaotic reshuffles, terrible campaigning) and the shock of the EU referendum basically lead to a rather rapid coup. There had always (and will always) be a group of 30-40 MPs who hate the leadership, but it's very rare for the mass of Labour MPs (the faceless, the union backed, the MEPs) to go against the leadership, but they did.

It was expected that the resignations would get Corbyn to quit; he had a wobble where apparently he tried to quit, but after the no-confidence vote (where 80% MPs voted against him) it became clear he wouldn't quit, and we were left in a very weird position. I thought the PLP should have just declared a new leader- but that could have lead to a lot of legal troubles involving suspensions.

So the PLP looked for a unity candidate; and ended up with Angela Eagle. She's a relatively solid frontbencher, who was actually the left's candidate for Deputy Leader in 2015, but she voted for the Iraq War, and was a rather average campaigner, and I assumed she'd be toast.

So Smith was drafted because A.) He was seen as on the relative left B.) He wasn't an MP during Iraq/New Labour C.) He wasn't supported by the most right wing (and unpopular) MPs. He won an informal vote among MPs, and Eagle dropped out.

I lack the energy to give a summary of the whole campaign- the first week went well, but then it became clear that the Membership saw this as a coup by the right (who didn't help by stitching up the voting system) and the leadership became about something much more than Corbyn's Leadership.

The irony is that Owen Smith more votes (193K) than Ed Miliband got in 2010 to win, and got higher than all three candidates got in 2015, so the 38% we received isn't as bad as it looks.  There was some rather startling facts, such as Smith winning Scottish Members (all 15 of them), the 18-24 vote, and getting 72% of people who joined Labour before 2015.

That last number is rather remarkable, and shows just how much the Labour Party has changed since 2015. Of course this isn't to say that the soft left or the old right can't win another race; it's easily possible to see either Emily Thornberry, or Angela Rayner succeed Corbyn, and take Labour to a slightly different ideological position, whilst keeping the economics of Corbynism.

[OSR stands with Israel]

He should have won

[Lumine]

What stuck with me the most of that utter failure of a campaign was when at the debate Smith somehow managed to make Corbyn look tough on ISIS. There's being delusional and then there's thinking Owen Smith is leadership material.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I backed him at the time and I'll happily eat crow. Labour voters knew better than I did.

[Stand With Israel. Crush Hamas]

Smith's become quite the embarrassment since, unfortunately. He tried to topple Corbyn, but now he proudly sits in the party of an anti-semite.

Anyone who agrees to serve under Corbyn is complicit, unless they're consistently using their power to condemn him and his allies for their hostility and hate.

[parochial boy]

This board leans soft left, nothing new about that.

I still think PM Corbyn is going to be a disaster, economic chaos and the breakup of the Union. Discuss

The thing, is you're a centre-lefty or whatever, and you think that will be the case, it still makes rational sense to vote for a Corbyn led Labour, because there is a chance that he might not. Whereas you know that the Conservatives will.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

This board leans soft left, nothing new about that.

I still think PM Corbyn is going to be a disaster, economic chaos and the breakup of the Union. Discuss

So no changes from PM May then?

[TheDeadFlagBlues]

In retrospect, if I was a Labour member, I would have voted for Corbyn, albeit a bit begrudgingly but I'd still enthusiastically support Ed Miliband usurping Corbyn. There are still a number of "soft left" and "old right" Labour MPs who I find to be more appealing than Corbyn, who I don't dislike for ideological reasons, but, rather, because he's a bit of a moron/clod. I prefer McDonnell to Corbyn because it's abundantly clear that McDonnell is a canny/sophisticated political operator, even if he's a horrible person. Ultimately though, I think Corbyn, with all of his warts, is the right leader for the moment.

As always, Labour embroils itself in sectarian spats and emerges from these spats as a robust force capable of securing landslide victories and strong governments. This shouldn't surprise anyone as the antediluvian divides that have persisted to the present day are part of the fabric of the party. They appear as self-defeating idiocy but, increasingly, I see them as healthy manifestations of the fact that Labour is a party that's bursting with life/vitality.

As for the concerns about Jeremy Corbyn should Labour win the next election while he remains the Labour leader: for all of the faults of Tony Blair, and there were many, New Labour's early years in power were tremendously fruitful. Ultimately, Labour is a traditional party and the man at the helm is less important than is commonly assumed. I think that many of ministers in a Corbyn-led Labour government will be capable/brilliant in their posts.

[Hnv1]

In retrospect, if I was a Labour member, I would have voted for Corbyn, albeit a bit begrudgingly but I'd still enthusiastically support Ed Miliband usurping Corbyn. There are still a number of "soft left" and "old right" Labour MPs who I find to be more appealing than Corbyn, who I don't dislike for ideological reasons, but, rather, because he's a bit of a moron/clod. I prefer McDonnell to Corbyn because it's abundantly clear that McDonnell is a canny/sophisticated political operator, even if he's a horrible person. Ultimately though, I think Corbyn, with all of his warts, is the right leader for the moment.

As always, Labour embroils itself in sectarian spats and emerges from these spats as a robust force capable of securing landslide victories and strong governments. This shouldn't surprise anyone as the antediluvian divides that have persisted to the present day are part of the fabric of the party. They appear as self-defeating idiocy but, increasingly, I see them as healthy manifestations of the fact that Labour is a party that's bursting with life/vitality.

As for the concerns about Jeremy Corbyn should Labour win the next election while he remains the Labour leader: for all of the faults of Tony Blair, and there were many, New Labour's early years in power were tremendously fruitful. Ultimately, Labour is a traditional party and the man at the helm is less important than is commonly assumed. I think that many of ministers in a Corbyn-led Labour government will be capable/brilliant in their posts.

Really? the shadow bench hardly looks inspiring. EdM had a better shadow cabinet. I also think that if we do see a Corbyn government Mcdonnell is going to run the show as Osborne did for Cameron

[EPG]

The last and only time a left or centre-left Labour Party won a landslide, India was still part of the British Empire.

[fridgeking]

The last and only time a left or centre-left Labour Party won a landslide, India was still part of the British Empire.

Harold Wilson lead Labour to a 96 seat majority in 1966.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_general_election,_1966

I would consider Wilson's administration to be centre-left.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

I consider New Labour to be centre left. Why would people like Corbyn, McDonnell, Skinner etc have continued to bolster their parliamentary forces if the government did nothing they supported?

[EPG]

The last and only time a left or centre-left Labour Party won a landslide, India was still part of the British Empire.

Harold Wilson lead Labour to a 96 seat majority in 1966.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_general_election,_1966

I would consider Wilson's administration to be centre-left.

Maybe 364 seats counts as a landslide.

[LabourJersey]

I consider New Labour to be centre left. Why would people like Corbyn, McDonnell, Skinner etc have continued to bolster their parliamentary forces if the government did nothing they supported?

Not to mention it certainly was center-left in the political dynamics of the 1990s.