UK vote for the new Labour Leader

[cheerypeabrain]

After a rather disappointing election campaign last May the Labour leader (Ed Miliband) resigned and now we have four candidates for the leadership. I wasn't particularly interested until Jeremy Corbyn was nominated 'to ensure a balanced debate' and he is imo a real breath of fresh air, reminds me of the glorious Tony Benn. The tory (ptah!) press tried to throw a spanner in the works by encouraging their readers to register as 'labour party members' to enable them to vote in the leadership contest, saying that they should nominate Corbyn to scupper the Labour party's chances in future elections..assuming that a party led by Corbyn would be unelectable.

www.theguardian.com/media/2015/jul/15/daily-telegraph-labour-party-jeremy-corbyn


It appears to have backfired as most of the people I have spoken to about the leadership contest are impressed with Mr Corbyn and like what he's saying. He was interviewed on the Andrew Marr show this morning and even my beloved was impressed (and he is usually completelyy turned off by politicians. I think that it has shaken up the Labour politicians too.

the interview was towards the end of the show if you want to see it

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0649d3j/the-andrew-marr-show-26072015

[bjd]

We can't see that BBC show outside the UK, cheery.

[cheerypeabrain]

Sorry, I'll try to find a different clip.

[Deleted]

I think political parties in crisis everywhere have the same problem -- there are always 'Young Turks' chomping at the bit, and they are extremely appealing to a lot of people. But they are always in the minority of the party and never manage to come to power until they have 'calmed down.' Oddly enough, though, when the Milliband brothers took Labour by storm a number of years ago, they were almost considered to be Young Turks compared to the old guard. And then they just turned into normal Labour operatives, hence their doom.

[cheerypeabrain]

Jeremy Corbin is 66 years old and has been a member of parliament for several years. He's an old-school socialist, articulate and committed to a fair society where government's primary responsibility is to care for the country and the public NOT to use their power to fleece the economy and line the pockets of a privileged few. Recently it felt as if ALL the parties were merging into a bland self-serving self-aggrandizing club with no interest in serving the country The leadership contest has at least introduced open debate. The other candidates are the usual suspects, clean cut and uninspiring (imo)

[mossie]

At least Corbyn is a change from the usual crap politicians we have had recently, but I have lost faith in the whole system. This country needs a Stalin to sort out the dead wood.

[bjd]

Well, with Stalin you would certainly have a lot of dead to sort. Not sure about wood though.

[lagatta]

That's for sure.

I'll be reading up on Corbyn. How did he stand on the Iraq war?