The efforts on the ground of members canvassing isn't the same either. We don't know what we're persuading people to vote for and are now pretty much treated like cost free lackeys than part of a movement we have investment in. I've had more appeals for donations than about policy forums, events, campaigns, local issues put together in the last year. That was never the case.
Beggars belief that folk are still blaming the media, I mean really? For a start the Tories have had hardly anything good said about them for ages, but not withstanding that can't people make their own minds up? And then calls to get a real socialist leader, I mean that was a tremendous success last go wasn't it? Labour ( imho ) have only themselves to blame, they picked Starmer as a leader and then what? I doubt the majority of the country could recognise, let alone name any of the shadow cabinet or their beliefs. For me it could do with redefining the socialism a bit to emphasise the good side and distance them from the extreme left Momentum lot. Finally just to be clear here that is just my own opinion formed from personal observations, not looking to annoy anybody or start an argument
It's somewhat amusing that under a left leading Corbyn there was a great spending plan policy which was rubbished as being unrealisitic. Yet in the US they voted in a centrist in Biden who has unleashed one of the biggest spending plans in US history ($6tn at the last count) with all manner of policies that look straight out of a Socialist spending programme. Funny old world.
That’s fair enough, as much as I disagree with your views on the handling of the pandemic you have your reasons and I understand your position. I didn’t even bother voting yesterday. Labour - I was a Corbyn fan and this labour doesn’t represent me, I’m not really sure what Starmer does represent tbh. Tories - no fcking way Lib Dems - i gave them my first ever vote in 2010. I’ll never forgive them for what they did on student fees. Probably leaves me with the greens.
Well I must admit I am very disillusioned at the moment. I consider myself a core Labour person but yesterday I voted Green because Labour are appearing to offer nothing that I feel is important. When I left the polling station I was somewhat distressed, yes distressed, that I'd deserted Labour but what am I supposed to do when the party is saying nothing and seems only to distance itself from and isolate people with democratic socialist views? There are millions of people like me, on the left, who feel abandoned at the moment and until we are won over again Labour will never defeat the Tories unless it in effect mirrors the Tories. I suspect that is what Starmer is attempting to do - to portray himself as a more credible, clean cut, honest broker of the capitalist system. It wont wash with me.
The problem though, this government are funding areas where they have tory incumbents or a chance of overturning them. I've not got the time to do the analysis, but if you stacked Tory vote and BXP vote from the 2019 election, you've got an absolute blue massacre. And thats without Labour slipping further, its just restating an old result from 2 years ago. You've also got the lies. The lies of how much they are funding. Reannouncing funding as new. And just shouting the mantra of levelling up. Anyone who isnt especially watching could just hear that noise and believe they are doing what they say. But they aren't, and as you point out, they are doing the opposite. There will have to be cuts to pay for the tory corruption and the lost GDP of Brexit. I really don't know at what point people wake up and see whats really going on and how it doesn't represent them well on a daily basis. I fear by the time people realise, it will be irrelevant anyway as there is no opposition left standing.
And then you read this rubbish from Mandelson.... He seems to be admitting that Starmer had failed so far. An odd line to take, but there you go....
As I pointed out above, the problem is poeple not voting Labour, not more of the same people voting Tory in significant numbers.
These people live in the most deprived and undervalued región. To improve their área they are voting for the party who have been in power for 12 years. It's just self harm.
I voted Lib Dem in 2010 too. It was also my first vote. I voted Lib Dem because I couldn't bring myself to vote Tory but couldn't vote Labour at the time either after they didn't back the steel industry at Redcar and Sheffield.
Only 1,200 more voted Tory compared to last time. 18k Labour voters didnt bother and 67% didnt vote at all. That was the problem.
I laugh at the Kweer Stoma supporters blaming Corbyn for the loss of Monkey Hanging Town , calling it a case of long Corbyn . Corbyn held it twice. , Milliband held it , Michael Foot held it !!!!. When the President of the USA is more left wing than the leader of the Labour Party you know Labour are finished as a political force for a generation
But they are right, under the terms of the oven ready cremated deal, they have a right to fish where they have fished for generations until a unilateral and late change in the rules by the Jersey fishing board with a demand for proof of past fishing meant that their licenses were not renewed. How would you like it if your livelihood was suddenly taken away like this?
I think that sums up how I feel. I didn’t vote yesterday. First time whilst I’ve been eligible that I’ve not voted. I decided to ‘abstain’. I just don’t see a Labour Party that represents me, I could never vote Tory & I don’t know enough about the other candidates to justify voting for any of them. It might be harsh on my local Labour councillor trying to get elected but I feel a message has to be sent when you’re deeply unhappy with the way the parties headed. I don’t see what Starmer offers to anyone at the minute.
I'm not a Labour supporter (I'm a member of the Green Party), but I can see that Starmer offers a bit of integrity and truth. On the odd occasion that he's made a false statement in parliament, he has corrected himself at the earliest opportunity. Johnson would have to stand up for an hour to correct his lies to parliament.