Jeremy Corbyn wins Labour leadership contest

[Spider Jerusalem]

Source: BBC

[div]Veteran left-wing MP Jeremy Corbyn has been elected leader of the Labour Party by a landslide.

Mr Corbyn, who began the contest as a rank outsider, saw off a challenge from frontbenchers Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper and Liz Kendall.

He gained 251,417 or 59% of first preference votes - 40% more than his nearest rival Mr Burnham, who got 19%.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-34223157

[muriel_volestrangler]

1. Very comfortably - 59% of first preferences

Quite possibly, all the separate groups of members, unions members and 'supporters' also gave him a majority first round. I'll look for them.

[Spider Jerusalem]

2. more of a mandate than Blair in '94, as well

but the backing of the unions and the £3 supporters made a large difference, there. Burnham made a terrible mistake by deciding he could spurn the unions...that and waffling on the welfare bill are probably what put him out of contention.

And, found a breakdown of results; Corbyn won decisively in all categories (members, registered supporters, and affiliated supporters):



The total for members wouldn't have QUITE been 50%, but he may've won on the second ballot.

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. Yeah, I'm sure he would have got over 50% of members in a subsequent round

Jamie Reed (who he? ed.) has already resigned from Labour's front bench:

https://twitter.com/jreedmp/status/642649854624309248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

[T_i_B]

5. Just a teeny bit reminiscent....

Last edited Sat Sep 12, 2015, 08:26 AM - Edit history (1)

....of a toddler throwing his rattle out of the pram.

Mind you, the same could be said for quite a few members of the anti-Corbyn brigade like Simon Danczuk, John Mann and pretty much everyone involved with the Liz Kendall campaign. The moderate left in this country is in serious crisis and urgently needs to get its own house in order.

Also, Rachel Reeves has resigned, which pleases me as I think that she's a truly dreadful politician. A prime example of the careerist tripe that Ed Miliband mistakenly fast tracked into the shadow cabinet over more expeienced and able politicians.

https://twitter.com/RachelReevesMP/status/642665554646540289

[Spider Jerusalem]

6. First rat to jump, more will no doubt follow

I believe I've seen that as many as 12 of the current frontbench have said they won't serve under Corbyn--the message the leadership election has given about the divide between the Parliamentary party and the rank and file party members on many issues has apparently not been received.

[T_i_B]

7. The divide between Parliamentary Labour & everyone else...

Is a serious problem. The PLP is very clearly badly out of touch with the rest of the country and it's a major problem that must be resolved before Labour can even think of winning back power.

[Spider Jerusalem]

8. It's rather telling...

that Corbyn, according to polling, anyway, seems to've won back some of the disaffected Labour voters who were voting Ukip...but then the Blairite fetish for "electability" and focus-group tested policy and carefully-crafted PR-friendly soundbites has produced a Parliamentary party that consists of bland interchangeable technocrats. That people respond to authenticity (real or perceived; I suspect it's part of Boris Johnson's appeal, although in his case it's just a different kind of artifice) is no surprise. And as far as "electability": "What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world, and lose his soul?" (That's what came to mind when reading Blair's increasingly frantic anti-Corbyn broadsides...)

[T_i_B]

9. There are things that go beyond left and right

And Labour's many problems go far beyond left/right mass debates.

People on both left and right of the spectrum are more inclined to prefer genuine people. Politicians who speak plainly and stand for something other than just grabbing power for themselves at any cost.

Jeremy Corbyn does have clear faults, but even people who cannot abide his politics can see understand why he's doing well and why he's been preferred over the likes of Yvette Cooper.

[dave_p]

21. This is so

You're quite right, the breadth of his appeal is what's astonished me.

Polling suggests he's appealing across parties - as you say, just because people see he's the real deal and not just the usual BS.

So take heart, there's still a space in the political process for people who actually believe in something.

[LeftishBrit]

14. I think the universal comment on that has been 'Jamie Who?'

[muriel_volestrangler]

16. Including by a former deputy leader

John Prescott responds to Jamie Reed's resignation after Jeremy Corbyn victory: 'Who's he?'

Asked live on BBC news to respond to the resignation, the former Deputy Prime Minister told interviewer Jane Hill "who is Jamie Reed? Is he in our party?"

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/john-prescott-responds-to-jamie-reeds-resignation-after-jeremy-corbyn-victory-whos-he-10498022.html

https://twitter.com/GraemeDemianyk/status/642665452876005376/video/1

[dave_p]

22. Jamie who??

lol, I had to google the sorry tosser. I thought for a moment. "What? Not the Anarchy in the UK designer? Labour? No!" Then I spotted the spelling. Good riddance.

[enlightenment]

12. I believe they have determined that he

had 51% without the £3 supporters (a comment on some of the Beeb coverage online).

[Turborama]

3. Jeremy Corbyn's first speech as Labour leader in full

Last edited Sat Sep 12, 2015, 08:23 AM - Edit history (1)

Watch here: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/jeremy-corbyns-first-speech-labour-6429383

[muriel_volestrangler]

10. Ex-Sun editor: Corbyn is so much better at communicating than Cameron ...

Corbyn is so much better at communicating than Cameron, clear, fluent, open. This will be interesting no matter what your politics....

https://twitter.com/davidyelland/status/642652249378959360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

It was a good speech. And it's interesting to see an old editor of The Sun being objective and complimentary like that.

[T_i_B]

11. I've seen Jeremy Corbyn speak when I was protesting against the Iraq war

He's not a particularly stirring public speaker, but he does make clear simple arguments without any of the mealy mouthed platitudes we've become accustomed to from Labour.

[dave_p]

25. Speaking

He's pretty good, actually, recall he's used to a back-bencher's venues rather than the big ones of the corporate careerist. he actually needs to stick to his delivery, the efforts to sound machine career-politico in his speech didn't ring true. Because he isn't one.

[T_i_B]

30. The reason why I don't think Corbyn is a stirring speaker

is because I've actually seen him make speeches in Parliament Square and Hyde Park back when I was protesting against the Iraq War.

Here's another article which sums up a lot of my own thoughts on Corbyn's speaking

http://www.politics.co.uk/blogs/2015/09/11/tears-and-jeers-an-evening-with-the-corbyn-faithful

The first thing I noticed when listening to Corbyn is that by any conventional standards he's not a particularly impressive speaker. Before he stood up, the audience had been treated to a truly barnstorming speech by Owen Jones. Jones has faced a lot of criticism from some quarters for his loyal support of Corbyn during this campaign, but there was no doubt from listening to his passionate speech last night that he genuinely believes in the cause he's fighting for. It was a masterful, almost evangelical performance.

But if Jones was like an evangelical preacher, then Corbyn was much more like the local vicar. His plodding, one-pitch style was, to my ears, something of a comedown from all the previous speakers. It had nether the bombast of Jones or McCluskey, the humour of Clive Lewis MP, nor the emotional connection of some of the local activists and councillors.

[Lychee2]

13. Good. Now let's hope the Tories don't red bait him to death.

That's my concern about Bernie. The red baiting hasn't started yet, but you can bet the Republicans will do it in the General, if Bernie is lucky enough to get the Democratic nomination. They will dig up every radical thing he ever said back in his Young People's Socialist League days in the Socialist Party USA.

To their credit, the Dems have not engaged in red-baiting Bernie.

[Spider Jerusalem]

15. Not yet anyway

if Sanders wins Iowa and New Hampshire I expect things may take a turn for the nasty, though.

[Lychee2]

18. +1.

Yes, it could happen.

[dave_p]

23. I noticed that too

"To their credit, the Dems have not engaged in red-baiting Bernie."

You're right, it's very impressive in these fraught times. A credit to all concerned, so far. I hope they keep it up (while disagreeing on policy, as they doubtless will).

[NYCButterfinger]

17. Congrats, Jeremy Corbyn.

He needs to prove that he is electable and can defeat Tories like David Cameron and George Osborne. If not, then another leadership contest will happen in 2020. Taxes should raised on those who seek tax havens overseas. Corbyn will hve to address that.

[dave_p]

24. Tax havens

He made a point of precisely that.

But it needs international action. And it can't work without the US and UK working together, they own most of them. If the UK shuts its tax havens the money will flee to US ones, and vice versa: it's costing everyone billions. Shut them all, and pay them to play ball - they'll be better off, so will honest taxpayers, and the corporations can enjoy the warm glow that comes from not being swindling crooks.

[David__77]

19. It seems to me that this could mark a turning point.

I don't know much about this race. I just looked at some videos. It seems to me that this might be a factor for the reemergence of an ideological reorientation of the Labor Party. I'll keep looking into it!

[Judi Lynn]

20. Hope his base of support will only grow in numbers and loyalty. It's really time for change. n/t

[orpupilofnature57]

26. They call him the Bernie of the UK .

[Peace Patriot]

27. That was my thought exactly.

My comment is #3 here, in another Corbyn OP:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1017293104#post3

Looks to me like a socialist revolution in the English-speaking world, AT LONG LAST!

[Uncle Joe]

28. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Spider Jerusalem.