Comments on: Poll: Who would be a better Labour Party leader – Jeremy Corbyn or Owen Smith?

By: John MacKinnon

John MacKinnon — Thu, 28 Jul 2016 15:39:04 +0000

So there you are, “Left” Foot Forward. What do you do now? Swing behind Corbyn, who has overwhelming Party support, or cling to your Blairite principles, which will consign you to the sewers of history?

By: John Woods

John Woods — Fri, 22 Jul 2016 19:41:47 +0000

Looks like Jeremy is going to win again. It was like this after 1979 when the Labour Party turned in on itself. Ed Miliband claimed a lot of credit for preventing this happening after 2010 but it made no difference. Perhaps Labour is only intended to rule for 10 out of every 30 years as it takes that long to create a leader and for that leader to fail the membership. I am thinking of the 1931 – 1945, 1951 – 1964, 1979 – 1997 periods. The swopping between Heath and Wilson/Callaghan between 1970 and 1979 was caused by economic decline rather than politics.

By: Chriso

Chriso — Fri, 22 Jul 2016 08:57:08 +0000

Team Corbyn is the only credible team to save our NHS & vital services. Labour have been gaining ground since Corbyn was elected with a large majority – see by-election results since then.

By: John W.

John W. — Fri, 22 Jul 2016 06:20:05 +0000

It is Brown and Milliband who have shown they cannot win elections. Voters do not just vote for the most electable leader they actually vote on the issues that matter most for them. Why would anyone vote for Owen who has no prin iples or experience – Brown and Milliband had ministerial experience and clear views? At elections people tend to be cautious and will stick with the party in power rather than risk the untried (as they did in 1992 and 2005). Under Blair the Labour Party lost its unique selling point and big hitters for the electorate and just became the Party that seemed tothink it had a right to win elections without offering anything concrete and distinctive.

By: lyn

lyn — Thu, 21 Jul 2016 23:04:25 +0000

I can not vote but will prefer to vote for Jeremy Cobyn.
He is very genuine and a real gentle man.
Is very sad he has been bullied by his own people.
Jeremy ,never give up keep the fire burning.

By: karen.

karen. — Thu, 21 Jul 2016 22:54:35 +0000

It really comes down to people who are struggling feeling like they are not listened to, disenfranchised and unrepresented. All any of them seem to want is impose austerity on us, but line their pockets and run around making sure the super rich get richer and not taxed. So many of us in Britain are just angry and fed up. This is not an election, this is a revolution. And people would rather go to hell with Corbyn than stay the same, get the same, listen to them droning on about stuff no one cares about while others sleep in doorways. I refuse to vote for anyone who can walk by the homeless, pile whole families into one room for years, bomb innocent people and then refuse to help them, do snide deals for our NHS and then tell us we are wrong!

By: Michael WALKER

Michael WALKER — Thu, 21 Jul 2016 17:47:40 +0000

Reading all the comments above, there are one or two notable exceptions BUT I fail to see many ” I support Corbyn because he will return Labour to Government” type of posts.

Political purity is like chastity: it sounds great but in the real world, it has little support because in the long term few people like it.

By: Iris Leaton Webb

Iris Leaton Webb — Thu, 21 Jul 2016 17:28:35 +0000

Owen who?

Let’s be honest ‘Let’s Save Labour’ are ever so slightly delusional. Sadly, as a Labour member, I think no leader will make us win. Why? First because “carry on as before” eg the Anti Corbyn wing have failed, badly, twice before. What is so different now, except that we can see the depths of back stabbing in the PLP? SNP have Scotland for the foreseeable future, and new boundary changes favour the Tories. So, why will Owen Smith do any better? He is not a distinguished Parliamentarian and, his media performances are not much better than those of Jeremy Corbyn. I think our only chance WAS to back the horse we have. No. That would be too simple. Instead we opted for disloyalty and back stabbing. The public hates this – and Labour will not go unpunished for it. Neither will the public take kindly to the ‘last minute rule changes’ by Labour.

So let’s have the debate we should have had 10 years ago: centre left and centre right finding their agreement. A left/progressive party finding its place and the far right – at the extreme. It’s no good harking back to Blairism – any more than trying to bring back the Whig Party. We can’t fight past wars again. So, I shall vote for an honest man of integrity, who is no great shakes on the media circus, because it seems the only morally right thing to do. It necessarily, will make the party think hard about its future – rather than papering over the cracks.Again.

By: Suki Jones

Suki Jones — Thu, 21 Jul 2016 15:10:19 +0000

In my opinion, Jeremy Corbyn is precisely the principled no-nonsense kind of politician that this country desperately needs at this time. Too many years of an out of control neo liberal ideology , which seeks to destroy the state and works against true social mobility, have brought our country to it’s knees. He has policies to address inequality that can only enrich Britain. He is possibly misunderstood and indeed feared by those who wish to maintain the status quo, as he has managed to maintain integrity in a profession which increasingly relies on knee jerk sound bites and style over substance and who are in thrall to the desires of corporations over the needs of ordinary people. He is the man we need to lead to a government that can herald the dawn of a faire and more vibrant Britain .

By: Peter Fletcher

Peter Fletcher — Thu, 21 Jul 2016 15:07:54 +0000

After 6,460 votes in the above poll, it’s currently Jeremy Corbyn 85% and Owen Smith 15%.