Britain: 2nd Labour leadership contest in 10 months for Corbyn

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Britain: 2nd Labour leadership contest in 10 months for Corbyn



LONDON: -- The British Labour party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has launched his campaign for re-election. Widespread division and resignations have plagued the party since Brexit.

At the campaign launch Corbyn reached out to his political adversaries saying:

“ I hold out the hand of friendship to them all because come September, when this election is done and dusted there will still be a Tory government in office, there will still be grotesque levels of inequality in our society, there will still be whole parts of this country that are left behind Britain. It is the job, it is the duty, it is the responsibility of every Labour MP to get behind the party at that point”.

Two-horse race
Owen Smith is now Corbyn’s sole rival in the leadership election. Smith has support from the more moderate wing of the parliamentary labour party whilst Corbyn has strong grassroots support. This will be Corbyn’s second leadership contest in just 10 months as he is accused, from within his own party, of lacking effective policy and leadership skills. Many called Corbyn’s campaigning for Britain to remain in the EU ‘lacklustre’, this too led to calls for a leadership contest.

“Corbyn-mania”
Corbyn’s popularity among labour members, however, does not seem to have waned. Since he became leader, there was an unprecedented surge in the number of labour members to over half a million.These members will start voting on 22nd August.

Eagle’s out
Angela Eagle who called for the leadership contest, has now surprised her supporters by pulling out and lending her support to her former rival, Owen Smith. The results of the contest will be announced on September 24th.

-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2016-07-22

[hansnl]

Too many Jew haters in that club, too many Muslims, too many idiots, too many unrealistic dreamers.

[Chicog]

And one too many Iranian puppets.

[emilymat]

I'm a long time member of the Labour Party, but also consider myself as pragmatic about politics.

I've lost count of the times JC has offered to 'reach out' to me and others, via e mails,speeches etc.

I have no dout he is a honourable man with deeply held principles, but I cannot see how he can hope to persuade large chunks of uncommited voters to vote for him as PM. It's no good banging on about council and other local elections that have been won by Labour since last year. The stark reality is that, at a general election, people vote not only for a party but also for a Prime Minister.

I'm afraid that whatever the truth about the thousands of 'new' members - many of whom I suspect have joined for suspect reasons - the reality is that Labour is currently seen as a flag waving protest movement - which gets you nowhere really.

Power is needed to implement Labour policies and I despair that seems miles away at present. I'm old enough to remember the damage Militant Tendancy did to the party and I seemany within this new grouping as being the mark II of that organisation.

I expect JC to win and matters to simply get worse, particluarly with a revised Tory leadershoip which will no doubt have an exptended 'honeymoon' period.

[Steely Dan]

The trouble for moderate Labour politicians and voters is the widespread disillusionment with the status quo. This propelled Trump to be candidate for president, just as it did Corbyn for the UK prime ministers job. In both cases I believe the only way to break their momentum is for them to crash and burn at a general election. To avoid all chance of Corbyn being elected there is always the option of splitting the party, I suspect this may yet happen.

[Rancid]

No expert on UK politics, but seems most of those Labor MPs that want Corbyn out are the same ones that were pro Iraq war, pro Trident, pro EU, aren't they just pro Tory light? Or is Cornyn really that much of a disaster that even fake Labor is a better option?

[Basil B]

No expert on UK politics, but seems most of those Labor MPs that want Corbyn out are the same ones that were pro Iraq war, pro Trident, pro EU, aren't they just pro Tory light? Or is Cornyn really that much of a disaster that even fake Labor is a better option?

Real Labour died years ago...

What is left is a stage managed amalgamation of single interest groups like:

• BAME (British. Black, Asian, and minority ethnic)
• Chinese for Labour
• The Christian Socialist Movement
• The Fabian Society
• The Jewish Labour movement
• Co-operative party

The list is endless, also infiltrated with Socialist Workers, Trotskyists and the like, also many constituency organisation taken over by none British ethnic groups.