I feel like Reform are more likely to split the conservative vote than Jeremy Corbyn is likely to split the Labour vote. Mostly because the left has a very complicated relationship with him, he’s truly awful at being a politician.
Meanwhile Farage is a good politician, he’s good at playing up to a crowd, he’s good at taking advantage of controversy.
Also of course signing up to the party newsletter doesn’t mean that you’ll vote for them when the time comes. A lot will be doing it to try and send a message to labour. I’ve signed up to the newsletter but I’m not particularly inclined to actually vote for them. Not unless labour gets substantially worse.
javiwhite@feddit.uk 4 days ago
As a lifelong labour supporter, I get what you mean, but ultimately feel as though I’ve been duped by this logic one time too many; the labour party are closer to the modern tories than they are the labour that brought us reforms like the NHS and so on.
I’m tired of labour being the only viable option because they’re the limp-dicked version of the Tories; Corbyn was the closest we got to seeing a supposedly left wing party actually introduce some socialist policy; and look at the furor that kicked up in the papers… The powers that be were clearly concerned about him, as we had a real chance for change (particularly with him having sights on taxing the rich their fair share) but instead he was smeared and the party showed its true colours by jumping at the opportunity to oust him.
No man or woman is above corruption; and people shouldn’t blindly follow anyone; but Corbyn has a lifetime record of activism… So if the options are Tory lite Vs a new party led by a lifetime activist. The question for me isn’t; “will this split the labour vote” but rather “why would anyone continue to vote labour, despite it being ultimately fruitless?”.
It wasn’t the Tories that just said no to a 500k strong petition to repeal the online safety act afterall. Fuck the Tories and fuck the Tory lites.
feddup@feddit.uk 4 days ago
Agree. I voted labour to get the conservatives out that we’ve been suffering under for so long and we just ended up with another awful government, as you said, Tories lite. If we don’t end up with something better for the next election I have no idea who I’d vote for.
disgrunty@slrpnk.net 4 days ago
I wouldn’t even call them Tory Lite. They are Tories with red branding.
hellothere@sh.itjust.works 4 days ago
Now then, I voted for Corbyn for leader twice. But his statement after the report in to antisemitism came out was of his own doing. He was asked to remove a single sentence - about it being overblown by fake reports, even though was exclusively regarding substantiated instances - and refused to.
We really need to stop with this faux persecution narrative. Policywise he was great, but at literally everything else he failed, and often by his own actions.
javiwhite@feddit.uk 4 days ago
This is exactly my point. The antisemitism angle was pushed so ferociously by the media, that it caused people such as yourself to act against your own interests.
Tell me, do you still think ousting Corbyn was the right move? Are we in a better position now under Kiers labour?
echodot@feddit.uk 4 days ago
I don’t think Corbin should have been ousted but at the same time he literally to smear him with.
What concerns me about him is he thinks that having principles is enough, he thinks that if he truly believes in something that’s the end of it and no more thinking about the matter is required. Righteously or wrongly, if you want to make an impact in the political world you have to play the political game, and part of that means limiting your exposure to smear campaigns.
hellothere@sh.itjust.works 3 days ago
Continuing to vote for someone who lost two elections - regardless of how “fair” the other side fought is much more against my interests.
I think any leader losing two elections is grounds of them to step down.
Were there unsubstantiated claims? Yes, absolutely.
But the report was not about those, it was about the ones that were proven to have happened. Replying to that report by bringing up unproven cases is very #notallmen energy.
Better than under the Tories? Absolutely. I’m a trustee of a local foodbank, since July this is our first 12 month period ever where usage has reduced. That is directly related to increases in UC, the minimum wage, and DWP being moved to be helping people access benefits instead of finding any excuse to sanction them.
Is it better than what Corbyn campaigned on in 2017 or 2019? No, it’s not.
But actual improvements are better for those people who would otherwise be literally starving, compared to hypothetical alt futures.