General Election June 8th

[purplenose]

I'm of the view that change is necessary. Labour are not likely to be a competent government. But " competent" within the confines of the present system is just more of the same and that equates to a collapsing NHS, chronically underfunded social care and real poverty for millions of people. I see the effects of the cosy system of politics Britain's M.Ps have made for themselves everyday and this government, like the one before it, are basically liars denying it is happening.

Corbyn is an idealist. I don't agree with a lot of what he says, but he is right about some things and he has principles. That's just about unique in politics and he will fuck over the status quo. So he gets my vote.

I cannot argue with most of that, I am as far from being a Tory as you can imagine, the fact I am going to vote for them astonishes me.

The fact that Corbyn flags up all those issues that you and I agree with sadly doesnt make him the answer to those things. The sad truth is he and his party are a shambles and un-electable a term of Corbyn would have the place on the road to being third world.

As unpalatable as it may be there is really no credible alternative to the Tories and it is hard to see a point in the short term that will change.

 

[Ricster]

Why is he the "change the country needs"? I keep hearing this, but haven't seen any evidence other than him saying he'll do things differently.

Because we've had the same style of Leaders since I can remember. That's what people mean by the country needs a change unless you're a lover of war, hate and division between mankind, then I'm guessing those people are quite happy with the way things are.

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

I'm voting Labour because if rumours are true we're having a decent MP here.

If that wasn't an issue I'd vote Tory because I think they'd get us a better deal from Brussels.

My prediction is that the Tories will storm the election in a landslide.

I also haven't been right about an election since about 2001.

I've got a fairly good track record: pretty much predicted the outcome of the last two general elections and my call is that Labour are going to get annihilated. The sort of pounding from which they will never recover. Time for a shake-up of the political landscape. It's insane that the two biggest parties have been pretty much the same for over a hundred years. How can that be good for democracy?

 

[urban genie]

I cannot argue with most of that, I am as far from being a Tory as you can imagine, the fact I am going to vote for them astonishes me.

The fact that Corbyn flags up all those issues that you and I agree with sadly doesnt make him the answer to those things. The sad truth is he and his party are a shambles and un-electable a term of Corbyn would have the place on the road to being third world.

As unpalatable as it may be there is really no credible alternative to the Tories and it is hard to see a point in the short term that will change.

We are at 2nd world standards on most things now under the tories, and we are the 5th richest economy in the world.
Despit your lack of faith in jezza (and he is one person our country runs on a party deciding it's future, not a person) you think that a change in direction to a more optomistic future of investing in peoples futures rather than stealing them with cuts and division that we have now is not a better alternative than the shite we have in charge now.

The pledges the labour party is putting forward and your MP is what you vote for not the person in charge.

 

[Ric]

I've got a fairly good track record: pretty much predicted the outcome of the last two general elections and my call is that Labour are going to get annihilated. The sort of pounding from which they will never recover. Time for a shake-up of the political landscape. It's insane that the two biggest parties have been pretty much the same for over a hundred years. How can that be good for democracy?

I agree that Labour will get trounced in the GE, but I don't think the long term damage will be as severe as you suggest. It would surely lead to Corbyn stepping down, but if a centrist candidate emerged from the ashes then I think they could re-group relatively quickly. If Brexit goes tits up then there will be an opportunity for a moderate Labour to fill the breach in the next 5-10 years.

 

[Corky]

It shows blue moon is full of cling on glory tarquins.

Any one who pretends to be a city fan and votes tory is pathetic beyond belief.

 

[Damocles]

I've got a fairly good track record: pretty much predicted the outcome of the last two general elections and my call is that Labour are going to get annihilated. The sort of pounding from which they will never recover. Time for a shake-up of the political landscape. It's insane that the two biggest parties have been pretty much the same for over a hundred years. How can that be good for democracy?

Well the names above the door don't really mean anything. Both parties have shifted around the spectrum for that time and we've seen flares from others. Many would prefer a PR system of course but we go with the hand we've been dealt.

I've had an on-off relationship with Labour for years and I'm not convinced this current incarnation is electable in any degree. Don't get me wrong, it could have been - Trump's election shows how a ground swell of support for a candidate can lead to big swings. But the problem will always be that instead of uniting behind Corbyn after his original election and using all of that youthful energy they consistently shelled him and cut him down. When the Party leadership is dumber than the US Republicans then we're in trouble.

However, there's enough good people still involved in the Party so that when the rebuild comes in July it will come in strong. I've decided to stick around for a while and see what a post-GE Labour looks like as I imagine it will look much more electable and much more representative. If we had a left wing populist party in this country it would generally sweep elections. Instead we get Labour going after middle class liberals, of which there aren't enough to get them elected, Lib Dems going after the same, the Greens going after the hard left and the Tories sweeping the broad range that's everywhere in between Labour and UKIP.

When we look at Trump and Brexit and Le Pen and what will be this GE massacre, we on the left have to take our share of the blame because we've lost touch with the working classes entirely and became a political ideological filled with academic, elitists and "authoritarian liberals". We've drove people away across the Western world then wondered why we're not electable. And worst of all as Radiohead once sang "you do it to yourself and that's what really hurts".

 

[Ric]

It shows blue moon is full of cling on glory tarquins.

Any one who pretends to be a city fan and votes tory is pathetic beyond belief.

Most opinion polls have the Tories over 20 points ahead, so doesn't this (admittedly small) poll suggest Bluemoon is more left leaning than the country as a whole?

 

[urban genie]

Most opinion polls have the Tories over 20 points ahead, so doesn't this (admittedly small) poll suggest Bluemoon is more left leaning than the country as a whole?

Lets hope so, would be a shame if a club from strong working class roots from gorton, ardwick, moss side, and presently bradford was supported by mainly right wingers, Manchester has centuries of proud history of it's people uniting and fighting for an equal and fair society, not a tory style one.

 

[Blue Whale]

It shows blue moon is full of cling on glory tarquins.

Any one who pretends to be a city fan and votes tory is pathetic beyond belief.

Thank you Corky. You put it better than I ever could.