Remaking a party - what will be the point of Labour?

[natjack]

Oh they'll be in the public eye alright. National laughing stock!

Is there a bit of transference going on here? Labour have been a sick joke ever since they took the UK into an illegal war.

 

Do you Labour types even know how much people wanted to see the back of them. You probably never mix with any normal people or your mind's so closed you don't see what's in front of your nose.

 

In the world out there, people don't say owt because dont want the aggro of arguing politics. On here people say what they think without worrying about it.

 

If this coalition works, reckon Labour's finished for a generation. Which is probs why you're all so desperate to talk it down.

[Annette1969]

Labour are dog -poo look after all immigrants alchos druggies single mums and all the free loaders........ bye bye labour.

[wednesday1]

Is there a bit of transference going on here? Labour have been a sick joke ever since they took the UK into an illegal war.

 

Do you Labour types even know how much people wanted to see the back of them. You probably never mix with any normal people or your mind's so closed you don't see what's in front of your nose.

 

In the world out there, people don't say owt because dont want the aggro of arguing politics. On here people say what they think without worrying about it.

 

If this coalition works, reckon Labour's finished for a generation. Which is probs why you're all so desperate to talk it down.

 

 

I did support the war at the time but when it emerged it had all been on a false premise I didn't.

I hope for the nations sake that the coalition DOES work, but I don't believe it will last for a parliament.

Don't know what world you live in but in the last few weeks at work and in the pub's loads of people have been talking about politics. And that's where I'm off now.

[wednesday1]

Labour are dog -poo look after all immigrants alchos druggies single mums and all the free loaders........ bye bye labour.

 

 

You sound like you need looking after!

[andyofborg]

Why don't you give us your advice as your party has now been engulfed by the Tory party and is more at sea than the Labour Party? What is your party going to do to regain its credibility?

 

this is just a random observation but in 1925 the conservative prime minister gave the third party a chance to form a government and they flowered pushing the other party into near oblivion for 80 years

[Bozo]

As for labour, im tempted to take the stance of Hesseltine...as in "who cares" but in saying that, maybe we (conservatives) should care. We want our party to succeed, but it helps to have an opposition party who gives as good as they get.

 

I think i would prefere either of the millibands.

 

Hesseltine also said something else of import. This coalition is going to have to make hugely unpopular decisions. Okay for a time they may well get away with pointing the finger at Labour, but as time passes this will not continue to stick. Anyone who thinks that Labour is finished on this basis has failed to consider the real difficulties facing the coalition.

 

Also they have failed to consider the separate identities of the parties involved in the coalition. Simon Hughes made it clear on Question Time that the period of coalition would be one which the liberal democrats would use to mount a greater challenge to Conservatism in 2015. Whether this transpires or not it is clear they are acutely aware that they have separate directions in the long term. There may well be occasions when political monogamy does not suit the Lib/Dems.

 

A further point is, as hitch makes, it is in everyones interest to have a strong opposition. Sections of industry/business often prefer to see this. This was evident when the Major government began to come of the rails, they were only to happy to have another party to debunk to. But also people who are arguably disadvantaged need somebody bringing governments to account.

 

The question is are Labour in a position to fulfill this role? On the one hand they are simply relieved to come out of this election having prevented a wholesale collapse. They are probably in a stronger position then they expected and all the more so for Brown's departure. On the other hand they have both now and historically betrayed the people who they are supposed to represent. They are no longer the sole occupants of the centre ground and their strategy of convincing of their business acumen and moderation is too far evolved for them now to return to their radical, let alone socialist roots.

 

It is, however, possible that paradoxically they become key to the success of the whole coalition.

[Tony]

There does seem to be a trend for Labour members / supporters to still be in attack mode, even after an electoral drubbing. Obviously Labour are unpopular and doing things that citizens don't want.

 

I'm wondering if Labour needs to become radical to set themselves apart? Do they need a different USP or are they too embedded in their big brother DNA?

[Alien]

Labour are dog -poo look after all immigrants alchos druggies single mums and all the free loaders........ bye bye labour.

 

And the BNP always have been.

 

 

 

There does seem to be a trend for Labour members / supporters to still be in attack mode, even after an electoral drubbing. Obviously Labour are unpopular and doing things that citizens don't want.

 

I'm wondering if Labour needs to become radical to set themselves apart? Do they need a different USP or are they too embedded in their big brother DNA?

 

To be fair to the question I see all three as being closely linked politically, not a great deal to chose from. Labour will bounce back but not in an idealistic way (they won't reinvent themselves), they'll just grow as a party based on any poor decisions the opposition make...and they will make mistakes. Their popularity will depend on how they use the mistakes through spin. Labour have had many years to hone their skills on spin...just like the cons when they were in power. After so many years in power they lost the plot in relation to their voters, the same way the conservatives did. If the con/dem's produce the goods in the next few years Labour will really have a fight on next time around.

[kenny gray]

how a failed leader can find himself in gonernment is behond me.now we are told m.ps.cannot talk in public about any problems,that is what clegg and cameron call open and transparent government.sounds to me like dictatorship.as i said earlyier and what they are allready doing by changing electrol rules is making sure no other party will defeat the coalition.i see salmonds and the welsh nationalist have also succumbed to the charm offensive.

[e5c4p3]

Do they need a different USP or are they too embedded in their big brother DNA?

 

A program of renationalization?