next labour leader

How to speak like a Corbynite: a helpful guide

Struggling to understand what Jeremy Corbyn’s supporters are on about? This should make it all clear

By Michael Deacon
14 Aug 2015


Eager to join the debate about Jeremy Corbyn, the Left-wing Labour leadership favourite? Help is at hand, with our essential glossary of Corbynite words and phrases.

Blair, Tony. Genocidal Right-wing dictator who led Labour to three disastrous election victories.

Compassion. What Corbynites’ political views are inspired by, along with empathy, kindness, decency and fellow feeling. That and Aneurin Bevan’s dictum that all Tories are “lower than vermin”.

Foot, Michael. Visionary thinker who led Labour to triumphant defeat.

Hatred. What Tory scum are full of.

Ideological. Adjective describing the political motives of Corbynites’ opponents. “The Tories’ cuts to public services are merely ideological.” Compare: Principled.

Labour party membership. Body of people that is precisely representative of the electorate at large, proving that if Jeremy Corbyn wins the party leadership he can win a general election.

Media. Network of corrupt Establishment puppeteers who dictate the result of every general election through their brainwashing of the proletariat. There is no other explanation for the working class’s rejection of socialism, because the proles are incapable of forming their own opinions.

Neoliberal. Useful catch-all epithet for any policy, idea, opinion or action not endorsed by Jeremy Corbyn and his supporters. “You pour the milk in first, rather than the hot water? That’s so neoliberal.”

Non-voters. Vast army of hitherto disillusioned socialists who will sweep Jeremy Corbyn to Downing Street in 2020. Please ignore polling by the Trades Union Congress that shows the top three reasons non-voters gave for not voting Labour in May, namely: “They would spend too much”, “They would make it too easy for people to live on benefits” and “They would raise taxes”.

Opposition. Pinnacle of political power.

Personal abuse. Something Jeremy Corbyn and his supporters will never stoop to. Unlike those evil selfish Tories, and that murdering war criminal Blair, and that Thatcherite cow Liz Kendall, and those washed-up irrelevances the Lib Dems, and those racist thugs Ukip.

Principled. Adjective describing the political motives of Corbynites. “My support for reopening the coal mines is principled.” Compare: Ideological.

Protest. Attractive new name for the revitalised Labour party under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.

Smear. Unhelpful fact.

Tory. Any human being who opposes, or has yet to declare public support for, Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership campaign. Examples of Tories include ******* Harman, Ed Miliband, Gordon Brown, the Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee, and Stalin.

:lol:
 
Problem is more that she'd previously criticised both Blair and Harman for sending their kids to selective schools.
Quite. She's a hypocrite.

Tbf that was because black mothers are better than white ones and do their best for their children.
The white ones are too busy playing divide and rule at the school gates, natch.
 
Quite. She's a hypocrite.


The white ones are too busy playing divide and rule at the school gates, natch.
Was great that her defence against being branded a hypocrite led to her being labelled a racist as well.
 
Jeremy Corbyn would reduce Labour's chances of winning the next election, poll reveals

A victory for Jeremy Corbyn in the Labour leadership race will reduce the party's chances of winning the next election, a poll for The Independent on Sunday reveals.

As ballot papers arrive for more than 600,000 members and supporters, the wider electorate thinks Mr Corbyn stands the least chance of returning Labour to power in 2020, the ComRes poll shows. In a dramatic twist, David Miliband, defeated by his brother in 2010, would stand the most chance of winning for Labour.

With Mr Corbyn still the odds-on favourite to win on 12 September, The IoS has learnt that his team has already begun preparing his shadow cabinet. He is planning to make John McDonnell, the leader of the Socialist Campaign Group who stood against challenged Gordon Brown in 2007, shadow Chancellor, a source revealed. Mr Corbyn’s aides have also sounded out Tom Watson, the front-runner for deputy leader, for a party management role.

As many as nine members of Labour’s current Shadow Cabinet are ready to quit if the Islington North MP wins, and many MPs are preparing to join the Labour for the Common Good group, set up by Chuka Umunna and Tristram Hunt, which aims to bring together the soft left, old right, Brownites and Blairites as a moderate pressure group in anticipation of a Corbyn victory.

Liz Kendall, who is fourth in the polls, said her supporters could “hold their heads up and be proud” of what they believed in, despite a campaign of personal abuse against the candidate and anyone who backed her. Ms Kendall said a Labour councillor had told her he had been threatened with deselection if he voted for her.

In what could be seen as a valedictory message, she told her supporters via this newspaper: “Hold your heads up high and be proud of what you believe in. It is your party, too. Don’t be intimidated into thinking you shouldn’t express those views for fear of being attacked. That is not the kind of party we are. Just be proud, it is our party and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

The MP for Leicester West added: “What is really heartening is the many party members who believe in having a modern, credible Labour Party and are desperate for us to talk to the public and not just ourselves, and who want to see a leader who can fight the Tories and get us elected.

“There are many tolerant, sensible Labour Party members who need a voice and need someone to represent their views and that is what I am doing.”

The ComRes poll finds 31 per cent of voters think that Mr Corbyn would worsen Labour’s chances if he became leader, as against 21 per cent who say he would improve them, an overall score of -10. Out of the leadership candidates, Andy Burnham is best placed to improve Labour’s chances, on +5, followed by Yvette Cooper on -3 and Ms Kendall on -6. But the potential leader with the best rating is David Miliband, who quit British politics two years ago, with an overall score of +11.

The poll finds that more than twice as many British adults think that Mr Corbyn as Prime Minister would make the state of the British economy worse rather than better (36 per cent versus 14 per cent); while three times as many think he would make Britain’s standing around the world worse rather than better (37 per cent to 11 per cent).

The only aspect that voters think would be improved under a Corbyn premiership is the railways, with 23 per cent thinking they would be better compared to with 22 per cent who think they would be worse.

The poll also gives the Conservatives an 11-point lead over Labour on general election voting intention, at with 40 per cent to 29 per cent.

Separately, the results of a survey, based on phone-bank data for one campaign and seen by The IoS, suggest that Ms Cooper is picking up support from undecided voters. The figures put Mr Corbyn on 40 per cent, with Ms Cooper second on 17 per cent, and Andy Burnham third on 15 per cent. Ms Kendall has only 7 per cent of support. Some 21 per cent said they were undecided, but the figures suggest that Mr Burnham is losing votes to Mr Corbyn and some of the undecided are switching to Ms Cooper.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...-the-next-election-poll-reveals-10457458.html
 
So, what you're telling me is that 31% of the public has bought into the "Labour won't win with Corbyn" line? That sounds low considering it's probably the most repeated line of the leadership election. Especially considering people vote with the economy, so Labour's out until the next crash anyway.
 
Wow. It was only just then reading that he's planning to make John McDonnell shadow chancellor that this all finally became too real.
 
Which he will scarcely contemplate. Corbyn is far more likely to declare his support for higher levels of immigration if anything.

Yeah he definitely doesn't seem to be the sort who is interested in compromise so I suspect you're right. While Russia/Trident are things people may have an opinion on, neither are likely to be the forefront of voter's minds. Immigration is different.

How to speak like a Corbynite: a helpful guide

:lol: Very good
 
Last edited:
So, what you're telling me is that 31% of the public has bought into the "Labour won't win with Corbyn" line? That sounds low considering it's probably the most repeated line of the leadership election. Especially considering people vote with the economy, so Labour's out until the next crash anyway.

Haven't you heard? Being popular = being very unpopular, duh.
 
The articles about Corbyn continue to multiply in quantity and nastiness -- tabloid smear is the order of the day.
 
Yeah he definitely doesn't seem to be the sort who is interested in compromise so I suspect you're right. While Russia/Trident are things people may have an opinion on, neither are likely to be the forefront of voter's minds. Immigration is different.

On the other hand, he is somewhat hedging his bets with regard to the EU. It coudl be an almost farcical situation come 2017, with Cameron and most Labour backbenchers on one side, and Corbyn allied with a cohort of Tories.

I think Russia and Trident could be presented as supporting argument in a damaging pattern, but then i tend to to have an interest in such matters. A decade ago the potential impact would have been much diminished, only now we have the TV debates to consider. Of course many people though that Cameron bungled most of those (save for the QT one).


Haven't you heard? Being popular = being very unpopular, duh.

Farage is highly popular too in some quarters, but that doesn't mean he'd make a good prime minister.


The articles about Corbyn continue to multiply in quantity and nastiness -- tabloid smear is the order of the day.

Certainly there has been an increasing amount of pressure brought to bear, and over the past week in particular, but i'd doubt whether it equates to the brand of invective directed at Kendall.

I did see an article in which a Labour MP called Corbyn out for anti-Semitic rhetoric, however the company he keeps does leave him open to such...speculation.
 
Liz Kendall would probably be liked amongst the Tory demographic, but why vote for Tory lite when you have an incumbent bread and butter Tory. Whereas everyone to the left of the party would likely despise her.

Yvette Cooper is Mrs Balls.

Andy Burnham can't even decide if he'd vote Andy Burnham.

So no, not a chance in hell either of them have a chance, despite what the centrists might preach.
 
@Nick 0208 Ldn Do you think Labour have a better chance of winning a general election with the other three candidates?

It's hard to say, there are some imponderables to consider. If the Tories opt for Boris 2020 oughtn't be a problem, whereas Osborne and May have the potential to present a hurdle or two. Morgan/Hammond could be influential however.

Whilst all of the other candidates have their weaknesses, Cooper's and Burnham's have en element of personality about them, which are likely easier to overcome than Corbyn's policy preferences.

And then there is the EU (a pet topic of mine it has to be said)...should the public vote to leave i reckon that Corbyn is the only prospective leader prepared for such an eventuality.

If i had to judge, i believe that Burnham would suffer a similar fate to Miliband. The comparison between IDS and Corbyn still holds true i believe. as does the solution. Though Cooper can unite more of the PLP than Kendall, it is worth noting reactions like those of @712 .

If you'll excuse me, i'm off to make another Singapore Sling.
 
Last edited:
I think Yvette Cooper would be the most likely to win a general election. Female vote, comes across well, will hold centrist ground.

But for me personally, as a non-labour voter. I don't care about labour winning, so I would like to see a Corbyn Labour merely to see him raise some interesting questions in opposition. Also to laugh at the chaos and media fervour. Corbyn will definitely be another Foot though.
 
I think Yvette Cooper would be the most likely to win a general election. Female vote, comes across well, will hold centrist ground.

But for me personally, as a non-labour voter. I don't care about labour winning, so I would like to see a Corbyn Labour merely to see him raise some interesting questions in opposition. Also to laugh at the chaos and media fervour. Corbyn will definitely be another Foot though.
If she wasn't Mrs ed balls I think she would have stood a much better chance
It's like our own poor imitation of bill and hilliary
 
The labour party has been absolutely obliterated already. None of those other 3 stooges are anywhere remotely near convincing anyone who stopped voting for Labour to vote for them again, maybe I'm wrong on that as it seems many of you seem to believe otherwise. You can criticise some of Corbyn's more 'extreme' views individually but he represents a much bigger core group of people than the rest of them. With any of them it'll be even worse still than it was under Miliband - you can forget about Scotland and remain completely decimated there. They simply cannot connect with the majority of the population and cannot even coherently talk about their own beliefs.
 
It's hard to say, there are some imponderables to consider. If the Tories opt for Boris 2020 oughtn't be a problem, whereas Osborne and May have the potential to present a hurdle or two. Morgan/Hammond could be influential however.

Whilst all of the other candidates have their weaknesses, Cooper's and Burnham's have en element of personality about them, which are likely easier to overcome than Corbyn's policy preferences.

And then there is the EU (a pet topic of mine it has to be said)...should the public vote to leave i reckon that Corbyn is the only prospective leader prepared for such an eventuality.

If i had to judge, i believe that Burnham would suffer a similar fate to Miliband. The comparison between IDS and Corbyn still holds true i believe. as does the solution. Though Cooper can unite more of the PLP than Kendall, it is worth noting reactions like those of @712 .

If you'll excuse me, i'm off to make another Singapore Sling.

:lol: Nick, you are such a star.
 
This "Labour are going to lose in 2020 anyway, may as well be true to Labour principles" line is bizarre. Anything can happen in 5 years, the current government aren't hugely popular and should have been defeated in May, and the first duty of the opposition is to present a credible and competent alternative to the government. If Labour actually managed to gain more trust from the public in their economic strategy (and in the current climate, that means being restrained with spending) and had as leader someone people can see as Prime Minister, they have a chance of winning again. Becoming a slightly larger version of the Lib Dems, protesting in the knowledge you'll never win, is not the answer and betrays fundamental reason for the party's formation. Guaranteeing Tory governments for another 15 years is not the way to make the country better.
 
The labour party has been absolutely obliterated already. None of those other 3 stooges are anywhere remotely near convincing anyone who stopped voting for Labour to vote for them again, maybe I'm wrong on that as it seems many of you seem to believe otherwise. You can criticise some of Corbyn's more 'extreme' views individually but he represents a much bigger core group of people than the rest of them. With any of them it'll be even worse still than it was under Miliband - you can forget about Scotland and remain completely decimated there. They simply cannot connect with the majority of the population and cannot even coherently talk about their own beliefs.

I think the point is that it doesn't matter whether they represent a significant group of people or hold any credible beliefs. They'll merely morph the party into a place where it's least offensive to the majority of the voters in the hope they absorb voters through a polished campaign.

Like a really shit manufactured rock band, it's no longer about the music.

It won't work though at least not with Cooper or Burnham who will like Ed be fighting from a meek apologist platform.

I do think this kind of commentary completely misses the point that people are sick of this kind of politics and are crying out for a more honest dialogue.
 
This "Labour are going to lose in 2020 anyway, may as well be true to Labour principles" line is bizarre. Anything can happen in 5 years, the current government aren't hugely popular and should have been defeated in May, and the first duty of the opposition is to present a credible and competent alternative to the government. If Labour actually managed to gain more trust from the public in their economic strategy (and in the current climate, that means being restrained with spending) and had as leader someone people can see as Prime Minister, they have a chance of winning again. Becoming a slightly larger version of the Lib Dems, protesting in the knowledge you'll never win, is not the answer and betrays fundamental reason for the party's formation. Guaranteeing Tory governments for another 15 years is not the way to make the country better.
When was the last time that plan actually worked at a time of economic prosperity?

Should've been defeated in May? Tory lite labour got destroyed in May. In 2020 the economy will be doing even better. If you want the tories, just vote for the fecking tories.
 
Last edited:
This "Labour are going to lose in 2020 anyway, may as well be true to Labour principles" line is bizarre. Anything can happen in 5 years, the current government aren't hugely popular and should have been defeated in May, and the first duty of the opposition is to present a credible and competent alternative to the government. […]

But also…

It's tough with Scotland gone and unlikely to come back any time soon. To win a majority next time round, Labour likely need to win Kensington. Which even Blair didn't get close to. It's a colossally shit situation to be in with the electoral maths now against them and a public that's as hawkish on spending as it has been in generations, and I'm not sure many people in Labour get quite how bad it is. […]

When the leadership election begun I was hoping for Dan Jarvis. A centrist ex-soldier seemed the only chance Labour had of winning back the Little Englanders. But as the leadership election has developed I do not believe any of the standing centrists are inspiring enough to win in 2020 either. In other words, I'm not against diluting principle to win, but I do not believe the dilution that is on offer can win. (See below)

When was the last time that plan actually worked at a time of economic prosperity?

Should've been defeated in May? Tory lite labour got destroyed in May. In 2020 the economy will be doing even better. If you want the tories, just vote for the fecking tories.

Yes. I find it strange that the centre of the party, having lost two consecutive elections, are telling the left of the party that it can only win from the centre.
 
When was the last time that plan actually worked at a time of economic prosperity?

Should've been defeated in May? Tory lite labour got destroyed in May. In 2020 the economy will be doing even better.
In 2005 Labour was defending a majority of 167, in 2001 a majority of 179, in 92 the Tories were defending one of 102, in 87 of 144, in 83 of 43 (which got a lot bigger, and history will repeat). The Conservatives currently have a majority of 12. Not exactly the huge electoral fortresses that Thatcher and Blair built, which even so tended to wither away despite economic successes. In the 60s and 70s these small majorities and minorities switched between Tories and Labour reasonably often.

And yeah, should've been defeated, they were there for the taking but turned out to be the first government in decades to increase their share of the vote and seat count.
 
In 2005 Labour was defending a majority of 167, in 2001 a majority of 179, in 92 the Tories were defending one of 102, in 87 of 144, in 83 of 43 (which got a lot bigger, and history will repeat). The Conservatives currently have a majority of 12. Not exactly the huge electoral fortresses that Thatcher and Blair built, which even so tended to wither away despite economic successes. In the 60s and 70s these small majorities and minorities switched between Tories and Labour reasonably often.

And yeah, should've been defeated, they were there for the taking but turned out to be the first government in decades to increase their share of the vote and seat count.
So.. 60s and 70s. Or, a completely different electoral pool.

Now, let's consider 2020, a better economy, a EU referendum probably won by the tories and their pals in the media and, even more importantly, redrawn constituency boundaries to favour them. How is Labour going to win? In any guise whatsoever, left wing or otherwise.

Not even taking into consideration the mass exodus if labour actually goes ahead and fecks over the left wing one more time.
 
But also…



When the leadership election begun I was hoping for Dan Jarvis. A centrist ex-soldier seemed the only chance Labour had of winning back the Little Englanders. But as the leadership election has developed I do not believe any of the standing centrists are inspiring enough to win in 2020 either. In other words, I'm not against diluting principle to win, but I do not believe the dilution that is on offer can win. (See below)



Yes. I find it strange that the centre of the party, having lost two consecutive elections, are telling the left of the party that it can only win from the centre.
Yes, it's that bad, and you don't face up to that challenge by making yourself even more unelectable and the situation even worse for the party to win the following elections. You make yourself credible. If you aren't a genuine alternative to the government, the government can do pretty much as it pleases without fear of punishment at the ballot box. If Labour gets 50 seats from the Tories next time round, they level peg in seats. I'm amazed so many people would prefer a larger Tory majority to that situation.
 
Labour must be the first political party to be angry about record membership growth. Comparing it to the joy and excitement of the Green party at the start of the year you'd have to wonder who the nasty party is right now.
 
Certainly there has been an increasing amount of pressure brought to bear, and over the past week in particular, but i'd doubt whether it equates to the brand of invective directed at Kendall.

What is your preoccupation with Kendell? Every time someone points out that another national paper has run an evident smear against Corbyn, you retort with "Well, similar has been said about Kendell". Answer me this, when has Jeremy Corbyn said a single word which could be construed as a personal attack against Kendell? I'm going to guess never.
 
Yes, it's that bad, and you don't face up to that challenge by making yourself even more unelectable and the situation even worse for the party to win the following elections. You make yourself credible. If you aren't a genuine alternative to the government, the government can do pretty much as it pleases without fear of punishment at the ballot box. If Labour gets 50 seats from the Tories next time round, they level peg in seats. I'm amazed so many people would prefer a larger Tory majority to that situation.
How are any of the empty suits going to win 50 seats? They're never going to win votes like me, and they need them.
 
Observing from a far (well, observing from across the North Sea anyhow) it seems to me that the establishment is doing a lot of scare mongering by frightening everybody off Corbyn. It seems to me that the establishment has actually been alarmed by the thought of Corbyn winning, they must be scared of something. Only more reason to want Corbyn to win.
 
How are any of the empty suits going to win 50 seats? They're never going to win votes like me, and they need them.

Twice as many voters left Labour to vote Tory in May as left to vote Green. Four out of five extra votes Labour needs to win a majority voted Tory at the last election. So while its true to say that the party needs to reach out to all groups, capturing the Green vote is not a priority.
 
Observing from a far (well, observing from across the North Sea anyhow) it seems to me that the establishment is doing a lot of scare mongering by frightening everybody off Corbyn. It seems to me that the establishment has actually been alarmed by the thought of Corbyn winning, they must be scared of something. Only more reason to want Corbyn to win.

This.
None of those with vested interests want the gravy train to be derailed.
 
How are any of the empty suits going to win 50 seats? They're never going to win votes like me, and they need them.
I agree. I think Labour loses the next election regardless, so it's really about providing credible opposition in the attempt to gain back a bit of ground. Five years of Burnham or Cooper would be hard to take, and neither would win.

People are saying the party might split, well, if the majority of party members agree with a certain candidate's view, and this is somehow an appalling notion, then perhaps it's time for a split.
 
Observing from a far (well, observing from across the North Sea anyhow) it seems to me that the establishment is doing a lot of scare mongering by frightening everybody off Corbyn. It seems to me that the establishment has actually been alarmed by the thought of Corbyn winning, they must be scared of something. Only more reason to want Corbyn to win.

I don't think you are at all accurate with that. The Tories and the right are hardly talking about him at all. The BBC went out asking folk about him in a Tory seat in Shropshire the other day and the people they asked had never even heard of him.
 
Twice as many voters left Labour to vote Tory in May as left to vote Green. Four out of five extra votes Labour needs to win a majority voted Tory at the last election. So while its true to say that the party needs to reach out to all groups, capturing the Green vote is not a priority.

And twice as many more will leave the party and flock to the Greens or even UKIP if Corbyn doesn't win. Now that there's a real sense of optimism and revived enthusiam surrounding the party, someone like Andy feckin Burnham winning will probaby serve as the death knell for whatever reluctant allegiance progressive labour voters have had for the party.
 
I don't think you are at all accurate with that. The Tories and the right are hardly talking about him at all. The BBC went out asking folk about him in a Tory seat in Shropshire the other day and the people they asked had never even heard of him.

The establishment is not just the Tories. And the tory press, such as the Daily Mail and The Daily Telegraph, have daily been spending a lot of column space on the anti-Corbyn wagon.
 
And what's the appeal of tory lite when there's good old fashioned tory already there?

This idea of "Tory-lite" is an entirely suicidal notion set up by the far left. All it tries to do is to poison the centre ground and make it impossible for the party to ever be there with the force of its rhetoric.

Of course, the message it sends to outsiders is clear - if you think Governments should be sensible and prudent, vote Tory, Labour's not for you. I can't think of a more ludicrous message to give people.

The establishment is not just the Tories. And the tory press, such as the Daily Mail and The Daily Telegraph, have daily been spending a lot of column space on the anti-Corbyn wagon.

They haven't even got started yet. On balance, he's still the candidate they want to win, even if they acknowledge he's more of an unknown quantity. However you can bet your bottom dollar that they're raking up as much dirt as they can for when he wins.

And twice as many more will leave the party and flock to the Greens or even UKIP if Corbyn doesn't win. Now that there's a real sense of optimism and revived enthusiam surrounding the party, someone like Andy feckin Burnham winning will probably serve as the death knell for whatever reluctant allegiance progressive labour voters have had for the party.

Is that just your guess or is that evidenced?
 
Kendall: Labour supporters should be called out over 'vitriolic' online abuse



http://www.theguardian.com/politics...uld-be-called-out-over-vitriolic-online-abuse


http://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...of-his-labour-leadership-rivals-10457055.html

Jeremy Corbyn warns his supporters that he will not tolerate personal abuse of his Labour leadership rivals

There you have it. Just a shame that his rivals are still more focused in slandering him instead of discussiong their own policies.