[Crabcakes]

How long before they start calling each other "Zionist, Neoliberal, genocide apologists?"

At the rate they’re going, probably about 10 minutes

[Boiler]

It would seem that if you really want to upset folk BTL on the Guardian, just suggest that Corbyn never grew out of student politics.

[Yug]

It would seem that if you really want to upset folk BTL on the Guardian, just suggest that Corbyn never grew out of student politics.

Suggestion, or merely a statement of fact?

[Boiler]

It would seem that if you really want to upset folk BTL on the Guardian, just suggest that Corbyn never grew out of student politics.

Suggestion, or merely a statement of fact?

If you can stomach it, go have a look-see...

[Crabcakes]

What's bizarre are the posts saying Labour are now doomed because this will split their vote. I don't think this is true though:

1. proper Jez headbangers already didn't vote for Labour because anything not exactly what they want is Tory. So they probably voted for some hardcore loon or not at all at the last GE - not in the equation
2. slightly less aggrieved voters probably went green or Lib dem. They might stay green/LD or go to the People's Front of Corbyn. But that's not a labour vote split - again, not in the equation
3. Anyone who is more about ensuring Farage/Tories don't win will tactically vote. They don't have to like Labour, but they recognise the real danger. Not in the equation because they're always voting against, not for.

So to assume this is a death knell for Starmer and Labour is to also assume there is a significant Labour voter cohort who simultaneously are engaged enough to always vote, but don't like Starmer's Labour, but also voted for them last time, but don't tactically vote, but do want to vote left wing so won't either go Tory or Reform or even LD as a protest, but don't care enough to stop the right winning seats. This is a lot of seriously muddled people, and I struggle to believe there are enough of these schzophrenically vague and fired up types.

That said, the new party might get votes - but the most likely voters for Project Jez are the same "nice to have but make fuck-all difference" bonus voters he added (and who his cronies love to wang on about) in already safe Labour seats, who likely stopped voting Labour out of spite the moment Corbyn stepped down so didn't form part of the cohort at the last GE. The sort of person who claims everyone not exactly of the same mindset of them on every topic is automatically a Tory, who'll unironically say "Don't blame me, I voted for Corbyn" in a swing seat where a LD or Green could have won in the 2019 GE, and who thinks making things absolutely as awful as possible for everyone is a great idea because then it is absolutely inevitable that the country will immediately rise up in revolution. Promise.

[Boiler]

Good points well made Crabbs, but I'm still pretty sure that Labour's impressive victory had as much to do with the right-wing vote being split for once as much as people being absolutely sick of the shit-show that personified the last years of a dying, rudderless Tory government. The real test will come in 2029 or thereabouts, of course.

Meanwhile, just a few BTL responses from the Guardian:

Screenshot 2025-07-04 at 12-14-37 – UK politics live.png (117.58 KiB) Viewed 158 times

[The Weeping Angel]

Outside of Zarah has anyone joined this new outfit.

[kreuzberger]

... Sultana like being centre of attention.

I think that that's her raisin d'être ...

[Oboogie]

@The Weeping Angel
Not yet, even Corbyn has yet to confirm so Sultana's on her own at the moment. I expect people will wait to see if Sultana and Corbyn can reach agreement on what form the party should take.

[Andy McDandy]

Funny thing about politics is that while we think of ourselves (largely) as reasonable, amenable to change, open to new ideas, not too tied to any dogma etc, we want something a bit more entrenched from our politicians. We want to know what they stand for, so outfits like the ChangeUK group tend to die a death.

[Boiler]

... Sultana like being centre of attention.

I think that that's her raisin d'être ...

Pity the reactions died a death...!

[Oboogie]

... Sultana like being centre of attention.

I think that that's her raisin d'être ...

Well played, there's a shortage of humour in currant affairs.

[Killer Whale]

Can we prune the puns, please?

[Malcolm Armsteen]

We're plumming the depths.

[Oboogie]

For those needing a break from the dried fruit puns...here's Phil Moorhouse's take on Ms Currant's new party.

[Crabcakes]

... Sultana like being centre of attention.

I think that that's her raisin d'être ...

The best bit of this is that it was entirely unintentional as I posted from my phone so was the victim/beneficiary of an autocorrect