Do not let the media lie to you: Jeremy Corbyn is NOT the reason Labour lost Copeland
Jeremy Corbyn rejected suggestions that he should stand down [Image: Sky News].
This Writer was glad that other projects took me away from such nonsense for most of the day. I came back to find the most credible comments in an article by Liam Young for the Independent. Read, if you are willing to face the facts:
For too long, Corbyn and his team have failed to take necessary risks. In appearing reticent or ambiguous on the issue of immigration, he has allowed himself to be portrayed in the press as someone who has no idea what he’s doing.
And in failing to either court the media or to attempt to prove right-wing tabloids wrong, he has left even his most ardent supporters disappointed.
A bold strategy that seeks greater communication with the electorate at the sacrifice of Westminster engagements should be central.
But Corbyn’s strategy is something that can be easily amended. What cannot be easily changed overnight is the historical trend of dwindling Labour support.
The decline in Labour support in these areas did not start when Jeremy Corbyn was elected Labour leader; it started when a New Labour project took hold of our party and decided to ignore working class communities across the country.
It would also be wrong to deny the impact of a concerted effort by members of the Parliamentary Labour Party to undermine Jeremy Corbyn since the day he was elected.
It is Corbyn’s job as leader of our party to reverse this trend and he must now rip up the rulebook and attempt a radical way of doing politics in these most unusual of times… The only way Labour will win again is if it is serious about the problems that actually exist.
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
The Livingstone Presumption is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
These are the results in Copeland since 2005:
2005
Lab 17,033 50% Con 10,7 13 31% Lib 3,880 11.5% Ukip 735 2.2%
2010
Lab 19,699 46% Con 15,866 37% Lib 4,365 10.2% Ukip 994 2.2%
2015
Lab 16,750 42% Con 14,186 35% Lib 1,368 3.5% Ukip 6,148 15.5%
2017
Lab 11,601 37 .34% Con 13,748 44.25% Lib 2,252 7.5% Ukip 2.025 6.5%
The trend away from Labour in percentage terms has consistently fallen in each election as a percentage of the vote.
The Tory vote in numbers has been falling over the last three elections.
UKIP rose dramatically from 2005 until 2015 reaching 15.5% of the vote and in this election crashed to 6.5%
Clearly the trend against Labour has been ongoing over many years, that lies in the heart of New Labours province and to turn around disillusion among Labour Voters by resigning a seat is hardly going to stimulate support.
I certainly feel that local issues did have some impact on Labours vote (poor representation from MP) and that the real losers are the Lib Dems and Ukip.
A lacklustre Labour candidate did not help, but this seat is not lost, with a local radical campaigning candidate Labour could win it back at the next election, in truth the Tories have made promises and will have to deliver, namely the hospital and New Nuclear jobs, that is a millstone of their making, they will need to seen to deliver.
Finally the Tories threw everything they had at this seat, Labour were not so visible as in Stoke, the next election will be more about the future of the country and back to normal campaigning.
I also understand that the local party did not accept Corbyns choice for MP https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/jan/20/jeremy-corbyn-labour-copeland-byelection-gillian-troughton
MIKE
Like the media will ever give him a fair hearing or anybody from the shadow cabinet who isn’t a Blairite/moderate will ever be asked to comment on policy matters on the main media sites!
Copeland-poor choice of candidate with no ideas for improving the area, just preserving the nuclear industry ‘cos that’s all we’ve got, up against modestly-spoken Tory with plenty of promises and one cursory early visit by Jeremy allowed-LOST.
Stoke-dubious choice of candidate but with enough grasp to have some ideas for improving the area and regenerating/reinventing industrial heritage there, up against a big-talking party leader with, er, personality no less(OK, there are other ways to describe Nuttall & set out what that personality is, but let’s see it from a neutral’s possible perspective), three visits from Jeremy-WON.
Steve
Fiddling with the boundaries doesnt help
Corbyn certainly was one of the reasons Labour lost although not the only reason. It would be silly and dishonest to pretend otherwise.
How many other readers agree with Paul?
Please let us know if you are from Copeland.
I like JC but the media strategy is shocking. With todays freedom of communication through social media and 24 hour news coverage there is no excuse. The 1% have a very good system in place but with the correct communication its not infallible. I see a million v good ideas from people to overcome Labours problems with the media but these are never taken on. If JC wants to fight them as an anti establishment party then he needs to start listening to his supporters, get on tv and start shouting about it.