Is it worth joining the Labour Party?

Colin Warnek said:
His leadership has been mainly characterised by purging the party of its socialists. He wants the far left stench as far away as possible.
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Unfortunately very true. They’ve gone, and won’t be back in the party, ever. But even before this. It’s gradually being moulded into more of a European Social Democratic Party.
Known quite a few Euro Soc. Dems. Nice enough, but a bit flimsy around the edges.
Not known to give of their best on the barricades, if you can get them there in the first place😉
 
TheLodger said:
His leadership actually has been mainly about getting the party in a state to govern and to actually be electable. He's done an amazing job in the short time he has had, indeed the coming GE will prove that one way or another.
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It won't, and this is why people like me have a hard time ticking the labour box under someone like Starmer. The majority of people will vote for Labour because the alternative is a festering pile of turd. They are voting against the Tories, not for Starmer. I don't want to vote for Labour and then have people use that vote as any kind of endorsement for his politics but I do want the Tories to lose.
 
I stay a paid up member in order to vote in leadership, NEC, and NPF elections and to be able to point at my card during arguments. If I didnt quit under Magic Grandad it would be a bit silly to quit now.

If you do join and you do get contcted by the CLP/Branch Secretary as a "welcome" be sure to be clear about what you would be prepared to do extra to help, once they get you on the soft stuff like a round of leafleting its all down hill to te attending meetings, door knocking, ward co-ordinating branch/clp executive positions, standing for unwinnable local council seats cos no one else will, polling counting at elections till 5 in the morning, attending conference and report writing, attending local policy forums and arguing with the professional CLPD/Momentum types about outward vs inward looking stuff & THEN STILL GET THE BEGGING EMAILS as if you are aleady not sick and tired of the whole thing.

But its not all fun though.
 
TheLodger said:
His leadership actually has been mainly about getting the party in a state to govern and to actually be electable. He's done an amazing job in the short time he has had, indeed the coming GE will prove that one way or another.
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Yup, finally got a leader who understands the tactical side of things, and also understands the idea that policies ain't worth anything if you don't win.
 
speckyget said:
If what's really missing from your life is an email every week asking for cash then it's for you.
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I'm a member and your comment pretty much sums things up 🤣

Johnny Vincents Motorbike said:
The Labour Party ceased being a 'socialist' party when it removed 'Clause 4 from its rule book.
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Fair enough, there's been four party leaders since Blair who haven’t taken any concrete steps to reinstate it.
 
Nano said:
It won't, and this is why people like me have a hard time ticking the labour box under someone like Starmer. The majority of people will vote for Labour because the alternative is a festering pile of turd. They are voting against the Tories, not for Starmer. I don't want to vote for Labour and then have people use that vote as any kind of endorsement for his politics but I do want the Tories to lose.
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By "it won't", do you mean they won't get the most votes or won't get a majority?

The Labour left might vote for Labour as the alternative is Tories, I hope they do, and return the favour which a lot of other Labour voters (who voted Blair, Brown and Miliband) did by voting JC, like myself. The left seem to think every vote was a JC/ unrealistically left endorsement, when it wasn't, it very much works both ways. Quite a lot realise that a lot of the UK is fairly central, and they realise if you don't get them in for the ride as well, then you might as well be promising rainbows and unicorns.

People on the left of Labour might not like Starmer (who hasn't had one day as PM yet), and people in the middle or even the right side of Labour might not either, but they will hopefully give him a shot as he's actually going to deliver them a win. It's not just about Starmer either, he'll have ~400 Locally elected Labour MP's chewing his ear off every day. It's going to take a decade to unravel some of this mess as well, so we need to be realistic with timeframes.

If Labour absolutely destroy them with a landslide, then the damage to the Tories will probably be irreparable, which should really mean long term improvements for the Labour left (as it will then likely be left v centre), with the far right isolated on their own and dying off each year.
 
Andy_W said:
By "it won't", do you mean they won't get the most votes or won't get a majority?
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Neither. I mean it won't prove anything about how good a job he has done or will do. All it does is proves how bad a job the Tories have done. Literally anyone, with any politics, would beat this government comfortably because of how awful they have been.
 
Nano said:
Neither. I mean it won't prove anything about how good a job he has done or will do. All it does is proves how bad a job the Tories have done. Literally anyone, with any politics, would beat this government comfortably because of how awful they have been.
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And yet the same Tory Government slaughtered the last version of the "Left" in the election 5 years ago.
 
TheLodger said:
And yet the same Tory Government slaughtered the last version of the "Left" in the election 5 years ago.
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It wasn't and isn't the same Tory Government at all. It was a pre Covid administration, with all the appalling mistakes of their handling of the pandemic yet to be uncovered.

It was before the cronyism of the pandemic was laid bare.

It was before the hypocrisy and lies of Partygate.

Prior to both of those, the Tories had a comfortable lead in just about every opinion poll.

Trussonomics and the worst cost of living crisis in living memory were yet to be unleashed on us.
 
Colin Warnek said:
Like many I intend to vote Labour at the next election.

What are the benefits of being a member - I have never been a member of a political party before but thought I might look into it.
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Benefits are free election night pint, no queueing for posters, regular emails from someone pretending to be a senior politician and opportunities to donate to the Labour Party cause. You get free membership of the leafletting keep fit scheme and you can knock on doors and chat to people about the plants they have in their garden. How can you resist?

You'll also get the chance to have an input into who the representatives are, debate local policy but that's far less fun.
 
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