Are Labour members really going to vote in Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the Labour Party? It was amusing at first to see him nominated to run in the Labour leadership contest. To me it showed how messed up they were as a result of the general election but now this is getting serious. I would like to see a strong Labour Party that can challange the Conservatives and stop them getting carried away with themselves. A strong opposition is healthy. I do not think Mr Corbyn will enable Labour to be a strong opposition. I think it might just cause a series of internal conflicts and leave the political playing field to the Conservatives and SNP.
But at present it does seem like there is a head of steam for Corbyn. Below is the press release just out from one of the largest trade unions which says they now support Corbyn. Burnham and Cooper must both be shocked. The huge change to one man one vote for Labour leadership elections means that predictions are tricky and this could all be Westminster village/Labour diehard talk and not reflective of the wider world but it is amazing nonetheless that the reaction of the party to losing an election they should have walked is to contemplate a real old school "left winger". That isn't a vote winner in my book but we shall see how it all plays out.
Below is the Unison press release:
UNISON supports Jeremy Corbyn in the Labour leadership
UNISON has decided to nominate Jeremy Corbyn in the Labour Party leadership contest and Yvette Cooper as its second choice at the union’s National Labour Link committee today (Wednesday).
UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis said:
"Jeremy Corbyn’s message has resonated with public sector workers who have suffered years of pay freezes, redundancies with too many having to work more for less.
"They have been penalised for too long by a government that keeps on taking more and more from them. Their choice shows a clear need for change towards a fairer society where work is fairly rewarded, and where those living and working in poverty supported.
"Today’s decision is a recommendation and our members are of course free to cast their vote as to who they think should lead the Labour Party."
Notes to editors
UNISON represents 1.3 million workers in the UK.
430,000 have actively opted-in to the union’s political fund.
In the region of 28,000 UNISON members are members of the Labour Party in their own right. And around 15,000 are registered to vote in the leadership contest.
The union’s National Labour Link Committee has 23 elected members from across the UK. The decision was taken following a thorough consultation with all the regions.
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