Corbyn vs Smith again

[emperor]

Inevitably, I've heard nothing in response to my email to the two teams, despite a gentle poke on twitter. With a week to go before the deadline, I still need to work out who to vote for.

It's a rather unappealing choice; Jeremy Corbyn has made no sign of thinking he needs to work more effectively with the PLP and is now clearly quite happy for us to leave the EU. Owen Smith strikes me as politically thin (in the sense that I'm not sure he has strongly-held political beliefs), I have little confidence that he's as left-wing as he's trying to appear right now, he keeps being a sexist pig, I don't see him strongly opposing blaming immigrants for society's woes.

So, Corbyn who is generally closer to me politically or Smith who is clearly closer to me on what is my currently number 1 issue, the EU?

I think the most pressing issue at the moment politically is trying to ensure we remain in the EU; if we do actually leave it'll be very very hard to un-do. Which I think means I am reluctantly moving towards voting for Owen Smith. I'm definitely still persuadable either way, though, particularly if either candidate says or does something that addresses my concerns.

Comments

[aldabra]

I think talking about a second referendum now, like Smith is, is a disaster and will be alienating the people who voted Brexit in the first (who are significant enough in the Labour heartlands that they can't afford to alienate them). I'm hoping for a general election before Article 50, but I think the best way of getting it is by not boxing May into a corner, and waiting to see whether the Brexiteers produce anything; there's a fair change they'll self-immolate first.

And I think Smith is a Blairite triangulator, and that is a strategy that only works if your party has a clear and recognisable position to triangulate away from. They're not going to get a better shot than Corbyn at articulating an anchor, and then the focus-group wonks will have something to work with.

I haven't completely decided whether I'm going to vote or not, but if I do it'll be a vote for the PLP to get with the programme.

[hairyears.livejournal.com]

Right now, the focus groups are saying that it's electorally advantageous to be just a little bit racist: and Owen Smith is listening.

I have every confidence that he realises it's wrong.

[emperor]

OTOH, if everyone keeps being a bit racist because the focus groups say it plays well, then that Overton window is never going to shift in a good direction, is it? :(

[hairyears.livejournal.com]

It isn't triangulation, it's capitulation. There is no point in being not-the-conservatives if all they aspire to being is a bit less conservative.