Submitted 1 week ago by BrikoX@lemmy.zip to unitedkingdom@feddit.uk
https://jacobin.com/2025/08/corbyn-britain-new-left-party/
Keir Starmer’s Labour government has had a dismal first year in power. In an interview, socialist leader Jeremy Corbyn explains why it’s time to create a new left-wing party that empowers working-class people.
They need to get defined quickly, signups show theres demand but I worry that they’ve spent a lot of time faffing and being pretty directionless in attempt to make everyone happy. You won’t take on Reform if you can’t match them on party identity and right now they still have no name.
700K Seems huge, but given they are only asking for interest not any membership or funding. It is dramatically.
Lesss impressive then the number of 509k labour members under Corbyn,
That said. Even if it’s simply an attempt by left voters to push labour to the left. Such bodes well for the party when it dose form properly.
The biggest risk is the left wing history of rejecting parties over individual idealism. Such a party can only have any effect if the left is willing to come together over disagreements. Much as the right will to avoid the left.
The biggest risk is the left wing history of rejecting parties over individual idealism. Such a party can only have any effect if the left is willing to come together over disagreements. Much as the right will to avoid the left.
I think they are. Jeremy Corbyn is not exactly my favourite person in the world but if it means getting an actual left-wing government and willing to support him nonetheless.
Realistically, he hasn’t got a chance. Next time it’s going to be more Labour or Farage. We are so fucked.
he hasn’t got a chance
You mean the MP who’s been consistently voted in to his seat since 1983, over 40 years? Who was leader of the opposition and a contender for prime minister? Who’s now forming a whole new party together with a bunch of other MPs at a time when the party that got voted into power in a landslide in response to the last shit show of a goverment has shown themselves to be no different in kind to said shit show? That guy?
You wish he didn’t have a chance.
I think you’re massively underestimating the appetite the population has for an actual left-wing government. The conservatives lost power because of how awful they were, they have demonstrated that they haven’t changed and reform are even worse than they are. It was a mistake for reform to gain council seats they’ve now just demonstrated their incompetence quite publicly.
So what we’re left with is a bunch of proven uselessnesses, a sleepy lib dem party that’s unlikely to wake up anytime soon, vs whatever the flaming hell Corbin ends up calling his party.
It took 14 years and 5 prime ministers for them to realise how shit they were, and the best alternative they could think of was red Tory.
I hope you are right. I just can’t see it myself.
splonglo@lemmy.world 1 week ago
Normally I’d be skeptical of a party like this having a chance, but those sign-up figures are insane, 650 k is huge! The last published Labour membership figures were about one third of that.
Outsider parties have the power to mobilize inactive voters and move the overton window even if they don’t end up winning. If you care about this sort of thing now is the time to promote it and sign up and donate. Elections are mass psychology, if you’re always going with the flow you don’t get to change anything.
blackn1ght@feddit.uk 1 week ago
It’s 650k people subscribing to a list vs being a member. Not really the same thing.
HumanPenguin@feddit.uk 5 days ago
Agreed and pointed out else where myself.
It is interesting that the your party site is actually taking membership donations. But as of yet has not published that data.
Part of me thinks they will not be numbers to brag about until after autumn. As the party will have no firm policies or rules until membership votes.
Some of us may be willing to join and make that first vote. But more will wait to see what forms.
echodot@feddit.uk 1 week ago
Of course sign up figures don’t necessarily translate into votes. I suspect a lot of people have signed up to try and put the wind up labour.
Personally I don’t particularly trust Corbyn as leader. He likes to think of himself as uncompromising but really he’s just awkward, hard to work with, and let’s perfect be the enemy of good far too often. But his party is useful in trying to show labour how unhappy we are with them.