So what do we think of the new Labour party leader??

Or join the local hunt.

 

Without wishing to sound too critical, RB, that sounds a bit like our Politicians who say they back some policies or other while saying it in such a way that they've not actually committed themselves Are there some policies that you do endorse and what policies do you not endorse?

 

It's all very well to wish to have an end to 'austerity', we all want that, but having practical ways and means to do so seems to evade the politicians.

None of Corbyn's policies have quantified how it will be done. All they've said is who and where they hope to get it from. Actual figures seem to be conjured up out of the sky. This is a problem with all parties! Me, cynical? Never!!!

Rent controls will be an extremely difficult and very long term thing to try and bring in. Forcing landlords to reduce rent is almost an impossibility as they will need to show a return on their investment. House prices have gone up so much (in London and the S.E.) that there needs to be something in place, first, to make sure they don't continue rising - or even fall.

That also has its problems. As it's the individual house owner who would then have a house that they live in that is worth less than they paid for it. That, in itself, isn't too much of a problem until they want to move or until their mortgage lender decides that they have a mortgage that is considerably higher than the value of the property.

On the other hand, the properties that are rented out would pose another situation. If the rent wasn't giving sufficient return the owner would sell the property before the value went down too much. Foreign buyers would step in immediately (particularly in London) and a lot of them would then be off the housing market.

That's just a brief analysis of the effect.

All these problems can be overcome but it's a long term policy and politicians (none of the parties) don't do 'long term'.

Renationalising has its own problems as most of our 'nationalised' companies are now owned by other countries!

We're doomed Mr Mannering!

 

@rosebay That's exactly what I said in post 17

But it doesn't stop me from pointing out the difficulties he's going to have with some of his main policies.

I'm hoping that he can, very soon, flesh out the main policies in order to give an idea of whether he has good solid policies or whether it's just pie in the sky. After all, to have wanted to run for the party he must have put a great deal of thought into why he wanted to and how he would achieve his goals.

 

Positive enough now, yes, RB.

I agree, but those are the sort of policies that will push to the front and be remembered by the Public rather than any sensible methods of government proposed, and you can bet that the Press and Media will be hunting for such other "radical" policies to trip him up and drag him down.......and I have a feeling that he and/or his colleagues will give them just that.

I can't think of anyone who doesn't want austerity to end asap, but Politicians of all colours seem to be less austere to uttering thousands of words while being extremely austere in their sincerity to end it.

For Corbyn his appointment of John McDonnell into any government post is going to be something I think he will deeply regret. McDonnell has praised the IRA for their bombings, murders of soldiers and their own people alike, and to really confirm his extreme views he actually apologised for the assassination of Osama bin Laden. I don't think that appointing such a person into the position of Chancellor shows great clarity of thought but merely ensures that his cronies have jobs.
The Labour Party has been in deep trouble for years before the last election where the Shadow Cabinet seemed to have lost complete touch not just with the far Left but those in the Centre and slightly to the Right and I think, in arrogance and politically blinkered, they tried to dismiss the situation with the view that they were right and their supporters were wrong but would still support them.
They fueled the Public's view and distaste of Politicians by becoming the very image of Politicians who, when asked a direct question, either immediately talked about another subject, as though not asked about the original subject, or spoke for minutes smothering the question with a thousand words without giving a direct answer in a deliberate attempt to avoid doing so. By doing so they shot themselves repeatedly "in the foot".
History has shown that in any Country or Organisation in a state of decline, either economically, politically, or culturally becomes a fertile ground for extremists of all ilks to grow, prosper, gain power and control. Labour is, in it's loss of vision, lack of able Leaders in the Centre of Left leading to loss of confidence and support of many supporters, is just such a fertile breeding ground at the moment.
So, in my opinion, Corbyn, his associates, his policies are a symptom of the Labour Party's long foreseen slide into the chaos of decline, damaging division among it's own MPs and supporters, the inability, for some years, to realistically gain the confidence of the voting public and get into Government.........and symptoms,like Corbyn, are just indications of the "disease" and not the Cure.
Having said all that I am, even though a cynic, a believer that Life is cyclic just like Fashion and the Wheel of Time will turn [grind], albeit it slowly, bringing less extremism to the fore again. I think that the saying "Cometh the hour, cometh the Man" has some credence although I don't pin my hopes on it.