Pavilionaire
Well-known member
- Jul 7, 2003
- 31,262
Corbyn did OK in 2017 but then he was up against May and a Brexit mess. I don't think he was ever a real prospect as PM, and the shoeing he took 2 years later put him in his place.RE your point 1, you're talking about Corbyn in 2019, but on a fairly similar programme, Corbyn did surprisingly well in 2017
RE your point in your previous post about the Conservatives being destroyed. I disagree. They've been around for 300 years and been in office for about 200 of those. They've had convulsive events in the past that people say they'd never recover from (eg Poor Laws, Home Rule), and they have done. Also factor in: 1, they're the party of the establishment which facilitates them; and ii, the opposition parties are split which favours them in FPTP electoral contests. They'll be back as a credible force to the electorate. Wouldn't expect it to happen in the next parliament, but most likely by the one after.
Yes, the Tories have been around for ages but for 60-odd years they were split by the question of Europe which got progressively bigger and more divisive. Now that issue has led to their support being as low as it has ever been in my 55 years.
They have literally purged their party of any pro-EU MPs and have facilitated the creation of UKIP / Reform, there is also a real possibility of a United Ireland before the Tories even have a chance of getting back into power.
The British people don't like extremes, so in the same way they don't like a very left Labour Party they equally won't go / aren't going for a very right Tory Party. Reform and the Tories are fighting over an increasingly small political hunting ground, I don't see there is room for both of them.
And there will not be an second opportunity to "Get Brexit Done" so if the Tories look to subsume Reform then they will leave a huge gap of disenfranchised, pro-EU, right of centre voters without which they cannot hope to win a majority.