• @samc@feddit.uk
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    12 days ago

    You calling Kier Starmer a “far left ideologue”? I wish he had that much conviction.

    I think the truth is a bit more boring. FPTP hugely favours the 2 established parties and, whilst their foundations are certainly eroding, it’ll take something seismic to actually bring a third party into power.

    Labour seemingly want to be all things to all people. That’s all you need to explain the brexit doublethink IMO. I really want to believe they’d be popular with a more assertive stance that brexit, and the preceding decade of looting state assets austerity were terrible mistakes. However, the growing popularity of Reform and the tories’ ugly swing to the right make me sceptical

    • @mannycalavera@feddit.uk
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      12 days ago

      You calling Kier Starmer a “far left ideologue”? I wish he had that much conviction.

      😆 Hahaha. Not everyone in that Labour era, no. But a large majority of them.

      I think the truth is a bit more boring. FPTP hugely favours the 2 established parties and, whilst their foundations are certainly eroding, it’ll take something seismic to actually bring a third party into power

      I agree with you. But also… we always say this. _There’s nothing we can do because FPTP, oh well". Surely leaving the European Union was seismic enough to get us off our arses and vote for a third option? But apparently not. What else is seismic enough? Climate change? Nah more Labour Tory please. Economic austerity? Nope not interested yet.

      As much as I hate FPTP at some point we have to admit that the majority of people don’t hate it (enough) or give a shit (enough) to change anything. We want this life.

      • @samc@feddit.uk
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        12 days ago

        As much as I hate FPTP at some point we have to admit that the majority of people don’t hate it (enough) or give a shit (enough) to change anything. We want this life.

        We wanted Brexit (well 52% of people who voted in 2016 anyway…). And a lot of labour’s success is down to reform splitting the right-wing vote (nice to see it the other way around for a change). Labour only actually got ~34% of the popular vote. So whilst I don’t know if we chose this exactly, I agree that there is too much apathy towards the status quo.

        I find myself constantly thinking about American vox pops, where a surprising number of people say they would vote for Trump or Bernie. A lot of people just want somebody that’ll shake things up. Farage is that for many people, but our left-wing options just aren’t seen that way.