‘The Corbyn camp has some major introspection to do’
The parliamentary party needs to understand it can’t - and shouldn’t - oust Corbyn by force. As such, it will need to reconcile itself to the new status quo, which is very different to that of the previous two decades.
Equally, the Corbyn camp has some major introspection to do. Rebellious MPs aside, their main problem is public perception. While the PLP can help this by not constantly undermining their own leader, Corbyn needs to be more proactive.
Instead of letting his movement fall constant victim to media narratives, he needs to be confident and extrovert, embrace his own humour and humanity. It may be that too much damage has been done, and that Corbyn really is now unelectable.
This may be a reality his camp will have to accept, and discussions may need to begin to find a successor, allowing Jeremy to step down on his own terms.
Luke Heppenstall, 20, Wolverhampton
‘Things can’t go on like this’
I don’t see how the current situation is viable. What happens if May does call a snap election or if some Brexit-related crisis provides her with an ideal pretext? Do 80% of the parliamentary party seek reelection on the basis that they don’t think their leader is very good, they’ve tried to get rid of him but in the meantime would we mind making him prime minister?
Given that the party is so deeply and fatally divided I think it might as well split. I don’t think it will happen, they’ll struggle on to the bitter end, but I’d like to see the 172 MPs who voted against Corbyn resign the whip and form a new ‘Real Labour’ or ‘Social Democratic Labour’ grouping at Parliament.I suspect they would have the majority of Labour voters behind them.
Anonymous, 48, London
‘I’m not an internet troll, I am a poor postgrad student’
I am not part of a rabble, nor a thug, nor an internet troll. I am a poor postgraduate student who has been let down immensely by previous governments, and who is sick of young people being left out of political debate. Corbyn has inspired me to get involved in politics more than anyone before him, with his fairness and kindness and his policies that really are looking out for everyone, not just himself.
The PLP should unite around their leader and get back to doing what they should be doing, which is fighting the Tories. The government has made a lot of mistakes this year, and yet because the party seems to prefer fighting their own leader than doing their jobs, the Tories have been let off scot free. They need to focus on proving that the government is not doing what is best for everyone, and showing the country that their solutions are better and worth voting for.
Tamsin Collett, 22, Aberystwyth
‘We no longer believe that there is no alternative’
I voted for Jeremy because I trust him to lead the party to victory in the next election. The British population has lurched to the left since the 2008 so called ‘credit crunch’. People have seen that austerity has not worked, inequality had got worse, employment has become more precarious, mental health is declining and so on. We no longer believe that there is no alternative to the same old policies of the past.
Those in the party who find it impossible to be led by someone whose views are strongly opposed to theirs will have to leave, as I had to leave the party when it was led by Blair.
There are plenty of people who would take their place should they decide to leave. Corbyn wants to train up working class people to become MPs. I welcome that. We need people who can represent the vast majority of people in this country, who have an idea of what our lives are like and who are motivated by the desire to make a difference - that is, to change the way things are.
Karen Bell, 57, Bristol
‘A new form of politics is emerging’
With progressive parties like Syriza and Podemos, as well as the movements in the US around Bernie Sanders’ campaign to win the Democratic nomination, a new form of politics is emerging.
As a society we have two choices - pander to ideologies that support the capitalistic status quo and the idea that ‘national sovereignty’ will provide for the needs of our citizens - or reject such introspection and look to a more diverse and inclusive set of ideas that recognise that real progress is in the struggle of a whole range of global communities that are taking on the big corporations at source.
For me Mr Corbyn is closer to the second of these ideas and his “electability” to a leadership role in Westminster, while desirable, is not the be all and end all. It’s the movement of peoples that put him there that will sustain progress over and above the fate of any one personality.
James Edmonds, 66, Glocestershire
‘I didn’t vote for a man, I voted for an approach’
I didn’t vote for a man, I voted for an approach: a human, reasoned, principled approach to politics that doesn’t rely on how polished your speeches are, or which school you attended, but on the experiences of people who are impacted by policy.
Despite how much I yearn for the same change in how politics is run as Jeremy, he has some pretty major flaws when it comes to execution. He and his team need to focus on improving their media strategy and invite his detractors to be a part of the change of the Labour party from an elitist, technocratic party to a participatory social democratic movement.
Jamie Sykes, 28, London
‘Let’s not vilify those who didn’t vote for Jeremy’
I am desperately worried about how fragmented the opposition to the government is. While we squabble among ourselves, May and her colleagues will get away with imposing more and more draconian policies that will serve to damage the most vulnerable.
The coup was launched at a ridiculous time and, while I wouldn’t support deselection, those MPs who have been against Jeremy since day one really need to think long and hard about how they’re acting.
I would offer this appeal to those who also voted for Jeremy: let’s not vilify those who did not.
There are some among his supporters who are unwilling to accept any criticism of him whatsoever and I don’t think this is the right thing to do in order for us to stand any chance of winning the next election. This attitude of ‘you’re either with us or against us’ really has to stop.
James Wood, 30, London
‘The members are not deluded’
I truly hope that the party unites. I feel that Corbyn is genuine and can be trusted, but I do recognise that he is not perfect - the PLP are probably not without cause for their dislike for him, this is why he will need to recognise where he needs to change.
I don’t know if Corbyn can win a general election, but for the first time in as long as I can remember there is, at least, a choice.
The members are not deluded or without their own doubts. We are also not extremists as we are often portrayed. It hurts when I read articles that accuse us of anti-semitism, sexism and of not wanting to win.
Whenever I see comments that are from Corbyn supporters that are aggressiveor threatening, I feel ashamed. I also know that they are not the majority and there are people like this everywhere.
Amanda Wilkes, Wiltshire
‘Theresa May must be feeling very cheerful’
The Labour Party is currently in a perilous state. There has been a failure of leadership and as we stand we are unelectable, which means condemning Britain to a long period of Tory rule which will hurt the vulnerable the most. Owen Smith was brave to take this challenge on and I am proud to have voted for him, even though I found the whole leadership contest profoundly depressing. I have always considered myself on the left of the party and yet now am a ‘Red Tory’ in the eyes of many.
We have to find a way of coming together, of recovering respect for each other. I genuinely do not know how the former shadow cabinet members can return to the front bench after all that has gone on. Teresa May must be feeling very cheerful indeed.
Lucy Grig, 43, Edinburgh
‘Radical change is necessary in this country’
I voted for Owen Smith. I support most of what Jeremy Corbyn says but am worried about claims about his ability to get the best out of a ministerial team on a day to day basis. Also I think he is too closely associated with the trade union movement to be able to really reach out to the country as a whole.
Radical change is necessary in this country. The Brexit decision seems symptomatic of this. We are in particular failing to create equal opportunities for young people. Now he has won, existing MPs should be ready to support Corbyn.
Nick Bickford, 72, Taunton
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