Tony Blair - Winner

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Alistair Campbell on TV just now came out with a great quote. "The last 11 Labour general elections have been - lost, lost, lost, lost, Blair, Blair, Blair, lost, lost, lost, lost".

So without Blair it is 1974 when Labour last won. The 1974 elections are the first I remember when I was at secondary school. Will I see another Labour govt in my lifetime? Not too sure.

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They do make strange decisions. Electing Corbyn as leader is not theaction of a party that places gaining power high on the list.

That time they let anyone join up as a supporter for £3 and get a leadership vote.

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Sticks. said:

The difference as I see it, is that Blair was focused on outcomes rather than dogma. Johnson's election win was also very much about outcomes. Blair didn't abandon Labour principles so much as focus on what they were aimed to do.

I think Blair won because he offered policies the middle ground found acceptable and didn't threaten far left govt if he won. The problem. Corbyn did suprisingly well in his first election but much of the great British public would not vote for someone who associates with terrorists.

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/why-we-shouldn...

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vulture1 said:

all the labour voters fled to the snp. Labour caused their own downfall in Scotland allowing the Scottish parliament that then led to them losing the uk election as Scotland was a big vote contributor for them

A common but mistaken belief. Labour would have won the 3 Blair victiories without SCotland.

" Without Scotland, Labour would still have won in 1997 (with a majority of 139, down from 179), in 2001 (129, down from 167) and in 2005 (43, down from 66). What those who say that Labour cannot win without Scotland are really saying is that they do not believe Labour can ever win a sizeable majority again. This may or may not be true but it's a different debate. History suggests that England and Wales alone are capable of electing a Labour government when the conditions are right.

https://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-staggers/20...

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Uhtred said:

Also since when would votes ever be split between Labour the Tories.

The anti SNP pro union vote is split between them ad the fib dems.. I thought that was obvious?

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rdjohn said:

I worry that if Sturgeon takes Scotland out of the UK, then England and Wales will likely become a one-party state. And it won't be Labour..

Why would it? Tony Blair would still have had his 3 majorities without Scotland.

https://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-staggers/20...

All Labour needs is a competent electable leader and acceptable policies.