Jeremy Corbyn

NO!

No reason to believe he would be good for anybody.

Somebody with the opposite opinion will be along shortly.

I wonder - what are his views on voluntary euthanasia ?

Did you see the poll results today? He had the lowest poll ratings for any new labour party leader for decades, lower than Michael Foot and Ed Milliband. Most people thought he was more honest than Cameron but also thought that he was not a capable leader. He did not know that Kerry McCarthy was a vegan, and a proslytising one as well, when he appointed her minister of agriculture.

Generally the Labour Party was seen as more divided, extreme and out of date than before the election.

Personally I am pleased to see that one of our political parties has got a conviction politician as its leader. I think he will show up the other leaders for the charlatans they are. Although thinking back to the last time a conviction politician was not just a party leader, but also Prime Minister (Margaret Thatcher) her presence did little to raise the quality of political discourse.

In either case I disagree so profoundly with their convictions, their principled views can and did have only a negative affect of my voting intentions. I never voted for Mrs Thatcher and I cannot envisage a situation where I would vote for Jeremy Corbyn.

I watched the opening of the Labour party conference out of curiosity.
A young girl who opened the conference, delivered her speech with passion. Then followed a series of adults, who didn't engage their audience. I won't be the only viewer who judged the speeches on content and delivery, as well as the superficial e.g. how not to behave
on a platform.

Finally an experienced politician stood before the audience. He engaged
them with enthusiasm, energy, constantly looking at his audience and pausing. I almost felt a wave of relief - from them, or was it mine?

Mrs Thatcher had lessons to lower her voice. More reason for the Labour front bench to be taught aspects of dealing with the media, in order to look and sound professional and confident.

Such a shame. I was hoping for new, workable ideas.

The Labour party is desperate for a.really good charismatic leader to lead all that youthful enthusiasm wanting to back change and good ideas to have a fairer Britain. I had hoped Corbyn was him, but he seems to me to be only a fleeting catalyst for a change he is too stuck in his ways to deliver.

I think that what JCs election has shown is that people are desperate for change from the politics we have in this country.

Whether it can be pulled off ? Well we shall just wait and see, but politicians of all colours (if they are capable) would not be acting with much intelligence if they ignore the disaffected young who voted for JC.

For the knitters:

mobile.twitter.com/Telegraph/status/654314504671461376/photo/1

Your very own Jeremy Cornyn doll.

Oops Corbyn. The Kindle insists otherwise.

A corn dolly?

I think that only a few are 'desperate for a change in politics' which is those on the extreme left, the mistake they make is in thinking that everyone agrees with them . The 'disaffected young' who voted for Corbyn may have got jobs and be happier in their lives by the time of the next election, or may never bother to vote again, who knows, but the disaffected young do not determine who gets into power at any time usually.

Even though he is more 'straight talking' than many other politicians, I don't find him to be very convincing. I don't mean whether or not I agree with his politics - that's separate - just not very convincing as a leader. Too focused on his own strongly held beliefs to see the wider picture maybe? Not sure.

I'm not surprised people voted for his simplistic view of life–there is a certain attraction about it–but it's a bit adolescent in my view. The world just isn't as simple as he seems to think or to want it to be.

As notso said, his ideals are admirable, but I'm not convinced he is or even could be a good political leader.

thatbags you've hit the nail on the head 're why people voted for Corbyn, add to that his nostalgic appeal.

I struggled to put my finger on what it is about him that made me feel uncomfortable, and I realised that he reminds me of the extreme left-wing, faded Marxist academics who were very active in South African politics at the end of the 1990s and early part of the next decade. They were jubilant when the ANC swept to victory whereas some of us were hesitant about the implications of having (sadly, once again) a one party State going forward, and no one to provide the strong Opposition that is necessary. The rest as they say is history.

The novelty factor of Corbyn as leader of the Labour party is not going to last, nor will the Labour party provide the strong Opposition that is so necessary, under his leadership.

He is a conviction politician but I don't think he will have the chance to show whether or not he would be 'good for pensioners' or anyone else for that matter.
He is pensionable age himself and my prediction is that, even if he waters down his far left views (he is already listening and compromising) he will be replaced as leader well before the next election.
If he is replaced by someone who is less to the left who then appoints a Shadow Cabinet more palatable to tranches of the country - but still further to the left than the Blairites - Labour could stand a chance of achieving power.

That's my prediction for what it's worth (I will put the cover back on my crystal ball now).

I am looking for the right coloured yarn! I can knit some for Christmas presents - a badge of pride for some, and others can use him as a pin cushion!

Many historians speak of Hitlers charisma . I am interested in what a person says not their delivery of speech or how they stand, but I am not one who rates charisma and fake tan above all else, in fact I don't rate it at all, leave that for the cinema and make believe

I think most of us would agree with that Anniebach.
Charisma, charm etc, may well help ( Blair had charm) but plain speaking has appeal too.
Corbyn, is by all accounts a nice, polite sort and is good for his constituency.
Unfortunately, what he isn't, is a Leader.He enjoys debate and discussion as part of a team, but fails to lead from the front.
even that, is not the reason that things will go wrong though, as he has two men to shore him up ( Watson and McConnell) and they will do their best to keep him in place.The problem is, that his rather adolescent views on life which have never changed ( worrying in itself) are not the views of the wider Labour Party.Or the views of the voting public in general.

I was pleased that JC was voted Labour leader simply because he represented an alternative to the options in recent years. In my view you couldn't put a fag paper between Labour and the Conservatives so what choice did the voter have. At least it's shown we need and want other options. I won't be surprised if he gets ousted and it all ends in tears but for the moment I'm just glad other ways are being aired. And frankly, I'd vote for any politician that convinced me s/he had the people's interests at heart. Seems to me that too many politicians are only it it for themselves.

History gives us many leaders who led from the front rosesarered and who would listen to no one, the majority were tyrants. I share many of his views which to you are adolescent, I have always held these views/principles . I am tired of politicians who are oil slicks in human form , a leader should hear the people he leads , should speak for them not at them ,

^ ...you couldn't put a fag paper between Labour and the Conservatives^

I agree - at the last two General Elections right up to the time I was placing the X in the box I was undecided.

We've discussed in the past about abstaining as a reaction to not being happy with any party, but most of us feel we must use our vote.

I'm sure Jeremy Corbyn is a nice enough person and at least he's getting the country engaged in talking about the issues but he's very unlikely to be prime minister - in fact I'd be surprised if he's still leader in a year's time.

No. Nice man, but hopeless.

What do you suppose a Leader does Annie? We don't have tyrants here and never have done, we have good old democracy.A leader does listen to others but makes up his /her mind and isn't afraid to show a bit of gumption.
A leader is decisive.
'Oil slicks in human form'? Sounds a bit sci-fi.
Mollie, ' glad he was voted leader because he presented an alternative to the options of recent years' would we really vote for a shaman, say , for the same reasons, instead of the NHS? saying that you ' can't put a fag paper between Labour and Conservatives' simply isn't true, but makes a good soundbite. The 'oh we are fed up, all politicians are the same' is ridiculous.
So something different and exciting instead? Allow the loony left or the loony right to get into power, will that be fun? It will be different, if different is really all that we want.