Should I vote Labour

Scottie, do you really expect labour voters to talk labour down? There's enough of that around Corbyn. I have a feeling that you wouldn't vote labour even if May was the leader, so what do you care?

Different trend, Jalima.
These elections were in the Tory shires on the whole.
The metro mayors were in the cities.
All the Labour metro mayors that won won on the first vote, getting more than 50%.
Tory ones had to rely on the second preference vote.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/may/05/lib-dems-failure-surge-voting-labour-stop-tories

They will talk Labour up till the bitter end.

Andy Burnham, new Metropolitan Mayor of Greater Manchester:

He won the poll in the first round with more than 50% of the vote.
Mr Burnham, 47, whose political jobs have included health secretary and shadow home secretary, was elected on an otherwise disastrous day for Labour.
He won very decisively.

I realise that a Corbyn supporter won the Liverpool Mayoral election but then that may not be surprising (think Hatton).

McDonnell has said that:
"He won in virtually every element of that massive constituency by significant majorities so it is a fantastic result for him. If you remember Theresa May targeted the North-west – but both here and in Liverpool the Labour vote has held up very well."^

I am sure that many people may have their own gripe with Andy Burnham but on the whole he would make a better Leader of the Labour Party than the present incumbent.

Can McDonnell et al not read anything into this result which bucks the trend? Are they so set on their own agenda that they cannot see beyond the ends of their noses?

they may be supporting it as the only left of centre possibility.
I don't think the Lib Dems would be very happy to hear that.
We now have a Lib Dem County Councillor instead of a Labour one - Tory came second and Labour well down in third place. And the Labour candidate is a well-known, well-liked local man but was just up against the Corbyn effect, sadly for him.

Yes, but rumour has it that people from other parties joined to keep Corbyn in place, to cause Labour's downfall.

Didn't a lot of people join the Labour Party for £3 and then vote for Jez? Or am I misremembering?
(It's the same as mis-speaking but something you think usually rather than say)

You know not one of those groups have joined Rigby ?

Politics are becoming really polarised. I can't see the LD making a comeback.

What do you mean ab 'joined the labour party*? They haven't - they may be supporting it as the only left of centre possibility. And how many fascist right wing groups vote Conservative as the furthest right party available?

But why have these communist groups joined the Labour Party ? It can only be the communist leader

What do you think about Ukip telling its followers to vote Tory?
Is that any different to communist groups supporting Labour?

Been offline most of the day.
DJ I didn't list those organisations to denigrate all (or any) gransnet socialists but rather to highlight just how far to the left Labour is moving. I don't like denigrating anyone for their genuine political beliefs, but I'm happy to denigrate those beliefs. I think far left economics is at best unproven and seriously risky, and at worst clearly proven as disasterous. It's not entirely clear yet exactly how radical a Corbyn led Labour Govt. would be, but the support given by the organisations I listed makes it clear that those at the extreme left of politics believe they finally have a potential government that will implement policies that substantially align with their own beliefs. I thought it reasonable to highlight that.
I read the article you posted earlier. It was indeed a good article, but for me, when the author said "it might fail", my thinking was that the likelihood of that happening would be very high indeed - and the one thing he didn't cover was the likely consequences of failure, which seem to me to be dire.

And I didn't say you did Jen, I asked your a question, one of these ?

Daphne - Maxine Peake. It wasn't her you were talking to, was it?

"Another reason she’s stopped caring, she says, is because she’s become immune to criticism. “I’ve taken so much flak.” What for? “My politics. The Bolton News is the best place for online comments. They say I’m an absolute idiot and a communist anarchist.” And this really does outrage her. “I was never an anarchist, I was a communist!” She joined the party when she was living with her grandfather, and quit when she was 21 and at Rada. “I left because I became self-obsessed and got wrapped up in drama school and acting.” How would she define herself today? “I’m a socialist. In the Communist party, we always said a communist is a socialist who means it!” "

Oh - it's usually those of a leftish persuasion who seem to think like that. Very odd!

I've noticed before that there seems to be an assumption by some that anyone who doesn't agree with them must be male - is that sexist?

You've lost the plot again, Annie. I didn't mention Hardie in my quote.

Jen, it was a silly quote and no I do not believe it , why would Hardie start a socialist party ?

Is that your opinion Daphne ?

An explanation of people's understanding of communism and socialism would be useful before going any further.

"Communism" is a dirty word in some circles; "socialism" less dirty (maybe), but it really depends what people mean.

I was talking to somebody yesterday who thinks anarchists are socialists. I despair!

PS. I think May is going to have at least 100 majority.

In inverted commas, Annie, so obviously a quote.
Don't believe it if you don't want to. It was in the Guardian.

To cheer labour voters up a bit, a Tory councillor has been suspended for this.

politicalscrapbook.net/2017/05/tory-councillor-suspended-after-liking-nazi-meme/

What makes you think Fitzy's a 'he' durhamjem?

As for Maxine Peake...

Yet no link Jen, just your own words, do you believe it?