Lots of his supporters are young labour, he is attracting many who feel they don't have a voice in UK politics, he does feel a bit revolutionary but the media will see that enough people make up their minds about him before they know anything of him

The country is fooked. The only real challenge to the current daylight robbery by the rich would be a Corbyn-led Labour party, but he has no chance. If he wins the leadership contest he's unlikely to still be there in five years at election time.

Murdoch and the other propaganda merchants have well and truly done their job. Social media was the last thing they needed to control and they've achieved that.

Here's to a 'future' of Victorian-style poverty and welfare for millions. But that's OK because the rich need to get richer.

Politically we are a divided nation, 30% or so of the population passionately believe Corbyn and all he stands for whereas the remainder of the population (constituting all other political hues) won't have any of at least parts of it.

Like Benn before him you have to admire his passion and belief in another way, even if deep down you recognise it as a fanciful notion, doomed to political failure.

The media is full of how Corbyn can't win an election, but what about the prospects for a Blairite leader? Austerity-lite Labour was a disaster in Scotland and this side of Scottish independence the game is over for the party up there.

If they carry on taking Labour votes for granted in the north of England they could find out as early as the next election that they don't have any heartlands left.

Apparently even the MP for Hartlepool has managed to work that one out.

I hate the way that the assorted Blairite candidates and their cronies are so dismissive of any alternative approach. Corbyn's policies on transport and so on are pretty much in tune with huge swathes of public opinion and what lots of Labour Party members think.

The least they could do is address those policies and have the sort of serious debate that Corbyn keeps trying to have. Instead they just come out with abuse - morons, dinosaurs, loony left etc. If they're so arrogant that they can't even be arsed to have a proper think about policies and how they can build an effective opposition to austerity they don't deserve to lead anybody or anything.

Read this in the Mail last night:

"The Hartlepool Labour Party is backing Jeremy Corbyn to be the next leader of the national party.
The local party announced its support for the veteran left wing back."

Could he do a job for Pools?

Wing play yes but will he get any crosses in? He's got no interest in the centre ground.

He's certainly not a cross bencher but he's very progressive!

He's only 66 and still very mobile thanks to his cycling - it might be too soon for him.

Ritchie is going for the Labour party leadership?

Should he win then Labour can look forward to another long period in opposition . Think 1979 to 1997.

Left wing politicians just don't win elections in this country anymore. Foot, Milliband, Benn etc... It is just so.

I admire the way he has not got into any mud-slinging, despite the piles the "Nu-Labour" luvies have hurled at him.

He appears principled, wants to act in the interests of the electorate, and doesn't pander to the elite.

In other words, completely unelectable, sadly.

'Nu Labour' or 'Labour Lite' bear no resemblance to the Labour Party as was. Much like our local variety, it looks like a 'Bovril boat'( a sewage sludge vessel) painted up like a Cunard cruise liner .... it says it's a cruise liner and carries all the labels, but something doesn't smell quite right.
I'd like a Labour Party that acts for the workers, run by the workers.

I'd never seen his photo (or even heard of him TBH) before now. Is Mariano Rajoy his evil twin?

He just might do it. There are an awful lot of younger people with no jobs, no prospects, no hope of getting on the property ladder and who don't vote because no party represents them. If they supported Corbyn there could be a sea change.

How have we all got so apathetic? Was at the Magna Carta exhibition in Durham last week. It documents the protests of working people over hundreds of years, in Britain. Not much sign of all that now.

That is not a reason to oppose him though is it? The country needs a proper opposition to the -unts in charge at the minute, the dissatisfaction is tangible with this tory government only months into government

The Labour Party have to vote Corbyn in. It's the only way to show the commies that 'those' type of politics will never win an election.

Dan Hodges said similar in The Telegraph in recent days.

If Corbyn wins, I wouldn't be surprised if the centrist left bit of the Labour Party joined forces with the LibDems. Sound familiar?

Because these days people in general lead comfortable lives and there's no way being an activist improves them. They cannot relate to the bigger picture.

Frog, boil, slow heat.

Well, the number of children in this country, who're officially living in poverty, is growing every day. Many more people than when we were young have to choose between eating and heating. Etc etc etc.

Then there are the huge numbers of young 'educated' people, who until now expected that uni would supply them with a house and a career. That's just not happening for them any more. You often don't get a job if you don't have training, but increasingly you get nothing but a zero hours MacDonald-type contract if you do get qualifications. And it's all avoidable, in the sense that money is there, but the Govt choose not to direct it where it matters.

I'd expect those affected would be out on the streets creating mayhem. Back in the 60s they would have been.

The spin of 'Child poverty' - surely their parents are in poverty too.

And therein lies the problem. Poverty breeding poverty. Who'd have thought it, eh?

Official poverty figures do not convince me. When I was young, televisions, cars, phones, Nike gear, and probably a hundred other things were not among the things parents "had to" choose between. The raggy-trousered kids in the streets back then seemed to me to be more numerous and much more hard done by than those you see now. Maybe other towns have caught up with Hartlepool to swell the numbers.

Based on my own experience, poverty does not breed poverty. The converse may however not apply.

I would suggest 'Does not ALWAYS breed poverty' is more accurate.

I too have experience of that (whatever poverty really is).

Poverty is relative, according to time and location.

I would definitely agree with Grabec - food banks have become institutionalised now, unthinkable just a few years ago. And there is a timebomb of disaffected youth, not just NEETS, who have completely missed the opportunity boat.

Farridge appealed to those who felt no-one else spoke to them. Hopefully Corbyn will get chance to do the same.

If poverty is relative, you'll always have people in poverty, hence why I do not believe people in the UK (or very few) are in poverty.

The cliched African is in poverty.

I get your point Jiz, but if you replace 'poverty' with 'utter lack of opportunity' then this might be a better way to describe people's plight.

There are opportunities. Schooling is provided, then college, then university.

Employer's want talented and/or diligent people, whatever their background.

If you want to work, you go looking for it. It's unlikely to come to you.

Jiz, try and explain that to thousands of graduates with 'proper' degrees from 'proper' universities who have to take zero hours minimum wage jobs because there's feck all else, who are tens of thousands of pounds in debt are unlikely to ever be able to get on the housing ladder unless they are gifted a lump sum.

[quote="Montpoolier

Official poverty figures do not convince me. When I was young, televisions, cars, phones, Nike gear, and probably a hundred other things were not among the things parents "had to" choose between. The raggy-trousered kids in the streets back then seemed to me to be more numerous and much more hard done by than those you see now. Maybe other towns have caught up with Hartlepool to swell the numbers.[/quote]

I'm not sure what your argument is. Do you think official figures are wrong about the numbers in poverty, or that they're right and that other towns have 'caught up with Hartlepool'?

My original point was and still is that the English poor in previous eras weren't averse to taking action against the powers that be, whereas now they've had the stuffing knocked out of them. Living in Spain, I'd have thought you'd have noticed the anti-austerity marches, Monty, and picked up the reasons for them.

Oh dear. Cliché is right. Many Africans are very very rich. Especially the ones who steal aid money intended for the starving.

Second, your logic is atrocious. Health is relative but that doesn't mean there are no ill people in the UK. Neither does it mean we shouldn't try to eradicate illness.

But to paraphrase Sundance : You keep thinking, Jiz. That's what you're good at.

Proper degrees in what?

Debt that they'll only need to repay in small amounts when they start earning a sufficient salary.

Where are they looking to get on the housing ladder? London? Not a problem for those in the north.

At best, you've misinterpreted what I've said; at worst, you've deliberately done so to rant.

I don't care which.

How stupid was I to reply to this plank? Apologies to everyone else for prolonging the agony.

Shush.

Don't worry! Stupidity is relative and there's a very strong candidate for the "stupidest of the stupid" award on here, who certainly isn't you.

It's at times like these I think we should offer bunker counselling sessions....

Round here the only marches you see are "Catalunya out of Spain" marches.
I totally agree that people used to get up and make things happen. And I'm disheartened that people no longer do so. Our only point of disagreement is why they don't do it any more. For you it's stuffing knocked out; for me it's "say what?" A third reason is that there aren't any powerful unions urging them on, not that I'm a fan of union banners leading the parade and everybody carrying the same flag rather than making their own personal statement.

Or maybe it's because there's been enlightenment amongst the proletariat and they've realised things aren't that bad.

Well, a little to the south of Catalunya, you will see anti-austerity protests and they aren't peopled by folk who are saying 'say what?' (whatever that means.)

I suspect the reason we disagree about why the English aren't protesting in public is that you're not listening to the news.

Or maybe the people on zero hours minimum wage doff their caps because they are scared to be replaced by more people on zero hours minimum wage.

I thought zero hour contracts were synonymous with jobs where the need for a worker was uncertain. In which case, I'm not seeing an issue.

Unless, you're bizarrely suggesting that employers should employ workers even when they don't need them.

Oh I don't know jiz but I do know mega corps shouldn't use taxpayers money to subsidise wages whilst earning obscene profits

I hope one day you go round the workplace knocking on doors asking for a day's work just like the halcyon days of early 20th century

In what form are they using taxpayers' money to subsidise wages?

In work benefits such as Working Tax Credits. Their employees dont get paid enough so the taxpayer ( other better paid workers ) have to make up the shortfall. Which in turn means the likes of public sector workers get their pay frozen

I'm talking about things like engineering, from places like the University of Nottingham.

There's plenty of places outside London which are well out of reach of people doing jobs I think you'll approve of, such as the police. Your suggestion that everyone move to the north to buy a house is an interesting one, although there aren't enough jobs to go round sadly.

I thought I wasn't on this planet but jiz seriously isn't! FACT!

Engineering graduates not able get a job?

I know of two big global engineering firms in the UK who have to bring in engineers from overseas (mostly India) because there are not the engineers coming through in the UK.

Something's not reconciling here.

What are you talking about, you berk?