Quote Originally Posted by the other bob wilson View Post
My guess is that this will play well with "middle ground" voters, but Labour can expect a few more years of the introspective civil wars that it has specialised in for most of my life. I seem to have been saying this for the last five years and under three different Prime Ministers, but we have the worst Government I've seen led by the worst Prime Minister I've seen and we're in real need of a competent and united opposition, but I can't help thinking that there are many in the Labour Party who don't see Johnson and co as the real enemy.
I agree with most of that.

The factionalism exists on both (all?) sides, and whilst it sounds right that all parts of the Labour Party should bury their differences and unite to fight the Tories, it's not so easy if you don't trust or agree with many on your own side. Especially if you have been subjected to constant online abuse, been briefed against in the media, and subjected to internal administrative/disciplinary processes that you think are unfair and designed to exclude or silence you.

I'm not sure what's really going on in the Labour Party - I rejoined in November and have been to a few events before everything shut down and now rely on mailings and remote contact. I get most of my information (if that is the right word - maybe opinion is better) about the national party from the media. Starmer has disappointed many of his supporters and alienated most of the left, and it feels to me that the civil war will carry on for years - maybe alongside periods of ceasefire and distrustful co-existence. But as you say he may have scored with 'middle ground' voters and won plaudits from the national broadcast and print media - so will probably be happy.