[Crabcakes]

I think the best option is deselect him BUT Labour not put up a candidate if he stands. It avoids a victimhood status/vindictive label for Starmer that the cult would never shut up about, it means if he wins he has to run his own ‘party’, which should keep him busy and mean he has to put in some effort for once, and it also means no other candidate can slip past because of a split vote.

The downside is 1 fewer Labour MPs (which - all being well - will make no discernible difference to a thumping majority) and him sticking around. But it’ll be for 4 years at most - he’ll be 75 at the next election, so knocking on 80 at the end of that parliament. Plus as an independent with a Labour govt. he’d just be a very, very small amount of background noise.

This is his literal last stand - let him actually do it on the principles that allegedly mean so much to him he never mustered the effort to go independent before, but don’t give him or the Tories the oxygen of a ‘Corbyn vs Labour’ contest.

[Youngian]

But it’ll be for 4 years at most - he’ll be 75 at the next election, so knocking on 80 at the end of that parliament

When he will have voted with the Tories dozens of times on difficult stuff that people don’t like. But voted with the Labour government when the nice things are being handed out. That apparently makes Jez a rare man of principle in politics who doesn’t sell out.

[Youngian]

In his comfort zone, today

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Isn't that the university he dropped out of when they asked him to do some research?

"IT's not faaaaair..."

[Abernathy]

I think the best option is deselect him BUT Labour not put up a candidate if he stands. It avoids a victimhood status/vindictive label for Starmer that the cult would never shut up about, it means if he wins he has to run his own ‘party’, which should keep him busy and mean he has to put in some effort for once, and it also means no other candidate can slip past because of a split vote.

This is his literal last stand - let him actually do it on the principles that allegedly mean so much to him he never mustered the effort to go independent before, but don’t give him or the Tories

I sort of follow your logic, but Labour not contesting a rock-solid Labour seat is simply unthinkable. You might just as well let him stand as the Labour candidate.

When he finds that he absolutely definitely and finally cannot stand as the Labour Party candidate (even though that is true now), he will contest Islington North as an independent, because his absurd overwheening vanity dictates that to be so. The official Labour candidate (which may well be Christian Wolmar) will win fairly easily, and it’s a win/win situation for Labour. By standing against a Labour candidate, Corbyn automatically expels himself from the party, and by campaigning for him, so do a couple of dozen (or however many) of the Trots that still linger within the party.

I do agree that the party should get on and select in Islington North asap, and lance the Corbyn boil.

[davidjay]

Labour not standing a candidate against him would be a gift to the Tories - they would be able to say that he's running the show after all.

[mattomac]

It will excite twitter but Labour will be running a general election campaign not just a by election. In fact if they wanted to cause Labour issues, resigning now and running as an independent would be far more impactful. Won’t do that in case he loses mind.

[Youngian]

Isn't that the university he dropped out of when they asked him to do some research?

"IT's not faaaaair..."

I have experience of lecturers in IR at London Met. When McDonnell described Corbyn as ‘an expert in foreign affairs, I even saw the left leaning ones choking on their tea. Bibliography for a Corbyn IR dissertation: Noam Chomsky, John Pilger, Roger Waters and Tony Benn.

[Crabcakes]

I sort of follow your logic, but Labour not contesting a rock-solid Labour seat is simply unthinkable. You might just as well let him stand as the Labour candidate.

Yeah, you’re probably right Abers. I think I’m just sick to death of the sort of whining grifter who’ll make such a bloody meal out of “Tory Starmer throws out a peace-loving man!”, while all the time droning on about how awful the Tories are but being unwilling to do anything to help get shot of them and bring about the Labour government so many people in desperate situations need because it isn’t their hero in charge.

[The Weeping Angel]

[Crabcakes]

If the OED want to update their definition of a contortionist, they could do worse than a few screengrabs of Corbynistas on Twitter this morning who are furious that their hero isn’t being allowed to stand for a party they have repeatedly said they absolutely will not vote for, and how he should be reinstated immediately so he can resign and start his own party.

[Crabcakes]

Still, definitely not the case that his supporters believe in the sort of batshit conspiracy theories that he did nothing to sort out or anything…

[Youngian]

The Brexit faithful will be delighted

[Youngian]

Paparazzi are stalking celebrity Jez. Or is it the photographer from the Islington Gazette?

[Yug]

... because in his heart of hearts he's a Brexiteer.

We know. That's one of the many reasons we're so glad to see the back of him.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I actually think he came round to Remain, having been forced to do some work out of his comfort zone. But he wasn't the man to lead a Labour campaign for Remain, that's for sure.

[Tubby Isaacs]

[Abernathy]

I’d almost go as far as to say that Leave wouldn’t have won the referendum if Labour had had a decent leader.

[Abernathy]

Jeremy Corbyn: Keir can’t ban me, I will stand as Labour MP if members agree

Well, first of all, Corbyn didn’t actually say that. And second, he can’t, and won’t.

[Crabcakes]

... because in his heart of hearts he's a Brexiteer.

We know. That's one of the many reasons we're so glad to see the back of him.

Given the whole country - including many leave voters - is now waking up to the disaster that brexit is, Abbott really couldn’t have said a worse thing at a worse time for Corbyn.

It’d be funny if his infamous lukewarm effort hadn’t probably helped push Leave over the line, and then later his hubris delivered Johnson a majority big enough to enact the very shittest version of brexit, organised and signed off by liars, idiots and imbeciles.