Mental Health, Break Ups and Me

This is a not my usual politics post, it is a personal post that I wanted to share and to write following a difficult recent break up that I'm still working my way through. This tough personal experience has made me think about mental health and just how fragile and easy to reroute a person’s mental health can be. I also wanted to write about the impact social media has on mental health especially during an emotional event.

It has been about 3 months since my own break up following an over 6 year long relationship with someone I loved deeply and had made long term plans with. It's the first real break up I've been through and it's been challenging. I'm usually a self-reflective and self-analytical person, I can analyse a life decision or a political event but a break up has been unlike anything. The loss of the hopes, dreams and plans for the relationship has probably been the hardest thing to get my head around and at times I have struggled to stay positive, to think clearly and work out what is best.

A break up pushes your mind down routes that you know you can't go down anymore. Expecting a text, thinking when/if you'll see them, wondering what they're doing, are they thinking of you or missing you as much. All these things become swirled in your head and the mist they create clouds clear thinking. These little, normally insignificant things lead your mind to start fighting itself, pushing itself down paths it shouldn't.

I know from my own experience that your heart and head don't want to let this great thing die but they also tell you that you shouldn't think like that. It has made me realise just how little it takes to push your mental health off course.

Things can begin to spiral... grumpiness, loneliness, disappointment can build and build. It can be a spiral that some won't recover from and it can grow into depression and beyond. Having never been through a tumultuous emotional event before I guess I hadn't thought about how depression can begin and can snowball. A small knock can send mental health on a slide that is difficult to slow and sometimes impossible to stop. That has been one of my biggest realisations, of just how little it can take to push mental health down a path that is hard to recover from.

I feel social media is an incredibly dangerous element that can speed up any potential decline. Social media forces one to compare lives and emotional wellbeing with others on a completely false scale. Going through a break up has helped me to experience exactly this, constantly comparing my own sense of upset and loss with the other person, inevitably coming to conclusions where the other person is coping immeasurably better and inspiring more negative thoughts and doubt about the relationship you had, the strength of feelings and so on.

It has surprised me just how easy it is to firstly slip in to a decreasing mind-set and secondly how that can be accelerated and increased by social media. It has dramatically altered my prior opinion on mental health which underestimated just how quickly and powerfully mental health can be impacted by seemingly insignificant events.

In my own case, I'm pushing on with changes in all areas of my life despite harbouring regrets, hopes of reconciliation and lingering feelings for the person. I've found music, time with family and writing to be a help and although I have great days and bad days I'm gradually improving. I'm still working out how to manage social media, still working on how to analyse all my thoughts and feelings. However my message to anyone going through something similar is to keep working on it, find some way of expressing or releasing, like writing is for me, and take it a day at a time.

My biggest takeaway and my reason for writing however is the realisation of just how fragile mental health is. To encourage people to speak out and for the issue to be taken seriously. I now know everyone can struggle with mental health, especially during difficult periods in your life, and it deserves proper and financial recognition. Social media I believe has only increased the fragility and I would like teachers & parents to give it the weight and seriousness that it deserves with regards to mental health. I hope that my openness and my story is one small addition to the push for mental health to be taken seriously and given the importance it deserves.

Thanks for reading!

Why I'm Voting Liberal Democrat

Only two years on from Cameron vs Miliband and here we are again on the eve of another general election. Two years on from “hell yes I’m tough enough,” a hell of a lot has changed. After Jeremy Corbyn, an EU referendum, Brexit, Jeremy Corbyn again and now an election, politics has gone quite crazy. It is for a mix of all the above reasons that I find myself with little option but to vote Liberal Democrat on Thursday 8^th June despite having never voted, and never expecting to vote, anything but Labour.

On a personal level this election is hugely overshadowed by the spectre of Brexit. I’m resigned (resigned being the best word for it) to Britain leaving the European Union and the fact that I will likely not have any say in the issue again until 2022 but I cannot realistically watch, what I am certain will be, a catastrophe happen without saying I at least tried and used my democratic voice to appeal and fight it.

Election Backdrop

Firstly I think it is key to point out exactly why I place Brexit, and at the very least having a voice in what happens during it, as such a crucial factor in this election. Leaving the single market, accounting for £240bn of all UK's exports and 53% of our imports, will be a disaster. Before even leaving it we have seen sterling depreciate by 15% and borrowing increased by up to £100bn. Food and fuel prices are steadily increasing, inflation is growing and wages are flatlining, jobs are already leaving or making plans to and we have no trade deals to fall back on as we leave the single market.

This is before I mention the probable hard border between Northern and Republic of Ireland, EU citizens leaving or not coming, border controls possibly moving from Calais to Dover, farming and fishing industries suffering, workers rights, the ability to travel, live and work freely throughout Europe all lost. I could go on but I reiterate I am resigned to it happening, it breaks my heart but it is happening and unfortunately its effects affect how I view everything said during this election campaign.

Labour Backs Hard Brexit

This Brexit prism that I am looking at this election through means that I simply cannot support Labour because they are marching hand in hand with Conservatives towards a hard, devastating Brexit. They have committed to leaving the single market, to ending free movement and differ very little from what Theresa May or Nigel Farage want from the whole process.

It is this stance which I’m afraid makes lies out of other promises the Labour Party makes. Brexit has already increased borrowing by over £100bn according to Philip Hammond and it hasn’t happened yet. Unfortunately this means that it is just not possible to invest to the scale that Labour has suggested because without the single market the economy and ability to invest shrinks by, the markets and sterling depreciation suggest, around 15%. Not just that but the way that Labour suggests it will raise funds simply are not feasible alongside the hard Brexit stance they adopt.

Businesses are already relocating some or all of their staff from Britain to somewhere within the single market. How is this helped by raising corporation tax? As much as I want to see businesses pay their fair share of tax, I also want them to stay put in this country. What reason is there to stay if the UK is outside of the single market and raising tax levels. The same argument can be made about wealthy single investors, what reason to stay in the country when not only is the economy smaller, it has no/barely any access to the single market, they face paying more tax both personally and professionally as well as losing their European passport.

Let’s then take the NHS. Labour’s promises are nothing more than lies when prepositioned by their Brexit stance. 10% of registered doctors and 4% of nurses are EU immigrants, in total 55,000 EU citizens work in the NHS, where will the promised extra staff for the NHS come from when, as Labour promises, free movement ends? As a result of Brexit EU citizens have already left in their tens of thousands since Brexit with Labour only promising to continue this trend. 

Moving on to education and with an end to free movement, it also means an end to international students at universities. Since Brexit Cambridge has already seen a 14.1% drop in students from across the Channel. Universities receive around one eighth of their funding from this group and it is also estimated that these students contribute around £7bn to the UK economy. Labour would end this, shrinking the economy yet further and denying UK based students top universities and a wide range of courses. On top of this with the scrapping of university fees, universities would be facing a funding crisis, far from the life long learning that Labour says it will offer.

It is impossible to talk about this election without mentioning Jeremy Corbyn. He is another major reason why I simply could not consider voting Labour this election. His lies and inaction over the EU and during the EU referendum, his stance over anti-semitism including not expelling Ken Livingstone and still not talking to the leading Jewish newspaper during this election and his appearances on Iranian TV. For all of the above he lost my vote long ago.

The Only Truly Liberal Option

The party with the best and most realistic stance over Brexit, the NHS and Education is the Liberal Democrats.

• ·         Every person in the country be able to look at the actual Brexit deal, not the lies and fabrications of the referendum 12 months ago, and have their say on it.
• ·         A penny in the pound rise in tax ringfenced to fund the NHS would be a sustainable and easily managed way to increase funding for the NHS and provide the best health care in the world once again.
• ·         It is proven that targeting children when they are young with excellent education is the best way to increase achievement. The Lib Dems would triple the Early Years pupil premium allowing progress to be made earlier and quicker. There would be no new grammar schools and free childcare would be extended to all two-year-olds.
• ·         Fracking would be banned and four million properties would receive insulation by 2022 with fuel poor households targeted first. Reducing carbon emissions, helping the environment and lowering energy costs.

All of these promises are believable because the Liberal Democrats are the ONLY party fighting to stay within the single market and customs union, safeguarding jobs and incomes up and down the country, ensuring our economy does not shrink and there is money that can be invested in the NHS, in education and to build homes.

It has been difficult to change what I thought would be a lifetime of Labour votes but the Brexit stance, which undermines every single spending promise made, along with Jeremy Corbyn himself means that I simply cannot back Labour in this election. The Liberal Democrats have the most sensible, open and outward looking manifesto of all UK parties, their spending commitments can be trusted and they would give you, me and everyone over the age of 16 the right to have a say on whatever Brexit deal is negotiated. On Thursday, vote Liberal Democrat and change Britain’s future. 

London Terror: Responding to an attack

On a morning like today following a night like last night it is hard to know what to say or rather, hard to find the words for all the thoughts and feelings that go through your head. For the second time in as many weeks a travesty has happened, an act of unspeakable and unknowable evil. It goes without saying that my thoughts are with those injured or tragically killed but particularly with the families who will be waking up to an unimaginable feeling and a radically altered future. As Lin Manuel Miranda wrote in Hamilton, “dying is easy, living is harder,” and I cannot for a second imagine what the families of those killed or injured are having to go through.

What happened last night was particularly hard hitting for me personally as someone who has walked through and around the London Bridge area so often in recent years. When something so awful happens in an area you’re familiar with, the impact of the news is only increased. However I wanted to write something not only to condemn and express my sadness about what happened but to talk about the reaction to despicable acts and dark nights like last night.

As we have sadly grown accustomed we go through a tidal wave of different emotions and thoughts in reaction to an event like that in London and in Manchester. To many it is sadness and despair at a world making increasingly less sense but for others it is anger and frustration at how this can be allowed to happen. All of the above are understandable because, it must be remembered, they all come from a place that cares and worries.

In response to vile terrorist acts like those in the past fortnight many familiar names will repeat familiar refrains about needing to strike back or needing an aggressive response. While I would not personally react in the same way, I think it is important not to over react to this reaction. The initial response of all of us is a desire to protect those who mean so much to us, to keep them close and protect them. This feeling is just expressed in very different ways and how that desire is achieved follows very different paths. It is important to remember that no matter the view, it comes from a thought, a feeling, an innate human desire that we all share. As always, there is more that unites us than divides us.

Division is exactly what the people who commit these heinous crimes want, it is the only possible raison d’etre. With that in mind it is important that rather than focusing on criticising each other’s response to this catastrophe we instead focus on the astoundingly brilliant and instantaneous actions of every single emergency service. We instead focus on the selfless deeds of those innocent civilians caught up in the act. We instead focus on the empathetic response from those offering beds, drinks and support on social media. There is so much more that unites us.

The national topic of conversation will be focused on this tragic event with what is probably a minority talking about a ‘strong’ response, identifying minorities and more. As hard as it may be to remember but for 99.9% of these voices, the views they share will come from the same place, a place where family and friends are protected and safe.

Instead of retweeting, reposting or arguing about what the best way to respond is, I recommend switching off, spending time with loved ones, talking to those you care about, seeing them if they live close enough and taking every moment life gives us. If there is anything that events like this remind us of, it is that life can be so cruelly and abruptly ended so why waste time arguing or engaging hate with hate? Love is the only way hatred of this kind is beaten, it should not stop in the wake of events like this. 

Goodbye Labour, Hello Lib Dems

Lib Dem Fightback starts here....

I was around 7 years old when Labour came to power in 1997. I didn't know it then but it would be a hugely formative next decade in my political beliefs.

When I moved to secondary school, the school was able to build a brand new, modern home which would have been aided by money made available by Labour in government. I have no doubt this helped me achieve good grades and reach university. I have equally little doubt that the fact Conservatives came to power when I was 20 and jobs suddenly were lost or found to be less reliable is a reason why I found it hard to gain employment after graduating.

I disclose this background information because it has formed my political views today. My view that Labour in power helps far more people, nay the entire country, than any Conservative government. My view that the Blair years were nothing but positive and enabled huge change and positive growth in the country. I'm more than aware there were mistakes made and opportunities missed but it was a generally positive period of mine, and the country's, history.

Having said all of this, I am dismayed that the Labour Party of today all but disowns the brilliant achievements of the only Labour government in the past 40 years. In the re-election of Jeremy Corbyn yesterday, it was confirmed that my political beliefs had no home in the wildly transformed Labour Party of 2016.

It is for this reason I decided to join the Liberal Democrats. When Tim Farron, leader of the Lib Dems lest we forget, can be more positive about Labour's 13 years in power than Labour's own leader and members, you know it is time to part ways. It is not without sadness, having voted Labour in the two general elections I've been eligible to be part of but it has become inevitable.

It has become clear to me that the following beliefs are no longer commonplace in the modern Labour Party;

• Firstly I want the party to actively fight and scrutinise Brexit. Jeremy Corbyn has consistently voted against the EU and has not asked a single question on the subject. I want the process to be monitored and fought at each step. 
• Secondly I want a sensible, reasonable economic strategy. I want investment in the country but I want it to be funded and reasonable. I still believe in clearing the deficit but at a much slower rate. £500bn is frankly unfunded, plucked from thin air and risks the economy overall. 
• Thirdly I don't honestly believe in uncapped immigration, which is Jeremy Corbyn's stated position. I certainly do not believe in the tens of thousands that the Conservatives state but I would probably aim to keep it between 200 and 300 thousand net per year and support for those coming in to learn the language and feel at home in the country.
• I also believe in comprehensive schooling. I don't want grammar schools, free schools or even academies. I would like comprehensive schools across the board and I think secondaries should be able to specialise in particular skills which would lead in to jobs. 
• Finally I also want defence spending to be at least maintained if not marginally increased. I would like to see troops given improved resources as well as support for members of the military when they leave service. I certainly want the UK to remain a member of NATO, which is again not necessarily a Corbyn stance.

Four of those five main beliefs of mine felt no longer at home in the Labour Party and so I took the decision to move my allegiance to the Liberal Democrats. I have received a very warm and friendly welcome from the party members which is in stark contrast to the arguing and criticising of my beliefs I found from some Labour members.

I would encourage anyone who may agree with some or all of my beliefs to switch to the Liberal Democrats. I certainly do not see those moderate beliefs being fought for or put forward in the Labour Party for the foreseeable future. I therefore joined the party that founded the welfare state, introduced national insurance, pensions and is the party of Keynes, of Lloyd George, Paddy Ashdown and Charles Kennedy.

Read In The Event of a Corbyn Victory

Labour's identity crisis

It is almost exactly two weeks until the Labour leadership contest is over. The party will either have a new leader or re-elect a leader that has lost the confidence of his MPs. Polling suggests that Jeremy Corbyn will be voted back in as leader although there are reports to the contrary from parts of the opposing side. If Corbyn is re-elected, it will be a major moment for the party and for me personally.

I have never been convinced of the Corbyn effect, even after attending a rally in his first leadership election, which is why I have strongly backed his challenger Owen Smith. Labour under Corbyn has never led in the polls, Labour under Corbyn endured the worst council elections for an opposition in 30 years and Labour under Corbyn has moved away from myself (and judging by the polls a large number of electorate) in some key policy areas. This is why I have backed Owen Smith and the wider PLP in their lack of confidence in, and challenge to, the current leader.

Background Details

I have been asked a few times through social media about what I might do after a Corbyn victory and I wanted to write about what I think I will do and explain my reasoning. First, I want to produce a little background to this and state that having been raised in a pro Labour household (and currently pro Corbyn household) I have been a lifelong supporter of the party. I have been eligable to vote in two general elections and in both I gave my vote to Labour. I thought I would always vote Labour. Corbyn has changed that.

Corbyn's stance on the economy, immigration, the EU and his poor leadership of a party means that should Labour enter a general election with Corbyn as leader I could not in good conscience vote for the party I used to feel represented me best. I say, used to, because the policies and beliefs that Corbyn has shown in the EU referendum and in the following leadership election have moved the party away from my views and my views have in fact been shouted down by other supporters of the party. This has led me to feel that I am no longer represented by Labour.

My Reasoning

Fight for your right to Brexit

I would like to stay in the EU or at the least the single market, I fear what would happen if we do not. It has become clear Corbyn does not feel the same. He is not fighting, or examining, the exit from the EU nearly enough.

I am pro-immigration but in reasonable numbers, I would be happy with the numbers remaining around 200,000 or 300,000 as they are now. What Corbyn has stated is that he would place no upper limit on immigration, which will alienate a large number of even Labour’s voters.

I am pro investment in the economy, I don’t for one second believe austerity is the answer. I do however believe in clearing the deficit, albeit at a slower pace over a decade or two. Corbyn announced an unfunded £500bn investment plan during the leadership campaign which is great but would massively increase the deficit. It also wilfully ignores that Labour did not gain the trust of the public over the economy in 2015 running on a much more sensible budget. 

Corbyn has left his cabinet unsupported and without instruction for much of his tenure, see multiple accounts from former and currently serving cabinet members., even the London mayor. His opposition to the government has been weak, his performances at PMQ’s poor and will not count out deselections. The fact he loses confidence of 80% of his own party, the people needed to form effective government and sell the party to the public, and does not resign is disrespectful to the party. I couldn’t honestly say I trust Corbyn to be Prime Minister of this country.

I am also a realist. I, like many others in the electorate I am sure, want to see reasonable, realistic and funded ideas. Some of Corbyn’s goals and ‘policies’ have been frankly pie in the sky. Talking about world peace and how Britain will inspire many other countries to give up nuclear weapons is not realistic. Revealing a £500bn figure without details of where the money will come from or where it will go. Explaining that the abuse the Labour Party has suffered will end because he ‘doesn’t condone it’ is not good enough. I have attended an Owen Smith press conference and heard concrete details, a plan and funded policies, which is what I expect from my politicians.

What Next?

For all the above reasons and a couple more, I don’t feel represented by Labour any longer and is why I couldn’t rightfully call myself a supporter of the party after his re-election. I also would not feel comfortable challenging some of these views with some supporters of the party as I would be shouted down and called names or told to leave. It has been difficult facing up to this because as I mentioned already I have always felt well represented by Labour and thought myself likely to always vote for the party.

It also makes it difficult to admit that I will consider other parties that now more closely represent my views. The Liberal Democrats strong stance on the EU is very appealing, as is their centre left stance on some issues. It would in all honesty be a reluctant change but in the light of a Corbyn victory it is a change that I have to consider. I fear for the party that I have always supported, as shown in Thursday’s by-election in Sheffield, the extra members and the rallies are not translating to any kind of support outside the party.

It has been a difficult few weeks, having felt well represented by the Labour Party for the entirety of my political life and seeing that eroded away. I am sure there are those on the opposite to me who have never felt so connected to a mainstream party however Labour has, for the most part, always been a centre left, democratic socialist party but that identity feels like it is being lost to me.  

I will be hoping for a surprise when the election results are revealed and that Owen Smith will give Labour a bounce in the polls that it much needs. I hope also that I won’t be left without a party properly representing me. I fear that neither will come true and fear that many others, like me, will not back a Corbyn led Labour at the next general election.

How Owen Smith Can Win Labour Leadership

It has been a positive week for Owen Smith, a surprising endorsement from GMB Union plus a confident and assured performance in the latest hustings event. It has fuelled hopes from Smith supporters that the race for leader may actually be closer than many assumed. Smith still has a mountain to climb and cannot afford many mistakes however progress is being made. I'm using this post to outline a few ways I believe Owen Smith can close the gap further.

The key areas where I believe Smith has the edge over Jeremy Corbyn are on policies, economic competence and the EU. If these issues are front and centre in the campaign until September then Smith will be in with a chance. The other, potentially crucial, advantage Owen Smith has over Jeremy Corbyn is the use of the mainstream media. It's been clear that Owen has had a much greater presence on television in particular, this means a greater reach and greater cut through with his ideas.

The setbacks so far have been largely at the hands of due diligence. The handling and process of calling a challenge has been the major line of attack from Corbyn, the argument against this had begun to form judging by the hustings last night. The high court decision could be further ammunition for Corbyn on this front.

Lines of Attack

The important thing for Owen Smith is to establish clear differences between himself and Corbyn. This is vital because members won't be interested in a watered down version of the same thing, so to establish differences and make clear there is a choice, is vital. From my point of view, the biggest difference between the two candidates and a huge potential vote winner for Smith is the quality and detail of policies. The party has been starved of policy based debate in the past year so if Smith can focus arguments on the quality and substance in his policies this will be a major point.

The beauty is the detail

The added bonus of focusing on the policies and depth that Smith offers is that while it is a strength for Owen, it is also a weakness of Corbyn. Many of Corbyn's answers, particularly in Thursday's hustings, were vague and lacked specifics or depth of policy which juxtaposed against Owen's mentions of 50p top rate of tax, 20% corporation tax and wealth taxes showed a clear difference.

This is a good link to how and why Owen Smith wins when it comes to the economy. While Corbyn focuses on emphasising a fair economy for all, his argument against lacks specifics of how this will be achieved. The amount of thought out and fully funded ideas from Smith makes clear the lack of substance Corbyn offers. The lack of policy based debate on the economy or any other area before this leadership race means there is a thirst and an interest which Smith can play to.

Finally on the EU, Smith has made a bold move to continue fighting against Brexit, possibly to the point of a second referendum. While this may be a harder sell to the wider electorate at the moment, I think it is a well judged stance for the membership. The reason I think it is well judged is because many Labour supporters voted to stay in and are dismayed that the country could be leaving, it is also clear that many members don't believe Corbyn showed enough passion for, or commitment to, the EU. The combination of these issues mean Smith's stance could be a vote winner, while it also portrays Corbyn to still be less enthusiastic about the EU than Smith.

The ability to spread these key issues and the content and substance Smith offers through the mainstream media means he will reach members who don't attend rallies or hustings. As long as Corbyn remains inward looking, focusing his attention on those who attend his rallies rather than television appearances I don't believe he is reaching as big an audience as he could. This could prove to be a key area in the campaign.

The Debate Focus

As with any election the debates will be crucial to the outcome and therefore both candidates have to have strategies ready to use in order to try to emphasise their strengths. My advice to Owen Smith would be to continually ask Corbyn, how? When Jeremy mentions one of his broad, idealistic 'policies' then the simple but effective response would be to ask specifically how he would achieve this. I don't believe he would be able to provide the specific taxes or cuts or funded investment to back up his claim. This would emphasise the difference between the lightweight Corbyn and the content backed Smith.

I would also try to force Corbyn to talk numbers and cold hard facts. I'm not sure Corbyn has a grasp on the numbers and the weighting behind his ideas, if the conversation was to go this way then it would show not only his inability to back up his phrases but highlight the competence and advantage Smith has on the economy and on policy. On the EU I would also try to get Corbyn to commit to a stance, what sort of deal would he accept, what his red lines are and whether he would ever fight to keep Britain in the EU again. Smith's advantage in this area is that his opinion is clear, he would fight to stay in and would put any tabled deal to the public to rubber stamp. Corbyn's stance is still unclear so it is an area that can be probed and Smith's advantage increased.

The Blairite Witch Project

Corbyn's most effective line of attack is over Smith's resignation from the shadow cabinet. At first this seemed to stump Smith although there were indications of a response forming in the second debate. I think the most effective counter to this argument is for Owen to show his high ambitions for the party (to form a government, lead in polls, push back Tory cuts, etc) and say that all the evidence shows Corbyn can't and won't achieve this. Put it back to Jeremy and ask if he was happy with how the party was performing, if not why he didn't act and insist that he couldn't sit around while the Conservatives undo everything Labour achieved in government.

In Conclusion

The strategy and almost chess like point and counter point of politics is one of the reasons I am so passionate about politics. Thinking about the strengths and weaknesses of you and your opponent, planning the lines of attack, responses to it and how to respond to that response is, in my view, a basic element of successful politics. It is an element that I haven't really seen from Corbyn and one of the reasons I am backing Owen Smith, who has clearly deployed a strategic and thought out campaign so far.

I believe if Owen Smith continues to employ the same tactics and maybe takes some of my ideas on board then I believe he can win, or at least make it a very close battle for the leadership. I admit my own bias in this piece but I tried to be as fair as possible. In the interest of fairness, if I get requests I'll happily write a similar piece on the strategies that Corbyn could use to boost his chances too.

Hope you've found this interesting, here's to a friendly and policy filled campaign.

The Future of Labour

Who's the better leader here?

Last night saw the first of six leadership debates between current Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and challenger Owen Smith. It was a frustrating night as no one appeared willing to listen and both sides became further entrenched in their own views. It was disappointing from a personal viewpoint because the debate and reaction to it proved to me all the flaws and issues with the probable winner, Corbyn.

Despite his 10 Pledges released yesterday, Corbyn still remains unbelievably light on content and substance. His simplistic responses and stuttering delivery of them seemed to go down well with the converted but will not connect with any uninitiated inside the party never mind outside of it. This cuts to the heart of the Smith challenge and is the answer to why he and others resigned, which seems to be hard for Corbyn to grasp. It was a dispiriting night which is why I wanted to write this blog and why I'll be attempting to care a little less in the coming weeks.

I apologise in advance for the length of this but I have tried to be as comprehensive as possible.

The Election Reaction

The reasons for defeat in May 2015 I believe are key to Corbyn's appeal. Many Labour folk decided that a shift further left was the medicine to our defeat and that Miliband wasn't left enough to win. This is too simplistic and ignores how any election ever has been won. The defeat in 2015 was down to not gaining credibility and trust in handling of the economy, it was down to the fear factor over SNP alliances and it was down to the Conservatives ruthlessly targeting these areas with repeated attacks which were not adequately responded to or fought. Labour lost on these issues and they are all areas where we can still be beaten, even more convincingly. No shift to the left has helped in these areas and no election has ever been won by a party appealing exclusively to one part of the electorate.

The Corbyn Appeal

Jeremy Corbyn's 10 pledges

I believe that Labour members saw Ed Miliband trying to appeal outside of Labour membership and losing. The train of thought followed that if we can't win doing that, then we might as well appoint someone who will give us what we want to hear. I also strongly believe that Corbyn offers the simple answer and allows members to avoid difficult questions about how Labour can win, the challenge we face and the powers versus principles discussion. Corbyn says we can win power by being anti austerity, it feels good so why question it, why look for the proof because it's what some members want to hear. The problem is that come election time media, experts, the opposition will question it and will inevitably find holes in it.

It is this simplistic, upbeat but hollow message which leads me to equate Corbyn to Trump. I believe both operate in the sphere of post truth politics. I believe both appeal using feelings rather than facts. Corbyn says he can bring inequality, he'll make an anti austerity economy that works for all, he'll win an election. Trump says he can make America great again. There's very little substance in any of these claims but it feels good to some who hear it so what is in it for them to question it. Their simplistic message is easy to get on board with and then you add in the 'fact' that the media and/or the establishment is against you which unites the support. Trump is without question far worse and far more dangerous but the similarities in their simplistic message and appeal is pretty obvious.

In the leadership debate alone I counted many times where Corbyn flat out lied. Labour have never been ahead in the polls, before or after the leadership challenge. Labour abstained on the welfare bill on the first reading, as parliamentary process often dictates, eventually universally opposing it and that was not because of his appointment. Labour is hugely untrusted on the economy unlike the feeling Jeremy wants to project. Jeremy did say he wanted article 50 invoked immediately on live TV. However facts don't matter when arguing with feelings like we appear to be, a truly post truth politician.

The Issue I have With Corbyn

There is no disagreement in being anti austerity or fighting inequality or investing in the country, literally who could argue against that? The issue for me is substance, believability and ability to practice what is preached. What I like about Owen Smith is that his policies, while similar to Corbyn's, have substance to them, they have been fully costed and planned and there are specific money raising strategies such as 50p top rate of tax, wealth tax, corporation tax to 20%. Despite the 10 Pledges yesterday I'm still waiting for this substance from the leader even after 10 months in charge. It is this substance which will convince people of Labour's economic credibility, an area Corbyn and McDonnell are already massively behind in polling.

Owen Smith's 20 policies for Labour's future

The response to the policies raised by Owen Smith has also been disappointing and does not inspire faith for a successful election campaign. Instead of looking objectively at the ideas, maybe pointing out flaws or any holes or even praising some, the response was childish. The claims came that they were all Corbyn policies. This playground 'he copied me' response is disappointing especially as if they had been Corbyn policies they would be widely known and advertised in Labour's messages or at least in Corbyn's messages especially, you would have thought, during a Leadership challenge. As someone with an avid interest in politics and a Labour supporter, you'd have thought I would have read or seen that these policies were Corbyn Labour's stances. Either they weren't his policies or Corbyn is an incredibly bad orator and communicator of his policies, whichever way you look at it it's not good.

On top of the lack of substance and empty words, my other issue is how he has led Labour. Since the leadership challenge was announced many Labour MP's have come out and explained how they have been hamstrung by Corbyn's lack of communication and leadership. Whether it is Heidi Alexander on the NHS, Lillian Greenwood on transport, Thangam Debbonaire on her shadow cabinet appointment, Corbyn himself on article 50 or even today on the honours list. There is a long list of strategy errors, miscommunication and lack of leadership which show that Labour fighting for an election win is hamstrung by its leader.

Labour MP's have been criticised as traitors and being disloyal for saying these things but is it really disloyal to serve your party the best you can, keeping these issues secret but eventually quit as you are not able to do the job to the best of your abilities. It is this kind of substance on life under Corbyn leadership which shows his inability to lead sustained attacks, continued messages on topics against the Tories. When you have 172 MP's vote against you, it shows that you are not inspiring faith in your ability to do your job.

Why Owen Smith?

As I have already mentioned I believe he has the substance and the ideas that can convince not only Labour voters but people who have lost faith in Labour. Those who didn't trust Labour on the economy can look at his fully funded rebalancing of corporation tax, top rate of tax, NHS spending, his new deal idea. Those in the country who don't want a coalition for a government can be reassured about that not being Labour's only way into power. Those who want to see sustained, effective attacks on Tory austerity, universal credits, honours awards can be reassured that they will be carried out professionally and with energy. Those who want to see a stronger Labour presence in the mainstream media will see their leader appearing more regularly and appealing to a much wider and broader audience.

Owen Smith has the substance in his ideas, the ability to lead attacks on the Tories, a positive stance with areas he believes in not just areas he opposes, he has the oratory skills and appearance that matter to those with a less intense interest in politics, crucially he is the one looking outside of the party. Owen Smith has a much stronger appeal to those outside of Labour, a bigger ability to convince Labour voters not just members. Owen also has the competence in economic stance which is so crucial in election campaigns.

Electing Jeremy Corbyn with his disastrous personal ratings, catastrophic party polling and limited electoral appeal will be the end of Labour as a democratic force. Whether the PLP splits or if it unites, election day will be a disaster because Corbyn has been framed to millions in the country and cannot be reframed.

It is that electoral demise which is so depressing to me. Seeing the BBC snap poll in May last year was crushing, I don't want to go through that again so soon but with Corbyn as leader I know what is coming, all the signs are there, all the attack points for the Tories are there, it will be brutal. If you want a Labour government in the next year or two, I urge you not to vote for Corbyn.