Tony Benn dies

[MorningGlory123]

Not sure if he's well-known outside the UK, but this titan of the left and torchbearer for Old Labour has died. A politician I hugely admired and I was dreading this day - every year bringing the British left closer to extinction.

[SR]

Not sure if he's well-known outside the UK, but this titan of the left and torchbearer for Old Labour has died. A politician I hugely admired and I was dreading this day - every year bringing the British left closer to extinction.

Really, what do you say accounts for the swing?

[MorningGlory123]

In the 1980's the Labour Party split in two (SDP: the liberals, leaving Labour: the socialists), and a divided opposition in our voting system got crucified and locked out of power for decades. In a bid to redress this, Labour Party reforms since then have made the party completely unaccountable to its members (who are majority socialist), allowing the near-monolithically middle-class liberal hierarchy complete control of the party's platform, its candidates and leader. Bennites could never win selection these days so the public will never get the chance to vote for one - unless they want to risk throwing away their vote on a no-hoper minor party, and possibly letting the Tories back in. Voting system coercion and lesser-evilism effectively guarantees them unswerving loyalty from leftist voters - who, in the end, end up voting for governments they despise. So it's just a matter of time before the small rump of leftists left over from Old Labour die or retire.

[SR]

Oh, I see. Sound similar to our various third party candidates fracturing bases and siphoning votes a la Perot for conservatives and Nader for the left.