The Conservative party is wildly delighted in the election of Jeremy Corbyn to the leadership of the Labour party. This far left MP has never previously held any position of responsibility and holds views that distress many moderate Labour MPs, and whose leadership signals the end of any chances of a Labour government.

How did this disaster for Labor occur? The answer is simple, it opened the election of the labour party to the rank and file members, and elected a leader that was representative of these members, but far from the center of UK politics or even the traditional labour base. The problem for Labour, was that the membership of the party had been falling, and was now largely made up by ideological activists. The test will be the results of a by election in a formally safe labour seat.

It will be interesting to see whether if Shorten is knifed, whether the new 50% rank and file membership vote for party leader will have similar disastrous consequences for Labor here.

With their next election nnot until 2020, it's far too early to declare this a disaster for Labour. Though Corbyn's their leader, he doesn't dictate party policy.

The British FPTP voting system, combined with voluntary voting, means that candidates there can win with the support of a lot less than half the population. Australia's compulsory preferential voting means that at least half of those on the electoral roll regard the winner as preferable to the candidate that comes second. And thst tends to have a centering effect.

I really don't see how the "new 50% rank and file membership vote for party leader" could have similar disastrous consequences for Labor here. There's nobody in federal Labor anywhere near as unelectable as Abbott was!

"The British FPTP voting system, combined with voluntary voting, means that candidates there can win with the support of a lot less than half the population. Australia's compulsory preferential voting means that at least half of those on the electoral roll regard the winner as preferable to the candidate that comes second. And thst tends to have a centering effect."

Absolutely....in the recent UK election, 61.1% of voters voted for someone other that a Tory candidate, but got stuck with them for another five years anyway.

http://theconversation.com/voting-system-gives-tories-a-result-most-uk-voters-didnt-want-41595

"It will be interesting to see whether if Shorten is knifed, whether the new 50% rank and file membership vote for party leader will have similar disastrous consequences for Labor here."

Didn't the rank and file already choose Albanese under that system - but the parliamentary section overrode that preference in favour of Shorten? (not sure exactly how that works)

Corbyn's prominence is a reaction to the Conservative Govt's years of undermining Britain's social democracy. They're years ahead of Australia's Liberal party in that regard, having (as one example) white-anted the NHS by privatising it bit by bit, selling it off to their rich mates.

Nearly 100,000 children are functionally homeless in England, for instance - things like that guarantee a left-wing backlash.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-34346908

In the last few years, 1,000 new Foodbanks have sprung up around the country as the Tory machine slowly munches up the foundations of a successful egalitarian society and plows it into the ground.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/may/01/food-banks-most-people-at-the-school-gates-have-used-them

"... In 2010, the food bank was an unfamiliar concept, but five years later, more than 1,000 are operating around the country...."

Does that sound like a cutting edge recipe for a vital workforce and economy?

Of course, it was dipstick Abbott's intention to get stuck straight into the UK Tory agenda for Australia when he was elected, hence the notorious, and ultimately failed, 2014 budget. However, the British Tories have had far longer to work on the plundering of the UK system, which is no doubt continuing as we speak.

Sorry to belabour the point, but Britain's standard of living seems to
have been following their decline of oil production from the Nth Sea.
Britain changed from being a major exporter to an importer around 2000.
Their energy costs have been climbing ever since.
Statistics seem to be hard to find on this angle.

In cold countries an increase in energy costs has an immediate affect
on disposable income because heating is not an option.

Oh Poirot, wouldn't it be wonderful if we could get back to such a system.

It would cut out those who have no interest in voting, a great improvement just in itself.

However, even better, it would stop the Greens & other ratbags, sticking us with these hopeless Labor governments.

It is democratic for the rank and file of a party to select its leaders. The general population should select leaders of both party and government. The Westminster system does not allow that.