Interesting take on why Labour are hemorrhaging their traditional northern working class vote and as evidenced by the Hartlepool by-election result. I have to say it makes a lot of sense and particularly this bit.
“Labour is battling a perception in its former heartlands that the party has been captured by snooty metropolitans, far-left fanatics or both.”
Ironic, considering “snooty metropolitans, far-left fanatics” might be the seen as the definition of your average Grauniad reader. 
I felt it was arrogant or just downright brainless for Labour to put up a candidate who had lost his red wall seat in the last election and was an arch remainer. They just don’t get it, do they?
Perhaps the Labour Party believe they have more chance of winning the next election with Boris at the helm? Which would explain why their attacks on the Conservatives have been so lackluster and weak.
The bad news is that they do not.
Labour have got no chance in the next general election because the public are brainwashed, gullible fuckwits who swallow the media’s lies and somehow still believe that “I could go for a beer with Boris” even though he would never buy a round and then try to make off with their wives afterwards.
It is that dismissive attitude that is so resented by voters in those areas. This is exactly why the Labour Party are losing the working class vote.
It is lazy stereotyping by the liberal metrocentric chattering classes
Except that I am none of those things.
Who’s stereotyping now? 
Which is one aspect. But far more likely is that Labour don’t stand a chance if they persevere with a leader who’s anonymous, pointless and verging on useless. No wonder he gave up being a barrister, he can’t hit the floor with bricks at PMQs, against the biggest and easiest target in recent memory.
If (IF) Andy Burnham loses Manchester (Mrs and I cancelled votes on that one) then they have a candidate who could turn it round eventually. Personally I’d give it to Dianne Abbot but only in the same way that I’d have David Moyes back at OT.
I suspect that Starmer is playing the long game, given that there’s still plenty of time until the next general election.
And he regularly dismantles Bozo at PMQs; but all you see on the main news is the PM bellowing back and calling his opponent “Captain Hindsight”… it’s the aforementioned media agenda in action again.
I never said you personally were. You were just voicing the same stuff though.
You did have lunch at the Dorchester last year though 
I regularly eat at high-class establishments and drink very expensive wines at home.
Doesn’t make me a snob, though; just means I enjoy good food and drink. 
Fair enough. I am more of a chip butty and fish finger man washed down with a pint of real ale. I share it with the whippet. He drinks it out of my clog.
Luxury!! I sleep in a shoebox, get up half an hour before I go to bed and lick the road clean, before I go to work!!
You’ve got a shoebox? Bloody luxury
Personally, what I hear is PMQs from 12 onwards every Wednesday on 5 Live. If people just watch the news and read the papers, that’s their problem.
Cleese Law in action.
Not really a shock the Tories win a seat that voted hard for Brexit and when the election comes during the vaccine rollout which has been performed pretty competently, is it?
Does the result matter beyond feel-good value?
Not really as it was expected.
Brexit still dominating the grass roots so really nothing to debate either. Labour just have to plough through it with their fingers crossed.
So it’s still about the long game and Starmer is the perfect leader for that, I am surprised i said that myself.
To me it’s deeply disturbing.
Sure is a Brexit supporting area. But 150K dead, blatant corruption, waste and cronyism. The government has been a clusterfuck of epic proportions (Brexit included).
There should be riots on the streets they have been so bad. If SNP win a majority in Scotland it provides the perfect backdrop for the contrast for the two countries and independence.