Corbyn - Labour versus Socialist?

I'm fascinated by the Labour leadership election. I'm appalled by 9 of the Shadow cabinet throwing their toys out of the pram immediately, 5 of whom are women. How is Corbyn expected to stand a chance of making the party a viable alternative to our dire Conservative government if he loses all this experience & expertise in one fell swoop? It seems like a suicide pact to me & it could destroy Labour from within.

What is important? Having a party to effectively counter Conservative "values" and to fight for the rights of ordinary, as opposed to wealthy people, or their own precious self interest? If they don't agree with Corbyn surely they should be prepared to argue their case from within the shadow cabinet and achieve consensus. After all Corbyn can't expect them not to go against his party line - he's done it often enough. If Corbyn's proposed policies are really too left wing and a threat they won't be as effective from the back benches & the discord may very publicly tear the party apart.

It seems a shame if this election, which is almost unique in terms of the statistics - 59.5% for Corbyn & 50.7% for Watson, doesn't result in a new beginning & a radical shake up for Labour. I'm very disappointed that there is no woman as yet at the top of the party. I'm appalled that Cooper (Home Sec), Kendall (Care Minister), Reynolds (Housing),  Reeves (Work & Pensions) & Mahmood (Treasury) won't continue to work in key roles.

The election defeat is a good reason to really look at why the party wasn't electable. This leadership election is completely different. People have been really engaged. It's useful to have a top to bottom shake up so long as different perspectives are really listened to & consensus emerges.

Maybe one of the things the party should consider is recognising that the very name "Labour" is outdated and not relevant in the 21st century. Labour was forged in a time when the masses worked very hard for a living in manual tasks. The Unions were wonderful organisations which helped to give working people rights & better working conditions. It's a proud history, which broke the stranglehold of the wealthy landowners & businessmen.

2015 is a world away from that. The electorate is completely different. It's time the labour party really looked at itself & became relevant & central to the lives of people today. Maybe Corbyn is going to be a catalyst for that. He deserves a chance to do it. He seems to have a groundswell behind him.