Who else saw Jeremy Corbyn's smug expression when he declared victory at Stoke Central today? He is under the delusion that Labour's retention of their traditional heartland represents a vote against the Government. Like with many of his other ideas, this is a ludicrous suggestion. When will this man get real, do the decent thing and go?
In denial about Labour's problems
The Labour Leader is regarded by many as a decent man at least, even by those who have stood against him in the past. His solutions to the challenges this country faces may work in a socialist utopia, but not in the world we reside in.
He has been lucky to survive a possible humiliation in Stoke, but he failed to sell his unique brand of communism to Copeland. Michael Foot successfully kept this seat for the centre-left party in 1983 and prior to that, they have won in the Cumbria seat during every election since 1935. Yet the new Conservative MP, Trudy Harrison, won with a comfortable 2000 majority, and this may increase by 2020. Of course, Corbyn failed to acknowledge, or even comprehend, the scale of this loss today.
Instead, he is so blinded by Stoke Central that he assumes people there support his idealistic crusade against the Government. 'For Heaven's sake, just go,' were some wise words of advice David Cameron provided to the Leader of the Opposition during his penultimate days as premier.
That would be the safest course of action to pursue if Labour are serious about winning in 2020, but if you had the patience to listen to Stoke Central's disgusting new MP, you would believe that the next general election is in the bag for them.
The prospect of further humiliation
The current context that the centre-left party find themselves in is, as I'm sure you can tell, based on a theme of ideals and dreams, particularly the latter if Corbyn is convinced that Diane Abbott would perform a better job of managing Britain's police instead of ranting on This Week.
Nonetheless, let's just say the Labour Leader tendered his resignation tomorrow. What would the final result be?
We are fast approaching the 'mid-term blues' in this parliament. To give him credit, Ed Miliband did fairly well in 2012 after the Government's 'omnishambles' budget. It is difficult to argue Corbyn will deliver the same success after today.
If Labour are forced into another leadership election, it will be their third one in less than two years after the last general election. How can they honestly present themselves as a 'government in waiting' if they cannot settle upon a suitable conclusion to their current leadership woes? The make-up of the party's membership is overwhelmingly left-wing. If their communist leader were to resign, who would replace him? No doubt it would be their shrewd shadow Chancellor, John McDonnell.
Destined to decades in opposition
Labour's squeeze is worse than what they witnessed in the 1980s. Considering Michael Foot wrote the 'longest suicide note in history' for the party in 1983, this feels like the longest suicide mission in history for them.
Copeland is a huge source of anxiety for the working class party. It is almost impossible to fathom how they will climb out of this black hole. Splitting is not an option for them. The memories of that dark decade, the 80s, are still fresh in many MPs' minds. Under our electoral system, it would do them no credit to divorce.
So they are doomed to opposition for years, if not decades, to come. Corbyn must go, there is no question about that. But he still has the confidence of the party faithful, and that is no reason to 'just go.'
