Appeals Court Freezes Out Labour Voters

An appeals court has overruled an earlier opinion that let Labour party members who joined after a “freeze” date to vote in the party’s leadership election. This ruling, based on an appeal by Labour’s National Executive Committee, effectively disenfranchises over 150,000 of their own Labour voters in the upcoming leadership battle. It is estimated that most of these disenfranchised voters are probably supporters of Jeremy Corbyn. However, it still seems quite likely that Corbyn will be able to hold his leadership position even without these new voters. Of course, the leadership vote will probably still not end the internal warfare that currently engulfs the party. The faction of the party that believes they can never win Parliament with Corbyn at the helm will keep on fighting him every step of the way. And the Corbyn supporters who are sick of the party being “Conservative-lite” will continue to fight back. It is hard to see how Labour can move forward until they resolve the civil war within their own ranks. And disenfranchising over 150,000 members of your own party is really not a positive step toward resolution.