Are you serious?
As a former Labour member, I am appalled at what the current Labour Party has become!
You say ‘weaponising’ any normal, rational thinking person would say giving a humane, considered & reasoned response.
Shame on you, you really should delete this post.

Agree re communication.
The big early stories targeting the elderly & disabled, obviously outraged the core support, in places like Wigan.
Appalling judgement, why?
I have wondered whether the backroom advisors, Blue Labour/Labour Together were political strategy geniuses or in fact saboteurs!

Having grown up in a once moderately prosperous, mining (& other industries) town, I agree, but Labour is all but dead there now, sadly all self inflicted!
Certainly, no one among my family, friends & old neighbours will ever trust Labour again.
Starmer & co have made serious errors of judgment.

Exactly right!
Wasn’t it the twice disgraced former MP & now Lord(!) Mandelson who said about the South Wales ‘red wall’ voters, ‘they’d nowhere else to go.’ Mandelson, very wrong, yet again!

I respectfully must disagree there!
Lisa Nandy is seriously lacking in both principle & ability, a very poor communicator in interview, giving off strong ‘rabbit caught in the headlights’ vibes.
She is also now extremely unpopular in Wigan.

Exactly, many were stunned by the Brexit result.
In shock & disbelief, someone actually said,
‘why? When we were all plodding along nicely?’
It was a total disconnect & lack of awareness that many were NOT plodding along nicely.
*This* is where the ‘anything must be better’ belief comes from.

Yes, certainly not reported by MSM, but going by what I see in old ‘red wall,’ sadly neglected, post industrial & formerly solid Labour constituencies, I’ve noticed in recent weeks many are expressing disillusionment with Reform, particularly with regard to their plans for the NHS.
This will grow!

I joined Labour in 1974 & after many years canvassing, I can confirm the worst response on the door was ‘what’s the point they’re all the same.’
People will vote for different, saying they must be better than what went before, Brexit being the prime example, but I’m certain now Reform have peaked.

I agree, very few would support Reform for economic reasons, but those who join in the anti immigrant chorus will fall away when the reality of a Reform government on their own lives eventually hits.
Also, Farage’s support for fox hunting has *not* been well received by the ‘red wall’ demographic!

It’s Reform’s economic plans that will destroy Farage, there’ll be diehards of course, but very disillusioned Reformers won’t vote at all.
Their votes are lost to Labour though, as can be seen on the Facebook ‘nostalgia’ page of the huge ‘red wall’ council estate where I grew up! Time will tell.

Farage’s support will continue to fall as Reform’s economic plans become exposed.
However, those votes won’t return to Labour, if you know an old ‘red wall’ area you’ll be aware of the anger towards Starmer & Labour.
Many voters will turn to Green, but many, now disillusioned, won’t vote at all.

A mistake?
Or testing strength of public feeling & what they could get away with?
Either way a nasty, unprincipled tactic.

Exactly this, a self inflicted mortal wound.
It’s hard to believe that someone came up with this strategy & then actually *sold* it to the party!
I know that not a single one of my lifelong Labour voting family & friends
(all of them in old ‘red wall’ constituencies!)
will ever vote Labour again.