Well she defeated the Argies and the Unions pretty conclusively, so I would put her on a par with Churchill for being a great success as PM personally.

We won't be able to measure how Corbyn fairs as a PM, because he hasn't got the remotest chance of winning an election (or remaining as Labour leader much longer). Shame really because he could have trumped the efforts by Major, Blair and Brown for incompetence and really set the bar low!

Meanwhile, while those with an axe to grind, fixate their spleen on Corbyn, an interesting piece in The Observer yesterday by William Keegan focuses on the real villain of the show continuing to steer HMS UK at high speed straight in the direction of an iceberg ....

cue axes to grind and spleen aplenty...

[Link]

The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.

Can someone remind me what panto villain Corbyn has done to screw up our economy, widen the wealth gap between the haves and have-nots, outsource our infrastucture to foreign companies and foreign state-supported entities and make the housing market in the south east all but inaccessible to new entrants without a sizeable trust fund?

Keep on swallowing the propaganda, people. All is well with Dave & George at the helm. Nothing to worry about except the Reds / Scots / Islamist Fanatics. Keep spending......

Well I think Simon's head is large; always involved in espionage. (Name that tune)

Most of us remember the last car crash of a Labour administration for 13 years (unlucky for us) under Blair and Brown.

Labour then lurched to the left with Miliband/Balls and the country decided not to risk a minimum 5 year term with those prize plonkers at the helm.

The Labour Party have now appointed Corbyn as leader with the backing of about 200,000 hardened Labour members and unions.

His performance so far has put off many millions of potential voters, not any propaganda - did the sun or the mail force Corbyn to say he would not fire a nuclear device? Does the express give Corbyn fashion tips? Does the telegraph or Sky News advise Corbyn on his choice of shadow cabinet?

All of what Corbyn does is reported on TV, Radio, internet and newspapers and people make their own minds up. Recent polls suggest they think Corbyn is a scruffy trotskyist that cannot be trusted to do what is best for our country in its hour of need. He is a hypocrite who chastises fellow MP's for being disloyal, but as a backbencher he defied the Labour Whip over 550 times.

I hope and pray that he continues as Labour leader as every day he is in office the chances of Labour getting back into power greatly diminish.

People keep saying that Corbyn has the biggest mandate of any previous Labour leader, but that in reality is the 200,000 I mentioned above. The job Corbyn has to do to get in power is to convince about 12 million voters to back him and all he appears to be doing is scaring them off?

Most people's biggest bills are mortgage and fuel - even if interest rates do go up it will be small increments - but $35 a barrel means we're in for cheap fuel for a while - maybe as cheap as 10 years ago.

China is so dominant in the world economy these days that what happens to their economy is bound to have a knock on effect - probably more market effect than the pound in your pocket.

You've missed the point Hoof. My point is that - whatever your views on Corbyn - he and his viewpoints have had no bearing whatsoever on the way the UK economy stands now. He is being used as part of the smoke & mirrors campaign being run to tell us all that Dave & George's Plan A is working and we need at least another 4 years of it because Corbyn in power would bankrupt the country / get it nuked by the Russians / get it overrun by "terrorists".

My point is that the UK economy is becoming ever more distorted against the interests of the average working person (house prices, job insecurity, outsourcing of mid-range jobs, race to the bottom on pay & conditions etc) and this can and should be laid firmly at the door of Dave, George and their sponsors.

Well I think Simon's head is large; always involved in espionage. (Name that tune)

The point that is being made by the mainstream media, quite rightly in my and most people's opinions, is that things would be a hundred times worse if Corbyn's policies were to be implemented. No-one is saying that Cameron and the Tories have done a perfect job, but they are in the view of the electorate (we did have a general election) the most credible party for government.

Regarding your second paragraph, the Conservatives have in my view tried to address some of these issues. Their hike in stamp duty on Buy-to-Let properties and extra incentives for First Time Buyers is a clear attempt to spread the wealth, and they've raised the minimum wage. Those are pretty leftist policies if anything. If you buy into the left-wing media's stereotype that Dave and George are nasty Tories then that's your prerogative, I think the evidence suggests otherwise. They've been about as centrist as you can get.

The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.

Who doesn't judge a person by their appearance nick?

I'll bet you didn't turn up to your last job interview wearing casual clothes.

The public build up a picture of any potential leader by the way he/she dresses, speaks, carries themselves and the way they react in a crisis.

Corbyn fails all round.

Playing down immigration's effect on housing stock is naive and wrong.

It is the single most important reason why there is a chronic shortage now and with net annual immigration increasing by 330,000 and rising, there will never be enough housing built to cope with demand or the space for the necessary infrastructure that goes with it.

But never mind nick you vote yes to stay in the EU mate.

Do you concede that a failure to replace sold off housing stock and vast numbers of empty properties has a bearing on the housing crisis.

How about those forced out through unaffordable private rents? Does this not make the situation worse?