by Jim Rose in constitutional political economy, Marxist economics, Public Choice Tags: British Labour Party, British politics, expressive voting, Leftover Left, rational irrationality, shy Labour voters

Jeremy Corbyn has done it. The working hypothesis of the far left everywhere is if the Labour Party were to adopt hard left policies, they would win many more votes.

The new votes include shy Labour voters parking their vote with the Tory party pending the call home to a true Labour Party.

They are parking their votes with other parties because they are fed up with a middle of the road Labour Party, such as the Blairite Labour Party. They are withholding their vote as punishment until the Labour Party returns to its roots and adopts hard left policies.

Our vision is of an economy that works for all, provides opportunity for all and invests in all. #jeremy4leader http://t.co/59Gk9AN7Xf—

JeremyCorbyn4Leader (@Corbyn4Leader) July 22, 2015

Rather than accept that their day has come, the left of the Labour Party is deeply suspicious of Tory party supporters wanting to join the Labour Party in anticipation of voting in hard left leadership in their current leadership election. What’s going on?

What seems to terrify the Labour Party is its old dream coming true: a large number of Tory party voters switching their support to Labour and joining the Labour Party because it might adopt hard left policies and a hard left leader who makes Michael Foot look like a pussycat.

Labour party members, please think before you vote for Jeremy Corbyn gu.com/p/4aqvd/stw http://t.co/U5hz02ahgd—

Comment is free (@commentisfree) July 22, 2015

What is more jarring than the fear of the Labour Left having its dreams come true is the Left of the British Labour is not showing against any insight into the genuine enthusiasm that the Tory party has for Jeremy Corbyn winning the election as leader of the Labour Party

There is no misdirection here or double play. The Tory party wants Jeremy Corbyn to be elected leader of the Labour Party.

Time for a re-run of this classic? http://t.co/Pwqyn00cQo—

James Bartholomew (@JGBartholomew) April 14, 2015

The Liberal Democratic party must see their resurrection coming in the form of Jeremy Corbyn as do UKIP in terms of making inroads into working-class labour electorates.

There are left-wing and fairly left-wing people who do vote for the Tory party and the LDP, but there’s not that many of them, and overall they only make up about 15% of the British electorate, and a small part of the left-wing vote not voting for left-wing parties.

It would seem more reasonable to follow the median voter theorem and go for those in the centre because there are plenty of them and only minor modifications of your platform are required to win their votes.

Anti-establishment candidate with fringe views draws huge crowds in sure-fire guarantee of electoral success http://t.co/P7waxqUXrR—

Alex Wickham (@WikiGuido) August 03, 2015

Why is the far left chasing with these shy Labour voters when there are plenty more middle of the road voters willing to vote for them in 2015 in the right circumstance?

…while the average UKIP or Tory voter is well to the right of Labour there are many Conservative and UKIP supporters who are in the centre ground and whose votes Miliband cannot afford to write off. For example, nearly four in ten UKIP supporters and 16% of Conservative voters place themselves on the centre point or to the left of centre.