Row in Corby lays bare the tensions in the Labour Party

Walked out of my first CLP in almost 10 years of membership. Final straw was someone, who I respected for all his campaigning efforts, claiming Jeremy Corbyn 'did us a favour' and it was therefore a 'success'. We lost a quarter of our MPs. I said so and left. We need to wake up.

— Beth Miller (@BethMiller91) January 31, 2020

Corby, traditionally a marginal seat, was held by Labour between 1997 and 2010. At December's general election, where the Labour candidate was Beth Miller, it was held by the Conservatives with a majority of over 10,000.

The constituency has an interesting history and sociology: Lewis Baston dissected it when there was a by-election there in 2012.

And last night it all kicked off there, according to the Northamptonshire Telegraph:

The former Corby and East Northants Parliamentary election candidate Beth Miller marched out of a tense constituency Labour Party meeting last night (Friday, January 31) after listening to a speech she says was ‘disrespectful’. 

Mirroring many CLPs across the country, discussions about the future of the party became heated because some members believe the party should take a more moderate stance in future, while others believe that the party should retain its Corbyn-style left wing politics. 

At the strained meeting, attended by about 40 party members, a participant reportedly gave a ten-minute speech backing Jeremy Corbyn, saying the leader had done the party ‘a favour.’

I fear that Labour activists have learnt nothing from four consecutive election defeats,

This may sound like good news for the Liberal Democrats, but it is not. Having spent every evening canvassing it Richmond and Barnes in 1983, I am convinced that we only win over moderate Conservative voters when they are not too scared by the prospect of a Labour government.

So a Long-Bailey/Burgon leadership at the next election would be very bad news for us.