Problem is Nick that it doesn't really matter how people are making their decisions. The electoral results show that they are making their decisions - and they are almost universally unfavourable or at best apathetic towards Jeremy Corbyn.

Many of Corbyn's policies would be popular. But for whatever the reasons - and whether you believe they are right or wrong - the majority of people have pretty clearly decided that JC will not make a good PM. And that is damaging the Labour party.

Stoke was a relatively good result given the headwinds. But Copeland was an utter disaster. There have been some reasonable by-election performances under his leadership, but there have been some (very) poor ones and the Scottish elections were also catastrophic.

While is coterie then blame everything but his leadership on the results, they move further and further away from both the truth and the public. And yes there is a lot of knifing-in-the-back going on, but the most disloyal MP in Labour history can't really expect MPs to be loyal to him.

There has always been a difficulty for the Left. A centre-left party that might win or a left party that is likely to lose. Is a little bit of "left" better than none, but remaining "pure".

"It's almost like a moral decision. Except not really cos noone is going to find out," Jez, Peep Show

WOW that is a surprise !!

Pro USA & Israel

You are right, but has Corbyn ever been given anything other than a negative press? What a lot of people have failed to see is that the attacks in the media have been ad hominem and not rooted in policy (apart from trident, which is a very devisive issue so it could be argued that it is good that someone 'high up' can give a counter argument)

I'd also argue that any Labour leader would face the same treatment. Look how many simple minded people laughed at anyone who considered Milliband to be a good leader because of the way he ate a sandwich.

You rightly say many of Corbyns / Labours policies would be popular, why do you think the media keep a lid on them? What is it do you think that those who own the press (and therefore help shape the opinions of their readership about their beloved country (the readers-not the press barons who don't actuall live here!)) are worried about?

Whilst disappointing, it's worth considering a few things about Copeland: The Labour vote has been falling election on election in Copeland. The local CLP were not allowed to put forward a 'left' candidate in the selection process. The majority was not a big one in the first place. Corbyn's distrust of nuclear didn't help as Sellafield is in the constituency. May's right wing rhetoric hoovered up UKIP votes.

Without wishing to be accused of whataboutery, how come their weren't calls for May's head after a 23,000 majority was overturned in Richmond recently?

This is a woman who promised to cut net migration to below 100,000 but actually oversaw the biggest inward migration peaks in all of British history!

Not only does May have a track record of brazen incompetence, she's also a hard-right authoritarian with a penchant for totalitarian policies like secret courts, discriminatory immigration rules for British spouses, hopelessly flawed, evidence-free and unworkable drugs laws, unprecedented state snooping powers and the abolition of our human rights.

You wouldn't know this though would you because May has been painted as a safe pair of hands.

Corbyn is no more left wing than Atlee was. Yet he is painted as ultra left.

Attlee and Corbyn. Attlee, although himself vastly overrated, deserves better than to be mentioned in the same sentence as Corbyn. The latter is wasting his own, and his party's time.

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Jackson.. Wan Bissaka.... Sansom.. Nicholas.. Cannon.. Guehi.... Zaha... Thomas.. Byrne... Holton.. Rogers.. that should do it..

Tories didn't have a candidate?

Attlee was left wing in thinking nationalisation of industries would work - they didn't know better from experience then. Of course the NHS was a flagship left wing policy. But Attlee's government was also conservative with a small 'c' in some ways - their austerity measures make today's look a walk in the park. Attlee was also a great patriot, not something Corbyn is often accused of.

We have now sunk to a depth at which the restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men. [Orwell]