But that is not leftist politics Hrolf. In fact, it could equally be argued to be on the other side. After all, what is more right wing free market policy than allowing the unfettered movement of labour to flow where the work is?

Depends on the policies. Some on here consider me to the left, although I embrace a lot of the right where it suits.

If you are saying that the progressive metropolitan elite types will not accept any part of the new populist right (and too many words in that sentence that could justify parenthesis) than you may be right. well, not at least not openly if they are in the company of another member of their group.

Completely agree with the second para.

But the outcome of pushing a second referendum manifesto promise was not 'fluid'. The data was there. In plain sight. With huge amounts of electoral evidence to back it up.

And yet Labour still end up with their manifesto pledge, pushed by supposedly 'educated' people. Electoral suicide. They ended up getting slaughtered with only the Brexit Party saving them from even worse.

You can argue about IQ's all you want but the reality is that if you though a second referendum was an idea that was going to go down well in a general election then you are as thick as s***. Far dumber than any of the most ignorant Brexiteers you chose to look down your noses at.

Beyond belief really and I don't believe those people at the top of the People Vote campaign, and their allies within the PLP, ever truly believed it would happen. All I see is a very machiavellian step to make Corbyn, and the wider Left, lose their grip on the Labour Party.

The real brain-deads are those who bought the hype. Dumber than a box of frogs.

"The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command." - 1984 - George Orwell.

This is very true. And an interesting thread that hasn't descended into insults yet!

I can't find the relevant charts at the moment but I read something that I agreed with that these things are cyclical. After the Student Uprising in Paris in 1968 France pivoted to the left, and is only now beginning to pivot back again as the growing support for Le Pen is indicating. At the same time the US and UK pivoted the other way but is now swinging back towards more Socialist thinking. Trump's term is a good example of a temporary reaction to this.

The comment about unpredictability is spot on though. I'm in the fund management world and it's astonishing to see how long it takes for thinking to change. The reason that I see is that all the economists/fund managers/policy makers etc are of a similar age and so all attended the same Universities, learned the same stuff from the same books and lecturers, all ended up living in the same places, marrying each other, having affairs with each other, eating in the same restaurants etc etc. And because of the type of people that they are they always think they're right, and find it extremely difficult to understand that what they learned doesn't necessarily apply any more. This is one of the reasons the Financial Crisis of 2008 came as such a shock, and particularly the extended low interest rate/low inflationary world since. Even today they are genuinely excited that inflation is coming back (it's not, of course).

Their scorn for MMT was a joy to behold, and they continue to predict that it will be a disaster. It may, but it's bailed us all out so far.

So the "educated" believe with a passion what they believe and rarely mix with those who can show them another view. These kind of people don't "understand" what the books have told them.

The ability to adapt will slap the "educated" around the face in years to come though as a study I saw suggested that of the top 10 professions to be at risk from automation, three of the top 5 were the accountancy, legal and fund management world. All of which believe that they are deserving of a certain level of income based on their education.

Living down here does have some advantages. At least you can see them cry.

Exactly.

Free movement of people allows wealthier people to hire cheap builders, gardeners, and cleaners, and pushes down labour costs for shops and bars. It goes against the tradition left wing thinking.

Freedom of movement is a economically a right wing policy dressed up as liberalism.

The original data is 11 years old. There may not have been a shift in voting habits, more of a shift in education. Greater numbers of people from traditional labour voting backgrounds now have degrees.