My first Labour Party meeting since the early eighties.

After being politically active in the Labout Party, CND and Anti-Apartheid in my late teens and early twenties I went to work in a newly independent Zimbabwe. On my return I was still locally active in my union but this commitment dwindled and by the nineties my involvement went no further than putting crosses on ballot papers.

For decades I voted reluctantly for unispiring labour candidates and tory lite policies. Once I voted for the lib dems when they seemed more radical. Once I voted green because I couldn’t bring myself to vote for a particular labour MP in a safe seat.

Then it began to look like Corbyn would get elected. There was the potential for the labour party to distance itself from the legacy of new labour and the neoliberal consensus. I didn’t join in order to vote for Corbyn first time round. I waited. As soon as he was elected I rejoined the party, not because of who he was, but because of what his election said about the party.

I’ve had a slow start; some leafleting, some activity on social media. I haven’t been to any rallies. Last night I was one of 180 members who attended a CLP nomination meeting. The meeting was well organised. The venue was changed to a bigger room which was pretty full. Most people there were over fifty. There were some groups of people who knew each other and chatted in groups, but it seemed that there were also lots like me who were not established members. I recognised one person, my local councillor.

The meeting got off to a slow start with supporters of each candidate speaking in turn. With the exception of one woman who identified herself as a councillor the speakers seemed to be ordinary members, some new, some longstanding. There were no polished orators. One or two had notes on a phone or a scrap of paper but people spoke from the heart.

The arguments on either side fell in line with what’s been in social media. No real surprises, no mention of far left entryism and a genuine attempt all round to stay polite despite strong differences of opinion. The real discussion took place after the results of the vote had been announced when the tension had relaxed and people were talking in small groups to each other rather than a room full of people.

Smith supporters asserted that electoral success was impossible with Corbyn as leader. They said the PLP would split if he was re-elected. The woman I was talking to did concede that the threat of split was something very close to blackmail. She was concerned about increased hostility to MPs (letters with dogshit in them, threats, damage to property) but did half agree that some of this had been manipulated (Angela Eagle’s office turning out to be a shared staircase with a labour poster over the hole to make a good photo).

The vote went 123 to Corbyn and 60 to Smith. I posted this on facebook and so far the reaction is in line with the Smith supporters: “Ten or fifteen more years of Tories”. My FB friends only had one Brexit supporter amongst them. Where they express political views these are always Mirror/Guardian reader rather than Sun/Mail.

The neoliberal consensus still holds sway with people I know. After Corbyn has been re-elected there will be a lot of persuading for us to do, inside and outside the Labour Party.