'Sadly, I don't believe they ever really wanted to do that'

That's rubbish, of course 'the left' wanted to do that (ie win) as a whole - we're not a hive mind (you can criticise the leaders at that time, sure, but say that rather than characterising all left wing people). (note: this 'left' is not of a piece with leaders/most of the american Democratic Party as you seemed to suggest in a previous post (it's an old cliche that the democrats are to the right of the tory party here (well, maybe the tories of 8 years ago)

I don't think it was bad for the left of labour personally - was there even one before him? Most of the 'left of labour' I know weren't in the party since Blair and only rejoined because of the Corbyn surge - it reanimated us (like a zombie?), got us so animated the establishment pooped their pants and initiated the operation #### democracy/stop socialism media blitz. Losing was bad for us, but it's not like we lost in a fair fight of ideas (we'd win on policies every time, and in the us - only the pavlovian smear reactions and culture war baggage stop this imo) - and better to have loved socialism and lost than to have never loved socialism at all - the left should be used to these asymmetrical situations, we've been in them before and still went on to win victories in the end (weekend, 8 hour day etc etc) - first they ignore you, then they laugh at you, yada yada