Corbynmania?

Posted by: Bruce Woodhouse on 13 August 2015

I'm not a natural Labour supporter but I want a vigorous opposition with ideas and energy and this is clearly not going to come from the Lib Dems (remember them?). Whatever your political flavour the rise of Corbyn has surely been pretty fascinating. A slow motion car-crash for labour? A new wave of public enthusiasm for socialist politics?

 

Seems to me that he is the only person identified as 'real' by a young and previously un-represented group of the population and his rise represents a rebellion by the traditional Labour membership/unions against the parliamentary party so dominated by the anodyne men-in-suits (I include the two women candidates in that) that appeared with Blair and onwards.

 

As a future leader I'm not sure his policies or persona are credible, but surely it is his outsider style that appeals to so many. If I suspected him of media training I'd be inclined to suggest the open shirts and top pocket biro were inspired by the popularity of Syriza in Greece.

 

It has been fun watching the increasingly strident appeals of New Labour old guard lining up day after day to plead that 'sanity' returns to the debate and I'm sure we have not heard the last. Lets face it, anyone who Blair detests so vehemently gets my vote, and I suspect that the effect of our beloved ex-PM is probably to harden support for Corbyn. Maybe we will get one or more of the other three drop out to hand their votes on in an 'anyone but Corbyn plan'?

 

It is going to be interesting to watch the outcome, and I suspect it won't end with the vote. if Corbyn wins can he actually create a shadow cabinet and survive against the Parliamentary party with whom he manifestly has little support? Will there be a legal challenge? if Burnham or Cooper win can they possibly engage some of the Corbyn energy and policies that appear to have attracted new people to Labour and are also so obviously desired by the big unions? Most crucially will either of them actually keep us awake?

 

Of course the winners here are smirking on the other side if the house.

 

Bruce (with apologies to non-UK contributors. But hey, maybe we can have a discussion about the US Republican nominees. Now they are real characters!)

Posted on: 17 August 2015 by Bruce Woodhouse
Originally Posted by lutyens:

I think that the other reason that Mr C has so much support is that he has at least had a vision of the future. Instead of just saying how terrible the Tories are he has actually proposed something. You may not agree with any of it but at least he has presented an alternative. None of the other three candidates have done that. In the same way that Labour failed to provide an aspirational future at the last election with which the voters could identify with or at least support in opposition the that of the Tories, the other three candidates have spent the last few weeks simply criticising Mr C rather than offering their own strong vision. They are seen as just being more of the inept same.

 

I will be surprised if he is the next prime minister but I hope he will actually galvanise the labour party into what it could be, ready to be elected and create that better society that some of us would still like to see.

Sums up my personal feeling really, except I'd prefer the real alternative voices to be Lid Dem. I think Corbyn has illustrated a hunger for a fresher face in politics, for someone with character.

 

I have never been able to understand the appeal of Boris; maybe he taps into something similar?

 

Bruce