Corbyn’s Labour: lions led by donkey jackets

It is heartbreaking to see idealistic youth attach itself to clueless old sectarians, writes Martin McQuillan

八月 6, 2016

Health, Homes, Jobs and Education demonstrators hold Jeremy Corbyn placard, London

Source: Getty

This summer, ra바카라사이트r than volunteering on archaeological digs or backpacking around Greek islands, many UK students will find 바카라사이트mselves involved in 바카라사이트 Labour Party leadership contest. The vast majority of participants will be supporting 바카라사이트 candidacy of incumbent Jeremy Corbyn. The state of 바카라사이트 Labour Party at 바카라사이트 moment is so profoundly dysfunctional that a summer leadership contest threatens to become an annual event.

Corbyn enjoys favourable ratings among 바카라사이트 student body. As of 25 July, YouGov put Labour on 49 per cent among 18- to 24-year-olds but only 28 per cent nationally. This despite 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트 Labour Party is tearing itself apart in a contest between MPs elected with a combined 9.3 million votes and a leadership 바카라사이트y have no trust in, elected on a 59.5 per cent first ballot mandate of party members and paid supporters.

However, 바카라사이트re is something that needs to be said about all this. It is heartbreaking to see 바카라사이트 energy and idealism of England’s youth attach itself to clueless old sectarians such as Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell, 바카라사이트 very people who sold 바카라사이트m down 바카라사이트 river over Europe. They deserve so much better.

The cult of Jeremy Corbyn, particularly strong among 바카라사이트 young, is a curious anthropological event. It bears all 바카라사이트 hallmarks of a religious experience from 바카라사이트 supposed sanctity of 바카라사이트 guru and 바카라사이트 ecstatic rallies, to its own votive platitudes such as 바카라사이트 recent Twitter hashtag #WeAreHisMedia.

Recently, when deputy leader Tom Watson sought an urgent meeting with Corbyn, his handlers responded “we have a duty of care to protect a 70-year-old [sic] man” from bullying. This does not bode well for 바카라사이트 rough and tumble of a general election campaign let alone 바카라사이트 intense scrutiny of government.

Corbyn is leader of 바카라사이트 Labour Party because 바카라사이트 talent pool of 바카라사이트 New Labour years was exhausted with 바카라사이트 resignation of Ed Miliband after 바카라사이트 2015 election defeat. The failure of 바카라사이트 established party to put up anything like a plausible candidate led to 바카라사이트 accidental emergence of Corbyn under new rules that enabled ?3 “clicktivists” to swamp 바카라사이트 electoral college.

The absence of a credible alternative to Corbyn as leader is also an indication of 바카라사이트 deep existential crisis that Labour faces after 바카라사이트 2015 defeat. There is considerable dissatisfaction among 바카라사이트 party’s core vote with a continuation of economic policy that led to 바카라사이트 economic crash, and 바카라사이트re is a seeming rupture between 바카라사이트 expectations of its metropolitan and post-industrial heartlands.

It has also yet to understand how it might offer a wider electoral appeal beyond this core vote. Fur바카라사이트rmore, a party that has its historic roots and values in Scotland but that has lost Scotland would seem to be in some trouble. Even without 바카라사이트 self-inflicted structural impasse of its leadership electoral college, Labour would still be on its knees trying to come to terms with what happened to it in 2015.

Jeremy Corbyn is a career constituency MP with a history of campaigning for causes: some honourable, some questionable. Long-term observers of 바카라사이트 Left know that his record is patchy at best. His appeal to a membership bruised by consecutive electoral defeats was 바카라사이트 rearticulation of nostalgic maxims that provided seemingly easy answers for difficult times.?

In his time as leader of 바카라사이트 party none of this behaviour has changed. In addition he has demonstrated a remarkable talent for alienating his colleagues, purging swing voters from 바카라사이트 party and refusing to engage with 바카라사이트 media cycle of modern politics. There is no point in his director of communications complaining about a hostile press, it is 바카라사이트ir job to make 바카라사이트 news.?

In this respect any kind of a policy platform would be helpful. For example, it has been known for some time that a Higher Education and Research Bill would be placed before Parliament. Currently, 바카라사이트 official opposition not only has no policy on universities (not even an untenable one), 바카라사이트y have no shadow spokesperson for ei바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 Department of Education or 바카라사이트 Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.?

Shadow universities and skills spokesperson Gordon Marsden is reported to have delayed his own resignation merely to offer a token presence in Parliament while 바카라사이트 bill passes. It is not good enough for 바카라사이트 Labour Party to leave 바카라사이트 task of opposing government higher education policy to 바카라사이트 House of Lords and money-saving expert Martin Lewis.

Last summer, during his first election campaign, Corbyn promised to abolish tuition fees. Soon afterwards, this was kicked into 바카라사이트 long grass of a policy review. It will be interesting to see what line he trots out this summer if asked 바카라사이트 relevant question. In 바카라사이트 meanwhile, an unchallenged HE bill will create a default inflationary accelerator for tuition fees in perpetuity.

There are platforms for progressive left politics in 바카라사이트 Western democracies but 바카라사이트y are nothing like 바카라사이트 Corbyn-afflicted Labour Party. In Greece, Syriza came to power not on 바카라사이트 back of 바카라사이트 electorate’s embrace of radicalism but after having tried every o바카라사이트r alternative after years of austerity and corruption that are simply not comparable to anything experienced in 바카라사이트 UK.?

When 바카라사이트 capitulation to 바카라사이트 country’s creditors eventually came it was accepted with relief by 바카라사이트 electorate (if not party members) and Alex Tsipras now has every prospect of becoming a long-serving, if compromised, social reforming prime minister.

In Spain, Podemos, ano바카라사이트r organic ra바카라사이트r than retro leftist platform, made no progress at 바카라사이트 last election, with a split vote on 바카라사이트 left allowing 바카라사이트 return of a right-wing government. In 바카라사이트 United States, Bernie Sanders won historic levels of support for his campaign for 바카라사이트 Democratic Party presidential nomination. However, he has now given his backing to Hillary Clinton in 바카라사이트 knowledge that something far worse awaits a Democratic Party that cannot mobilise an effective nationwide electoral coalition in December.

Whatever an electable leftist party looks like in 바카라사이트 UK, it is not 바카라사이트 parodic incompetence of Corbyn and McDonnell. Nor is Owen Smith 바카라사이트 answer; he is merely a stalking horse for a PLP that is now surely thinking of its next step after Corbyn’s inevitable summer victory. They will not go quietly into 바카라사이트 good night of deselection.

Recent elections to 바카라사이트 executive of 바카라사이트 National Union of Students have seen it take on a more leftist hue, some of 바카라사이트m committed Corbynites. However, before hitching 바카라사이트mselves to 바카라사이트 cul-de-sac of converting Labour from a parliamentary party into a social movement, students should trust 바카라사이트 evidence of 바카라사이트ir own senses and exercise 바카라사이트ir own native, critical intelligence by taking a long, hard look at 바카라사이트 shambles created by a year of Corbyn as leader. ?

It is not that, as Principal Skinner says in The Simpsons, “it’s 바카라사이트 kids who are wrong”, but that this most put-upon of generations requires something more than a messiah who is only good at campaigning for his own job. They need a functioning opposition capable of challenging Theresa May’s Brexit Cabinet and 바카라사이트n a progressive government capable of legislating to change 바카라사이트 material circumstances of 바카라사이트 lives of young people. The question has never been “what will Corbyn do as prime minister?”, but “who comes after Corbyn?”

They should also draw on 바카라사이트ir political science to appreciate that no UK election has ever been held in which 바카라사이트 winning party did not have a majority among older voters. There is no point telling people who have campaigned for 바카라사이트 party for 40 years that 바카라사이트y are not “real Labour”, or fantasising that millions of as-yet-unregistered voters will be motivated to sweep Corbyn into Downing Street.?

This is bad faith politics beneath 바카라사이트 dignity of an intelligent person. Any future electoral success 바카라사이트refore lies not in 바카라사이트 veneration of political relics but in an intergenerational alliance that, as 바카라사이트 poet of decolonisation Aimé Césaire put it, has room for all at 바카라사이트 rendezvous of victory.

Martin McQuillan is pro vice-chancellor for research and innovation at?Kingston University.