Much Ado About Corbyn

I positioned this picture on the far left.

Post Brexit Britain is shaping up well so far. Not only do we have a lame duck Prime Minister, the opposition are also in meltdown following the vote to take Britain out of everything we are familiar with.

Tony Blair explained it well this morning, comparing the Brexit vote to moving house. Choosing to leave the house you know well, the benefits and the flaws, swapping it for a house you have no clue about, the flaws or problems there might be or what the house looks like. However this is the situation we're facing and I don't blame David Cameron for quitting, having no appetite to lead Britain in to a world he campaigned endlessly to avoid. He will leave as one of Britain's worst ever Prime Ministers but his departure is the catalyst for huge political upheaval. A new Conservative leader and because of a high likelihood of a snap general election, it has sparked a race for a new Labour leader.

My Background

I have to admit a bias before I enter this discussion. I have never, and baring a dramatic change of aptitude, will never be a Corbyn supporter. So much so that a couple of months ago I began to consider moving my support to the Liberal Democrats. There are many reasons behind this but mainly I want a leader and a party that has a drive, ambition and focus on winning. Corbyn has openly admitted he feels it is not his job to attack Conservative mistakes and his political moves in his 12 months in charge have been uninspiring, disappointing and underwhelming. I cannot think of a single achievement, you may point out the tax credits U-turn however this was a House of Lords victory mainly.

My other reason is the political approach Corbyn and particularly his supporters have adopted. His is not a persuasive voice, his is not a democratic voice, his is instead a dismissive voice. If you choose to criticise Corbyn you are a Blairite, you are a red Tory, you are a traitor to your party. There is no attempt at discourse, no attempt to persuade or even listen to your point of view. This is not how you win supporters, it is not how you win over an already biased media and it is not even how you win over members of your party. If the repeated phrase of Labour is a broad church is true then you do not win around more critical members of your church by shutting them out, dismissing them and accusing them. I myself have suffered from this and it is what first started my slide in to the arms of another political party. It is not disloyal to question if the leader is the right person for the party. A party the country so desperately needs right now. 

Coup Coup

With this out in the open I arrive onto todays events where 11 (at time of writing) members of the shadow cabinet has resigned. I firstly point out these MP's are people who have served in the Labour party for decades, they have a wide range of political stance (Seema Malhotra was close to John McDonall) and none of them will be options for future leader. Suddenly each of these MP's have been abused, past stances examined and criticised all because they fear for the future of the party. I also want to note that none of these MP's can realistically be called Blairites, there are not many Blairites who would serve in the shadow cabinet currently, nor would they be wanted by Corbyn.

Regarding the timing, it comes after a disappointing and underwhelming performance in the referendum by Corbyn and it is also done in mind that a snap general election could be called even before the turn of the year. Corbyn's past performances - the first opposition leader to lose seats in council elections and losing Labour voters in the EURef - do not inspire any belief that Labour would be successful in defeating a Boris led Conservatives.

I think the referendum is the key point, Labour could have won huge support if it had led the way, made a positive and crucially relatable message to the electorate. Instead Corbyn refused to play any part in cross party events, whereas Sadiq Khan, Tim Farron, Natalie Bennett all did. Instead Corbyn chose to comment on global warming (a valid issue but not in a majority of voters' eyes) and completely, overwhelmingly misread the public's opinions on immigration, stating he had no upper limit in mind. Being so out of touch with the opinions and interests of working class voters probably contributed to a leave vote in areas like the north east and north west, usually Labour strongholds.

What Now?

With all of this mind, his approach to politics, his record in opposition, his election record and his misreading of public opinion plus his many disappointing PMQ's performances and his positioning too far on the political left, I believe it is perfectly understandable why Labour MP's have acted the way they have. I could have mentioned much more, such as the shocking poll released today about Labour voters and his poor delivery of speeches but I can only write so much. I want a Labour government so much, this country needs the positive, equal and fair governance badly but under Corbyn I just cannot see the party I love going anywhere but backwards. While the change might be ugly, it's a change that has to be done. Cameron had the decency to stand down when he saw he could not command his party's loyalty, I hope Corbyn has the same decency.  

A Sad Day

After an immensely sad 24 hours following a depressing 12 months before a rubbish 5 years, we have arrived at this. A Labour MP, Jo Cox, being murdered in broad daylight for little more than her political views it seems. It is a sad state of affairs and every time I read about it or see it on the news, it's just sad. No other way of saying it, simply bone-numbingly sad. Sad because a bright burning light has been put out all too soon and hundreds of lives changed but sad because of what this says about political debate and the background it stems from.

The one hope that I have is that this awful event could maybe raise the level of political discourse in the country, something Jo Cox was able to fight against as she battled for her beliefs and stuck to her principles, over refugees most prominently. I hold this hope having been completely disengaged with politics since May 2015 when fear and division won. This has lead, on an increasingly downward spiral, to the hate filled, fear fuelled, emotion driven referendum debate. My belief is that this negative and divisive campaigning, tone and policies are the reasons behind the horrendous killing of Jo Cox.

I am hesitant to raise politics at this difficult period of time, especially as others have been criticised for doing so but when a politician is killed for apparent political reasoning then I feel there has to be some reflection, retrospection and investigation. Personally I feel all politicians and the media need to have a long hard look at themselves and ask if they have always kept the tone elevated and campaigning on the right topics and have used the facts accurately.

I want to raise the ugly face of patriotism and look back to the fear of the SNP coming and "taking over" our 'British' Parliament in the general election of 2015. I look back at the 'British votes' law which was voted through. I look at the fear and hate filled campaigning on immigration, those foreigners coming here and taking our jobs, money, houses and all the rapists, murderers and criminals coming from abroad. Can anyone realistically say this rhetoric, which is quite clearly designed to rile, anger and fuel emotion, is not at all to blame for Jo Cox's murder?

All that I have mentioned used to be the discussion kept to the outer reaches of politics but the sudden lurch to the right in British politics has brought it very much front and centre. This fear, anger and desperation is enough to make even a right thinking person consider their beliefs but imagine where these words might lead someone who suffers from mental health issues and what might go through their mind. Politicians, media and advisors need to carefully consider the potential effects of their words in the future and if there is one thing I hope comes from these dark days I hope it is this.

Much of my sadness and my words have been aimed at the right of politics but the left also needs to look at themselves. The rebuttal of this fear and hatred has to be a stronger message of hope, togetherness and positivity, Labour and their friends haven't had an answer to immigration and this should be a priority to push back against this awful narrative. Corbyn needs to begin to start discussing with and persuading his detractors not simply dismissing or ignoring it as a criticism of him, the left needs to be winning over people across the spectrum and bringing people together.

Famously the pen is supposed to be mightier than the sword and so the entire country needs to learn its lessons from this tragedy. We need to return to factual politics, not the politics of emotion. We need positive, thoughtful, empathetic words to reunite the country not divide it. Jo Cox's death is a tragedy of the grandest proportions, the only way to honour her is to fight for what she believed so passionately in.


For some further thoughts which follow a similar tone but are probably far more eloquent that mine, I would urge you to watch the video of James O'Brian on LBC posted in this Mirror article......http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/james-obrien-launches-passionate-rant-8220381

Regardless of your view, your political position or background I would also urge you to add your name to the no doubt thousands in the book of condolence here....https://donation.labour.org.uk/w/jo-cox-condolences