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.