Labour’s Labours & the Groundswell of Indifference Toward Jeremy Corbyn
MICHAEL J BLAIR
Perthshire, Scotland
As we know, the Conservative party is currently in the process of electing a new leader, but that is nothing in comparison with the volcanic upheaval in the Labour party.
Ever since Jeremy Corbyn was elected leader of the Labour party, there has been a groundswell of indifference towards him. He is very much a product of the 1960’s, left wing neo-communist, touchy-feely, hippy dippy, demonstration-loving, placard-waving, bearded layabout weirdo, whom the establishment at that time looked upon with utter contempt and disdain.
A real firebrand in his early political life, sadly he is more a fireplace man now. Pipe and slippers obligatory.
Dressed in his usual attire, he looks as if he were going to be gardening or having a nice cup of tea, rather than being the leader of Her Majesty’s opposition in parliament.
He was elected leader by a landslide after being nominated for the leadership contest by another MP who was trying to make it look like a more balanced ballot paper. No one, including himself, expected him to win, and win with such a huge majority!
He was backed by vast numbers of fairly young people who felt that the establishment didn’t take their concerns seriously. They felt he could bring something fresh and new to British politics. Sadly, he was neither new or fresh, and has been a major disappointed.
He immediately set about forming a shadow cabinet mostly filled by people no one except their immediate families had heard of, with a sprinkling of ex-Blairite MPs to make it look more palatable to Mr and Mrs Middle England.
He didn’t want them spooked by a party led by a hairy, old communist and a shadow cabinet of left wing nonentities.
His shadow Chancellor is John McDonnell, another old communist type, as are his various advisors. This hasn’t gone down well with the more moderate majority of his fellow MPs. There are well documented tales of serious racism and anti-semitism within the Labour party, but Corbyn has done nothing to quell this serious problem at the heart of a party which has always said it abhors racism and bigotry of all types.
If the party leader can’t or won’t address this, then the culprits feel they can keep up their disgusting behaviour. This has been allowed to fester for far too long!
His appearances in the House of Commons and particularly at Prime Minister’s questions on a Wednesday afternoon, have been widely derided by the news media as wooly and indecisive. He appears to let David Cameron off the hook when he has him cornered on important issues, and for the leader of the opposition, that’s unforgivable. There are times when he appears befuddled and out of his depth.
During the EU referendum debate, Corbyn didn’t appear to understand that he had to actually take a position on the issue and lead his party in that direction. His speeches were so uninspiring, even his most ardent supporters drifted off to sleep. He showed no leadership in this, the most important vote in a generation, when it was vital.
By the day of the referendum, there was some disquiet amongst Labour MP’s regarding Mr Corbyn’s ability to lead the party in any direction, other than backwards. This turned into open hostility by the time the result of the referendum was announced.
The core “working class” Labour party vote hadn’t followed their usual path and blindly voted the way they had been told but had turned away from the party line, and migrated to people who chimed with their concerns over immigration and job security.
At this point, Mr Corbyn’s shadow cabinet disintegrated with mass resignations and complaints of poor leadership!
He was urged to resign from the leadership, but even with his deputy leader, the ultra-ambitious Tom Watson turning on him, he has doggedly refused to budge, claiming that the people who elected him leader, are still on his side.
He has hardly any support amongst the Labour MPs and naming a new shadow cabinet has involved making two tea ladies and a cleaner members of his front bench team.
I believe Mr Corbyn is a decent man, who was put into a job for which he was never suited. He was to be a people’s champion but has been turned into a national joke!
For his own sake he should step down and preserve what dignity he has left. If he stays on for much longer, he is in danger of splitting the party, which will be the end of the Labour party as a viable alternative to the Conservatives.
As for an alternative candidate for the leadership, they are few and far between. The big hitters have retired and the replacements are as talent-less a bunch as has ever represented this once great political movement.
They were the party of the workers for the workers, but now they are so far removed from reality, they’re as bad as the Conservatives. If they do split in two over Jeremy Corbyn’s future, it will leave the Tories in power for decades.
Just look at what has happened in Scotland when the Labour party imploded due to them taking the electorate for granted.
One party states are not a good thing unless you want democracy crushed.
ALSO BY MJ BLAIR
Vote Bollocks Or Water Buffalo
Out Out Out! What’s next after Brexit?
The Brexit Turkeys have come home to roost
Michael J Blair contributes political analysis to DDA, and he can be reached at: michaelblair43@googlemail.com. His Twitter handle is: @mmjblair
[Corbyn speaking at No More War event photo courtesy of Garry Knight from London, England, Wikimedia Commons]
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