I think like the markets, you occasionally need a large readjustment; the trouble with Blair and the ‘third way’ was it drove the political spectrum in the UK to the right, with what was the traditional left falling off the scale altogether.
That’s fine while you’re winning but it’s mighty ugly when you lose - because you’ve driven your opposition still further to the right .
All that’s happening now is the grassroots have a voice in forming and shaping a new political spectrum, and Osboune really doesn’t want to be seen to be too near the right edge.
And…wait a second, is that the glint of a new sun off some knight in shining armour? Someone that has stayed out of the political maelstrom for the last 5 years and is relatively untainted by failure and holds greater mass appeal to the voters?
Perhaps it is, perhaps the other Mr. Miliband might fancy a comeback?
There’s a detailed account of Monday’s disastrous PLP meeting and the aftermath in the Guardian now. The details are interesting and the comments from MPs are diagnostic - as how could they not be - of Corbyn’s challenges, but I share it for this masterful piece of stiletto work:
“*Even *significant political figures”. As fine an example of venomous condescension as you will find anywhere.
From that piece in the Guardian - The problem is that Jeremy has never met anyone in his life that disagrees with him and he runs away from any discussion or political argument; he is completely unsuited to being a party leader
A life spent in the echo-chamber of protest ‘politics’ is poor schooling for the real thing - the art of the possible.
There’s some satisfaction to be had, mind you, in seeing Corbyn telling the entire parliamentary labour party to do one, but I think we’ve all seen and heard that joke by now. I’m all for the idea of a messy, fiery conflagration of ideologies leading to a labour rebirth; but for that to happen he needs to at least be in the job for the short - medium term. He won’t last till Christmas at this rate.
Labour weren’t electable anyway.
I’m seeing a lot of blindness about austerity, as if it’s a minority concern. I can only assume such people live in the south east.
Ouch! Forget the Telegraph article. If he’s got MP’s willing to post that against him on Twitter, he’s doomed. In a parliamentary system, the backbenchers don’t criticise the leader that way in public - unless they’ve already calculated that the leader doesn’t have support from the MP’s and won’t be leader much longer.
Why? They’re MP’s, also elected by the people, and they can do whatever they want to knife him if they think that’s best for the Party in the long run. The result of the leadership vote doesn’t bind the MP’s to spurious loyalty, if they don’t think he really has the support.
But many MPs will be wondering if they have an untapped source of support now. Could end up with more left wingers. There’s real volatility in the electorate - Galloway’s big win, UKIP, SNP. Would it be fair to say that the financial crisis has had it’s long awaited polarising and fragmenting effect ? Any by-elections due soon ?
Corbyn is content for members of his Cabinet to have different views; he claims to want to achieve consensus by debating the issues. There is no ‘disloyalty’ no ignoring the Whip no “knifing”. Whether it all works out is another matter. But he has the mandate to pursue this for some while yet
If you think that austerity is a major concern (and it is) then you must be pretty furious that Corbyn is making such a ham-fisted mess of leading his party in the fight against it. A weak Labour Opposition means the Tory Government gets to do what it wants. They have a majority of just 12 and as austerity bites there will be an increasing number of Tory MPs who entertain doubts about the wisdom of these cuts. But that potential to influence policy and even defeat government bills will be squandered if Corbyn can’t lead an effective opposition.
We’ve seen a perfect illustration of the problems this week: The Sun - the Sun! - is running a campaign against Tory cuts to tax credits and yet somehow the big story relating to austerity, fiscal responsibility and government spending is an inept and confusing U-turn by the Labour Chancellor which denies him and the party any credit for the principled position they finally adopted and which put the focus firmly on spin, tactics and process issues. This was Labour’s chance to reclaim the “party of the working class” mantle that Osborne is working so hard to steal from them, and they shat the bed. It’s a disgrace.
Claiming to be oh so concerned with austerity while shrugging off as minor issues the ability to kick the Tories out of government or to win strategic victories in parliament isn’t blindness, it’s wilful paralysis.
It’s been Conference season. Back to PMQs today - Corbyn has been asking for questions again for PMQs. Also Cameron was in Bullingdon bully mode at Conference (about Corbyn) so it’ll be interesting to see what happens at noon …
We had a political party in Canada which took that approach: the Progressives in the 1920s. They had considerable popular support and actually came in second in the seat totals in the 1921 general election.
They got wiped out pretty quickly in the subsequent elections.
When one party in Parliament is essentially a debating club, with no set party policies, and no ability to rely on party discipline to try to win votes in a minority Commons to advance their goals; and the other two parties are disciplined parties that actually stand together on policies, and can deliver results by votes in the Commons, the voters chose the two disciplined parties.
Some Progressives went to the Liberals; some merged with the Conservatives, creating the Progressive Conservatives; and some created a new party, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation with, guess what, party discipline and a clear set of party policies.