WAY BACK IN THE 1970s there was a red-hot political drama series called Bill Brand. Produced by Thames Television, it starred a (very young) Jack Shepherd (more familiar to today’s Sky subscribers for his lead role in the Wycliffe TV series). Back in 1976, however, he was Bill Brand, a young socialist firebrand elected, almost accidentally, to the House of Commons in a run-of-the-mill by-election in a safe Labour seat. Written by Trevor Griffiths, the 11-episode series explored the question of whether or not it was possible to be both a socialist and a Labour Party MP. The answer, at least as far as Griffiths was concerned, appeared to be – “No.”
I raise the ghost of the long-forgotten Bill Brand only because Griffiths’ question about socialism and Labour is being tested again. This time, however, the stakes are much higher. This time the question is: Can a socialist become the Leader of the Labour Party? The man who may yet provide an affirmative answer to that question is Jeremy Corbyn.
A man of the 1980s, rather than the 1970s, Corbyn’s record, in just about every other respect, marks him out as a sort of real-life Bill Brand. (Amazingly, he even looks like Jack Shepherd!) A supporter of just about every radical cause that has emerged over the past 35 years – from Anti-Apartheid to Animal Rights – Corbyn is among the most rebellious of Labour’s back-benchers. He is, however, much more than a mere darling of the NGOs. Corbyn is also a self-proclaimed socialist, and former trade unionist, who does not shrink from advocating swingeing tax rises for the rich, abolishing student fees, or renationalising the railways. (All extremely popular policies with British voters BTW.)
If Corbyn sounds a bit like a square left-wing peg in round Blairite hole, it’s because that is exactly what he has been for practically the whole time he’s been the MP for Islington North. And it was only as a forlorn standard-bearer for Labour’s long-abandoned socialist ideals that he put himself forward as a candidate to fill the vacancy created by Ed Miliband’s resignation. Indeed, most of the 35 MPs who signed his nomination form did so in the spirit of political charity. Why? Because everybody “knew” that Corbyn didn’t stand a chance.
And then something very strange began to happen. One after another Labour’s constituency organisations began declaring for Corbyn. By the end of the nominating process, to the abject horror of the Labour Party leadership, Corbyn had amassed 70 constituency nominations to the erstwhile (and very moderate) front-runner, Andy Burnham’s, 68. And, as if that wasn’t enough bad news for the Blairite establishment, the polling agency, YouGov, put Corbyn well ahead of his rivals Burnham, Liz Kendall and Yvette Cooper.
Talk about putting a very red cat among a whole coop-full of pink and blue pigeons! Almost immediately, Blairite MPs were threatening to organise a parliamentary vote of no-confidence in Corbyn should the membership of the party do anything so utterly irresponsible as electing a left-winger leader of the Labour Party. Others called for an ABC campaign (remind you of anything, Kiwis?) to unite the anti-Corbyn vote behind Burnham. Chiming in to the furore, in reflexive support of the Labour Right, came the lofty pundits of the Guardian and the Observer. “Surely,” they exclaimed to their shuddering keyboards, “Labour could not be that suicidal!
It is all so reminiscent of Bill Brand. The sheer madness of attempting to storm the ramparts of The City of London; of believing, even for a moment, that the news media might give you a fair shake; or assuming that your colleagues harboured the slightest respect for the wishes of the Labour members and supporters who sent them to Parliament.
And yet, Jeremy Corbyn is in the lead. He is winning the battle for the hearts and minds of the British Labour Party. Socialism may be dead in the committee rooms of Westminster, but in the suburbs of London, in the green valleys of Wales and in the grim post-industrial cities of the angry North, it still lives. And to the shock and horror of the entire British Establishment, the socialists have found themselves a champion.
Where is NZ Labour’s Corbyn?
Well put Chris. Echoes of the traction Bernie Sanders is gaining in the USA. Lesson in here for our own Labour Party.
Populations are always way less right-wing than the right wing paints.
Why would this be a concern for the British establishment? If he wins the Conservative party increases it’s chances of winning the next election in a major way.
Or else the voting public (remember them, Gosman?) might’ve had a gutsful of the Conservative’s cutting back on social services, and vote Labour just to get rid of austerity.
That will be Labour’s trump card: accusing the Conservatives of doing the Austerity Dance on the public’s head.
The Tories must be laughing.
Sure – make him the Labour leader…thereby making Labour completely unelectable.
(Why not bring back Michael Foot or Tony Ben whilst you’re at it?)
Why do you care, Andrew? You’re a National supporter.
“Why do you care, Andrew? You’re a National supporter.”
Fear.
Hehehe…
Nope.
I’m not one-eyed backer of a political party, like you.
I have voted for three different parties since MMP came into effect, moving my vote according to the critical issues of the day.
Seeing as they are both dead, that might be a bit difficult. Perhaps we could bring back Muldoon and Lange in NZ as well for a bit of fun, eh?
Be interesting to see if he gets Cunniffed!
I will watch with interest!
Of course the right wing MSM wont give him a sporting chance, so its up to the ‘man in the street”. I hope they stand firm. The only way to get what you want is to demand it. And if that doesn’t work, then the system is flawed and must change. For UK voters the first change must be to abolish first past the post voting.
Oh, how I wish we had one of them here!….has he got a twin brother??
And the question really is …why not?
Perhaps it is time for an advocate of what the little people want. It isn’t all about the right wing or the corporate’s all the time. That’s what democracy is all about.
And out of a large voting population who would want that – just like here – and have tired of failed neo liberalism and its so – called ‘ orthodoxy ‘ …squeezing the blood out of the common man and woman – again the question is….why not?
Under Cameron and Osborne, the UK will probably end up in a few short years, the lowest level of public expenditure/size of the state since Robert Walpole — and he wasn’t even officially a PM back then (they called him something else). I fail to see how that is somehow ‘middle ground’.
People may go on about Corbyn being ‘unelectable’, but I fail to find either of the others PM material.
I’m too scared to look – does Dennis Skinner support Corbyn?
And could Corbyn work with the SNP and the Greens? Plus Plaid Cymru, and the remnants of Irish Labour, of course.
Can he use all the orchestra of parties available for the greatest good of all? Or will he simply bang the tribalist triangle?
Watch…
The amusing side of this is seeing open petulance of the other contenders, who look rather like the Footlights University Team from the Young Ones’ University Challenge. You have to ask though, what the hell is happening when Labour values are regarded as an anathema to senior members of a Labour Party? I blame two things – job trajectories and fund raising. When your country no longer manufactures things, Labour candidacy gets to be one of the remaining means of securing a place among the elite, and you don’t want champions of the great unwashed messing things up for you. Then there is the fund raising: funds dry up if you try to seriously represent a Labour constituency, and funds flow if you are willing to earn their hatred by “making the tough calls.” This last problem could be fixed by a candidate who had a very thick skin and inspired high levels of enthusiasm and activism, which would indirectly affect the first problem, since if this was successful the party would then be redefined. Jeremy Corbyn is at least pushing in the right direction.
You touch on a very important point Olwyn. Like so many left wing leaders, Corbyn has never held down a real job and therefore has no understanding of the average person.
Look at his CV online and you’ll see his parents were upper middle class radicals and he’s floated from one ‘good cause’ to another whilst never having actually ‘worked’ – you know, like real people do.
Casting our net wider, consider how many of NZs left wing leaders have ever been held down a proper job – not that many you’ll find.
Clark – born of landed gentry, posh girls school, uni then the Party
Little – university then a union hack is all.
Cunners – minor civil servant.
Robinson – a Kings High boy, uni, then MFAT and the UN.
None of these people have ever had dirt under their fingernails!
It was the same when I was at uni in the 70’s. The left wing crowd were generally the offspring of Berkshire stockbrokers and lawyers doing soft degrees in political science and art. Real workers were generally not welcome among the radical set.
Your response doesn’t really apply to my comment, apart I guess from the idea of politics as one of the cool jobs for upper middle class people. But Corbyn, whatever his origins, is making ground by promising to represent the working class – which is upsetting those who think it expedient not to represent such people.
Yes, I was only picking up on that one point.
But consider – how can he and people like him represent the working class when he’s never done any genuine work?
Actually Olwyn it is even more insidious than that.
Part of the neolib method is to not only infiltrate the left wing parties for their own ends but to continually bang on about how “normal” and “sensible” the neolib message is. You only have to see the reaction from the Labour “establishment” here and in the UK. “This is madness!” they all squawk, “we’ll vote against that” and “we cannot accept a person like that as leader” just like the sniveling turncoats in the Labour Caucus did over Cunliffe.
And listen to the well named Little bang on about neolib nonsense. It’s a bit like having Roger Douglas in charge of the Labour Party.
And one effect of this rubbish is that many of the lefties and socialists in the Labour Party believe them and wonder how you initiate change against all these enormous overwhelming odds. They’ve swallowed the bullshit and can’t see that it is bullshit. There are no overwhelming odds; people can actually change this situation.
The right also react (Gosman and Andrewo included) with vicious attacks denigrating and repeating this message that you can’t change it. I can understand this because the right has the most to lose from such a swing in politics.
But the stronger and more strident the reaction from the right, the more likely a change is; it is a reflection of their fear. A fear that the great unwashed will finally realise the illusion of the neolib dream and return to socialism where people matter more than blank profit.
I am delighted in these developments in the UK and I look forward to it spreading here as well. Smiles all round…
I am also delighted with these developments in the UK, but I have more time for Andrew Little than you seem to have. He seems to me a thoughtful man and a straight talker.
Yes Olwyn & JS Bark
A face is as important as what he speaks, was actually the way they painted Keys popularity as the down to earth bloke remember?
But now Key carries a smirky sly grin so he is just a shell.
This Corbyn looks like a captain and a salty dog that is an honest caring compassionate chap that I would feel happy to lead me and us back to a caring past society again and leave this harsh winner takes all careless society we have become.
Bring on the socialist 1950’s again it cant be worse than this we are drowning in.
Of course Corbyn can lead the Labour Party. His personality will be allowed to shine thru just as long as he follows the script he’s given, by those in Power.
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