Friday 11 September 2015

Jeremy Corbyn

Today it is very likely Jeremy Corbyn will become the new leader of the Labour Party. Listening in the last 30 minutes on R4 whilst I will wish him well, I remain uneasy. Simply because, and we shall see whether he distances himself from this, it looked as if it was being presented as a victory for the Working Class. Maybe it is that but to believe that is a basis for winning the country is so divisive. I am simply not interested in arguing whether I am Working Class, and for Fiona the same goes, although her railway worker parentage is impeccable. There is every difference between leading a group who think blue collar unionised workers are the most important bloc in society to whom all others are answerable and against that running your politics on the basis of appealing to EVERYONE concerned that we live in a land of equal opportunity, where the sick and vulnerable are properly cared for, which has decent public services, which works hard to eliminate poverty and is a serious player in world leadership. To do all of the last requires wealth and there should be no tension in not being a blue collar worker and in being able to support the Labour Party. And raw numbers will play out in any event, presumably the Corbynites will not know what to do with the self-employed? They (including both of us) who are 15% I believe of the workforce and growing and who if the Labour Party are ever to hold power again, they will have to persuade. And none of this even mentions the mountain facing Labour called the SNP.

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