DOCSLIB.ORG

Jeremy Corbyn Must Appeal to Class Loyalty

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Jeremy Corbyn Must Appeal to Class Loyalty A paper of Marxist polemic and Marxist unity War of the drones: n Letters and debate n Labour Left Alliance Ted Crawford looks at fast n Migration: 39 dead changing military technology n SWP pre-conference No 1273 October 31 2019 Towards a Communist Party of the European Union £1/€1.10 JEREMY CORBYN MUST APPEAL TO CLASS LOYALTY BUT BREXIT ISSUE CANNOT BE AVOIDED weekly 2 October 31 2019 1273 worker LETTERS Letters may have been to get an extension until January 31 2020. Frank - to name but a few. I’ve also read their conversion to Christianity - or their similarities between Africa today and pre- shortened because of If Labour wins the general election we quite a bit of Lee Child and Jo Nesbo, burning in hell. The fact that Zionism was revolutionary Russia. space. Some names will still be in the EU by September 2020. but I feel no impulse to join either the US originally a Christian ideology surprised What is needed is a Communist Party may have been changed This is surely the greatest example military or the Norwegian police. me, as did the demonstrable anti- of Africa (because of the advanced nature of guerrilla warfare since Fidel Castro To go back to my political history: it Semitism of its adherents. Nonetheless, it of the economy in South Africa, the South - with only 19 supporters, more than took me a few years to decide that I was was later picked up by a small minority of African Communist Party will play a major Election at last Corbyn has in the Parliamentary Labour no longer a Trotskyist and a few more to Jews and, especially after World War II, role in such a development). The population In the Weekly Worker back in July I argued Party - conducted a brilliant campaign decide that I was not a Leninist, though attracted many Jews of widely disparate of Africa is predicted to double by 2050 and that “The election of Johnson as prime in the Sierra Maestra mountains. No I still believe that they both contributed values. quadruple by the year 2100, making the minister is a time to reflect on the dangers wonder Corbyn hailed Fidel Castro much. I retain my belief that I am a For me, Ilan Pappe got it right when he possibility of a socialist revolution in Africa the working class movement now faces. as a “champion of social justice” (The communist and a Marxist, though Marx described the Edinburgh-Gaza twinning more likely. At the same time, Nigeria will Johnson can win as long as he avoids Independent November 26 2016), whilst would no doubt disown me. After all, I campaign as a “blessed initiative”. have a population of 300 million by 2050, imposing a no-deal Brexit and avoids a Boris Johnson compared Corbyn to “Fidel haven’t accomplished much in the field ‘Blessed’ can be used to refer to something making it the sixth biggest country in the general election before the UK leaves the Castro, Goldilocks and Count Dracula” of revolutionary politics. But then neither welcome, and in these divisive times, world by population. The working class in European Union on October 31. After the (Andrew Gimson, Conservative Home). has anyone else lately - with the possible what could be more welcome than a Nigeria, that of alongside South Africa, will deal is ratified by the Commons, Johnson By pretending to be useless, Corbyn exception of Gerry, of course. proposal that brings people together - one- be the key to the African revolution. will use this patriotic kudos to call and win has lured or even forced the Tories into Gerry points correctly to “inspiring stater, two-stater, Brexiteer and remainer? In Africa, from what I can make out, a general election” (Letters, July 25). two general elections in two years despite working class uprisings” (though there Could the twinning of Edinburgh the international revolutionary left only How could this happen? “We can only having a law which only allows it once may not be enough Trotskyists in Hong with Gaza, though to an extent symbolic, has small groups in South Africa, Nigeria, guess how Johnson will get his revised every five years! He held his nerve and Kong apparently) and I’m sure that he not at least recognise and begin to make Zimbabwe and Egypt - the latter being May deal. The most straightforward is to has now come out fighting for an election. would agree that there are also individual amends for the role played by a son of a bridge between the African revolution draw the economic border with the EU While he is doing that, he has at least a examples of extraordinary courage the former in the plight of the latter? and the revolution in the Middle East. The down the Irish Sea and do the checks in chance, with an army of close to half around the world, by journalists and Potentially, it could mean much more than International Marxist Tendency has a few Liverpool, etc. There is then no need for a million ready to go to war against a activists - mostly not Marxists. mere gesture, however. It would promote members in South Africa and a section an Irish backstop. Of course, Johnson will Tory Brexit and their anti-working class We need “the theory and practice cultural and commercial ties, certainly, but in Nigeria - Workers Alternative. The have to throw the Democratic Unionist austerity policies. of the revolution itself”, as Gerry says it could also provide practical assistance Committee for a Workers’ International Party under the bus. Yet the Tory rank and Who would have a chance against - and aren’t we lucky to have his pure to a people under siege. has sections in Nigeria (Socialist Party file have already said they would happily the combined leadership of Castro, version to guide us. Gerry is also happy to Unbelievably, the initiative has not of Nigeria) and in South Africa (Workers lose Ireland if only they could get Brexit Goldilocks and Dracula? Not many. So explain the resumption of the relationship received backing from those who you and Socialist Party - Wasp). The British and defeat Corbyn.” the last word belongs to the Tory, Andrew between Hannah Arendt and Martin might expect it to. Neither Edinburgh Socialist Workers Party’s International In October The Sunday Times editorial Gimson: “Corbyn, the disregarded Heidegger. Apparently, and I may have Action for Palestine nor the Scottish Socialist Tendency has a small group in came to a similar conclusion: “A prime Corbyn, may turn out to have greater misread him, it was so that they could Palestine Solidarity Campaign have Egypt (Revolutionary Socialists) and a minister who has delivered Brexit affinity with Middle England than opinion cooperate in providing a “rationalism for lent it support - doubtless the shades of small group in Zimbabwe (International would be in a strong position to inflict polls suggest. He could be the underdog capitalism” - very romantic. sectarianism and egotism that often plague Socialist Organisation). a heavy defeat on a hopeless Labour who was underestimated.” Soon we Arendt was and is not an answer to our progressive movements. But the support However, in my opinion, the key to leader, particularly one around whom will find out the next twist in the Brexit prayers, but I believe that she was not a of pro-Palestine Scottish politicians too the African revolution is for Marxists to the vultures in his own party are already revolution. Zionist or a Nazi either. has yet to venture beyond mere rhetoric. carry out systematic work within the South circulating” (October 13). The birds of Steve Freeman Jim Cook At least part of the psychology behind African Communist Party, which has more prey - Swinson, Watson, Blair, Starmer, London Reading these jitters among politicians and activists than 180,000 members. As the Weekly Thornberry and McDonnell - were seen almost certainly lies with the fact that Gaza Worker has pointed out, the SACP needs to in the skies squawking for a second Party line Twinning is currently governed by Hamas. Another break from the African National Congress referendum to finally finish Corbyn off. Gerry Downing has kindly explained It’s not every day you get the opportunity consideration is the fear of being labelled and stand its own candidates in elections to Rachel Sylvester in The Times noted my trajectory from revolutionary politics to ask a direct question of your country’s anti-Semitic, given the current ludicrous all levels of government in South Africa. that “most Labour MPs would prefer to (in the Workers Revolutionary Party?) leader. I was lucky enough to do just claims about the British Labour Party. Whilst I’m not a fan of Martin Jacques have a [‘remain’] referendum first. Some to the exit, from reading Hannah Arendt that at an event in this year’s Edinburgh Fortunately, ordinary people still have (former Eurocommunist editor of the of them hate the idea of campaigning for and books about sects. Apparently what Book Festival. Following an interesting a voice and can still make a difference. now defunct Marxism Today magazine), a hard-left Labour leader to become PM; I should have done was note “the defeat chat between Scotland’s first minister, They can take three minutes of their time Spiked Online and the Academy of others fear that the party’s position on of the miners’ strike, the fall of the Berlin Nicola Sturgeon, and the Booker Prize to add their names to our petition. Ideas, I do agree with them that Africa Europe is so confused that they would Wall and restoration of capitalism in the winning Indian writer, Arundhati Roy, the If you agree, please sign the petition at needs more capitalist development.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Viewpoint: Jeremy Corbyn, the Plp and Historical Visions of the Labour Party
    VIEWPOINT: JEREMY CORBYN, THE PLP AND HISTORICAL VISIONS OF THE LABOUR PARTY Matt Dawson The re-election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the Labour Party has demonstrated the fundamental split between two visions of the party. One vision, from Corbyn and his supporters, sees Labour as both parliamentary party and movement in which power rests with the members seeking to enact radical change. It would be crass to see this, as many of Corbyn’s opponents do, as a social movement beyond parliament not interested in government, but it is a view that in a party of campaigning, protesting and winning powerpolicies should not be compromised for the sake of parliamentary convenience/due to corporate pressure. AsHilary Wainwright has put it, a party with parliamentary representation but not one committed to parliamentarism. The second vision, held by much of the PLP is that Labour is a parliamentary movement. It exists to elect MPs who then, being Labour MPs, will implement socialist/social democratic measures which are in the interest of the nation. Any impediment to electing MPs is an impediment to Labour; a leader who cannot command the allegiance of their MPs is therefore not able to lead a parliamentary party. This was indicated by Owen Smith’s key claim, whether tactical or not, that the leadership contest didn’t concern a difference of policy (with the exception of a second EU referendum) but of electability. Smith, at least initially, presented himself as like Corbyn, but ‘electable’. The question of whether the shadow cabinet should be elected by MPs, or by members, is a further example of this dividing line.
    [Show full text]
  • 'The Left's Views on Israel: from the Establishment of the Jewish State To
    ‘The Left’s Views on Israel: From the establishment of the Jewish state to the intifada’ Thesis submitted by June Edmunds for PhD examination at the London School of Economics and Political Science 1 UMI Number: U615796 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Dissertation Publishing UMI U615796 Published by ProQuest LLC 2014. Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 F 7377 POLITI 58^S8i ABSTRACT The British left has confronted a dilemma in forming its attitude towards Israel in the postwar period. The establishment of the Jewish state seemed to force people on the left to choose between competing nationalisms - Israeli, Arab and later, Palestinian. Over time, a number of key developments sharpened the dilemma. My central focus is the evolution of thinking about Israel and the Middle East in the British Labour Party. I examine four critical periods: the creation of Israel in 1948; the Suez war in 1956; the Arab-Israeli war of 1967 and the 1980s, covering mainly the Israeli invasion of Lebanon but also the intifada. In each case, entrenched attitudes were called into question and longer-term shifts were triggered in the aftermath.
    [Show full text]
  • FSC Contents.Qxp
    Corbyn.qxp 21/01/2015 15:03 Page 10 10 Trident’s Farewell? The Politics The Agreement between the UK and the USA for Co-operation in the Uses of Atomic of Trident Energy for Mutual Defence Purposes, also known as the Mutual Defence Agreement (MDA), was signed in 1958. It allows the United States and the UK to exchange nuclear materials, technology and information. After many years, on 6 Jeremy Corbyn MP November 2014, the UK Parliament finally Julian Lewis MP debated the Agreement, although not its renewal, which fell due at the end of 2014. Few Members of Parliament attended this landmark debate, which revealed some of the politics of Trident nuclear weapons. The debate was secured by Jeremy Corbyn and Julian Lewis, who are on opposite sides of the discussion about upgrading Trident nuclear missiles for another generation. *** Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North) (Labour): … Why do we have to debate something as fundamental as a mutual defence agreement with the United States in time allocated by the Backbench Business Committee? The answer is that Governments of all hues – this applies to my party, as well as the coalition Government and previous Conservative Governments – have been reluctant to have parliamentary debates on this subject … It is interesting that parliamentary scrutiny of the mutual defence agreement and nuclear weapons has been in short supply going back to the end of the second world war. The National The author was formerly Archives in Kew has a document, ‘Extracts Russian Ambassador to from a memorandum on the Atomic Bomb the Conference on from Prime Minister Clement Attlee, 28th Disarmament in Geneva.
    [Show full text]
  • Contemporary Left Antisemitism
    “David Hirsh is one of our bravest and most thoughtful scholar-activ- ists. In this excellent book of contemporary history and political argu- ment, he makes an unanswerable case for anti-anti-Semitism.” —Anthony Julius, Professor of Law and the Arts, UCL, and author of Trials of the Diaspora (OUP, 2010) “For more than a decade, David Hirsh has campaigned courageously against the all-too-prevalent demonisation of Israel as the one national- ism in the world that must not only be criticised but ruled altogether illegitimate. This intellectual disgrace arouses not only his indignation but his commitment to gather evidence and to reason about it with care. What he asks of his readers is an equal commitment to plumb how it has happened that, in a world full of criminality and massacre, it is obsessed with the fundamental wrongheadedness of one and only national movement: Zionism.” —Todd Gitlin, Professor of Journalism and Sociology, Columbia University, USA “David Hirsh writes as a sociologist, but much of the material in his fascinating book will be of great interest to people in other disciplines as well, including political philosophers. Having participated in quite a few of the events and debates which he recounts, Hirsh has done a commendable service by deftly highlighting an ugly vein of bigotry that disfigures some substantial portions of the political left in the UK and beyond.” —Matthew H. Kramer FBA, Professor of Legal & Political Philosophy, Cambridge University, UK “A fierce and brilliant rebuttal of one of the Left’s most pertinacious obsessions. What makes David Hirsh the perfect analyst of this disorder is his first-hand knowledge of the ideologies and dogmata that sustain it.” —Howard Jacobson, Novelist and Visiting Professor at New College of Humanities, London, UK “David Hirsh’s new book Contemporary Left Anti-Semitism is an impor- tant contribution to the literature on the longest hatred.
    [Show full text]
  • The Progressive Dilemma Revisited
    This is a repository copy of The progressive dilemma revisited. White Rose Research Online URL for this paper: http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/113268/ Article: Gamble, A. orcid.org/0000-0002-4387-4272 (2017) The progressive dilemma revisited. Political Quarterly, 88 (1). pp. 136-143. ISSN 0032-3179 https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-923X.12327 This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Gamble, A. (2017), The Progressive Dilemma Revisited. The Political Quarterly, 88: 136–143, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-923X.12327. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving. Reuse Unless indicated otherwise, fulltext items are protected by copyright with all rights reserved. The copyright exception in section 29 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 allows the making of a single copy solely for the purpose of non-commercial research or private study within the limits of fair dealing. The publisher or other rights-holder may allow further reproduction and re-use of this version - refer to the White Rose Research Online record for this item. Where records identify the publisher as the copyright holder, users can verify any specific terms of use on the publisher’s website. Takedown If you consider content in White Rose Research Online to be in breach of UK law, please notify us by emailing [email protected] including the URL of the record and the reason for the withdrawal request. [email protected] https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/ The Progressive Dilemma revisited Andrew Gamble David Marquand wrote The Progressive Dilemma in 1991.1 The book is an extended set of reflections on the progressive tradition in British politics and the dilemma faced by progressive intellectuals since the beginning of the twentieth century.
    [Show full text]
  • Marxism- Leninism Teaches That the People Are the Creators of History Enver Hoxha
    C Introduction, A.Hamza & F.Ruda C R R I I S “Marxism-Leninism Teaches that the People is the Creator of History“ S I was published in Zëri i Popullit (The Voice of the People), the official I S S Marxism- 1 th newspaper of the Labour Party of Albania in Nr. 90 (2359) on the 14 & of April 1956. It was published a day before the Tirana Conference of & the Communist Party (15th-16th April 1956), which was a very important C C R political development for the Labour Party of Albania. At that time, the R I country was still holding a very pro-Soviet position, however, trying I Leninism TeachesT T I to situate itself with regard to the Soviet Union after Tito’s attempt to I Q renormalize relations with the Soviet Union and Khrushchev’s visit in Q U Belgrade just a year before. U E E At this Conference, Enver Hoxha was nearly voted out, or more that the People / precisely, the Tirana Conference was about to vote out the Albanian Troika / of Enver Hoxha- Mehmet Shehu2- Beqir Balluku.3 Balluku was presiding Volume 3 / Volume 3 / Issue 1 over the Conference, when the critiques of the Politburo reached its Issue 1 peak. When the situation was “electrified,” as Hoxha himself described it, Balluku called Hoxha, who was on holiday in the southern town of are the Creators Vlora, and suggested to come back to Tirana immediately, as he was about to be voted out. Enver came back and delivered two speeches. In the first one (given on the 15th of April), he addressed the delegates in a very soft and moderate tone, trying to reconcile with his critics, whereas on the morning of the 16th his tone was much harsher and he denounced of History many delegates, who were then later executed.
    [Show full text]
  • The Inner Workings of British Political Parties the Interaction of Organisational Structures and Their Impact on Political Behaviours
    REPORT The Inner Workings of British Political Parties The Interaction of Organisational Structures and their Impact on Political Behaviours Ben Westerman About the Author Ben Westerman is a Research Fellow at the Constitution Society specialising in the internal anthropology of political parties. He also works as an adviser on the implications of Brexit for a number of large organisations and policy makers across sectors. He has previously worked for the Labour Party, on the Remain campaign and in Parliament. He holds degrees from Bristol University and King’s College, London. The Inner Workings of British Political Parties: The Interaction of Organisational Structures and their Impact on Political Behaviours Introduction Since June 2016, British politics has entered isn’t working’,3 ‘Bollocks to Brexit’,4 or ‘New Labour into an unprecedented period of volatility and New Danger’5 to get a sense of the tribalism this fragmentation as the decision to leave the European system has engendered. Moreover, for almost Union has ushered in a fundamental realignment a century, this antiquated system has enforced of the UK’s major political groupings. With the the domination of the Conservative and Labour nation bracing itself for its fourth major electoral Parties. Ninety-five years since Ramsay MacDonald event in five years, it remains to be seen how and to became the first Labour Prime Minister, no other what degree this realignment will take place under party has successfully formed a government the highly specific conditions of a majoritarian (national governments notwithstanding), and every electoral system. The general election of winter government since Attlee’s 1945 administration has 2019 may well come to be seen as a definitive point been formed by either the Conservative or Labour in British political history.
    [Show full text]
  • ATINER's Conference Paper Series SOC2019-2637
    ATINER CONFERENCE PAPER SERIES No: LNG2014-1176 Athens Institute for Education and Research ATINER ATINER's Conference Paper Series SOC2019- 2637 Corbyn’s Ideology: Social Democracy, Democratic Socialism, or Left Populism? Burak Cop Associate Professor Istanbul Kültür University Turkey 1 ATINER CONFERENCE PAPER SERIES No: SOC2019-2637 An Introduction to ATINER's Conference Paper Series Conference papers are research/policy papers written and presented by academics at one of ATINER‘s academic events. ATINER‘s association started to publish this conference paper series in 2012. All published conference papers go through an initial peer review aiming at disseminating and improving the ideas expressed in each work. Authors welcome comments Dr. Gregory T. Papanikos President Athens Institute for Education and Research This paper should be cited as follows: Cop, B. (2018). “Corbyn’s Ideology: Social Democracy, Democratic Socialism, or Left Populism?”, Athens: ATINER'S Conference Paper Series, No: SOC2019-2637. Athens Institute for Education and Research 8 Valaoritou Street, Kolonaki, 10671 Athens, Greece Tel: + 30 210 3634210 Fax: + 30 210 3634209 Email: [email protected] URL: www.atiner.gr URL Conference Papers Series: www.atiner.gr/papers.htm Printed in Athens, Greece by the Athens Institute for Education and Research. All rights reserved. Reproduction is allowed for non-commercial purposes if the source is fully acknowledged. ISSN: 2241-2891 17/07/2019 2 ATINER CONFERENCE PAPER SERIES No: SOC2019-2637 Corbyn’s Ideology: Social Democracy, Democratic Socialism, or Left Populism? Burak Cop Associate Professor Istanbul Kültür University Turkey Abstract The ―Third Way‖, the recipe Labour Party (UK) adopted in the 1990s with the aim to differ from the old left and the New Right and to reconcile the social democracy with the primacy of the market, was the consequence of the end of the Welfare State consensus, the decline of the Marxism‘s appeal, and the economic, social, and technological changes that took place after the 1970s in the capitalist world.
    [Show full text]
  • Negative Agenda Setting in the Press Introduction & Reports
    CORBYN’S FIRST WEEK: Negative Agenda Setting in the Press Introduction & Reports This new research by the Media Reform Coalition e sitiv shows how the press set out to systematically Po 3% undermine Jeremy Corbyn during his first week as 1 Labour Leader with a barrage of overwhelmingly negative coverage. l a 494 news, r 6 t Our research examined the coverage in 8 national comment and 0 u % e daily newspapers and their Sunday publications editorial N N from 13-19 September 2015. We found that out of e g % pieces 7 a total of 494 news, comment and editorial pieces, a 2 t i v 60% (296 articles) were negative, with only 13% e positive stories (65 articles) and 27% taking a neutral stance (133 articles). News Items One might expect news items, as opposed to on overwhelmingly negative assumptions comment and editorial pieces, to take a more about the new Labour leader who, it should be balanced approach but in fact the opposite is true. remembered, secured some 251,000 votes in the leadership election, in contrast to David Cameron A mere 6% of stories classed as news (19 out of who received just over half this figure in the 292) were positive, versus 61% negative stories Conservative Party’s leadership election. and 32% taking a neutral stance. Any notion of simply ‘reporting the facts’ in straight coverage of This ‘default’ position is particularly significant breaking events appears to have had a restraining given how these stories make up the bulk of the effect on positive stories only, suggesting that coverage during Corbyn’s first week (59% or 292 the default ‘common sense’ position is based articles).
    [Show full text]
  • Should He Stay Or Should He Go? Television and Online News Coverage of the Labour Party in Crisis
    2016 Should he stay or should he go? Television and Online News Coverage of the Labour Party in Crisis Dr Justin Schlosberg Media Reform Coalition in association with Birkbeck, University of London 7/27/2016 1 Contents Executive Summary p. 2 I. Methodology p. 6 II. Sources and Issues p. 8 III. A Tale of Two Reports p. 12 IV. Spotlight on the BBC p. 13 V. Conclusion and Recommendations p. 16 2 Executive Summary 465 online articles and 40 prime time news bulletins assessed Twice as much airtime given to critical, rather than supportive voices Huge imbalance in favour of issues pushed by Corbyn critics on early evening BBC and ITV bulletins – especially pronounced in headline stories Strong tendency within BBC main evening news for reporters to use pejorative language when describing Jeremy Corbyn and his supporters Domination of views opposed to the Labour leadership in all but one of the online outlets sampled, and across both left and right-leaning titles Online-only news sites relatively balanced in their coverage, as well as the BBC online Aims and context The news media have for some time been on the front lines of controversy surrounding Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of the Labour Party. In November 2015, the Media Reform Coalition produced research which showed that newspapers overwhelmingly sought to attack Corbyn’s leadership credentials from the moment he was elected.1 In June 2016, the London School of Economics published research based on a more extensive analysis of newspaper coverage that reached similar conclusions.2 Many of the most salient stories and issues observed in those studies reached fever pitch during the political fallout following the EU referendum, and Labour’s existential crisis that ensued.
    [Show full text]
  • Jeremy Corbyn Has Risen Because the Stakes Are Low
    28th September 2015, Financial Times, Janan Ganesh Jeremy Corbyn has risen because the stakes are low Janan Ganesh Country with leisure to take umbrage at scripted interviews and bloodless technocracy is doing fine ©Getty Nobody who asks for “authenticity” in politicians understands how decadent this sounds. Most people in most societies for most of history would have made do with administrative competence, incorruptibility and a disinclination to plunder citizens or conscript them as war fodder. Mid-20th century Britons dreamt of low inflation and heated homes before they caressed hopes of conviction politics. A country with the leisure to take umbrage at scripted interviews and bloodless technocracy is doing fine. The modern distaste for spin, which makes heroes of plain- speakers such as Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the UK’s opposition Labour party, is like the campaign against obesity: warranted, but also a mark of how far we have come. There are worse problems to have and we had them not long ago. Mr Corbyn’s rise to eminence is not a verdict against Britain’s social failures. His movement is not, as it claims, a howl at inequality and questing militarism that has been gathering wind under complacent elites for years. Corbynism is not an expression of how bad things have become but how comfortable they are. Whatever our era ends up being called — late capitalism, high modernity — it has thrown up a class of people who can afford to treat politics as a source of gaiety and affirmation. The electors who were decisive in giving him the run of the Labour party tend not to be working class or doctrinally socialist or even very political, though all three types exist in his ranks.
    [Show full text]
  • Journalistic*Representations*Of*Jeremy*Corbyn*In*The* British*Press:* * From%Watchdog%To%Attackdog% %
    Journalistic*Representations*of*Jeremy*Corbyn*in*the* British*Press:* * From%Watchdog%to%Attackdog% % Media@LSE*Report* –––– Academic Report on Journalistic Representations of Jeremy Corbyn –––– Foreword: As media and communication scholars we have been troubled by the problematic way in which the British media has systematically attacked Jeremy Corbyn ever since he came to national prominence in the summer of 2015. At the same time, we also acknowledge that the media needs to fulfill an important watchdog role in a democracy. Indeed, we expect and value our media to be critical and to ask difficult and probing questions of those in positions of power. Jeremy Corbyn is an unconventional party leader in a British context, more leftwing than previous leaders of the Labour Party, contesting the neoliberal common sense and promoting an anti-austerity and anti-war agenda. The question we pose here is to what extent this warranted the acerbic and overtly aggressive media reaction he has consistently received over the last year? Is it acceptable for the media to delegitimise to such an extent a legitimate democratic actor who is the leader of the main opposition party in British politics? This study, undertaken by the LSE’s Media and Communications Department, set out to empirically analyse the nature of the media representation of Jeremy Corbyn in 8 British newspapers from 1 September – 1 November 2015. First, it distinguishes between critical reporting and what we call antagonistic reporting. Second, it aims to demonstrate and assess the ways in which the British press systematically delegitimised Jeremy Corbyn as a political leader.
    [Show full text]