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Corbyn, Populism and Power Luke Martell (University of Sussex)

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Corbyn, Populism and Power Luke Martell (University of Sussex) Corbyn, Populism and Power Luke Martell (University of Sussex) eremy Corbyn was elected leader of Corbyn, but has a populist content to it, Jthe Labour Party in 2015 with wide for all of society, not just the core working member support but opposed by most class, and against the elite. Corbyn had of the party’s parliamentary elite. In a phase of using Trump-ist terminology late 2016, his team, wary of a possible about the system being ‘rigged’. For election and with the party lagging in the many he has seemed a man of the people, polls, decided on a populist approach, speaking directly to them, close to and for inspired by Trump’s no-nonsense anti- them, despite the opposition of political, elitism. Corbyn was never one of the media and corporate elites; a British part establishment, through his career a serial of a global populist surge in politics, left rebel against the party leadership and versions in Southern European parties was seen as having an honest ‘unpolished like Syriza and Podemos, Sanders in the authenticity’ (Bulman 2016, Stewart USA and the Latin American left. At the and Elgot 2016). He was allowed to be 2017 election, Corbyn’s Labour won an himself, perceived to be close enough to unexpectedly large vote, across classes, the people for this to find resonance with with strong support from the young. them. In the 2017 election campaign he spoke at large rallies and moved with ease arch (2017a, 2017b) argues, amongst ordinary people, in contrast Mhowever, that there is little to the Tory leader who was said to be populism in mainstream British politics, robotic in interviews and was kept away beyond politicians being people-centric from the public. He used the slogans of and claiming to be close to the people; ‘straight talking honest politics’ when as much electoralism as populism. standing for the party leadership, and Mainstream political populism, he says, ‘for the many not the few’ at the general is ‘fleeting, vague and tokenistic’ and not election. The latter is from Labour pre- populist in the true sense of being anti- Page 1 Hard Times 101 (1/2018) Corbyn, Populism and Power elitist and favouring popular sovereignty: used definition is of beingfor the people ‘seeing Corbyn as populist is, at best, a against the elites. A stronger and narrower half-truth’ (March 2017a). However, definition is as for popular sovereignty the glass is half full as well as half empty and popular democracy, a by the people and there are populist dimensions populism. Economic populism is about to Corbyn’s policies, although some being for the people against the elite of it leftism creating populism as in terms of material redistribution and much as populism behind his leftism. egalitarianism. Populism is sometimes defined in terms of nationalism, against here can be populism at several outsiders and exclusionary. Finally, there Tlevels. Corbyn’s advisors were is populism by aim or achievement, drawing on a perception that he is close intention or accident. Someone can to the people; a populism of the people. achieve it without intending to. © Image by duncan c via Flickr (source) There is a politics of being popularwith Populism in the party the people, with cross-class rather than sectional support, across divides and d Miliband resigned as Labour plural identities rather than based on Eleader after the 2015 election. In the a specific group. A simple and widely ensuing leadership contest Corbyn took his turn to be the candidate of the left. Page 2 Hard Times 101 (1/2018) Luke Martell Everyone expected him to finish a distant Minister David Cameron derided fourth in a field of four. Leadership his dress sense and perseverance in elections had changed, after Miliband, persisting as leader despite the onslaught from an electoral college of unions, he was under. But Corbyn, surrounded members and MPs to one member one by solidaristic supporters and with vote, shifting power from MPs to the the backing of the party membership, grassroots. However, Labour leadership resisted pressure to resign. In 2016 a candidates required nominations from leadership challenge was made by Owen 15% of the Parliamentary Labour Party Smith. As incumbent, Corbyn no longer (PLP) and Corbyn only secured enough needed the minimum PLP nominations, because non-supporters proposed him which he would have failed to obtain to ensure a broad field of candidates. He this time. He won with 61% of the vote. attracted great support from the rank Smith received a lower proportion of and file desperate for an alternative to support than the three losing candidates austerity and to the neoliberalism and combined in 2015. Corbyn had austerity-lite of Labour since the 1990s. bypassed the media and PLP elites again Corbyn’s personal appeal played a part. and once more gained endorsement Many joined the party to vote for him. straight from party members. When he won, more signed up inspired by the direction he was taking the party. he party has grown phenomenally Corbyn achieved 60% of the vote, the Tsince Corbyn stood for and became next candidate 19%. He came first across leader, with 570,000 members at the all categories of members, registered end of 2017, compared to 200,000 supporters and affiliated members. Most when he became leader, 405,000 at the of the PLP opposed him and once he peak under Blair, and 150,000 for the was elected many would not serve in Conservative Party (Perry 2017, Waugh his shadow cabinet. Labour had voted 2017). Corbyn brought many into the in a leader more left-wing than its PLP party: the young who had been alienated and closer to the membership than the by anodyne Labour beforehand, excited parliamentary party. There were echoes of by a genuine anti-austerity alternative; populism and anti-elitism; a leader going Old Labour supporters who had left beyond elites and based in the people. the party or grown disillusioned and inactive; even Marxists and socialists orbyn’s early days as leader were who saw a radical leader and hope for Cmet with hostile opposition the social democratic parliamentary from the PLP and snide and mocking road they had previously dismissed. coverage by the media. Tory Prime Page 3 Hard Times 101 (1/2018) Corbyn, Populism and Power ince Corbyn took the helm party party becomes populism of it; whether Sreforms have increased the power popular support for the leader in the party of members, with more representatives translates into the same across society on the National Executive Committee electorally, and party democratisation and a decrease in PLP nominations extends in government to popular needed by contenders for the leadership, democracy in society as a whole. reducing the elite veto. A party review has investigated how to further expand Populism in support: of and with the members’ power in policy making. people? Proposals include more representation n 2017, Prime Minister May calculated on party bodies, again reducing the role she could increase her majority of the PLP in nominating leadership I against a party with a left-wing leader contestants, and the mandatory under siege and called an election. But reselection, and so possible deselection, Corbyn won much greater support than of parliamentary candidates. Political expected. Labour’s share of the vote rose compromises have led to changes in from 30% in 2015 to 40%, compared these directions, if not all the way in to the Tories’ 42%, and Labour gained each case. The review aims to challenge an additional 30 seats in parliament. the boundaries between party and movement. What may have seemed here did Corbyn’s support lie utopian, and raising contradictions W(see Curtis 2017)? His, and that between party and movement, now for May, was cross-class, popular rather looks, in the context of change in than class-based and sectional. He won the party, plausible and coherent. especially significant support amongst the young and expanding ranks of the more o, in the party Corbyn is popular highly educated. This dropped amongst with the people, for them and on S the older and those without degrees who popular sovereignty grounds could be supported the Tories more strongly. This said to be populist. His place within group will shrink as the educated young Labour and proposed reforms fit, to grow older and take their place. A key an extent, with of-, with-, for- and by- issue is whether the backing of the young populisms. But spreading democracy educated for Corbynism is lifecycle, so to party members favours the left so it they become more right-wing as they may be politics leading to populism as get older, or generational and a sign of a much as populism being the driving lasting left anti-austerity cohort, in which force. And how populist Corbyn is, is case the Corbynite proportion of the affected by whether populism in the population will grow over time. Corbyn Page 4 Hard Times 101 (1/2018) Luke Martell can mobilise the liberal-left educated more appeal. The question is whether middle class, especially the younger this is enough to lose Labour elections. members of this strata and public- sector workers, although his acceptance ost-election surveys did not show of Brexit could risk alienating a mostly Pstrong support amongst Labour pro-Remain group. It is not clear if he voters for Corbyn as ‘Prime Minister has support from the insecure precariat, material’ but suggested belief in his a cross-class group, but they seem likely policies (Barasi 2017). Bringing to be open to his anti-austerity politics anti-austerity and redistributional more than Labour’s prior submission to politics back into mainstream political neoliberalism, and Labour was well ahead discourse has involved hegemonic amongst the unemployed in the election.
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