Following Jeremy Corbyn’s nomination to be a contender in the Labour leadership elections I’ve been experiencing a period of excitement that maybe, just maybe, someone who’s political views echo those of the movement that gave the party it’s name could become it’s leader and steer it back where it came from. In the last few days however I’ve started to wonder if Jeremy Corbyn winning will be such a good thing, because even if he does the Labour party will continue to be run by people who think that winning elections is a valid aim in it’s own right and that the way to achieve that goal is to convince people who voted Conservative to vote Labour. Now any sensible left-thinking person would never vote Conservative, which means this strategy is leaving a huge number of people behind. So I’m starting to think that it would be better if Mr Corbyn, someone who I agree with 90% of what he says, didn’t win, because then we can write the Labour party off once and for all and do something different.
It’s worth noting that I’ve never voted Labour because they don’t represent my views, but I know that they should. My grandmother was active in the trade union movement and my Dad once said to me “If your gran was alive to see what’s happened to the Labour party she’d be spinning in her grave”.