We are still being told by the Tory-dominated media, and
sadly by the Guardian and Observer too, that a Labour party going into the 2020
election, with Corbyn as its leader, is unelectable. Since the leadership
election, Andrew Rawnsley, chief political commentator of the Observer, has
written about little else!
The articles
in these newspapers, which invariably repeat the description, “hard-left”, and
for the same purpose, ensure “Trotskyite” or some such revolutionary-emotive
words, are used frequently, tend to be assertive, without substantiating the
argument with facts or figures. They still mention the strange idea of “threat
to security” which this Labour party now apparently poses, and almost without
fail, never detail any of the policies which Corbyn supports, and which have
shown themselves to be popular with the electorate. Huge exaggerations are
inevitably included; differences in opinion among Labour MPs will be inflated to
“civil war” status; perfectly normal shadow cabinet changes become “revenge
reshuffles”; a need for more unity suddenly leads to a “one-party
state”!
If Corbyn is
really so unelectable, why do Murdoch`s minions and the rest go to all this
trouble? And perhaps, more significantly, why do Cameron and his cronies adopt a
similar approach?
If the
election in 2020 is going to be such an easy landslide victory for the Tories,
why are they hell-bent on changing electoral rules to benefit themselves? Is
there really any need to go to so much trouble to reduce the number of non-Tory
supporters eligible to vote, by rushing through Individual Electoral
Registration? What are the Tories frightened of? Indeed, there can be no need to
change constituency boundaries in their favour when they face no real
opposition, or to cut “short money” going to opposition parties! No need for
precautions like these when they`re only up against an “unelectable” Labour
party!
Then there`s
the small matter of televised debates between the prime minister and the leader
of the Opposition; Corbyn has suggested this could become an annual event,
enshrined in the constitution, but the response from a PM, faced with the
prospect of debating with someone so unelectable, has been rather surprising.
Why would Cameron not relish the idea, winning argument after argument against
such a feeble opponent?
The truth is
obvious: this “unelectable” nonsense is just Tory propaganda, in the hope that
either the duped Labour MPs will try to remove Corbyn, or that the electorate
will become convinced of his suitability only to protest but never to
govern.
Of course,
Corbyn is electable, and the Tories know it; his policies alone set him apart,
as a politician who cares about the well-being of people, and the need for
fairness in society, with all paying their fair share; and his character and
personality make Corbyn different from the usual stock of fantastically rich,
Eton/Winchester-educated, uncaring Bullingdon bullies, imposing unnecessary
austerity on those least able to defend themselves,
He is the one to whom the millions of private
tenants will turn, when the greedy landlords impose another rent increase; he
will be there for the millions of public sector workers when their pay rise
falls below inflation yet again; there too, for the millions of trade union
members, whose rights are attacked and reduced back to pre-1875 levels, the
millions whose work as carers goes unrewarded, the millions disgusted at the
greed of bankers, FTS100 CEOs, tax avoiders and evaders, whose fair
contributions could pay for the country`s transformation. Students, whose
chances of getting the top jobs, and paying off massive loans, are diminished
with every year of Tory government, are bound to look to Corbyn for change, as
will teachers, doctors, nurses, social workers, all forced to work unimaginable
hours for scant reward.
Unelectable? Don`t believe a word of it; the Tories
clearly don`t!
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