Corbyn`s "unelectable extremism"(apparently!)

How sad to see so many of our leading, and apparently left-leaning, politicians describe Corbyn`s policies, which basically are in favour of, as Diane Abbott said, "peace abroad and social justice at home", as "unelectable extremism" (The choice before Labour,29th January,2016). One of them even "reeled off the names of the most obvious members" of an alternative shadow cabinet, from Cooper to "the Eagle sisters", which had proved itself unelectable in last year`s election! Strangely, too, was the faith shown in the accuracy of opinion polls, begging the question whether polls showing a massive rise in Corbyn`s popularity would have been treated with the same respect.

    Not one of the "past and present" politicians mentioned the role of this most duplicitous of Tory governments, and how every week throws up revelations of skullduggery, from compliance in tax avoidance to arms deals which breach international law obligations, from being obviously "intensely relaxed" about growing inequality to crises in health and education provision. Will middle-class Britain be so keen to support another Tory government in 2020 after ten years of austerity measures failing to reduce the deficit, and their children having 20 per cent of their lessons taught by unqualified teachers? Cuts to council funds, even in Conservative-run heartlands, are bound to cause problems, from which Labour should aim to benefit.

     George Eaton, in his introduction, wrote approvingly of Tory centrism, with its minimum wage increases, equal marriage, and "apprenticeship levy on business", but such feeble attempts to add an element of fairness to government policies, and any Labour attempts to emulate them, will not fool the electorate again. Labour MPs need to unite and support Corbyn, not sit back, plotting, all the while undermining their leader`s credibility.