And what has this new dawn of inclusive, democratic politics given us thus far? A shambolic first few days as Corbyn cobbled together his shadow cabinet – in which every top job has been given to a white, middle-aged male. Add hypocritical to shambolic.
The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, is a man who has praised the IRA, talked about assassinating Margaret Thatcher and wants to tax millions of us practically out of existence. His economic “policies” are entirely ludicrous.
Corbyn himself wants to scrap Trident, take us out of Nato, abolish the armed forces, abolish the monarchy and nationalise or renationalise everything he can. If it wasn’t so utterly bonkers, it would be funny.
But it’s not funny. Not least because the Conservative majority is so slim (a mere 12 seats) that it is not entirely beyond the realms of possibility that Corbyn and the Scottish National Party could somehow end up running the country. Imagine that, if you can.
Take nationalisation. Many of us remember the 1970s: we remember the constant strikes bringing services to a halt; and we remember the blackouts, the petrol rationing, the Spanish practices of the unions – and we remember the British Leyland Austin Allegro. Corbyn wants to return to all that. He just loves the thought of big government controlling everything.
And I’d put money on him harbouring a dream in which he is able to nationalise – and control – the British press. Have you noticed how much he seems to despise it? His rambling acceptance speech on Saturday contained a ridiculous attack on the press; and he bizarrely refused to answer entirely legitimate questions from a Sky news reporter during the appointment of his shadow cabinet.
“These people are bothering me,” he whinged to one of his acolytes. Tough, Comrade Corbyn, that’s what a free press should do: question its political leaders. This isn’t China.
Corbyn may be a person of principles. So are a lot of us. But that doesn’t equip us to govern a country. And it clearly doesn’t equip Mr Corbyn. He can barely hold together the Parliamentary Labour Party – how the blue blazes could he hold together the country? Labour is in utter turmoil as a result of the astonishing leadership election.
The “new era” of politics which Mr Corbyn harps on about is nothing of the sort – as his white male-dominated shadow cabinet so clearly demonstrates.
The Corbyn leadership is bizarre. It’s bonkers. I’d go so far as to say it’s a joke. Except it’s not.
To paraphrase Bob Monkhouse: they laughed when Jeremy Corbyn said he wanted to lead the Labour Party. They’re not laughing now.
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