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An absence of politics
Labour’s Leadership election is hotting up, and we’ve had the bleatings of the Blairite right and now the desperation of the perpetual "Leadership behind closed doors".
- The most recent convert to centrism is Alan Johnson who argues for Cooper, but I suspect that Guardian correspondents, Owne Jones & John Harris have it right; there’s a fear amongst the Westminster elite, and ordinary people just won’t do what they’re told. Here are three stories, one on Johnson's appeal to "Stop the madness", Owen Jones on the right's demonisation of Corbyn and his ideas, Peter Preston, an ex-Guardian editor on the press and John Harris on his conversations and experiences of Labour's grass roots.
- Alan Johnson's belated support for Yvette Cooper reminds me of an episode from America's Next Top Model (Series 1) . They had, bravely it seems, cast an atheist, Elyse Sewell, who got into an argument with another contestant who sought to convince her by sharing her bible. As Elyse said, what could possibly convince her by showing her a book that she already knew of. So back to Alan Johnson, it's madness is it? Well that's told me, I am sure he'll change a lot of minds.
Labour must 'end the madness' over Jeremy Corbyn, says Alan JohnsonThe Labour party should "end the madness" of a growing surge in support for Jeremy Corbyn and elect Yvette Cooper, who has "the intellect, the experience and the inner-steel" to succeed as leader, Alan Johnson has said.- Why do they think another right wing MP pleading to vote for Cooper will make any difference?
- Owen Jones catalogue's the demonisation of the Left's politics through a personalised assault on Jeremy Corbyn, just as they did with Ed Miliband; but it's based on fear and deliberately repeated, if not exaggerated, by the less responsible members of Labour's right wing.
Owen Jones: the Right are mocking Jeremy Corbyn because they fear him"Get Corbyn" is nothing if not an inclusive campaign. The liberal left and conservatives alike have united, dripping condescension, smarm, contempt or outright bile on Jeremy Corbyn and those who support him. The Corbyn campaign may have unleashed the biggest pan-British progressive grassroots political movement for many years, but it has few friends either in the media establishment or Westminster.- Peter Preston, a former editor of the Guardian also explores the media attack on Corbyn and his allies and ideas,
Jeremy Corbyn's Gang of One reawakens the media of the 80sIt's been a long, long trek from aspiration to hope. Count the TV debates, the endless string of Newsnight interviews, the animated discussion programmes. Clip out the newspaper lead stories, the columns, the shock polls. Follow the odds as Jezza surges and Unison joins Unite. Two months gone; almost two more to go.- but they are finding it difficult to fight the ideas
- John Harris shows more insight than he knows, when he says, “The cacophony of pro-Corbyn noise on Twitter and those packed meetings symbolise something beautifully simple: people refusing to do what they’re told.”
What Jeremy Corbyn offers his supporters is clarity | John HarrisAround once a year now, something bubbles to the surface that shows how broken mainstream politics has become. Sometimes these things endure; often they fizzle out. But from the brief season of Cleggmania, through the on-off rise of Ukip and the so-called "green surge", to the great political reformation in Scotland, Britain is experiencing its own version of the tumult that has broken out all over Europe.- A private copy of the picture on the 1st Guardian article above, to manage the permalink. i.e. this is a cached copy.
