Faced with the ever-increasing likelihood of a Reform government modelled on Trumpian authoritarianism, the response from some of our leading leftwing figures has descended into farce. Harriet Williamson writes
Ahhh it’s so great being left wing in this country, especially far left. Love having 0 hope in ever even having a consistently centre left government, nevermind beyond. How could we see them as viable options to be in charge when they’re falling apart over the most basic things. Thought it was really only Marxist parties that split this easily
We’re so cooked. I feel something in the air, as if an army of redditors on r/ukpolitics have unleashed a tsunami of comments with the same tired as fuck People’s Judean Front jokes they always make whenever there’s so much as a funny look between two left wing MPs. They’ll be mainlining this shit
I doubt it is. Zarah went into business for herself. She jumped the gun on the announcement of the party and each time goes early to increase her influence. Before this, I was a fan, but the way she’s done this and then attacked JC’s character is highly unprofessional and lacking in integrity.
The new party will happen, but I doubt Zarah will be part of it.
People who I know who’ve met JC said he’s a a really lovely guy.
He’s trying to create something that cannot be so easily highjacked and subverted like Labour was. There is no point succeeding as a new party just to fall in the same way and when some young person comes along with a rush of blood to the head, social media hype and impatience while not listening, it must be highly frustrating.
Please explain how it is Corbins fault in your opinion? One person who is not Corbin just went and did their own thing unilaterally, speaking “for the party”, without speaking with the party.
I mean, I’m not even British, so I don’t exactly have anything in the game. But I did hope that this new party would maybe help move political window in Europe a bit back to the left. Now with such egoistical assholes like Zalah, who seems to want to make everything about her… Let’s see.
Funnily enough, we had a few years ago in Germany a similar thing where one person, Sahra Wagenknecht, tried to make everything about her and even started a party with her name on it instead of working together with others. … Luckily it wasn’t too successful, but successful enough to be another mini party to take votes away from real opposition. Because she has already proven, that she doesn’t want to work together with others, but only wants power for herself. I really hope that will not be the case with Zalah.
Because Corbin has form. When he was leader of the Labour party he was constantly ignoring advice in order to do his own thing, which often led to victories for the Conservatives. At one point he was going on about nuclear disarmament, a topic no one had brought up and he decided to pontificate on all on his own, which simply gave the conservatives more ammunition to beat him over the head with.
Zalah is saying she did this because Corbyn is blocking her out from decisions, which is entirely on point for him. She says it’s because he’s sexist, and I don’t think it’s because he’s sexist, I think it’s just because he is incapable of listening to other people’s opinions.
Corbyn can be wayward, and the notion of a party actually controlled by its members might be more discipline than he can manage. The has always been a risk with thie new party. Also, his media management skills are poor, and he really doesn’t cope well with tech. But some of the advice that Corbyn got as leader was indended to sabotage his leadership, since the party apparatus was controlled by the right wing of the party. The party staff also were excercising a high degree of malicious compliance. So Corbyn had strong reasons to ignore at least some of the advice he was receiving.
Zarah, on the other hand, appears to have poor impulse control, and seems to escalate internal disputes into public rows with no thought as to what’s good for the party.
Yeah I agree. Even if her claims of her dealing with misogyny and so on - which could be true, but can’t say for sure yet - are true that doesn’t excuse doing these authoritarian things that just reek of egotism and will obviously make the party look really bad
Maybe being called the “AOC of the UK” by many and all the attention she’s received (unfairly over other left wing women of colour MPs) for a long while now has got to her head. I’d imagine she’s wanting to take the position of the sort of figurehead of leftist electoral politics after Corbyn finally retires from all this too. Or dies, he seems like the sort who’d keep going til he physically couldn’t anymore. I thought she was great before but this whole saga is very revealing. Thankfully it doesn’t look like she’s a “left wing social conservative” or whatever and a Russian asset like Wagenknecht. Stranger things have happened though
Ahhh it’s so great being left wing in this country, especially far left. Love having 0 hope in ever even having a consistently centre left government, nevermind beyond. How could we see them as viable options to be in charge when they’re falling apart over the most basic things. Thought it was really only Marxist parties that split this easily
We’re so cooked. I feel something in the air, as if an army of redditors on r/ukpolitics have unleashed a tsunami of comments with the same tired as fuck People’s Judean Front jokes they always make whenever there’s so much as a funny look between two left wing MPs. They’ll be mainlining this shit
You know it might be heresy to say this but I think Corbin might be the problem. He’s isn’t exactly being the easiest person to get along with.
I doubt it is. Zarah went into business for herself. She jumped the gun on the announcement of the party and each time goes early to increase her influence. Before this, I was a fan, but the way she’s done this and then attacked JC’s character is highly unprofessional and lacking in integrity.
The new party will happen, but I doubt Zarah will be part of it.
People who I know who’ve met JC said he’s a a really lovely guy.
He’s trying to create something that cannot be so easily highjacked and subverted like Labour was. There is no point succeeding as a new party just to fall in the same way and when some young person comes along with a rush of blood to the head, social media hype and impatience while not listening, it must be highly frustrating.
Please explain how it is Corbins fault in your opinion? One person who is not Corbin just went and did their own thing unilaterally, speaking “for the party”, without speaking with the party.
I mean, I’m not even British, so I don’t exactly have anything in the game. But I did hope that this new party would maybe help move political window in Europe a bit back to the left. Now with such egoistical assholes like Zalah, who seems to want to make everything about her… Let’s see.
Funnily enough, we had a few years ago in Germany a similar thing where one person, Sahra Wagenknecht, tried to make everything about her and even started a party with her name on it instead of working together with others. … Luckily it wasn’t too successful, but successful enough to be another mini party to take votes away from real opposition. Because she has already proven, that she doesn’t want to work together with others, but only wants power for herself. I really hope that will not be the case with Zalah.
Because Corbin has form. When he was leader of the Labour party he was constantly ignoring advice in order to do his own thing, which often led to victories for the Conservatives. At one point he was going on about nuclear disarmament, a topic no one had brought up and he decided to pontificate on all on his own, which simply gave the conservatives more ammunition to beat him over the head with.
Zalah is saying she did this because Corbyn is blocking her out from decisions, which is entirely on point for him. She says it’s because he’s sexist, and I don’t think it’s because he’s sexist, I think it’s just because he is incapable of listening to other people’s opinions.
Corbyn can be wayward, and the notion of a party actually controlled by its members might be more discipline than he can manage. The has always been a risk with thie new party. Also, his media management skills are poor, and he really doesn’t cope well with tech. But some of the advice that Corbyn got as leader was indended to sabotage his leadership, since the party apparatus was controlled by the right wing of the party. The party staff also were excercising a high degree of malicious compliance. So Corbyn had strong reasons to ignore at least some of the advice he was receiving.
Zarah, on the other hand, appears to have poor impulse control, and seems to escalate internal disputes into public rows with no thought as to what’s good for the party.
I read that Green Party membership is now rising.
Thanks for your explanation, now I understand your reasoning.
Yeah I agree. Even if her claims of her dealing with misogyny and so on - which could be true, but can’t say for sure yet - are true that doesn’t excuse doing these authoritarian things that just reek of egotism and will obviously make the party look really bad
Maybe being called the “AOC of the UK” by many and all the attention she’s received (unfairly over other left wing women of colour MPs) for a long while now has got to her head. I’d imagine she’s wanting to take the position of the sort of figurehead of leftist electoral politics after Corbyn finally retires from all this too. Or dies, he seems like the sort who’d keep going til he physically couldn’t anymore. I thought she was great before but this whole saga is very revealing. Thankfully it doesn’t look like she’s a “left wing social conservative” or whatever and a Russian asset like Wagenknecht. Stranger things have happened though