Secondly, I hope that I am wrong. I hope that on Friday 8th May 2020 there will be a change of government. Whoever the Conservative Party have selected to replace David Cameron will be whisked off to the Palace to tender their resignation. A little while later, the new Prime Minister will cycle into Downing Street, dismount outside the steps of Number Ten, and announce that he is forming a new administration. A Labour administration.
I genuinely hope that will happen. I want nothing more than the Tories out, and the left back in.
Today has seen Jeremy Corbyn elected Labour leader. He is now the man who bears the responsibility of trying to end Tory rule in Britain come 2020. Corbyn has ridden an enormous wave of support from the left, as those sick and tired of Blairism and Brownism have revolted, hoping for a return to plainer, less polluted socialism. Many people I know are really excited. The most left-wing leader of a major UK political party ever is certainly a leftist's dream, and part of me would like to see him in Downing Street, doing what he says he would.
And yet I don't think he can do it. As part of the Labour selectorate, I know I am barely representative of the British public. Yes, Jeremy Corbyn is who Labour activists wanted. But I know in my heart of hearts that when confronted with a choice between Jeremy Corbyn and George Osborne/Boris Johnson/ Theresa May/ Whoever the Tories pick, the vast majority of ordinary voters will opt for safety. And it seems to me that a political party in purist opposition is, well, a bit pointless. A charitable, active pressure group, little different to the RSPCA, the Scout Association, or the National Trust.
If the point of politics is to take power and exercise it in the interests of those you represent, then winning elections seems a fairly crucial part of the process in a democracy. If this means actually having a leader who can win elections, that tends to help. I've not yet seen a shred of evidence that Labour, or anyone else for that matter, can build an electoral base to Labour's left which would carry them to victory. As much as the man is reviled by many leftists, floating voters think Tony Blair was the best Labour leader since Harold Wilson. We have to engage with that. At least some of Labour's future support will, like it or not, have to come from people who have drifted to the Tory party under Cameron. That means persuading them to come back. We may not like it. But we also have no choice.
Things will get much worse for many people in this country in the near future. Those Neil Kinnock powerfully summed up as the losers of Thatcherism will suffer; the young, the old, the ill, the unemployed, the ordinary. The effects of colossal, and arguably unnecessary, public spending cuts will soon begin to show their true colours. Already it can be felt in certain places. I work in a school. My girlfriend is a debt counsellor. My mother is a midwife. Try telling me that cuts to the bloated state have saved money with no detrimental effect. I once heard it described as being like a patient bleeding. They can lose some blood without feeling any pain. But lose too much and they die.
It should be Labour's job to end this appalling state of affairs on Thursday 7th May 2020. Instead, I reckon I will be nearing forty by the time they recover and get back into office.
But as I said, I hope I am wrong. But if Jeremy Corbyn does not ride a wave of left-wing support to Number 10 in 2020, then those of us who have participated in this leadership election must bear some responsibility for having contributed to letting down those who most need a Labour government.
One way or another, the long night has begun. Let us hope it is not as long nor as dark as I fear.
I genuinely hope that will happen. I want nothing more than the Tories out, and the left back in.
Today has seen Jeremy Corbyn elected Labour leader. He is now the man who bears the responsibility of trying to end Tory rule in Britain come 2020. Corbyn has ridden an enormous wave of support from the left, as those sick and tired of Blairism and Brownism have revolted, hoping for a return to plainer, less polluted socialism. Many people I know are really excited. The most left-wing leader of a major UK political party ever is certainly a leftist's dream, and part of me would like to see him in Downing Street, doing what he says he would.
And yet I don't think he can do it. As part of the Labour selectorate, I know I am barely representative of the British public. Yes, Jeremy Corbyn is who Labour activists wanted. But I know in my heart of hearts that when confronted with a choice between Jeremy Corbyn and George Osborne/Boris Johnson/ Theresa May/ Whoever the Tories pick, the vast majority of ordinary voters will opt for safety. And it seems to me that a political party in purist opposition is, well, a bit pointless. A charitable, active pressure group, little different to the RSPCA, the Scout Association, or the National Trust.
If the point of politics is to take power and exercise it in the interests of those you represent, then winning elections seems a fairly crucial part of the process in a democracy. If this means actually having a leader who can win elections, that tends to help. I've not yet seen a shred of evidence that Labour, or anyone else for that matter, can build an electoral base to Labour's left which would carry them to victory. As much as the man is reviled by many leftists, floating voters think Tony Blair was the best Labour leader since Harold Wilson. We have to engage with that. At least some of Labour's future support will, like it or not, have to come from people who have drifted to the Tory party under Cameron. That means persuading them to come back. We may not like it. But we also have no choice.
Things will get much worse for many people in this country in the near future. Those Neil Kinnock powerfully summed up as the losers of Thatcherism will suffer; the young, the old, the ill, the unemployed, the ordinary. The effects of colossal, and arguably unnecessary, public spending cuts will soon begin to show their true colours. Already it can be felt in certain places. I work in a school. My girlfriend is a debt counsellor. My mother is a midwife. Try telling me that cuts to the bloated state have saved money with no detrimental effect. I once heard it described as being like a patient bleeding. They can lose some blood without feeling any pain. But lose too much and they die.
It should be Labour's job to end this appalling state of affairs on Thursday 7th May 2020. Instead, I reckon I will be nearing forty by the time they recover and get back into office.
But as I said, I hope I am wrong. But if Jeremy Corbyn does not ride a wave of left-wing support to Number 10 in 2020, then those of us who have participated in this leadership election must bear some responsibility for having contributed to letting down those who most need a Labour government.
One way or another, the long night has begun. Let us hope it is not as long nor as dark as I fear.
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