One of my favourite scenes in the Simpsons is where Homer corrects Bart when his son says that this is the worst day of his life.
Homer, meaning to cheer Bart up, corrects him cheerfully - "the worst day of your life so far."
I imagine today's Daily Mirror headline (whilst entirely predictable) must feel like that for Jeremy Corbyn.
The Blairite plotters have achieved some of the wider reach they must have hoped for as the group think of the Parliamentary Labour Party has spooked even some of the so-called "soft left".
The Blairites hope that they are close to forcing Corbyn from office and ensuring that the Leader of Her Majesty's Opposition does not use the occasion of the Chilcot report to hold Blair to account.
Jeremy has to stand firm. No matter how many Members of Parliament, Leader-writers and members of the commentariat gather to ladle faint praise upon him in disingenuous would-be political obituaries.
We have to prepare for a storm of outrage from the ruling class and their allies in our movement if a majority of Labour Members of Parliament vote "no confidence" in him and - as he must - he stands firm and stays in office.
The Party elected him and only the Party, the whole Party, should ever replace him. Those of us supporting him likewise must not blink.
We could, however, support him more effectively. Those (who choose afresh each day to abstain from supporting Corbyn where it matters in the Labour Party) waving Socialist Party and Socialist Workers Party placards in Parliament Square, pretending that they amounted to more than a small fraction of the thousands present, handed ammunition to the Blairites.
Those who respond with unnecessary insults or vitriol to Corbyn's critics ignore the sensible advice of the man himself, and those who think it appropriate to address a mass rally with swear words confuse political struggle with a drunken argument.
We many thousands expect that one man should keep his cool and stand firm under almost intolerable pressure from an angry and frightened political establishment. The least we can do is show the same calm determination.
Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone on the EE network.
3 comments:
John,
Now that the MoNC has happened (with the predictable result) there will be immense pressure on the TU leaders to stop supporting Corbyn. I fully expect at least one to cave in (I hope I'm wrong). Their excuse will be that they consulted their senior lay body and after listening to them came to the conclusion that JC was not supported by the members. I can't do anything about other unions, but I've already written to DP to ask him to stand firm. Other readers of this blog should do the same. I'm sure you are aware of the importance of the NEC also standing firm.
I am a Unison member and a supporter of Jeremy Corbyn. I agree whole heartedly with what you have said, we need positivity right now. Great blog post!
Read your blog - and comment - with interest
Just don't hold your breath
I emailed Unison on 29/06/16 to ask what exactly they're doing in support of Jeremy Corbyn and have heard nothing whatsoever
Like all Unison members, am constantly bombarded with nonsense emails about pet projects, but, in this time of crisis...a deafening silence
Have signed up to Momentum and suggest all who feel like me do the same
Cancelling Unison and am off to join Unite, instead
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