Support Corbyn, writes Claudia Webbe – but will Labour’s MPs listen?

Last Updated: August 3, 2016By
Jeremy Corbyn has more support than any other UK political leader - except where it matters: his own MPs. They won't accept the democratic will of their party, and they won't leave. What else can be done with them?

Jeremy Corbyn has more support than any other UK political leader – except where it matters: his own MPs. They won’t accept the democratic will of their party, and they won’t leave. What else can be done with them?

“We are right to be outraged by a government that caters to the demands of the super-wealthy, while failing to meet the needs of the many.

“To counter this we also need to offer real change, and that is what a Jeremy-led party can offer an electorate that has become increasingly disillusioned in recent years.”

That’s the problem with the naysayers who’ve relegated themselves to Labour’s back benches – and with Owen Smith, whose recently-discovered inner Leftie will disappear quickly enough after the leader election is over, whichever way it goes.

(The moderebels – as cartoonist Gary Barker has dubbed them – wouldn’t be supporting Mr Smith if they thought he was going to rock the boat with any Corbynesque policies; you can bank on that.)

Smith supporters (who are really supporters of the rebels) tell us Corbyn doesn’t have any policies; that he can’t organise the party. The first is an outright lie, and the reason for the second is obvious.

To any Labour MP who tries to sell you this nonsense, simply ask them how much effort they put in to supporting him. And let’s see the evidence. Talk is wind.

Labour is a political organisation that relies on teamwork to achieve its ends. Perhaps that’s the most important aspect since the words “by the strength of our common endeavour we achieve more than we achieve alone” are printed on the back of every membership card.

This Writer hasn’t seen much teamwork coming from Mr Corbyn’s critics on the back benches.

Look at Hilary Benn. Take a good, hard look at the man who won applause from the most right-wing government in recent history when he told his leader, in the House of Commons, that he would rather support a policy that could harm or kill innocent people, than pursue alternative solutions to the terrorists we call Daesh.

This man, well-loved by Conservatives, is the figurehead of the rebellion against Jeremy Corbyn. His sacking led to the leadership election we have now.

Does anybody really believe that such a man paid anything more than lip-service to his commitment to support Labour and the party’s leader since September 2015? I don’t.

He, and those like him, aren’t outraged by Conservative Britain. It suits their purposes very well. The last thing they want to do is offer “real change”, let alone deliver it!

The answer is obvious. If Labour wants to deliver real change, the party will have to start at home.

Once the drag factor of people like Mr Benn is removed, we may see some even more impressive results than those listed below.

Contrary to the naysayers, Jeremy has already achieved much in the short space of time since he became leader last September. Jeremy has been getting on with the job despite some colleagues never respecting his mandate and a concerted campaign of denigration in some of the right-wing media.

He has achieved:

  • Government U-turns on cuts to tax credits, disability benefits and academy schools in England.
  • Win after win in by-elections starting with Jim McMahon in Oldham West and Royton, then Ogmore and the seat of Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough, and, most recently of all, Tooting, with an increased majority.
  • Labour elected Mayors in London, Bristol, Salford and Liverpool.
  • A massive boost and explosion in party membership to over 600,000, meaning we are becoming a real movement for change that can mobilise for victory.

Since September 2015, Labour has shown that we can be stronger and more resolute in our fight against the unfairness and damage being caused by this Tory government. In demanding economic and social justice and an end to austerity, we have started to clearly demand the real change the country needs to see, based on investing in our future and challenging a rigged system that works only for the few not the many. We are right to be outraged by a government that caters to the demands of the super-wealthy, while failing to meet the needs of the many, and to counter this we also need to offer real change, and that is what a Jeremy-led party can offer an electorate that has become increasingly disillusioned in recent years.

To win again, Labour must make it clear that never again will we allow an economy to be dominated by the casino gambling of the big banks. Instead, we must break down that power system that protects inequality, creates injustice and the widening gap between rich and poor.

We have no time to waste – our communities are hurting. We need investment, growth and opportunities all in equal measure. We need government intervention to a failing market, which is doing nothing else but distributing inequality. We need real action to tackle climate change and air pollution.

The Tories have long launched an ideological war on the poor, the working class, those who are disabled, those who rely on welfare and our unions and we have to unite to stop them.

Source: Support Corbyn and help us tackle the Tory war on the poor | LabourList

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2 Comments

  1. Roland August 4, 2016 at 8:18 am - Reply

    Its time to get rid of all the blairits

    • David Woods August 4, 2016 at 4:21 pm - Reply

      Amen!
      And far sooner than later, if they are left the cancer will continue to eat away at the whole point of the Labour Party – to be the voice of the working class!

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