What makes a leader? | Naïve Correspondents

Last Updated: September 3, 2016By
Jeremy Corbyn: He means what he says; that's why people want him to lead Labour.

Jeremy Corbyn: He means what he says; that’s why people want him to lead Labour.

Owen Smith won’t “withdraw now”, no matter how much Rhys Jolley implores him in this article.

But it’s a shame – for all the reasons stated. Smith doesn’t show the qualities that are necessary to turn around the dismantling of the British way of life that the Tories are currently finishing off.

He talks a fight, but it isn’t really a good one. In trying to say the right things, he ends up putting his foot in his mouth.

Jeremy Corbyn, by contrast, faces constant attempts to trip him – by the right-wing media and by members of his own political party. Curiously, they achieve nothing other than to boost his support.

There’s a lesson in that.

It is that the British people want someone who means what he says.

There are many qualities a leader needs: intelligence, toughness, determination, clear objectives and vision. But a leader with responsibility for the lives and welfare of an entire nation must also demonstrate exceptional moral fibre, standing up for clearly stated principles, even when under sustained attack from opponents, with dignity. That rather sounds like Jeremy to me.

Owen Smith, says all the things expected of a challenger, but little is new. An end to austerity and the Tory nationalisation of private debt. “That’s the kind of revolution I’ll deliver,“ he passionately declares. Fine words, but will he have the guts to do what is necessary to achieve it should he be given the chance? Such courage doesn’t come easily.

A true leader cannot be bought. That’s Jeremy Corbyn again. His earnest challenger has not yet shown any resilience and courageous action in exposing the mechanisms behind the corruption embedded deep within our political and financial systems. You can’t change what you don’t entirely understand.

To become a true leader, Owen needs to go through his personal baptism of fire, requiring him to withstand ridicule and the inevitable personal attacks that will start when the establishment bigwigs see that he is a serious threat to their power base. Until then, he will cave in to the very first challenge from those ruthless corporates and water down his resolve in crucial ways.

So, Owen, I implore you, ‘for the sake of your party and for the sake of your country, withdraw now!’ and do your advanced moral endurance training.

Jeremy has already proven he has what it takes to shepherd the Labour party into the next phase of its mission to achieve a much more balanced and integrated society. He should be wholeheartedly supported.

Source: Naive Correspondents – Political

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No Comments

  1. joanna September 3, 2016 at 11:04 pm - Reply

    Smiffy clearly does Not want the best for the country otherwise he would support Jeremy! Intelligence is definitely lacking, as for courage, he has none, he wouldn’t be trying to stab Jeremy in the back if he did!!!

  2. Roy Beiley September 4, 2016 at 2:46 pm - Reply

    If by some election Jiggery Pokery Owen Smith does get elected as Leader what makes people think that he will be setting Labour Party policies along the lines he is spouting at the moment? The rebels would eat him for breakfast and impose their rampant right wing agenda on the Party. He is just a tool (?) being used as a counterpoint to JC. He is prepared to commit political hari kari for the Blairite clique who are determined to continue to land punches below the belt with their lies until the have the Party back under their control.

  3. Robert Jones September 4, 2016 at 7:34 pm - Reply

    One has to ask why Owen Smith keeps going, but it’s not the most important question; and certainly won’t be when Corbyn wins the leadership again, as he surely will.

    The far more important question, given Corbyn’s victory will just land us right back to where we were before, is whether the PLP will knuckle under to a leader chosen by the vast bulk of the membership. Either they will – in which case they’re going to look absurd – or they won’t – in which case they will either keep nibbling away to no purpose, or try to set up an independent Parliamentary Labour Party, in which their biggest problem will lie in finding a leader who is not automatically discredited, either because he tried and failed against Corby, as in Owen Smith, or hadn’t the guts even to try, as in Yvette Cooper, and various other dimly unimpressive Labour MPs who can’t even rely on the support of their own constituency parties.

    It’s unfortunate, and I wish it were not the case, but the only answer seems to be that CLPs with sitting MPs will need either to persuade them to support the elected leader, or to accept the consequences of their opposition to him and go. It’s hard to see that such a choice can be long delayed.

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