SteveeRogerr Authors Shaun Lawson
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This is why I just don't buy that 'Corbyn changed politics'. He did his best, sure - but the movement didn't move anywhere, even under his watch.
It's strange, looking back, how much potential was wasted. And not just because of PLP sabotage either. All very sad.
On a related note: I've seen many tweets insisting that Corbyn *proved* Labour don't need donors' money.
Sorry, no he didn't. Because we lost: in general elections, European elections and local elections again and again and again. Despite the massive membership.
He certainly enthused and inspired many... but ultimately, not enough. And he was like Marmite to the wider electorate for all sorts of reasons: some legitimate, others a lot less so.
See also: Sanders. Enthused and inspired many, dragged the platform leftwards, not corporate funded in any way... and never close to winning.
How big is the Tory membership? It's a heck of a lot smaller than Labour's even now... yet look at their majority. Money still matters.
To be frank, Labour will always be the underdogs. Our entire history - which is embarrassingly bad electorally - demonstrates that.
So we have to think differently, act differently (Starmer falls down on both at present) and combine activism and Parliamentary politics together.
It's strange, looking back, how much potential was wasted. And not just because of PLP sabotage either. All very sad.
On the plus side, the Corbyn years did feel like being part of a movement, a determined and united collective - I hadn't felt like that before as a party member! It's just that the movement didn't actually move anywhere.
— Rhian E. Jones (@RhianEJones) January 17, 2021
On a related note: I've seen many tweets insisting that Corbyn *proved* Labour don't need donors' money.
Sorry, no he didn't. Because we lost: in general elections, European elections and local elections again and again and again. Despite the massive membership.
He certainly enthused and inspired many... but ultimately, not enough. And he was like Marmite to the wider electorate for all sorts of reasons: some legitimate, others a lot less so.
See also: Sanders. Enthused and inspired many, dragged the platform leftwards, not corporate funded in any way... and never close to winning.
How big is the Tory membership? It's a heck of a lot smaller than Labour's even now... yet look at their majority. Money still matters.
To be frank, Labour will always be the underdogs. Our entire history - which is embarrassingly bad electorally - demonstrates that.
So we have to think differently, act differently (Starmer falls down on both at present) and combine activism and Parliamentary politics together.