In September 2015 Jeremy Corbyn was elected Leader of The Labour Party on a huge wave of optimism particularly among young people, who had joined the party hoping that he would provide an alternative to austerity and a return to values of social justice and fairness in our government.
Over the last five years our Conservative Government has been unpopular – seen as uncaring and incompetent. Yet it is Jeremy Corbyn’s true legacy that he has enabled this government not only to survive but his tragic legacy is that he has bequeathed to the nation another five years of it.
Look at the opportunities he has squandered:
- During his time as leader austerity has done damage to this country and there is clear evidence from all polling that people have yearnt for a change of direction
- He failed to provide leadership during the European Referendum Campaign – the biggest decision of a generation. Instead he went quiet and allowed Tory claims that all the UK’s ills were the fault of the European Union and immigrants to go unchallenged when, across the board (apart from populists), there was widespread recognition that the Tory policies of austerity had significantly caused voter alienation from the political class.
- Across the floor in the House of Commons he had to face Theresa May; one of our country’s most ineffectual Prime Ministers
- He had the chance to have a General Election in 2020 at the time of his choosing rather than agreeing to a General Election on Boris Johnson’s terms. In 2019 he had no chance whatever, from the outset, of winning, with Brexit not having been resolved. And that’s not taking into account the toxic effect his leadership had on the electorate.
One wonders if Jeremy Corbyn is actually a closet Tory. He has let down all those Labour Party members who voted for him. He has created a style of sectarian politics within the Labour Party that is anathema to its proud history and traditions of safeguarding the oppressed. And then to compound matters his decisions and those of his immediate team ensured a Tory landslide.
He has failed to help those who need it the most:
- The British families who have 15% less cash coming in by 2020 than it had in 2008.
- Those with a 10-year gap in male life expectancy between richest and poorest areas
- The 5 million UK adults (16%) who do not reach adult literacy standards whilst countries like Finland, Norway, South Korea achieve 100%
- The increasing number of poor people who live without a partner, a pattern attributed to increasing job insecurity, a lack of financial independence and more ‘chaotic lives
- The list of the disadvantaged and alienated could go on and on………..
Mark Roberts 