The sneering political commentariat who seldom venture north of Watford fail to understand some of the reasons why Jez has such a dedicated band of followers.
First, he has a degree of integrity that is unusual in politicians. Just look at how many “Remainers” in Mrs May’s cabinet are now enthusiastically(?) supporting Brexit – few MPs have any integrity. Jez took a moral stand when others, Angela Eagle is just one, in the Labour Party voted for the invasion of Iraq. Jez voted against the war knowing that it would make him unpopular with the Labour leadership. Many MPs would not do this – they want to ingratiate themselves. Jez’s integrity appeals to many voters who are now witnessing the chaos in the middle east that he foretold. His judgement was correct, Angela Eagle’s was poor.
Second, Jez has consistently fought against austerity and the impact it has on the disadvantaged. Unlike the Conservatives, LibDems and Ukip he gives solid support to the disadvantaged in society. Many in the Parliamentary Labour Party forgot the disadvantaged and voted with the Conservatives to cut their benefits – Harriet Harman, Angela Eagle being just two examples.
We will always have disadvantaged people in society, it is mostly not their fault (if you believe it is, you will be voting Conservative so no need to read any further) and the unfairness in society amplifies it. The unfairness in society is apparent; the effort deployed by DWP and HMRC to catch a small number of benefit cheats is 100 times greater than that deployed to ensure that the wealthy and big business pay their fair share of taxes. They see people like Philip Green taking huge dividends out of BHS leaving the pensions totally underfunded. People see this unfairness, they see that Jez is one of the few that fights against it.
Third, because of the above two points Jez “reaches people other politicians cannot reach”. Why do more than 30% of the electorate never bother to vote? It is because they see that politicians do nothing for them. When they see Labour politicians voting with the Conservatives to reduce their income, they see that all politicians are the same, they see politicians buying duck houses for their mansions and the tens of millions that Tony Blair has made since leaving office – why should they vote? Then they see that Jez is a different type of politician. He has the capability to turn more people into voters and particular appeal to the young becoming engaged in politics for the first time and to older Labour supporters who were disgusted with Blair’s stance on Iraq – see footnote.
Many people cannot afford proper housing and they see housing taking a disproportionate slice of their income. A secure home should be a basic human right in the UK. We need to build a lot more affordable houses and successive governments have failed to do this, creating tensions in society. Secure housing doesn’t just mean affordable, it means a secure long-term tenancy or ownership close to where people work. Older people with children want their children to have a secure home (perhaps Andrea Leasom had a point) and younger people naturally want secure housing but see it being priced out of their reach. Jez will stop austerity, start to build and collect taxes from the wealthy to fund housing.
Then we have the immigration issue. The UK is not inherently racist. Immigrants get the blame because they are an easy target, they take jobs, houses, and are potential terrorists. We don’t have enough houses because not enough are being built. The (Conservative) government has had plenty of time to start a massive house-building programme but has not done so. BTW – Mrs May promised to reduce net immigration from several hundred thousand per year to a few tens. She failed but now as Prime Minister she is going to do it (she says): her credibility is shot to hell. The racists are already members of Ukip or the Conservative party and the young are much lest racist than the older generation. The young will flock to Jez – there are already signs this is happening.
And this brings us to the last point – the trust in politicians to do what they say they will do. The level of trust in most politicians is very low and the electorate has run out of patience with them. The Conservatives promised to reduce immigration – it has increased. They promised to increase house building – it has virtually stopped. Now Mrs May says that she will stop austerity, reduce immigration and increase house building and she expects the electorate to believe her? Hunt has already said he will sell the NHS (perhaps we can believe him on that). The Conservative party has just taken a huge lurch to right. Mrs May has no liberal instincts at all and the party is no more united post the referendum result than it was before.
Jez can mobilise voters to support him. No other figure in the Parliamentary Labour Party can invigorate the electorate (and potential electorate) to the extent he can. Certainly not Eagle or Smith and so the Labour party has to go through one more upheaval and de-select those in the PLP who, if he wins the new leadership election, feel they cannot support him. They can leave Labour and form a new party.
Some weeks ago I posited a change in the UK political landscape that had the Conservatives fragmenting into two parties and Labour doing the same. I still think this is what will happen. The Conservatives have a very small majority and could easily lose a critical vote (say on Article 50). After the next general election (soon), there will be more political parties,
In an upcoming general election Jez’s less than enthusiastic support for Remain is an asset. The EU needs a strong UK at its core but it also needs reform. Better that the UK is inside the EU reforming it but if it will not reform then Jez is probably quite happy to leave. What we have had for the past 80 years, essentially politics dominated by two parties – Labour and Conservative – will be replaced by a multiplicity of parties none will have an absolute majority and they will have to work together to get things done. I expect the largest grouping to be led by a Cobynite Labour party – it may even have an outright majority.
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Blair lost my support over Iraq and the treatment of Dr David Kelly. The Hutton Inquiry has been called a whitewash with many people believing he was murdered.
Angela Eagle’s brick was probably thrown by one of her own supporters – her CLP were not happy with her and it is not intimidation to deselect MPs who do not represent the membership.
Update 27-Jul – Angela Eagle’s brick never existed. See @wirral_In_It
Also, the break-in at @seemamalhotra1 office was not a break-in according to Mr Speaker. Too many “manufactured stories”. Just awaiting 4% @Leicesterliz to accuse Jez of attempted rape.
johnlewis 