Peter Kenyon

Corbynmania: from euphoria to electability

Nineteen weeks ago I posted in the wake of Labour's latest electoral setback. The response of Labour Party members to the need to elect a new Leader was quite unexpected. Well until serial rebel Jeremy Corbyn MP entered the race, when the mood changed and hundreds of thousands flocked to join whether as members, registered supporters or affiliates.

Now luxuriating in his first party conference, Corbyn continues to demonstrate political skills that are reaching out - providing encouragement to those of us who don't rule out a return to two-party politics in the UK. 

Grumbling from the with the Parliamentary Labour Party - frontbenchers and backbenchers alike continues. This is in part fuelled by local doorstep activity since 12 September (when Corbyn was pronounced decisive winner of Labour's 2015 leadership contest). These soundings backed by opinion polling suggest a significant proportion of Labour voters would abandon the party led by Corbyn at the ballot box.

Well, if we take our political cues from the rabid right-wing print media, and the biased broadcasting company BBC), that might seem inevitable. But Labour has fresh recruits (some of whom are old hands) to help counter that bilious onslaught to be active campaigners?

Our challenge is to find effective ways of rebutting the Daily Mail (to name one of the rest offered) same day combining Head Office/Leader's office resources with those active in local communities and on social media.

 

 

 

Labour unity preserved - 42-days shelved

Labour Party unity has been further consolidated by yesterday evening's announcement by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith to shelve plans to detain terrorist suspects for up to 42-days. I opined a week ago that this could be the first test of new-found unity post-Conference. My suggestion was:

Government can maintain its concern on the record, so that in the event of the need for longer powers of detention emergency legislation can be put before the House.

The Home Secretary told Parliament:

I have prepared a new bill to enable the police and prosecutors to do their work – should the worst happen, should a terrorist plot overtake us and threaten our current investigatory capabilities. Some may take the security of Britain lightly. I don’t. The Counter Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Bill now stands ready to be introduced if and when the need arises. This would enable the Director of Public Prosecutions to apply to the courts to detain and question a terrorist suspect for up to a maximum of 42 days.

Quite so. Honour all round. Now the banking system has been rescued from systemic failure, it's time to focus on (among other things) reviving the economy, cutting taxes for low and middle-income families, building council houses, buying up abandoned private housing developments and pressing energy companies to pass on wholesale price cuts to retail customers.

Anger management - Labour Party style: knives

When I joined Save the Labour Party and helped set up the Labour Commission, I learned that anger management was vital. It almost seemed worthwhile 12 months ago in the run up to the resignation of Tony Blair. Now it is becoming increasingly difficult to turn on the radio/television news bulletin/current affairs programme, or open a newspaper/political magazine without screaming. Knife crime and our Labour government's response over the weekend is the latest lunacy unfortune error. That's not my opinion but that of my wife, and fellow party member who happens to be one of the country's leading clincial experts on post traumatic stress disorders. A considered note from her is in the works.  If you had only picked up the phone, Jacqui.

Perhaps the Labour Party's National Executive Committee (meeting tomorrow) will spend a moment considering how to harness the expertise of its dwindling membership to help turn round public opinion between now and the next British General Election. In the absence of any leadership on the use of that resource, my branch is drawing up a couple of sides of A4 across the major policy issues that need addressing now, not in the next manifesto, if we are to have any hope of winning a 4th term.