The BBC and corporate media coalesce around an extremely narrow consensus of political thought, and ensure that anybody who steps outside that consensus is ridiculed and marginalised. That consensus has got narrower and narrower. I was delighted during the general election to be able to listen to Nicola Sturgeon during the leaders’ debate argue for anti-austerity policies and for the scrapping of Trident. I had not heard anyone on broadcast media argue for the scrapping of Trident for a decade – it is one of those views which though widely held the establishment gatekeepers do not view as respectable.
The media are working overtime to marginalise Jeremy Corbyn as a Labour leadership candidate on the grounds that he is left wing and therefore weird and unelectable. But they face the undeniable fact that, Scottish independence aside, there are very few political differences between Jeremy Corbyn and Nicola Sturgeon. On issues including austerity, nuclear weapons, welfare and Palestine both Sturgeon and Corbyn are really very similar. They have huge areas of agreement that stand equally outside the establishment consensus. Indeed Nicola is more radical than Jeremy, who wants to keep the United Kingdom.
The establishment’s great difficulty is this. Given that the SNP had just slaughtered the Labour Party – and the Tories and Lib Dems – by being a genuine left wing alternative, how can the media consensus continue to insist that the left are unelectable? The answer is of course that they claim Scotland is different. Yet precisely the same establishment consensus denies that Scotland has a separate political culture when it comes to the independence debate. So which is it? They cannot have it both ways.
If Scotland is an integral part of the UK, Jeremy Corbyn’s policies cannot be unelectable.
Nicola Sturgeon won the UK wide leaders debate in the whole of the United Kingdom, despite the disadvantage of representing a party not standing in 90% of it by population. She won not just because she is clever and genuine, but because people all across the UK liked the left wing policies she articulated.
A Daily Mirror opinion poll following a BBC televised Labour leadership candidates’ debate this week had Jeremy Corbyn as the clear winner, with twice the support of anyone else. The media ridicule level has picked up since. This policy of marginalisation works. I was saddened by readers’ comments under a Guardian report of that debate, in which Labour supporter after Labour supporter posted comment to the effect “I would like to vote for Jeremy Corbyn because he believes in the same things I do, but we need a more right wing leader to have a chance of winning.”
There are two answers to that. The first is no, you don’t need to be right wing to win. Look at the SNP. The second is what the bloody hell are you in politics for anyway? Do you just want your team to win like it was football? Is there any point at all in being elected just so you can carry out the same policies as your opponents? The problem is, of course, that for so many in the Labour Party, especially but not just the MPs, they want to win for personal career advantage not actually to promote particular policies.
The media message of the need to be right wing to be elected is based on reinforced by a mythologizing of Tony Blair and Michael Foot as the ultimate example of the Good and Bad leader. These figures are constantly used to reinforce the consensus. Let us examine their myths.
Tony Blair is mythologised as an electoral superstar, a celebrity politician who achieved unprecedented personal popularity with the public, and that he achieved this by adopting right wing policies. Let us examine the truth of this myth. First that public popularity. The best measure of public enthusiasm is the percentage of those entitled to vote, who cast their ballot for that party at the general election. This table may surprise you.
Percentage of Eligible Voters
1992 John Major 32.5%
1997 Tony Blair 30.8%
2001 Tony Blair 24.1%
2005 Tony Blair 21.6%
2010 David Cameron 23.5%
2015 David Cameron 24.4%
There was only any public enthusiasm for Blair in 97 – and to put that in perspective, it was less than the public enthusiasm for John Major in 1992.
More importantly, this public enthusiasm was not based on the policies now known as Blairite. The 1997 Labour Manifesto was not full of right wing policies and did not indicate what Blair was going to do.
The Labour Party manifesto of 1997 did not mention Academy schools, Private Finance Initiative, Tuition Fees, NHS privatisation, financial sector deregulation or any of the right wing policies Blair was to usher in. Labour actually presented quite a left wing image, and figures like Robin Cook and Clare Short were prominent in the campaign. There was certainly no mention of military invasions.
It was only once Labour were in power that Blair shaped his cabinet and his policies on an ineluctably right wing course and Mandelson started to become dominant. As people discovered that New Labour were “intensely relaxed about people getting filthy rich”, to quote Mandelson, their popular support plummeted. “The great communicator” Blair for 90% of his Prime Ministership was no more popular than David Cameron is now. 79% of the electorate did not vote for him by his third election
Michael Foot consistently led Margaret Thatcher in opinion polls – by a wide margin – until the Falklands War. He was defeated in a victory election by the most appalling and intensive wave of popular war jingoism and militarism, the nostalgia of a fast declining power for its imperial past, an emotional outburst of popular relief that Britain could still notch up a military victory over foreigners in its colonies. It was the most unedifying political climate imaginable. The tabloid demonization of Foot as the antithesis of the military and imperial theme was the first real exhibition of the power of Rupert Murdoch. Few serious commentators at the time doubted that Thatcher might have been defeated were it not for the Falklands War – which in part explains her lack of interest in a peaceful solution. Michael Foot’s position in the demonology ignores these facts.
The facts about Blair and about Foot are very different from the media mythology.
The stupid stunt by Tories of signing up to the Labour Party to vote for Corbyn to ridicule him, is exactly the kind of device the establishment consensus uses to marginalise those whose views they fear. Sturgeon is living proof left wing views are electable. The “left unelectable” meme will intensify. I expect Jeremy Corbyn’s biggest problem will be quiet exclusion. I wish him well.
O god, not back to “writing your own blog”..A group of people? come on Technicolor, get real. Grrr, Always used to curtail independent thinkers. Witch if this was a group of, all the better.
What I see is people largely trying to fuck up other peoples furrow. Dig your own why don’t you, as there is no group work going on here. No real organizing or direction. Most seem to be flailing in the wind, acting like it’s all an amusement park, or obviously deliberately trying to get at people. Group?
I’m not saying this space on the web provides no function. But everyone has an agenda, at least for some that’s seems a personal thing ie, not obeying someone else’s…
And speaking for myself, I don’t use, need, or consider other posters as a significant guiding force in any indignation that may arise. But if I did what’s that got to do with them?
@Nevermind, if that was some sort of garbled embarrassed expression of gratitude, don’t mention it, if not, I guess never mind Nevermind !
@Technicolour, as a member of probalby the bitchiest tag-team in internet blog history, you really need to think before accusing people of having supporters; and to think that some here (ie your supporters) really can’t see that your elevator doesn’t reach the top floor !
Seems to me people can’t get enough of trying to put upon some people. And any connivance seems ok in that end.
So what if I say that’s how it seems to me? If someone has a problem with that i’m the person to take it up with.
Yep, Ishmael, it’s a group of people. You know, like in a pub. Except instead of peacefully downing a pint and discussing, as you say, plans for action and progress, they’re either faced with wall-to-wall tannoy announcements (some of which are useful) or worse, some screecher running in, picking on someone, hurling abuse, spitting in the crisps and running out again.
Perhaps many people here are not able, physically, to act. But to progress, even mentally, you need independent thought, open minds, analysis, and cooperation. Random bullying, abuse and insults do not encourage this. Nor does going along with people who want sides to be drawn up. Seems fairly obvious to me. As for ‘writing your own blog’ that’s really not what I was advising (I used the word ‘if’, you may notice).
“Random bullying, abuse and insults do not encourage this.”
“Nor does going along with people who want sides to be drawn up”
Wow, unreal.
Talk about ‘random’ bullying, how about targeted? No I don’t encourage it. BUT this brings me to the next point. Are you trying to say sides aren’t drawn for many on this blog?
I’m a separatist, I want the sides drawn clearly for all to see. I think it’s necessary in order to fight for justice.
MODS
Are posts like the one from “Redcap” at 10h34 acceptable under the new moderator guidelines?
++++++++++++++++
I also notice that a certain regular poster on here has posted four or five relatively long cut-and-pastes in the form of simple links without the slightest accompanying personal input or comment.
Has the applicable moderator guidline been rescinded?
War is already here
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jun/21/international-widows-day-poverty-social-exclusion
Irony has no bounds as Cherie Blair is given a column in the Guardian today to write about ‘ International Widow’s Day ‘ !!
YCNMTU .
Montiverdi (11:26am today). The Blairs have no shame.
By the way, what’s “YCNMTU”?
When Kim Il Jung does it; he is a dictator, and dictates to his people and is not democratic!
That little miss Osborne has come out defiant cocking a snook at the protestations and marchers; marching through the capital with all the security measures in place.
This morning every provincial rag carries the same story. This is an abject admission that the oligarch owned media are no longer read by we the people, and provincial rags have more local readers; births, deaths and marriages, as well as the local gossip rendering these to be read by more people.
The story is £12 billion pounds of more cuts to the welfare! In other words £12,000 million pounds are to be raised through taxing the poor, instead of the rich. The bills remain the same; military spend, spend, spend, and none dare to say anything against “our heroes” and “our boys”, Trident stays, the black budget items increased, and increased secret services budget, but Mrs Miggins will be hit with more of the taxes and her benefits would be cut.
Atos will be declaring the dead fit for work, and probably nail the corpse to a desk and the oligarch owned media will be carrying the story of the benefit scroungers are targeted and made to work, with the photo of the dead corpse photoshopped answering a phone in a call center, as the proof of the success of war against scroungers!.
This is democracy in the twenty first century minority selected government just scraping in to rule we the people in the way that any old feudal would be proud. It is not a dictatorship at all, at all.
Suhayl Saadi
21/06/2015 11:33am
You Could Not Make It Up
J
I think it should be YCNMIU. J
Thanks, John.
Btw, whenever I see your full name, I cannot help thinking of the Spencer Davis Group! 🙂
Lol
How many times do you think I have heard that, Suhayl? 😉
No relation.
Kind regards,
John
Off Topic.
Five weeks ago the good people on here wished me well for the operation to remove a cancerous kidney.
The operation went well and I am still here.
The future looks iffy because the cancer may be spreading. All of this I can cope with. What really has made me angry is, they stole £55.00 out of my trousers’ pocket when I was under the knife. (Bastards). The caring profession?.
The male nurse in intensive care said “£55.00 for a taxi, were you planning to come by limousine?”
A female cleaner said, ” look at the clutter on your table, we don’t like clutter”.
I was hooked up to all sorts of things and unable to get out of bed. All the things on my table were put there by the staff for my benefit.
Derogatory remarks abound and reminded me of a couple of people on here.
I am grateful to you Mary and all the others who wished me well. You are wonderful and your Posts are great, thank you, thank you, thank you.
To end on a positive as I must always. There is not enough money to pay the good nurses, they are “life savers” and worth their weight in gold!!! A great big thank you to them. You are wonderful.
Macky
“……..really can’t see that your elevator doesn’t reach the top floor !”
________________
Is that Macky, the blunted knife, trying to reach the top drawer?
I wish you well, Robert, and I hope that it won’t turn out as badly as seems possible.
Kind regards,
John
Fedup:
“Atos will be declaring the dead fit for work, and probably nail the corpse to a desk and the oligarch owned media will be carrying the story of the benefit scroungers are targeted and made to work, with the photo of the dead corpse photoshopped answering a phone in a call center, as the proof of the success of war against scroungers!.”
Well crafted Fedup, at least we understand what you’re saying, which is more than one can say for many on here. Credit where credits due.
“None so blind as those that cannot/will not see”we are lemmings following the USA/Israel agenda and will go over the cliff with them.nothing surer if we continue,they are at the heart of almost all that is wrong in the world.
Apparently Cherie Blair’s “Mee Healthcare” business has gone bust, leading to 11 clinics closed and millions of pounds lost.
Staff, customers and suppliers are all owed money.
What an absolutely terrible way to die!
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/uk/stowaway-plunges-to-his-death-from-longhaul-jet-as-it-comes-in-to-land-31315881.html
Stowaway plunges to his death from long-haul jet as it comes in to land
R.I.P.
Another YCNM!U:
Multi-millionaire tax-status questionables Russell Brand and Charlotte Church were preaching to the masses at yesterday’s austerity march*, to rapturous applause.
Both say they would be happy to pay more tax.
But they haven’t. 😉
*has been likened to a Royal Ascot for rich lefties.
@Anon1: what’s a YCNM!U ?
Young Capitalist New Multimillionaire University – uh no, that doesn’t sound right..
John Spencer-Davis.
Thank you. I will be okay come what may.
Excellent analysis. I’d come to the conclusion myself recently that the turning point of politics was at the beginning of the 80’s when Rupert Murdoch started to assert his influence and agenda.
You’re right, of course. When people are asked to vote on policies, they are overwhelmingly left of centre on things like re-nationalizing rail, keeping the NHS public, having a national energy infrastructure, and getting rid of the MADness that is Trident.
And you also put your finger on a real problem. I’m coming from a Green’s perspective (which ran a Left agenda at the General Election). For all those things people believe in, they still didn’t vote for them at the election. Perhaps it’s tribalism. Maybe it’s defeatism. Perhaps it’s values. Maybe it’s personalities. No-one really knows. But one thing is for sure, for the Left to thrive again, for society to be more important than big business and for services to matter; it’s the media’s bias (grown up over a generation) that has to be felled.
PS. “Union”. “Young Capitalist New Multimillionaires’ Union”. That sounds better, but the exclamation mark is still unaccounted for. Ah well, can’t have everything, not being a multi-millionaire before going bust 🙂 .
Nice to hear from you again, Robert. Good luck. Your positive outlook is a refreshing antidote to Anon1’s sneer ‘n’ smear attitude. Spending your waking hours looking for something to be negative about can’t be good for the psyche.
“Stowaway plunges to his death from long-haul jet as it comes in to land”
What a terrible story, Villager. I bet the poor chap knew a thing or two about austerity. Austerity in Britain means not being able to afford a Sky package. :-/
Glad to see you back Robert Crawford, and hopefully the damn cancer is in remission soon. Get better and well soon Robert.
I am sorry to hear about your money getting stolen, but when there is too little money and everyone is living week to week these sort of incidents are more and more prevalent. I hope it did not leave you short and create a lot of difficulties for you.
I hope Mary is doing well too, I have not heard of her progress?
The ‘Lemming’ metaphor is interesting John Young. Lemmings do not in themselves commit mass suicide by jumping off cliffs. Lemmings have in fact been forced to jump to their deaths.
http://www.snopes.com/disney/films/lemmings.asp
Indeed this Conservative government’s ‘austerity’ measures have fuelled an increase in suicides and the same harsh austerity measures imposed on the Greek public since the depths of country’s financial crisis have led to a “significant, sharp, and sustained increase” in suicides, a study published in the British Medical Journal has found.
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/feb/18/cuts-suicide-timebomb-mp-madeleine-moon-mental-health
But who cares eh? These sad and avoidable deaths are soon forgotten…