tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post4324230036627961382..comments2024-03-27T09:14:27.496+00:00Comments on All That Is Solid ...: Jeremy Corbyn's Populist TurnPhilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06298147857234479278noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-4367845989917154622017-01-12T13:22:45.243+00:002017-01-12T13:22:45.243+00:00I'm not that sure of the pay cap.
Perhaps Labo...I'm not that sure of the pay cap.<br />Perhaps Labour should look more towards the pay gap between Directors and owners and their workforce with a reasonable differential between the two. <br />I'm doubting the Labour 'populist' approach hoping that there is enough anger in the masses to make this work.<br />The media approach though is duly noted and had me going all day.<br />On reflection, I know of no policy 'wedded' to immigration and free movement f which gave me the opportunity to write my own in the General Election of 2010.<br />My view was that free movement, which was causing trouble for Labour before 1995 (1998 being the delayed gate opening from Romania), should be managed rather than having a controversial free for all.<br />I personally have no problem with free movement but it has been used as a weapon to batter the left with by the populist right wing.<br />My view suggested a controlled immigration policy based on the criteria we have for EU funding and each Country should allow so many per-cent with Germany taking the most.This would allow authorities to manage any squeeze on infrastructure, especially if a hold was put in place every so often. Gary Elsbynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-76134174060906268842017-01-11T19:33:40.489+00:002017-01-11T19:33:40.489+00:00The whole idea that there should be something we c...The whole idea that there should be something we can call 'Corbynism' that provides ready-made answers for a range of political issues seems to me to be somewhat disturbing.<br /><br />I got the impression from Corbyn's two leadership campaigns that the idea was that the party would be democratised and that the general outline of policy would be decided by the membership, at least. So far various internal party issues and broader policy questions have been ignored or sidelined, including such things as mandatory reselection and unilateral nuclear disarmament. Others don't even seem to have reached the agenda. Meanwhile, people appear to be waiting on what Corbyn has to say, despite the fact that he has never been any kind of intellectual and many Labour politicians have made it quite clear that there is little they agree with.<br /><br />I would have thought that it was about time that the party sorted out its own policy-making channels and whatever 'isms' result represent some kind of collective effort.Igor Belanovnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-22665093190303295032017-01-11T13:00:13.760+00:002017-01-11T13:00:13.760+00:00Sorry but 'high pay cap' shows disturbing ...Sorry but 'high pay cap' shows disturbing lack of understanding of how capitalism works.<br /><br />Real rich people don't get that way by just having oodles of money paid to them as wages - in fact they scorn such terms as wages and salaries in favour of 'compensation' or 'remuneration' or 'emoluments'.<br /><br />'Cap' 'wages' at 1 million and they will simply shift to increasing use of share options and payments into pension pots and the many other creative ways which corporations find to enrich their executives. <br /><br />Whole notion is simply absurd and product of an utterly mediocre mind which still sees capitalism through prism of some ancient Boulting Brothers film and not the endlessly protean global system it actually is. <br /><br /> Roger McCarthyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00741665797773605921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-37730460883784219832017-01-11T11:30:42.779+00:002017-01-11T11:30:42.779+00:00In fairness, you can fault JC for his 'meek ac...In fairness, you can fault JC for his 'meek acceptance of brexit', or for for his 'failure to make any meaningful gesture towards managing immigration', but you can't really fault him for both. If Labour's policy was to go full-steam against Brexit like the Lib Dems (who know it can't work, but think they could make some electoral hay with that line), they couldn't simultaneously be promising tight controls on immigration from EU countries. It's one or the other. It's not been an impressive sight, to put it mildly, to see all those Labour politicians who accused Corbyn of sabotaging the Remain campaign or at least not showing enough enthusiasm for the EU back in the summer lining up to attack him for not taking a hawkish line on immigration (Guardian columnists like Toynbee and Freedland and the FT's leader writers have been doing exactly the same). <br /><br />Reasonable point on delivery, though. That's one issue with this would-be populist turn: you really need to sound angry when you're delivering those lines, and Corbyn isn't the angriest of politicians. Either he needs to learn how to do it, or they need to get other front-line politicians to step in.Ednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-21540547373294076582017-01-11T11:11:34.365+00:002017-01-11T11:11:34.365+00:00I think what happened here was that Corbyn went &#...I think what happened here was that Corbyn went 'off script' and expressed a personal opinion.<br /><br />OBVIOUSLY, the well-trained journalist (who'd read the Labour Party briefing notes) noticed the 'deviation' and had to push it. BUT - and this is politics - the enemy press prioritised it to maximise the opportunity to diminish and ridicule Corbyn. The PLP (mostly) behaved well in resisting the enemy press'invitations to distance themselves from Corbyn's non party policy 'opinion' and reignite the atrocious disloyalty thatharmed the party these last 7 months. (Blanchflower and the superb Richard Murray can constructively critique Corbyn's off message conversation point). <br /><br />Corbyn will, I hope, learn an important lesson from today and discipline himself better in the future. He's not a farage or a trump who are never ridiculed for their opinions, but the leader of Europe's largest political party and the nearest thing to an effective threat to the neoliberal hegemony and is thus terrifying its mouthpieces who will afford him no slack.<br /><br />Stay 'on message' Jeremy, stay disciplined and keep it simple. Even with yesterday's errors, your anti-austerity USP is today in places it doesn't mormally reach - and your approval rating and the party's electoral prospects are sure to improve. qwertboihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12581481245824206829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4486641877026778105.post-451580877883648562017-01-11T08:43:58.420+00:002017-01-11T08:43:58.420+00:00Corbyn said some good things yesterday. He hit the...Corbyn said some good things yesterday. He hit the right note with high level pay, and made strong points about using the tax system to encourage/reward good corporate behaviour.<br /><br />But.....he managed to muddle the message and his delivery is lifeless. Plus, he really isn't the sharpest tool in the box, something that sustained scrutiny and sharp questioning is going to reveal in very short order.<br /><br />Still believe he is ill equipped to lead a major political party but some of what he brought up yesterday should be fertile ground for Labour. Against that his meek acceptance of brexit and failure to make any meaningful gesture towards managing immigration are things that could impact the party from two different directions.<br /><br />Steve Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com