Is Jeremy Corbyn the Bernie Sanders of Britain?
Who is Jeremy Corbyn? Well it turns out that the British Labour Party is two weeks out from a leadership election after their shellacking in the last election. And the contest very much mirrors that of Sanders vs Clinton, with Corbyn representing Old Labour (Democratic Socialism) and the other candidates represent New Labour (Blairite Neo-Liberalism). And also the races are similar because the VSPs in the Labour Establishment and the media are simply dismissing Corbyn as the voice of the past not to be taken seriously by sensible people.
Well I don’t follow British politics that closely, but Corbyn doesn’t seem to be meekly following the script here. And like Sanders is getting support that makes the Establishment nervous. So hopefully some Angry Bear readers who DO know something can chime in here. I find the whole thing fascinating and perhaps illustrative of a broader movement away from Neo-Liberalism worldwide.
establishment freakout:
Labour donor: Jeremy Corbyn win could cause SDP-style split
The election of Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader could trigger an SDP-style split in the party, one of the party’s biggest donors has said. John Mills also said victory for the leftwinger could lead to donations from wealthy supporters drying up, although he conceded that funding from the trade unions could increase if Labour morphed into a party of the far left.
Horrors! A party organized by and for the working class might not retain the support of the 1%! Might have to sink to getting support from labor unions!
The prospect of Corbyn winning had been largely dismissed as a fantasy until a YouGov poll of Labour members and supporters on Tuesday night showed him easily ahead of his three rivals on first preferences and on course to beat Andy Burnham in the final round by 53% to 47%, following the elimination of Liz Kendall and Yvette Cooper.
I for one will be following this with attention. Because the main difference between Jeremy and Bernie is that Corbyn seems to know a barber.
Just think what the USA would be like if we dumped Clinton and the .o1%.
We might end 35 years of trade deficits and start producing real products to sell.