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Loading... Corbyn: The Strange Rebirth of Radical Politicsby Richard Seymour
   None No current Talk conversations about this book.   ) P1g5purt | Apr 1, 2020 |  This was a painful read for me. As a left wing voter I have witnessed the destruction of the Left in British politics first hand. From the failures of the Wilson/Callaghan governments, to the emasculation of the trade union movement, the rabid Thatcher government and then the even more right wing Blair government. Seymour tells the story fairly well assuming that his readers will have more than a passing interest in British politics. In his introduction Seymour states that although the book is written in sympathy with Corbyn, it is not written with any loyalty to the labour party of which he has never been a member. He goes on to say: that allows him to put his finger on the raw nerve of the Labour party: because he believes it is untenable in its present form. This alerts the readers to the fact that the book is much more than just a retelling of events. Seymour provides an analysis of why the left has failed and does so in the context of changing social patterns within the British Isles. Much of what he says rings true for me. The artillery ranging against the pacifist/socialist Corbyn is indeed formidable. The mostly right wing press has not missed an opportunity to make him a figure of hate/fun/naivety. A majority of Labour MP’s (his own party) have been horrified by his election and have continually hatched plots against him. His chances of making any headway, when capitalism reigns supreme are severely limited and if he ever led the Labour party in an election campaign I have no doubt that they would be heavily defeated. However for the first time since the second world war in British politics he provides an alternative and that was why Labour Party members elected him as their leader. They might even do so again, we will have to wait and see. A four star read for anyone interested in left wing British politics. (  )3  baswood | Aug 30, 2016 | no reviews | add a review
How Jeremy Corbyn, the radical left candidate for the Labour leadership, won twice--and won big In the 2017 general election, Jeremy Corbyn pulled off an historic upset, attracting the biggest increase in the Labour vote since 1945. It was another reversal of expectations for the mainstream media and his 'soft-left' detractors. Demolishing the Blairite opposition in 2015, Corbyn had already seen off an attempted coup. Now, he had shattered the government's authority, and even Corbyn's most vitriolic critics have been forced into stunned mea culpas. For the first time in decades, socialism is back on the agenda--and for the first time in Labour's history, it defines the leadership. Richard Seymour tells the story of how Corbyn's rise was made possible by the long decline of Labour and by a deep crisis in British democracy. He shows how Corbyn began the task of rebuilding Labour as a grassroots party, with a coalition of trade unionists, young and precarious workers, students and 'Old Labour' pugilists, who then became the biggest campaigning army in British politics. Utilizing social media, activists turned the media's Project Fear on its head and broke the ideological monopoly of the tabloids. After the election, with all the artillery still ranged against Corbyn, and with all the weaknesses of the Left's revival, Seymour asks what Corbyn can do with his newfound success. No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)328.41092Social sciences Political Science The legislative process Europe British Isles -- Ireland, ScotlandLC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.29)
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