Amusing but sadly accurate from Philip Collins in the Times, in a piece arguing that Keir Starmer should make a definitive break from the Corbyn era by kicking the bearded buffoon out of the Labour Party:
The chaos of the Corbyn leadership is what happens if you take the most stupid person in the building and put him in charge. Public life can only bear so much stupidity. Bereft of intellectual weight, with nothing much in his head and painfully conscious of the deficiency, Mr Corbyn’s options were to lean heavily on unctuous self-righteousness or, when that failed, to lash out. Unable to provide good reasons, or any reasons, for his decisions, he simply acted with erratic impunity and got instantly testy if anyone questioned his authority. He was always a rather pathetic figure, if briefly quite a dangerous one. Meanwhile his entourage of sycophants, the Milnes, Murphys and McCluskeys, went out to argue for a man they always regarded as a useful idiot.
To quote myself from August 2015, just before he became Labour leader:
There's what I'm tempted to call a category mistake at the heart of Jeremy Corbyn's campaign for Labour leadership. Corbyn is an eternal rebel; a thorn in the side of the establishment. He could never have survived if his constituency – my constituency, Islington North – wasn't solid Labour. Labour's success, and the particular make-up of the North Islington population, has given him the platform to parade his virtue simply because he's never had to get his hands dirty through the actual business of wielding power. No Labour government in the past would have dreamed of giving him any kind of cabinet responsibility. As it is he's been free to indulge himself in every "progressive" cause, no matter how absurd. Cuba, Venezuela, the IRA, out of NATO…he's never yet met an Islamist he didn't want to share a platform with. It's a politics that hasn't grown up.
He should perhaps have gone over to George Galloway's Respect; that's where his views would have been most at home. But then, of course, he would have lost his seat. You could argue, I suppose, that it's better for him to remain in Labour (inside pissing out…): the party needs contrarian voices, etc. etc… Well…maybe. I can even see why he threw his hat into the leadership ring – to liven things up, and spark off some debate.
But an actual leader? That's not the kind of politician he is. He'd be a disaster. And I can't help wondering how much he himself is alarmed at the very real prospect of gaining power. It's just not his style.
As I say, it's a category mistake. The man's a student politician, a self-indulgent campaigner for any and every "progressive" cause. He's not someone to lead a political party that is seriously aiming for power.
I've seen Corbyn out on his bike twice in the past week. I was tempted to hurl abuse but it's not really my style, and anyway he looked a bit sad and, yes, pathetic.
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