The leader in Labour’s leadership exudes authenticity,unlike his opponentsWe are perhaps getting used to political phenomena that defy expectations and demand we re-examine the world afresh: the SNP’s rapid rise that seemed to so many to come out of nowhere; the surprise election result that so few predicted. But the latest shock to flout the rules – Jeremy Corbyn, the far-left candidate in Labours leadership election, or is now the one to defeat – is perhaps the greatest yet.
Superficially,Labour looks like a party rehashing a debate it had in the 1980s: to be a party of pure socialist principle or a party of government? But on a closer view, there is an odder dynamic at play: Corbyn is gaining ground as the other three candidates compete to be the moderate of choice, and while failing to address head on Corbyn’s challenge or even to understand the forces driving it.
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Source: theguardian.com