Jeremy Corbyn- the leader of the Labor party has decided to step down from the party’s leadership position after the humiliating defeat in the 2019 general election. Under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, the Labor party registered its lowest ever tally- 203 seats (a net loss of 55)-since 1935 election, when it won only 154 seats.
With the humiliating loss of the 70-year-old Labor leader, the dreams of global ‘radical left’ revolution also got buried in deep waters. Corbyn is being incessantly trolled on social media since the electoral trends of the election became clear.
Many Indian Twitter users trolled Jeremy Corbyn with ‘EVM hacked’ jibe, an excuse traditionally used by Indian opposition leaders after they lose elections.
As per an article by Al Jazeera, “His vision attracted droves of young supporters, celebrity backing and the endorsement of other figures of the global socialist movement… But the wider public failed to warm to him, a situation made worse by his refusal to take a position on Brexit and accusations of anti-Semitism and sympathising with terrorists.”
Indeed Jeremy Corbyn opposed the implementation of the Brexit referendum vehemently for years under the guise of the liberal media narrative on Brexit not being desired by the people of Britain anymore. The overwhelming mandate given to Boris Johnson, who campaigned on ‘getting Brexit done’, busted this narrative.
Jeremy Corbyn’s manifesto promised ‘radical’ socialist measures such as better public sector pay rises, higher taxes on companies and a sweeping nationalisation of infrastructure. Announcing the radical measures on the behalf of Labour Party, Corbyn has made bizarre promises such as free broadband for all, state takeover of major sectors such as rail, water and mail delivery services.
The Labour Party leader has also proposed higher public spending which would rise by 83 billion pounds by 2023-24. The massive hike in public spending has been pledged to be covered by an increase in taxes on businesses.
Corbyn’s pledge to nationalise broadband had been labelled as a “crazed Communist scheme” by UK PM Boris Johnson. Paul Johnson, Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies independent think-tank said, “It’s impossible to understate just how extraordinary this manifesto is in terms of the sheer scale of money being spent and raised through taxation.”
Corbyn had described Labour Party manifesto as the most “radical and ambitious plan” in decades. He couldn’t have been more correct with this. The fact remains that Britain is facing such an ill-conceived socialist manifesto for the first time after Labour’s socialist manifesto in 1983, which was later described as “the longest suicide note in history” by a then Labour lawmaker. Corbyn had however been cautious in his approach to avoid comparisons and has rejected the idea that the Labour Party’s manifesto is harping Britain back to the 1970s.
The party had won only 209 seats in 1983 when the party wrote “the longest suicide note in history”, and under the leadership of Corbyn, its performance has been even worse, perhaps because under his leadership- the suicide note was ‘even longer’ than that of 1983.
Corbyn is also the kingpin of anti-India, anti-Hindu stand of the Labor party in the last few years, especially after the abolition of Article 370. Corbyn had criticized the move as anti-Human rights and called for International action.
The British Indian Community, which has decisive votes in at least 40 constituencies, overwhelmingly supported the Boris Johnson led Conservative party and dumped the Labour party. The British Indian community has traditionally voted for the Labor party, but the anti-India stance of Corbyn cost the loyal voter base to the party.
As the result of radical left political positioning in clear in the humiliating defeat of Corbyn led Labor party, it should a lesson for Rahul Gandhi and Congress party in India, and to politicians like Bernie Sanders in the Democratic Party in United States.