Conforming to establishment media groupthink could destroy Corbyn - Joe Emersberger (Mar. 5, 2019)

Conforming to establishment media groupthink could destroy Corbyn - Joe Emersberger Posted by brooks on March 5, 2019, 4:10 pm Excellent piece on the Labour leadership's multiple, infuriating and cowardly capitulations with a link to suggestions on how to confront it and support Chris Williamson from "Labour Against the Witch Hunt". https://www.thecanary.co/opinion/2019/03/05/conforming-to-establishment-media-groupthink-could-destroy-corbyn/

He destroyed himself in 2015 Posted by Keith-264 on March 5, 2019, 6:22 pm, in reply to "Conforming to establishment media groupthink could destroy Corbyn - Joe Emersberger" Why are you people mobilising to defend a corpse? Clio the cat, ? July 1997 - 1 May 2016 Kira the cat, ? ? 2010 - 3 August 2018

Re: He destroyed himself in 2015 Posted by brooks on March 5, 2019, 7:07 pm, in reply to "He destroyed himself in 2015" I think it would be more fairly characterized as mobilizing to defend a movement, of which Corbyn is the unworthy representative at the moment. Besides, to paraphrase Mark Twain, rumours of Corbyn's death have been greatly - ok, slightly - exaggerated. There is still a pulse, though a weak one.

Re: He destroyed himself in 2015 Posted by dovetailjoint on March 5, 2019, 7:16 pm, in reply to "Re: He destroyed himself in 2015" Given the Brexit fiasco and the meltdown of British politics, Corbyn could still end up as PM and confound all his critics. At this stage it's difficult to see how this antisemitism bullshit has affected support for Labour. The media are obsessed, but ordinary people? I doubt it somehow.

Re: He destroyed himself in 2015 Posted by dovetailjoint on March 5, 2019, 7:24 pm, in reply to "Re: He destroyed himself in 2015" Mcdonell is even less my cup of tea than Corbyn, but it's difficult, the left or what remains, has been in retreat for decades, smashed by Thatcher and made irrelvant by New Labour, banished to a virtual Siberia.

Smashed by Callaghan actually Posted by Keith-264 on March 5, 2019, 10:20 pm, in reply to "Re: He destroyed himself in 2015" Thatchler is the big lie of the Liarbour movement. Clio the cat, ? July 1997 - 1 May 2016 Kira the cat, ? ? 2010 - 3 August 2018

Ali Abunimah sums it up perfectly. Posted by Morrissey on March 5, 2019, 7:46 pm, in reply to "Conforming to establishment media groupthink could destroy Corbyn - Joe Emersberger" Ali Abunimah, the editor of electronIntifada.net has given up hope. He said that the “tragedy” of Jeremy Corbyn: “that will be studied for decades is that he led a mass movement that could have won power and brought real change without surrender or appeasement to the unappeasable right, but whose leaders chose not to fight. Much was at stake and not just for UK.”

Re: Ali Abunimah sums it up perfectly. Posted by dovetailjoint on March 5, 2019, 9:00 pm, in reply to "Ali Abunimah sums it up perfectly." I can see why Abunimah thinks like this and he could, unfortunately, be correct. One has to remember that Corbyn only became leader of Labour by accident. It wasn't supposed to happen that way. The PLP only had him on the ticket to make it appear like there was a choice. But they were suprised by the level opposition at the grassroots level, and it was these people, the ordinary members that lifted Corbyn to the position of leader against the wishes of the MPs. This was always going to be an unsustainable 'partnership' a leader so far to the left of the majority of MPs. Corbyn only survived this far because his support from the grassroots was so strong, as well as from leading unions and Labour did far, far, better at the last General Election than anyone thought possible. But then the Blairites adopted another tactic to undermine Corbyn, attacking him as a racist and antisemite, destroying his credentials as a decent man with the highest moral standards, for a politician! It's obvious that Corbyn's isolation inside Labour made his position incredibly difficult and uncertain. He wasn't just fighting the Tories, but a majority in the PLP too, and he seems to have meant that keeping the party together and not giving the Blairites an excuse to breakaway en masse, with dire consequences to follow, was a priority. Without him as leader the Blairites were bound to return to power. Only using all one's energy hanging on and surviving, isn't really a proactive policy. It's way too passive and demoralises the very base he relies upon to win the next election. All that doesn't mean that Corbyn was the right man for the job and the challenges the left faces, but, it's also true that he was... the only man available at the time. There was no alternative to Corbyn and there still isn't and that's not his fault, but the fault of the left and the times we live in.

This is true. Amen : ) ... nm Posted by Tomski on March 5, 2019, 10:08 pm, in reply to "Re: Ali Abunimah sums it up perfectly." nm

I should qualify ... some bits are true : ) nm Posted by Tomski on March 6, 2019, 12:39 pm, in reply to "This is true. Amen : ) ... nm" nm

Re: Ali Abunimah sums it up perfectly. Posted by brooks on March 5, 2019, 10:23 pm, in reply to "Ali Abunimah sums it up perfectly." I don't think it's a "tragedy" as the outcome is not yet known. It's not a matter for "hope" or predictions, but for action. If the hundreds of thousands of Labour members who joined because of Corbyn mobilize, much is still possible.