My Election Contest With Jeremy Corbyn
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Email received at Head Office:
Quote:Fellow World Socialists,
There are several good reasons why World Socialists should welcome the election of Jeremy Corbyn to the role of Labour Party Leader or Her Majesty’s Opposition Leader in the UK, if in indeed me makes it beyond any dirty tricks from his opponents in the party. Corbyn win or lose, his success now marks the end of the long ‘politically repressive’ Thatcher period.Bill Martin’s little piece on Corbyn (August SS) rather missed the points, unfortunately! Sure, Corbyn’s socialism is not our Socialism and that’s not the point either.In the USA Obama was called a socialist (laughingly!) and now there is a candidate Bernie Sanders, A self-described ‘democratic socialist’ on a Corbyn-like ticket doing well so far in the US Presidential Election Party Primaries. If he doesn’t win the Democratic nomination he’ll force Hillary Clinton leftwards to beat him, mush as Corbyn here has done with both Burnham and Copper. Most would agree that for a person in the USA (of all places) to be doing well in a national poll and openly calling himself a ‘socialist’, of any kind, is pretty good progress for politics there. Not since Upton Sinclair in the 1930’s.What has that got to do with Corbyn?Well ‘Socialist Standard’ regulars (World Socialists) know that Corbyn’s socialism is not ours, but his popularity and success and should he win here will definitely (no doubts about it) legitimize and popularize the word ‘socialism’ again in the UK politics. This word since Thatcher has all but been banned and junked by the media (TV, radio and newspapers) and these outlets are where most of the public/voters still get their politics. Also junked by Labour Leaders.Therefore, the same effect as with Sanders in the USA will likely happen here in the UK. But more again will happen here as it will likely happen in the USA. What? The word ‘socialism’ being currency again (sorry for the association) will lead some to research socialism and they’ll come up with the SPGB & WSPUSA (World Socialist Party of the United States) in their results page!There is another reason in that World Socialists welcome working people getting a better share of the wealth in the meantime and Corbyn as British Prime Minister will achieve this for workers.A third reason will prove that the left cannot solve the problem of the disintegrating capitalist society—a society to which the term ‘impossibilism’ is better now applied to than to World Socialism. Thus Corbyn is merely a prelude to much more meaningful discussions about capitalism and socialism.Finally, Mr Bill Martin, a more positive outlook is required from you sir, and not to stick to ‘political elitism’ which is exactly the outlook of British Labour Party leaders now in their tirade against Corbyn!Regards. William Dunn, GLASGOWFollowing is a discussion on the page titled: My Election Contest With Jeremy Corbyn.
Below is the discussion so far. Feel free to add your own comments!Blair panics…http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/aug/12/tony-blair-labour-faces-annihilation-if-jeremy-corbyn-wins-leadershipOnly reason i might be persuaded to vote Corbyn is the distinct possibility that Blair might face war crimes trial under Corbyn government.
Quote:Corbyn's.. popularity and success and should he win here will definitely (no doubts about it) legitimize and popularize the word ‘socialism’ again in the UK politics.Don't you mean his success would lead to even more distortion about socialism, while he misrepresents what socialism is?Do you remember how popular 'socialism' was with the Nazis? Did that do the socialist case any favours?
Since Blair is a war criminal at large he might even be looking to save his own skin by opposing Corbyn. Blair might be about to find out just how unpopular he has become.
jondwhite wrote:Since Blair is a war criminal at large he might even be looking to save his own skin by opposing Corbyn. Blair might be about to find out just how unpopular he has become.This could possibly be Corbyn's most popular policy " A vote for Corbyn is a vote to have blair put on trial.
Vin wrote:Quote:Corbyn's.. popularity and success and should he win here will definitely (no doubts about it) legitimize and popularize the word ‘socialism’ again in the UK politics.Don't you mean his success would lead to even more distortion about socialism, while he misrepresents what socialism is?Do you remember how popular 'socialism' was with the Nazis? Did that do the socialist case any favours?
Very good point Vin. I was talking to my dad about it the other day and he's of the opinion that should Corbyn reach the lofty heights of Labour leadership and aim for a stint as PM, the odds are that his "socialism" will fail. Allowing the media to tear into another example of failed "socialism". I doubt that'll be good for us lot.
William Dunn wrote:There is another reason in that World Socialists welcome working people getting a better share of the wealth in the meantime and Corbyn as British Prime Minister will achieve this for workers.Whatever the other points our correspondent makes for supporting and/or welcoming a Corbyn win, this one is wrong, completely wrong. A Labour government under Corbyn won't achieve a better share of wealth for workers in the meantime because no government can. The only way workers can get this, to the extent that it is possible under capitalism, is by their own efforts in trade unions, etc.
Are you sure, Completely, wrong?Surely if he is elected he will mitigate the effect of the welfare benefit changes on large numbers of workers and would that not meet W. Dunn's definition of a better share of wealth. Perhaps W. Dunn means the increased tax upon the capitalist class and the promises of ending tax avoidance will change the share of the surplus value that the capitalist class has to surrender to the State to pay for better social services and benefits. I also imagine if Corbyn fulfilled his "principles" of the past, trade union legislation will be relaxed once again to permit workers to exercise what industrial muscle they possess as you correctly and create a more advantageous battle-field in the class struggle. Being the cynic and sceptic i am, I simply don't believe he will ever be offered the opportunity to be Prime Minister. He'll have to change the Labour Party into something it is not and in a way Blair is right, it will destroy the Labour Party. Our press statement referring to Harold Wilson but it may well have gone further back into history and produced two analogies…the failure of a very strong ILP under Maxton and how they were cowed into obedience and, of course, Ramsay MacDonald, who also like many on the right of today's party would be prepared to sacrifice the Labour Party, as did the SDP in the 80s. Corbyn may well find himself the leader of a rump Labour Party. On this i'm merely guessing…What I can be sure of is that it will not raise the consciousness of workers to emancipate themselves and thus bring socialism a step closer but drag them up deeper up a blind alley, once again.
William Dunn's comment on the reply to his letter in this month's Standard:
Quote:Thanks for publishing my letter in the Socialist Standard on Corbyn and the reply.Your reply shows we have no disagreements really…perhaps a minor one: as to what
affect the return of the word 'socialism' to the everyday vocabulary will have on
the body politic with a Corbyn win and in the USA if Sanders does well and even
beats Clinton to the post of Democratic Party nomination.Only time will answer that one. Well that also rather depends on what World
Socialists make of the opportunity! It is our word after-all—who better to speak
this word?The establishment and cynics both here and in the USA right now are going through
the motions with Sanders saying: 'he has no chance', like they said with Corbyn
here. The task in the USA for a 'Socialist' candidate is much harder—on the other
hand, the predicaments of most there are more acute and thus change there more
urgently needed. As we see here the 'mainstream media' and rightwing politicians
have thrown everything they’ve got into Corbyn’s path and it seems to no avail, thus
they are powerless to prevent a Corbyn victory and perhaps too in the USA with
Sanders and all that means is that workers' real needs (as they see them) cannot be
erased by media propaganda. And that too should please us that when we present our
arguments in contrast to the limits of Corbyn and should our new definition of real
needs be grasped by the workers then a real socialist victory will be unstoppable
too.Quote:Well that also rather depends on what World Socialists make of the opportunity!
This is the BIG question. Change is coming and we need to influence its direction.We will only do that by accepting the positive aspects of this 'movement' and engaging in a positive way.
Quote:Sanders does not actually call for socialism. He is not running as a “socialist” at all. He does not criticize or even refer to capitalism or the profit system, the underlying political-economic regime that is wired for the endless upward distribution of wealth and power and the ruination of livable ecology. Sanders rails against “the billionaire class,” against economic inequality, against the Republicans, against FOX News, against the Citizens United decision, and against the terrible Koch brothers. He’s running as a strident populist Democrat. In that regard, he’s not really all that different from Dennis Kucinich in 2003-04, Jesse Jackson in the 1980s and even John Edwards in 2007-08, all of whom struck strong populist chords in efforts to reach the Democratic Party’s progressive primary base. When quizzed by reporters on what socialism means to him, Sanders simply says that the United States can learn a few things from Scandinavian states when it comes to having a stronger welfare state, socialized health care, stronger unions, and the like. He seems to be diluting the meaning of the word socialism (which for actual socialists refers to workers’ control of production and the democratic running of the economy for people and the common good, not the profits of a capitalist elite) as much as advancing it.http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/09/02/strange-words-from-st-bernard-and-the-sandernistas/Should we legitimise politicians who "dilute" the meaning of socialism (distort, may very well be the correct word) and avoid riticism that they are not offering socialism as a solution. We have to identify why some workers are expressing "liberal" views, and also understand why elsewhere they are resorting to "illiberal" opinions such as we are now seeing in Sweden or Hungary. They want change too, but not the change we seek and they see themselves as much dissidents and rebels as the left do. Our positive reaction is to promote the SPGB case. Neither Ca-moron nor Cor!-byn but world socialism. And accept the flak if it conflicts with other peoples political position.
I think the crux of the matter is our use of the word 'World'.Maybe we can make ourselves stand out better by trying always not to use the word 'socialism' on its own but by emphasizing that we stand for World socialism. We may stand a better chance of getting our point across, especially in the face of the likes of Corbyn and how he's being branded, if we always use the words World Socialism together, as our brand, rather than just saying our socialism is not the same as theirs. In effect, use World Socialism as our USP in leaflets, slogans etc. more than we maybe are doing.After all, we say that socialism can't be established in one country, so in a sense it doesn't matter what 'nation-oriented' advocates of so-called socialism mean by the word. So we could say things along the lines of 'not Corbyn socialism but World socialism'.'Are you a World Socialist or just a pretend socialist?'.Etc.
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