Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/556862
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 16 AUGUST 2015 Opinion 25 Republic Street, Valletta next to the Courts upstart who might be swayed... but a former master who is very firmly set in the old ways of the Force. So (in Star Wars as in real life) that leaves Corbyn's adversaries with only one available option: build a Death Star and wipe the threat out of existence. But what is it about this man that inspires so much enthusiasm among (mostly young) voters, while simultaneously striking instant fear into the hearts of his enemies? OK, obviously it's not his prowess with a light- sabre… though it might be partly because, like Obi Wan Kenobi, it seems Corbyn really can perform 'mind tricks' which bend the masses to his will. So let's take a small peek at where Jeremy Corbyn actually stands on a number of issues facing Britain today. I've lifted these details from a Guardian article comparing all four candidates: On Austerity: "Austerity is a government decision, not an economic necessity," he said; and unlike any of the other candidates, his economic plans involve "growing the economy and taxing the wealthy". (More controversially, they also involve 'quantitative easing' – the equivalent of printing new money – to finance social projects.) On Immigration: Corbyn has consistently argued that immigration is "not a drain on the economy, but a phenomenon that has been going on for hundreds of years." He has campaigned on behalf of asylum seekers, and criticised the UK's decision to pull out of rescue missions in the Mediterranean. On Defence: he opposes the Trident nuclear programme, advocates withdrawal from NATO and (funnily enough) argues that Tony Blair should stand trial for war crimes over Iraq. On Welfare: Corbyn voted against his own government's welfare bill last July. "We are one of the richest countries in the world and there is absolutely no reason why anybody should have to live in poverty", he said at the time. On the EU: He is the only Labour leadership candidate who has not publicly committed to opposing 'Brexit' in next year's referendum. I'll stop there, because it's already enough to get an idea where this is all heading. With the possible exceptions of his EU stance and the 'quantitative' easing proposal – which, incidentally, he probably got from the same EU he is clearly ambivalent about – nearly all Corbyn's terrif ying proposals amount to a return to that forgotten galaxy called 'Socialism', far, far away. In a nutshell, he represents prioritising the fight against poverty, and taxing the wealthy to finance the social welfare system. Oh, the horror, that the British Socialist party might actually elect a Socialist as its leader. Whatever next, I wonder? A Catholic as the next Pope…? But of course, this absurdity alone does not account for the sheer extent of the opposition to his leadership of the Labour Party. There is something else at work behind the scenes: something relevant to politics everywhere, including here in Malta. Like I said earlier, I'm not at all surprised by the concerted attacks on Corbyn, or the fact that these have so far worked to his advantage. We see this all the time in our own politics. Character assassination rarely achieves its primary aim, and more often generates sympathy – even if unwarranted – for the target. You can get a glimpse of exactly why from the comments underneath most of the articles criticising Corbyn. At the time of writing, Tony Blair's piece has attracted almost 8,000 reactions. Obviously I didn't read them all; but I did read enough to get the overwhelming impression that a common thread runs through many of them. The rationale appears to be: 'The fact that you are so hell- bent on destroying this man means that he is the opposite of what you represent.. and this alone makes me want to support him more.' In other words, support for Corbyn equates to rejection of a status quo that has come to represent a sine qua non in the minds of establishment politicians… and it is this rejection, rather than the man who inspired it, that horrifies his critics so much. It also explains the extent of the panic. If Corbyn represents a threat, it is not so much to the Labour Party itself – which was in any case moribund, regardless of who won the contest – but to the absolutism that has crept into our entire approach to politics: not just in the UK, but throughout the rest of Europe, too. We saw much the same pattern in the recent Greek bailout negotiations. Questioning 'austerity' as a common EU policy (read: dogma) has virtually become anathema. Anyone suggesting it isn't 'necessary' or 'desirable' simply has to be a madman… a dangerous, subversive recluse who must be stopped at all costs. And yet, the same 'horrif ying' view is shared by millions of left-leaning European citizens, and backed by any number of credible economists worldwide. At which point, you do have to start asking who among us is the more out of touch with reality: those who, like Jeremy Corbyn, recognise the validity of arguments heard all over Europe; or those who simply shut those arguments out of the discussion altogether. And this is why the leadership contest suddenly got so interesting. It has reminded us all of precisely what politics is supposed to be about, but isn't any more. In this specific instance, the irony is almost poignant: by resisting a return to Socialist roots, the Labour Party is defending the status quo against reform and change. And what is that, if not the textbook definition of political 'Conservatism'? But the same pattern transcends the lefts, rights and centres of the political spectrum. There is a point at which political parties of all hues get so absorbed into their own interests that they simply drift too far from the electorate to actually represent them any longer. They end up representing themselves, and nothing else: so naturally, if anything or anything pops up to threaten their cosy arrangement… out come the big guns to blast the threat to oblivion. Just like the Empire in Star Wars, in brief: building Death Stars to annihilate any rebel alliance that would dare challenge its right to rule the galaxy forever… There is still no talk of electing a future prime minister… but the Labour Party's youth membership has since surged by over 50,000, and by all accounts Corbyn's entry has energised the campaign beyond all previous expectations