Don’t look to the left | Nathan Brown

No, Jeremy Corbyn won’t save you from capitalism. Partly because capitalism requires far more competition than we currently see in much of the world and as such it’s far more proper to say that Jeremy Corbyn won’t save you from social democratic corporate fascism -- let’s remember here that fascism includes an economic doctrine calling for monopoly of industry with government aid, it’s this economic fascism I’m referring to here. It is far more relevant however, to point out that while Corbyn already shows the typical signs of the hypocrisy which marks most socialists, he quite simply does not inspire the same kind of diehard devotion that his predecessors have. I’ve no intention or desire to revisit this point as it has been explained time and time again by various commentators and politicos.

 While Corbyn’s hypocrisy might be more visible to the public, it is important to remember that the party he leads, and the unions who pull his strings, routinely show the same level of insincerity. Real solutions are thin on the ground, and the pay checks are really rather fat. So why do young people overall still seem to believe the left gives a damn? Take Corbyn’s position on the EU. For years, he made a career being a backbench hard left Eurosceptic, even claiming in the Labour leadership contest that the EU was “breaking up the social chapter”, only to then support the Remain campaign in the referendum. Regardless of whatever excuse Owen Jones is currently peddling, Corbyn’s U-turn on the EU is easily explained by placing power before principal. His most recent abandonment of principal is to do away with his long-held commitment to free movement.

Take a step back to the Parliamentary Labour Party. They lapsed on house building while in power for 13 years and now routinely complain that the Conservative party aren’t fixing Labour’s mistakes fast enough. The PLP’s dishonesty has been more evident in the last 6 months, maintaining a commitment to democracy whilst having under gone a recent attempted cue of their democratically elected leader. Take a step back even further to the strike happy unions funding the Labour party and we see the left’s hypocrisy in action day to day. The recent rail and tube strikes for instance disturbed millions of working class people’s lives, inflicting hardships on those who often earn less than train and tube drivers, all to complain about supposed hardships of said train and tube drivers. While some may still support the strikes, the often-overlooked ugly truth is that while the working people suffer, either through disruptions to their commute or through the loss of a day’s wages while on strike, the union bosses calling for the strikes are still paid hefty salaries of £100,000+.

Just remember, especially if you are a young idealist supporting Labour, that while you stand up for what believe in, Corbyn is shedding his principal to stay in power. While you insist that socialism and leftist ideologies are all about “the people” behind closed doors the PLP are whispering “as long as you do as you’re told”. Worst of all, while you suffer through a lack of opportunities, not only are the union fat cats sitting in grand houses, enjoying lifestyles you’ll soon be paying for if you aren’t already, they are also frustrating any attempt to innovate change and create opportunity. This shouldn’t be surprising to anyone who thinks it through, after all, life is pretty cosy when you’re powerful and rich. Yes, there are things that need to change in this country, but don’t look to the left to deliver that change.

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