The commentators 11-08-15...on UK politicsSuccessive election defeats and the triumph of New Labour have surely put paid for ever to the prospect of a leftwing Labour party capable of winning an election. Or have they? As it happens I long ago tapped out the first 5,000 words or so of a sequel to A Very British Coup, but fantasy or not, the astonishing rise of Jeremy Corbyn has given a new lease of life to the real-life possibility, however remote
- Chris Mullin, The Guardian Leadership campaigns are the moment in politics where individuals appear to matter most. In the case of Labour’s latest election one individual, Jeremy Corbyn, is having a more dramatic impact than any candidate in any contest since 1945. But the power of the individual is an illusion. Political contests are all about the context in which they take place, the precise timing, and the state of the party that is electing a new leader. These explain the rise of Corbyn. Jeremy Corbyn does not explain the rise of Corbyn
- Steve Richards, The Independent The Labour party is suffering a political nervous breakdown having been displaced from power. Its psyche is dominated by anger with the electorate, disgust at the compromises required to win and fear that it might be out of government for a generation. Joy has been banished to the long-term memory vault along with Tony Blair’s smile
- Rachel Sylvester, The Times It seems extraordinary, just after a general election that produced only a narrow majority for the Conservatives, to countenance a one-party state, but that is what we are now facing. The warning signs are flashing, clearly and urgently.
- Norman Baker, The Independent The only reason this case from Shoeburyness reached the public consciousness was because someone mentioned age. That turns out to have been a side issue, and we shall probably never know the full story. That may be right and proper, a family's private traumas should not be aired for public entertainment.
But if women are being coerced into signing away the right to look after their children when they are not mentally fit, in order that councils can meet adoption targets - as the grandparents' lawyer and MPs suggest - then we need to know. The journalists covering this story have fallen for the clickbait angle and missed the real issue. Editor's blog: Grandparents' tale of woe Comment archive, 2015 |
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