The speed at
which the hard left seized control of the Labour Party in 2015 took many by
surprise. In one summer of madness, an unlikely veteran backbencher went from near-forgotten
has-been to happening hero.
Social media
played an important part in spreading Corbyn’s message and supercharged the
pace of the initially preposterous, yet ultimately remarkable, coup.
Back in the
late 1970s and early 1980s, activists in groups such as Militant and Labour
Briefing would work tirelessly and painstakingly to control branches and
constituencies, aiming to advance the revolution one resolution at a time.
Fast forward
to the 21st century and the takeover was achieved in just a few
months, in no small part due to shared posts and viral memes. Many of the people
involved in turning the Labour Party upside down three years ago had never
attended a meeting and advanced Corbyn’s cause from the comfort of their front
room.
In this way,
social media is the amphetamine of modern politics. It supercharges campaigns.
But it can also lead to dramatic decline and disaster.
My hunch is
that Corbyn’s decline may be as rapid as his ascension. And although the wheels
haven’t yet come off the Momentum bus, we’re seeing signs that bad news for the
leftists can spread as fast the good tidings. As Shakespeare poetically put it
in Hamlet: "For tis the sport to
have the enginer Hoist with his owne petar…”
Let’s start with the most recent
example.
The February National Policy Forum turned
into a bunfight, with accusations of bullying and much controversy over a
cancelled election. Unite Leader Len McCluskey – a man with the subtlety and
political perspicacity of a steam engine – euphemistically described it as
being ‘feisty’. Which naturally he saw as a positive.
It all sounded very familiar. Much
like a lot of meetings I might have attended in the 1980s myself, but with one
important difference. Reports of the rancour and video footage of the event
were uploaded to Twitter and Facebook quicker than you can say Absolute Boy. So
the tactics of the Corbynites were exposed instantly.
What about Haringey? You’ll remember
that the London borough is set to elect a leftist council in May after an adventurous
housing project was used as stick to beat and unseat sitting moderates. It’s
been a story that has been much debated in what Corbynistas would describe as the
‘mainstream’ media, but it’s raged over social media too. What’s fascinating is
that we already have a sense of what the Momentum Council will be like. The
histrionics are played out in real time in tweets in advance of the election. The
mask has already slipped and news travels at lightning speed.
And Momentum itself is getting a bit
careless in its use of the social platforms that have been such a mainstay of
its growth. In a recent video, they sing the praises of Tony Benn, who is
described as the ‘spearhead’ of a movement for Labour Party democracy and an ‘educator
and keeper of socialists’.
Benn, of course, is actually
remembered as the most divisive figure in Labour politics in the second half of
the twentieth century, promoting the hard-left agenda in the late 70s and early
80s that led to the formation of the SDP. Until recently, the Corbyn crowd had
been keen to distance themselves from this legacy and would laugh off any attempt
to paint them as a resurrected version of the Bennite left. Now, they feel
emboldened. And the bolder they become, the more their true face will be revealed.
Allegations about Corbyn, McDonnell
and Livingstone in the traditional right-wing press will probably do little to
damage the Jezuit movement. The faithful will rage against the media and
ridicule the source. In many ways, it becomes a rallying point for Labour members
and supporters, who are broadly supportive of Corbyn. But when the supposed champions
of ‘democracy’ leading the party are revealed to preside over undemocratic practices
– and the drama is played out in realtime on people’s tablets and mobiles –
that’s when the shine starts to wear off.
With Labour faltering in the polls and
just a few months to go until some important local elections, the Corbynistas have
every reason to feel a little edgy. The fall may be just as precipitous as the
original steep climb.
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