The loss of the 2019 general election, Laura Pidcock losing her seat, Jeremy Corbyn’s resignation and then the inability of the left to come up with a credible alternative leadership candidate left many anti-austerity activists, those seeking ‘a better, kinder politics’ utterly bereft. Things have picked up a bit with the #CostofLivingCrisis and #DemandBetter campaigns rallying people around the trade union movement but there are still many people sighing, and asking where the hope’s gone.
Here it is
It’s worth going to see Oh Jeremy Corbyn: the big lie to remind yourself what happened to us. It’s worth reading, for example Tony Greenstein’s book, to get clear in your head what is or isn’t anti-Semitism and so on, but studying the dragon can actually put your would-be heroes off. They also need hope.
Enter Asa Winstanley’s book
Winstanley gives what is probably the most thorough and accurate analysis yet of the main force that was in action against Corbyn — but crucially, he does something far more important, something I haven’t seen done – well at least not done well enough to work elsewhere. His book isn’t sighing over the demise of the good guys and blaming everything on the bad guys. What he does is analyse what happened, who sabotaged what, and how, who made what mistakes, and what Team Corbyn could have done that might have changed the course of events dramatically.
For example, Winstanley points out that as soon as Jennie Formby said anything significant on the NEC, accusations of anti-Semitism flew. He contrasts the way Unite dealt with the attacks on their then employee with the way Corbyn’s office dealt with other such attacks. ‘Unite aggressively combated this campaign and it was swiftly crushed.’
He also details just how important a real defender like Ken Livingstone or Chris Williamson could have been to Corbyn’s support base, and also how and when the then leadership should have and could have defended those key figures.
I came out of this book with a far, far more hopeful view of political activism than I have had for some years. Big, well funded lobbies can and should be challenged as relentlessly as they challenge the truths they hope to hide – and they can be vanquished. Of course it’s not easy, and I wouldn’t take this book as a condemnation of anyone who was trying – but it’s a clear guide. Of course, if there’s a ‘next time’ the enemy won’t be exactly the same but Winstanley makes that clear too, saying that Corbyn had commented on the relevance of the Harry Perkins book, A Very British Coup – but had not perhaps been well enough prepared for ‘a very Israeli coup.’
Please read Winstanley’s book carefully, and then get out there and get on with fighting for justice, socialism and democracy, better armed and stronger than before. If you’re not into reading books, go talk to the man. There’s a choice of events, but here’s one to be going on with…
Here’s hope!
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Cheers,
Kay
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Kay Green 