Why People Like Jeremy Corbyn
Firstly, I need to declare my party affiliations. I did apply to become an affiliated member of the Labour Party but I was turned down. I would like to portray this as a heroic battle to be recognised by the party structure but unfortunately it was because although I am a union member, I have not been paying into the political fund. There you go, you need not take to the barricades on my account.
However, I have watched the current Labour Party civil war with some interest and despair. If you have read any of 'The Seven Pillows of Wisdom' ... in fact, if you have only read the first page of the first essay, then you know that I have no interest in maintaining the Conservatives in power. Sadly it has followed current trends and become a battle of personalities. Aaron Banks, the very wealthy UKIP donor, is not wrong when he says that feelings now trump facts when people vote. Who can be surprised when the politics of personal abuse is so prevalent? I would hope that no-one would make their decision on whether to vote for Jeremy Corbyn or not on the basis of his ignorance of Ant 'n' Dec (though who cannot admire the innocence of a man who has avoided the Geordie duo over the years?) but the thing that intrigues me for this blog is the increasingly desperate attacks on Mr Corbyn from his opponents.
I should repeat that I do not have a vote in the leadership contest and I am also not commenting on whether either candidate is good leadership material or has policies that will appeal to voters. It is just that the increasing puzzlement of the great and good of Labour - J.K.Rowling, Sadiq Kahn, Kezia Dugdale, Ed Balls ... you name it, there is someone with a well-known name telling you how to vote today - misses a fundamental point that I wish to illustrate.
When I finished writing both 'The Seven Pillows of Wisdom' and 'Cheese Market of the Future' (still available on Amazon at a very reasonable price), I decided that it might be quite a fun thing to send copies to some high profile people. The chances of a decent Amazon review were probably slim, but I drew up a list of those who might want the political volume - David Cameron, Theresa May, Jeremy Corbyn, Leanne Wood, Carwyn Jones, Stephen Crabb among them. I sent David Cameron a copy of both books on the basis that he probably had a bit more time on his hands these days.
A month later, how many of those people do you think had replied to me? Granted it was the summer, but you would expect at least an acknowledgement if you take the trouble to send a package through the post. One month on, only Jeremy Corbyn has bothered to even acknowledge receipt of the package. I received a letter thanking me for the book but saying that he is currently busy so he may not have the chance to read it until later in the year.
That is a thing called politeness. It seems very old-fashioned now for politicians to reply to letters. I once wrote to David Cameron about his plans to abolish the Adventurous Activities Licensing Authority (which ensures your children are safe when doing dangerous activities) and he simply passed my letter on to the Health & Safety Executive. I did not even have a reply to say that the letter was being passed on. This is a recent phenomenon - as recently as John Major, you could receive a brief reply from No. 10 if you wrote to the Prime Minister. John Major may never have seen the letters that were acknowledged, but that is not the point. It is politeness and if you are writing about policy, it is democracy than an elected politican replies rather than passes it off to an agency not accountable to the public.
Does replying to a letter make someone a good leader? Does it make them an electable leader? I can see the anti-Corbyn forces readying their arguments of attack, but this misses the point. It is nothing to do with being electable, it is everything to do with being a decent human being and with politicians at a very low level of public esteem, people relate to someone who comes across as a human being. If you do not believe me, watch how Ed Balls's stock will rise as he progresses through Strictly Come Dancing.
The critics shout 'but he can't win an election' and 44% of those who identify as Corbyn supporters agree with that assessment. The key thing though is that it does not matter. There are enough people who, when faced with the latest of David Cameron's cronies going through the revolving door from government to big business to make a fortune and the pictures of Jeremy Corbyn standing on the underground going home, know who they identify with. The critics have missed the point. Here is a little clue for them, they need to focus on other things. It is rather like when those in the political world supported William Hague because 'he performs well in the House' when actually most of the country stopped caring about House of Commons performances many, many years ago (if they ever did care, I suspect that outside the Westminster bubble it has never been an issue).
I have tried nagging some of the non-responders for an acknowledgement, especially David Cameron given his reduced timetable. I have also been asked why I never sent one to Tim Farron. I can only say that I forgot that the Liberal Democrats existed and that must be a comment on their current state.
Perhaps it will all end horribly, perhaps we are in for a 1000 year Conservative Rule, perhaps Labour is finished, perhaps every critic is right, but I will tell you this much. Basic decency is recognised by people and it is appreciated.
Oh hold on, I have to go now, I have calls coming in on my landline, my mobile, Skype and Facebook Messenger. They are from spin doctors from both Left and Right. They all have one question, "Basic decency, that sounds good - how do we fake it?"