Jeremy Corbyn leads Britain’s main opposition party, Labour, but he would be a disaster as prime minister.
After all, he is a devoutly authoritarian socialist and borderline communist who despises NATO, appeases Russia, adores failed state Venezuela, and, perhaps unsurprisingly as a proven anti-Semite, counts the Iranian theocrats as a former employer. I also suspect that Corbyn will eventually be shown to have held meetings with Soviet-era KGB officers, agents, or intermediaries.
But let’s keep things simple today. Because his views aside, Corbyn has again proven how exceptionally poor a leader he is. This is proved by two new factors. First, that the Conservatives have actually increased their lead in the latest opinion polls, even though they are riven by infighting and are struggling to get Brexit enacted. That Corbyn has been unable to capitalize on the government’s current weakness speaks volumes about his inadequacy. The second piece of evidence against Corbyn is encapsulated by a Dan Hodges tweet on Corbyn’s parliamentary bungling.
Remember. Calling a meaningless No Confidence motion in May, an hour after saying you wouldn’t, which itself came an hour after you said you would, to avoid having a real No Confidence motion, all to avoid making a real decision on Brexit, is being done in the national interest.
— (((Dan Hodges))) (@DPJHodges) December 17, 2018
A media columnist and former Labour activist, Hodges is a respected observer of British politics, well-sourced with Labour’s center-left. But about an hour after that first tweet, Hodges gave us another update.
Can’t quite believe I’m typing this. But understand Corby is now trying to shift his position again. Apparently attempting to claim No Confidence motion in May should be treated in same way as No Confidence under Fixed-Term Parliament Act. Even though wording in Act is specific.
— (((Dan Hodges))) (@DPJHodges) December 17, 2018
The backstory here is that Corbyn was oscillating between a symbolic vote on Prime Minister Theresa May’s leadership and a real no-confidence vote that would bring about a new election. Corbyn was wavering because he knows he would lose a no-confidence vote. In that sense, Corbyn’s action here is the height of politically pointless partisan posturing. It is self-indulgent and designed only for theater. But coming from a party leader who is supposed to be the head of an alternative government in waiting, it is the definition of non-leadership.
That said, coming from someone whose nuclear deterrent strategy is to rule out deterrent action, it isn’t surprising.
