CORBYN AND TRUMP, A FAREWELL TO NORMALITY

A POOR QUALITY SAINT 


Jeremy Corbyn is unique among the figures that have dominated British politics for the last half-century in that his supporters both venerate and seek to protect him. He has been elevated to Christ-like status whom, in a memorable turn of phrase coined by Helen Lewis of the New Statesman, is treated by these same disciples as if he were ‘a bird with a broken wing.’  This explains the strange mixture of whining victimhood and aggressive bile that descends upon anyone of substance who dares to criticise ‘the great leader.’ They seem themselves as a loyal praetorian guard defending a saint who is unable to fully defend himself.

That such a man, whose sordid past is littered with friendships with cold-blooded killers, Islamist misogynist and homophobic fanatics, an apologist for every anti-democratic regime from Gaddafi’s Libya to Putin’s Russia, be venerated in such a way is both grotesque and pure Monty Python.  His life is littered with utterances and actions that have now come back to haunt him. His response, obfuscation, dissembling and bare faced lies. They are creating poor quality saints these days.

THE NET CLOSES ON TRUMP 

At its very best there are few things more satisfying than the law catching up with the high and mighty. This can be a rare thing this side of the pond. So, I give thanks to the US where they have a strong tradition of bringing such felons to account. We are witnessing the net slowly closing on Trump’s enablers, funders and other acolytes.[1] Will it net Trump himself? We can hope so, however, three things are very evident, it is notoriously difficult to unseat a sitting president, that he is highly unlikely to go voluntary,[2] and that his core base will react badly. Since the latter is armed and extremely dangerous this should be of considerable concern. 

A FAREWELL TO NORMALITY  


‘Normality’ can, in times of deep trouble, as now, be something greatly desired,  it is an illusion. What is ‘normal,’ expected and stable is always evolving, sometimes slowly, sometimes with a dreadful rapidity. The normality of pre-Corbyn, -Brexit and Trump has gone for good and can never be re-assembled. How things will pan out is unclear,  the portents are not good and there is no iron law that protects the Anglophone world from descending into chaos, authoritarianism or even totalitarianism.  The big question is can liberal democracy become muscular? For make no mistake the fight is on and the stakes could not be higher.


[1] . For a good account of Manafort’s actions in Ukraine and elsewhere see Luke Harding ‘Collusion.’ 
[2] I suppose if the case against him was sufficiently strong and he was granted immunity he might decide the better course would be to step down.


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