If the Labour Party lose the next general election, which they surely will under Jeremy Corbyn (short of a miracle), it won’t be the fault of the leader. The blame should squarely fall at the disloyal members of his party who have been sniping, bitching and briefing against him since the moment of his elevation to the party’s top job in 2015.
Regardless of whether you like the man, his policies or principles, he was elected leader and should’ve been afforded the courtesy of a fair crack of the whip to establish himself. But he never enjoyed a honeymoon period because the knives were out as soon as the vote was in. Last week Lord Voldemort aka Peter Mandelson said he works every day to undermine him. He’s a charming man, isn’t he?
Sure, Corbyn has many faults. He is not particularly effective at the dispatch box, his performance during the Brexit campaign was abysmal and in part he is to blame for the loss of Copeland, a seat that the party had held for decades. But there are much bigger problems than the leader, and that is disunity. It is electoral suicide.
Every party should do their best to keep internal squabbles away from the press, shore up their leaks and avoid briefing against opponents who are on the same side, at least on paper. However, this advice is rarely heeded and nearly every day political hacks are drip fed delicious stories that just keep on giving.
Whoever is next to lead the party will be handed a poisoned chalice. Through childish infighting and pig headiness Labour could have consigned itself to opposition for a generation or more. And they’ve only got themselves to blame.
