Lessons in leadership from Clement Attlee and George Lansbury
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Version 0 of 1. Jonathan Freedland bemoans the Copeland byelection result and lays the blame squarely on Jeremy Corbyn’s shoulders (Copeland shows that Corbyn must go. But only Labour’s left can remove him, 25 February). This without a hint of irony from a newspaper that has often been in lockstep with the more rabid elements of the tabloid press savaging the man who was elected twice, with overwhelming grassroots support, to lead the Labour party away from the New Labour policies that led the party to embrace banking deregulation, NHS PPP finance, university tuition fees and the US crusades in Afghanistan and Iraq. We know how well those ended. Is that what you want to present to the British electorate as Labour’s past and vision of the future? You can make any dog unelectable by giving it a bad name. Constant sniping from sectors of the press that are supposed to be supportive will have that effect, as will a parliamentary party sitting on their hands in sullen silence until better jobs come along, having reluctantly paused from stabbing their leader in the back and now declining to offer any support. If Corbyn has a problem it is less the man than the brand, I suggest. And if you are determined to do away with both you need to present a viable alternative, in the certain knowledge that they too will be savaged by the tabloids and presented, as Ed Miliband was, as a backstabbing betrayer. Having done that, you then need to propose policies that regain the trust of the working class that New Labour in its race to the right abandoned, not to mention how you would distance yourself from the still toxic legacy of the Blair era. Be careful what you wish for.Des SeniorAylesbeare, Devon • As a Labour supporter from the early teens of my 95 years of life, and a Labour voter since 1945, I agree with most of Jonathan Freedland’s article. I have been prepared to give Corbyn time, as one inexperienced on the frontbench and in leadership, but his weaknesses have now become obvious. My support of the Labour party has survived Ramsay MacDonald’s prewar betrayal, the breakaway Social Democratic party and the Iraq war. But if Corbyn doesn’t resign his leadership now, after the clear evidence of the two byelections and his failure to hold to account the disastrous failures of the Conservative government, I would even support a breakaway majority of the Labour party if it supported the policies of Attlee’s postwar government. This policy base would need updating in line with current trends and events and voters’ needs. But we need that government’s drive to mend shattered Britain.Jack RedfernCongresbury, Somerset • Although the disastrous Copeland byelection result cannot be the full responsibility of Jeremy Corbyn, he is party leader and has to assume a major share of blame. More than 80 years ago, there was another Labour leader rather like Corbyn. George Lansbury was a man with profound personal views and high political integrity. But, in the words of the historian Kenneth O Morgan, he was “an agitator of protest, not a politician of power”. When he found himself at odds with his party over his pacifist views, Lansbury did the right thing and resigned, to be succeeded by Labour’s most successful leader, Clement Attlee. This is surely the right time for history to repeat itself.Bert CloughNewbury, Berkshire • Jonathan Freedland’s assertion that only the left in the Labour party can remove Jeremy Corbyn is probably correct, given that it was the Labour left who voted for Corbyn as leader. But Freedland misses the crucial condition: who can replace him? It’s not enough to vote Corbyn out, someone else has to be voted in. And pray tell us who among Labour’s MPs is capable of taking over and presenting the credible opposition that Freedland and so many others crave? The tragedy of the opposition party is not that Jeremy Corbyn is out of his depth as its leader, it is that there is no evidence that there is anyone else who has the abilities and presence to step forward. If there is someone out there, they need to make their presence known now.Tony Robertson-JonasLondon • The removal of Claudio Ranieri has huge significance for Labour. As the Leicester City chairman put it, “long-term interests” must come before “all sense of personal sentiment, however strong that may be”. Party members (including members of Momentum, of whom I’m one) must now accept the regrettable fact that survival has become impossible under Jeremy Corbyn. With a return to Blairism clearly no answer, we need to find a strong, charismatic leader/manager, with radical ideas, if we are to have any hope of avoiding relegation. To coin a phrase: “The fight starts now.”Dan WillisGillingham, Kent • Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com • Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters |