AN

I don’t think they would be naive about it. A Labour Party that actually challenges entrenched power and governs for the broad mass of the people will face significant resistance. If we got into government the movement behind the Labour Party and Jeremy Corbyn would have to step up and exert itself in society. You can’t just leave someone in number ten to implement your program, that’s not going to work. There has to be a broad expression of social power behind the left government or it would get crushed.

I think John McDonnell, Jeremy Corbyn, and Diane Abbott have the historical awareness not to be caught out by that. One of Jeremy’s qualities is his stubbornness, so he’s not going to capitulate at the first sign of trouble. Sometimes you hear this line that he isn’t a strong leader. But you couldn’t do what Jeremy Corbyn has done, not just in recent years but for decades, standing up against the most powerful interests, if you’re not strong. He would continue that life’s work if he was in government as prime minister. There would, I think, come a point when the Labour Party would have to appeal to the country and say “Look, this is what were trying to do for you and we’re facing resistance — will you back us?”

A lot depends on timing. Brexit is obviously somewhat chaotic at the moment. In this general election the business community didn’t mobilize for the Conservatives so much, they gave them money but didn’t intervene as they had in the past. I think that’s partly because they were worried about the idea of a hard Brexit. For a lot of business interests in Britain that would impact the bottom line.

It isn’t clear how the social forces are going to stack up in such an unstable situation. If there is another election and Labour are favorites to win, things will look quite different. But the Tories might hold on for two years or more and by then the context could have changed a lot. We need to prepare for whichever eventuality comes to pass.

Getting into government isn’t the end of the job, it’s only the start. That’s when huge mobilizations will be needed to defend Corbyn’s platform because, for Britain’s elite, a lot of power and wealth will be on the line.