It’s probably the most tired line in British politics of late outside of the Brexit debate. It’s a line which has many different forms, but usually manifests itself as something like “oh, young people just vote for Corbyn because they are gullible and he promises them lots of sweets.”

It really does make me laugh when these views are expressed by people who believe that their regurgitated Express and Mail headlines count as educated political opinion. Especially as the current millennial generation is the most educated generation there has ever been [1]. Actually young people have a much greater chance of being well informed on these issues than older generations.

To clarify: I am not digging at Older generations here, but rather stating that dismissing the opinions of young people on the grounds that they are young is extremely foolish. Assuming that we voted for Corbyn because he promised the impossible goals of free education, affordable housing, and job creation through central investment does ignore the problematic paradox that this is asking no more than previous generations had.

James O’Brien put it very well [2]: why should my generation support a capitalist system which gives us no hope of ever accruing any capital?

We put forward an alternative, and we would like that view to be respected. With that said, this is the fully referenced version of my article written for my University Newspaper on Why Corbyn is Right for Britain. Please note that, unlike any Express articles you will find, the following views are backed up and grounded in a few reliable academic sources.

Is Jeremy Corbyn Right for Britain?

It seems to be a rule of British politics today that people will underestimate Jeremy Corbyn. I will admit that he appears unimpressive, as I discovered meeting him last year, yet here is a man who defied all odds to be elected Labour Party leader on a vote share larger than that of Tony Blair in 1994 [3] be re-elected the following year on an even larger share [4], and then provide Labour’s largest increase in popular vote share since 1945 [5]. The textbook mistake is to underestimate him.

Despite undergoing obtuse character assassination by the media[6], which has led to a division in popularity between Corbyn and his policies, it would only be right to say that Corbyn’s politics are right for Britain. Britain needs delicate and subtle negotiators as it deals with Brexit, which the Conservatives seem unable to provide. It is far easier to picture Barnier working with Corbyn than May, because Corbyn is simply much more mainstream on the continent.

Far from being Venezuelan, Corbyn’s politics are far more European and a touch Scandinavian in their design. The Keynesian approach is hardly a Bolshevik revolution.

And this mainstream left is exactly what we need; the best of Britain is built on a Keynesian economic model, not a free market one. Economically speaking, there is sound reason behind Corbyn’s policies, and the role of the state in markets. Neo-Keynesian economists have pointed out that the state has the ability to be flexible in creating market opportunities with tools not available to private enterprise [7], and invest based on what Britain needs, which is often different from what businesses can gain from in the short term.

For example, a company cannot invest in cancer research without state aid (or the whimsical backing of Charity, which is both unreliable and dependent upon the generosity of the rich) if the breakthrough they are seeking could take a decade- they need profits to sustain themselves.

Often it is not appreciated how much state investment went into producing companies like Apple[8], and how state investment banks (which Corbyn supports) like the German KfW managed to generate a $3billion profit in 2012 while most other banks were still “in the red zone.”[9] Remarkably efficient.

Austerity will fail because you don’t run an economy like a household budget- you have to invest to grow, and when even Cameron’s director of strategy begins criticising May’s cuts [10] you have to question a policy strategy which, by contrast to Corbyn’s, is heavily unpopular. Support for an increase in minimum wage (80% support), rent caps (74%), and nationalising railways (60%) and Royal Mail (65%) are hugely popular with British voters [11] and attainable, if only they can get past this “he’s a bloody commie” mentality, and realise that Corbyn is right for Britain. Right for our future.



[1] http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/03/19/how-millennials-compare-with-their-grandparents/ft_millennials-education_031715/

[2] http://www.lbc.co.uk/radio/presenters/james-obrien/james-obrien-absolutely-nails-the-reason-for-jerem/

[3] Cawthorne, N. Jeremy Corbyn: Leading From the Left (Endeavour Press 2017), p.112

[4] Cawthorne, N. Jeremy Corbyn: Leading From the Left (Endeavour Press 2017), p.122

[5] Cawthorne, N. Jeremy Corbyn: Leading From the Left (Endeavour Press 2017), p.130

[6] http://www.lse.ac.uk/media@lse/research/pdf/JeremyCorbyn/Cobyn-Report.pdf

[7] Mazzucato, M. The Entrepreneurial State (Anthem Press 2014), p.195

[8] Mazzucato, M. The Entrepreneurial State (Anthem Press 2014), p.94

[9] Mazzucato, M. The Entrepreneurial State (Anthem Press 2014), p.190

[10] Cawthorne, N. Jeremy Corbyn: Leading From the Left (Endeavour Press 2017), p.127

[11] https://yougov.co.uk/news/2017/05/19/nationalisation-vs-privatisation-public-view/