The meteoric rise and catastrophic fall of the Corbyn movement represented a major turning point in British and world politics. For all that it inspired millions of workers and youth, it was an object lesson in the betrayals inherent in reformism and the pitfalls of opportunism: i.e. when left-wing leaders make ‘pragmatic’ concessions to the class enemy – with fatal consequences. This week, the Spectre of Communism speaks to Matt Zarb-Cousin, former spokesperson for Jeremy Corbyn, who saw this process unfold from the inside…
The election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the British Labour Party in 2015 was an earthquake. Massive support for Corbyn’s left-wing programme from workers and young people, in particular, showed the desperation for an alternative after years of grinding capitalist austerity following the 2008 crash. Corbyn was almost elected as Prime Minister in 2017; but was eventually crushed and the Labour left routed, with the pro-capitalist, genocide-supporting Keir Starmer firmly in the driver’s seat.
What happened, and what are the lessons to be learned? Listen to Zarb-Cousin providing an inside perspective on the errors that ultimately spelled doom for the Corbyn movement, which so terrified the British ruling class for a period. We also welcome Sean Hodges, a leading member of the Revolutionary Communist Party, whose own experiences of that period led him towards Marxism and communism, as the only road forward for working people and the youth.
The Labour Party in its current guise is totally sewn up by the right wing, but the return of popular left-reformist trends is not ruled out. As the crisis of capitalism continues unabated, similar developments to the Corbyn phenomenon will undoubtedly emerge in the future. It is therefore vital that communists and class fighters make a serious study of the failure of Corbynism, and especially the threat posed by opportunism in particular.
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