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Yes it's ageist to say so, but as the guy is very close to my age I may as well point it out - Jeremy Corbyn is too old to be Labour leader. He's sixty-six and for some that would not be too old, but for Corbyn it is.
We know all about his left-wing credentials, his eccentricity and professional radicalism. We know about his lack of government and business experience, but his age is an important aspect of all that. He has had plenty of time to achieve something, hasn't achieved it and now it is too late.
The unexpected may happen, he may blossom, adapt and bring principles to modern politics, but the omens are not good. After careful examination of the entrails of a Norfolk crab and salmon tart, the runes suggest this is not likely to be the opportunity he has been waiting for all his life.
As far as one can tell he hasn't been waiting for an opportunity anyway. The sidelines have been his métier and that's where he belongs. No doubt he knows it.
8 comments:
Who would want the job anyway. Just maybe Corbyn will nurture a younger person as a credible alternative to the Tories. But that is a long-term project and I fear that for Labour long-term is 'what's after lunch'. An alternative scenario is the Lib Dems or even UKIP pull their fingers out and develop a useful alternative. God knows - we need an alternative if only to keep Osborne on the rails!
Didn't the 'Demogoguic Liebore Party' start with someone like Michael Foot up there?
They joined the Libs and fell apart soon afterwards of course!
Corbyn's a magnet to all the disillusioned establishment-haters in society, and while he is about my age as well, (actually, he's two years younger to be exact), he'll surely bring into his cabinet, a few more of the same young raging types, just as he used to be.
This would be unlike Cooper, Burnham and Kendall, who'll just fill their 'shadow' cabinet seats with cronies, and career spads etc.
Oh come on, he's just a kid, basically. Also, he is a big pigeon lover. 25 pigeons deliver a ton of droppings a year, how's that for natural fertiliser? If he gets into power and frees the pigeons we will all be covered in the stuff.
I tend to agree with Roger and Michael. He is being elected as leader of the opposition Labour Party, not as a (potential) Prime Minister.
Even though I disagree with most of policies (at least he has some), I have met him and I like him.
Let's face it, the other three candidates are bland, coat tailing faceless blobs of nothing without any sort of policy or ideas or commitment (except for being elected), so who else can you vote for except our Jez?
He's not as old as Castro - maybe left-wingism makes you live longer?
I don't like his policies or politics but at least he stands for something. The rest have flexible principles to facilitate election.
I don't now how he would fare at PMs question but it would be interesting.
Well, he's the stalking horse really. It's lots of fun just now. What if he gets 60% and the other MPs mount a coup?
Roger - we do need an alternative to the Tories but I'm not so sure that Corbyn is the man to nurture one.
Scrobs - I'm not sure who he'll choose if he becomes leader because as he may fail spectacularly then many may want nothing to do with him.
Mark - I expect I'd like him if I met him as he's my contemporary. The people I like aren't party leader material though.
Demetrius - I agree, he's like many students of his and my student era but now he's supposed to have learned something. The art of the possible for example.
Woodsy - the inner calm which comes from knowing the answers?
Fly - yes that's his best angle, he stands for something and he may possibly expose Cameron as an Eton smoothie and show up well against him.
James - he probably was meant to be a stalking horse and as you say it's lots of fun. There is a temptation to write many blogs on him for that reason.
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