Islington Messiah
Tom Harris, the former Labour MP, is gaining a reputation as the scourge of Jeremy Corbyn whom he has dubbed the 'Islington Messiah'
The former Labour transport minister argues, fairly if you ask me, that the SNP's success in Scotland has been based on its appeal to the moderate centre, rather than the old-fashioned, left-wing, municipal socialism advocated by the new Labour leader.
The logic is inescapable according to Harris:
"If Scottish voters, even those who approve of Mr Corbyn’s politics, don’t believe he can beat David Cameron or his successor as Tory leader in 2020, they will conclude that the answer to both questions - who will best protect Scotland from the Tories and who stands up best for Scotland - is the same as the answer they gave in May: the SNP."
"If Scottish voters, even those who approve of Mr Corbyn’s politics, don’t believe he can beat David Cameron or his successor as Tory leader in 2020, they will conclude that the answer to both questions - who will best protect Scotland from the Tories and who stands up best for Scotland - is the same as the answer they gave in May: the SNP."
Quite so.
And as Harris also point out when the last left-wing Labour leader, Michael Foot, emerged in 1980, the polls showed the Labour opposition leading the Tories by six points, whereas the first polls after Jezza becoming leader show Labour six points behind the Conservatives.
