Jason Moore04/06/2017 00:00
TW
1

The British public loves an underdog. Think Eddie the Eagle and now Jeremy Corbyn. Not only had the Labour leader been written off by his own party, the British public thought that he was not fit for purpose. Well, what a difference a day makes. Corbyn is now, in some opinion polls, just three points behind Theresa May. The thought of Corbyn sitting in Number 10 does send shivers down my spine but you can’t help but admire the way that he has taken this general election by storm. Corbyn is a people person. He has spent most of his political career defending the indefensible in village halls up and down Britain. There are not many politicians who can say that they opposed the Falklands War or had a word of support for Hamas or the IRA. But enter Jeremy Corbyn.

John Major won the general election in 1992 against all odds, because he got on his soap box and went around the country talking to the people. Corbyn has done just that. He has connected with the public who appear prepared to forget his track record and concentrate on his message - an old Labour message of spend, spend and spend. Many will ask where the money is coming from.. We will tax the rich is Corbyn’s reply. In some ways Corbyn is right. Britain needs investment in the railways, in hospitals, in education and the armed services. I get the impression sometimes that the Conservatives just want to cut taxes, which is fine, but the country needs more investment. I also believe, and you might find this outrageous, that Corbyn will get a deal from the European Union. It will be a deal which involves Britain spending billions to stay in the EU single market. May’s biggest enemy in the Brexit negotiations is not the European Union but her own party who will make it very difficult for the negotiations. With May it will be hard Brexit, with Corbyn a very expensive soft Brexit.