Corbyn can stop Britain's march to the right.

The UK could find itself with a Jeremy Corbyn lead Labour party on September the 12th. This turn of events could result in many different outcomes depending on who you listen to, from the permanent enshrinement of a Tory government, to an increase in infighting and the ultimate destruction of them. I doubt both of those, but I think Corbyn could represent a refreshing break away from the trend of the last 4 decades in UK politics.

Starting with the Thatcher's destruction of the post-war consensus, the UK has seen itself on a seemingly unstoppable march to the right. Ideas that were once seen as common sense are now consigned to the political dustbin, and the scale of privatisation that would have once been the secret fetish of more right-wing politicians, is being rolled out by Cameron's government.

 The once publicly owned railways now have trains rolling along them with the logos of private firms slapped on the side, almost taunting the public with the revelation of whose shareholders will receive 90% of the profit from their extortionate fare. The same is happening with our NHS, though more slowly. Creeping privatisation, largely hidden from the public as private firms operate under the NHS logo, is being pushed by this Tory government. How long will it be until Virgin or Circle are brave enough to hoist their logo onto the entrance of a GP practice or Hospital?

All this could be explained by the well repeated mantra that the general public of the UK, or at least England, are inherently right-wing. Foot lost in 83 with a left-wing manifesto, Blair won by moving to the right, Miliband lost because he moved to the left. This reductive analysis seems have sewn it up for a lot of commentators. Ignore the Falklands war, the SDP, the unpopularity of the Major government, or Miliband's failure to convince the public he could be Prime Minister, the public want right-wing policies.

Except for when they don't. 84% of the public want a publicly owned NHS, 68% support nationalisation of the energy companies and 66% want the railways returned to the public hands. Even Conservative voters are split, with 52% backing the nationalisation of both rail and energy.

Here is where Corbyn comes in. He has been consistently referred to in the media as so 'hard left' or 'radical left' that he could never win an election. Based on media descriptions, we'd be forgiven for assuming that this man quotes from Das Kapital when he appears on Sunday Politics. Instead he is massively in tune with popular opinion on the issues above, and enjoys public support for his opposition to spending £100 billion on the renewal of Trident.

If he wins the Labour leadership election, he will spend 5 years holding to account an extreme government. A government that removed £30 a week from the chronically disabled, whilst slashing inheritance tax for the wealthy. A government that scrapped the Independent Living Fund, whilst slashing corporation tax. A government that responds to climate change with an end to renewable subsidies, and a fast track for fracking. 

The 'centre ground' in politics is discussed a lot, and some say that the only path to a Labour victory is to occupy it. By this they mean moving to the right, towards the Tories. The problem with this 'strategy' is that the centre ground is not a fixed place. Whoever wins the argument will drag the centre ground in their direction. The choice Labour has is either to stand up, challenge the Tories and move the centre ground back towards where it should be, or weakly accept that the centre ground is, and always will be, slightly to the left of an extreme Conservative government. Moving closer to the Conservatives, and abstaining on their cuts is not the way to stop them, it will only legitimise them. 

The public could be offered a real choice in 2020, between the regressive Tories, or Corbyn presenting policies that chime with them. If there's one thing that will stop the UK's march to the right, it's a clear alternative; it's Corbyn.