By Sally Underwood • Updated: 30 Mar 2023 • 13:28 • 2 minutes read
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What a phenomenally effective metaphor for the rollercoaster that is politics.
Corbyn, who had been a largely-unknown Labour MP for 32 years before springing to power as the party’s leader in 2015, is just one of hundreds of politicians to have seen their star rise to the giddy heights before crashing back down to earth in blaze (generally of ignominy).
Until just three years ago, ‘Corbynmania’ saw thousands come out at his regular public rallies, his Twitter following was booming, and a crowd of photographers hovered habitually outside his front door.
And now what? The once world famous politican now faces losing his membership of the very party he previously led.
This column is not a defence of Corbyn, by the way. Far from it. His handling of antisemitism allegations within his party did not reveal someone fit to represent others.
What his career does highlight however, is the dizzyingly fast ascent and descent of our political leaders in public opinion.
But what Corbyn’s case also reveals is the contrast of the speed of public fall from grace compared to the speed at which any actual accountability comes into force.
If the Labour Party agree that what Corbyn did is so wrong, why has it taken them three years to vote on throwing him out of the party?
This in itself shines a light on one of the oddities of the UK political system. It is often said that being an MP is pretty much the only job in the world in which day one you could immediately take up residence under a palm tree in, say, the Bahamas, and merrily collect your salary each month for the next four to five years until the next election.
In the last 10 years, rules have at least tightened to mean that MPs can actually now be fired. But as Corbyn’s example shows, we’re still a long way away from full accountability.
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