Manuel Cortes: The leadership contest shows how Jeremy has already won the debate in the party and the country

With our party leadership contest now in full swing, it’s fair to say we are in for another long, heated summer of politics. At risk of stating the brutally obvious, Jeremy’s win last year had much to do with the lacklustre lack of boldness exhibited by his rivals in response to the capture or seduction of the overwhelming majority of our political class by neoliberalism. So, of course it was Jeremy who seized  the moment with his opposition to austerity and economic policies such as privatisation, deregulation and tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy which have seen inequality rise to Victorian levels. This masterstroke delivered him a resounding victory.

Across Europe, anti-establishment politics of both left and right varieties are growing. Social Democratic hegemony among the working classes is broken and its standard bearers within the Party of European Socialists (PES) are in varying degrees of crisis having failed to engineer an alternative to neoliberalism. Ordinary people, bruised and bloodied by an economic crisis that wasn’t of their making are demanding that politicians develop new narratives which put them back at the heart of politics and policy making.

PASOK in Greece and Labour’s catastrophic collapse in Scotland indicated the real danger of simply continuing with politics as usual but last year, our party’s elite didn’t go beyond the old sound bites –  never mind provide the boldness required to face the challenges of our time and prevent our party from suffering the fate of the dinosaurs.

Wind the clock forward 12 months and this leadership contest is being fought completely on Jeremy’s political terrain. Austerity is now acclaimed as a political evil choice not an economic necessity. Labour is now committed to bringing our railways back into public ownership. And, across our party, we are now committed to scrapping anti-union laws, redistributing wealth, increasing taxes on the rich and corporations and building a new economy which works for the 99 per cent. Jeremy has transformed our Party and shifted the entire centre of our country’s political gravity to the left and he hasn’t even been in post for a year! Not a small feat for someone criticised for his so-called inability to lead.

Few of those opposing Jeremy today supported his policies only twelve short months ago. Their road to Damascus conversion to his vision simply doesn’t wash. Let’s face it, some had been Labour ministers who worshipped at the neoliberal alter. Others were more left leaning but still scared stiff of defying so called conventional wisdom until Jeremy’s victory gave them the opportunity to revive their socialist instincts. A few, should have simply known better.  

Jeremy’s leadership rival may now portray himself as a candidate liberated by socialist values but in reality he is hell-bent on becoming the jailer of Labour’s new found freedom. Team Smith’s problem is that, at best, they appear either opportunistic or insincere. It is Jeremy who is once again making the political weather this summer. It’s why the crowds turning out to see him are even bigger than last year. He is not just growing our Party. He is growing our movement and most importantly, he is activating our grassroots.  Jeremy will win big again this summer and we should all get behind him and play our part building the pro-prosperity movement that will see us gain the keys to 10 Downing Street!

Manuel Cortes is the General Secretary of the TSSA, the transport union.