CLEARLY nobody had told Jeremy Corbyn about the civil war in Scottish Labour before he took to the stage in Brighton to deliver his leader’s speech on the final day at party conference.
“We meet here this week as a united party,” he claimed.
Labour had done well in June’s election because it was “the party of unity” he argued.
This was, in fact, the 26th speech Corbyn had delivered during the four-day conference in Brighton, but this was the big one, the leader’s speech.
Though it was his third year addressing conference as leader it was almost certainly the first time where he’s had any form of job security.
There were no plots, and no coups. In the hall he was among friends.
A video played before the speech showed Corbyn addressing crowds, Corbyn talking to old people, Corbyn talking to young people, Corbyn addressing more crowds.
As he walked on stage, the party faithful erupted, jumping to their feet in a prolonged ovation, singing, “Oh-Je-re-my-Cor-byn,” the anthem that has followed Labour’s leader at rallies across the UK from Glasgow to Glastonbury.
In a speech lasting an hour and thirteen minutes, he claimed his party were ready to govern.
He promised to end the public sector pay cap, close the gender pay gap, tackle inequality, renationalise utilities, rebuild the NHS and invest in the economy.
There were new plans to protect council tenants from “forced gentrification and social cleansing” and a proposal to impose rent controls in individual cities, following the example of metropolises like Berlin and New York.
Labour was “on the way back in Scotland, becoming once again the champion of social justice” Corbyn told the conference.
He added: “Thank you, Kezia, and thank you, Alex. And whoever next leads Scottish Labour — our unifying socialist message will continue to inspire both south and north of the border.”
Labour, he said, had moved the centre ground to the left.
“The political centre of gravity isn’t fixed or unmovable, nor is it where the establishment pundits like to think it is,” he said.
“It shifts as people’s expectations and experiences change and political space is opened up. Today’s centre ground is certainly not where it was twenty or thirty years ago.”
Corbyn went on to say that 2017 “may be the year when politics finally caught up with the crash of 2008”.
He added: “We need to build a still broader consensus around the priorities we set in the election, making the case for both compassion and collective aspiration. This is the real centre of gravity of British politics. We are now the political mainstream.”
He praised the party faithful, attacked the media, and at one point, dared the right-wing Daily Mail to hate him more.
“Of course, there were some who didn’t come out of the election too well. I’m thinking of some of our more traditional media friends.
“They ran the campaign they always do under orders from their tax exile owners to trash Labour at every turn.
“The day before the election one paper devoted fourteen pages to attacking the Labour Party. And our vote went up nearly 10 per cent.
“Never have so many trees died in vain. The British people saw right through it. So this is a message to the Daily Mail’s editor — next time, please could you make it 28 pages?”
Corbyn claimed Theresa May and her ministers were “hanging on by their fingertips”.
“This conference has shown that Labour remain inconsistent, incoherent and unfit for government,” the SNP’s Stewart Hosie said.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel