Corbyn's election as Labour leader transforms UK politics
- By Heiko Khoo
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E-mail China.org.cn, September 17, 2015
This process will help to forge a truly mass Labour Party that campaigns, deliberates and devises its policies and plans based on current realities, and also elaborates inspiring visions for the future through popular consultation.
In essence, this is a similar process to the constitutional change that the late Hugo Chavez initiated in Venezuela and has been seen elsewhere in South America. Indeed, Corbyn was a great supporter of this process of democratisation.
The constitutional structure of Britain was already a major debate after the Scottish National Party took total control in the last general election in the region last May. Now, Corbyn wants the unelected House of Lords to be replaced by an elected second chamber. He is also a republican advocating abolition of the monarchy, although, for now, he is not actively campaigning for this.
In international affairs Corbyn stands for a complete transformation in Britain's relations to the world. During the election he said he could not envisage any circumstances where he'd send the British army into war and he is committed to scrapping Trident – Britain's nuclear missiles system.
He has promised to apologise to the people of Iraq for the 2003 invasion and he is also committed to the creation of a Palestinian state.
A dramatic transformation of the British Labour Party has begun. Until this summer the capitalist establishment were certain it had brought the Labour Party under control, and that any references to socialist ideas were simply empty phrases.
The extraordinary significance of Corbyn's election is that it shows when a real socialist leader emerges in a mass party of the workers and popular dissent is given its voice, it is possible to tap into a colossal base of support and return the centre of ideological debate back to socialist ideas.
This exposes the shallow argument that class conflict and class struggle is an out-dated and irrelevant idea from a bygone age.
Heiko Khoo is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit: http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/heikokhoo.htm
Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn
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