Not a question of belief. He made them. Silly to suggest that he didn''t, otherwise you are putting all the blame on the media and internal party opponents, both of which have been a problem for every single Labour leader and PM.
Loads of you probably won't like this, but here goes.
He said so himself:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-politics-52050581
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/corbyn-admits-mistakes-in-his-first-year-of-leadership-lhjngdzh3
He was dealt a bad hand with the 2015 defeat, and dealing with the fallout of Brexit, but so have other leaders. Starmer inherited the worst defeat in 80 years and a tiny PLP, and if he blames that fact for the outcome of the next election everyone will think he is crazy. There was an attempt to replace Attlee as PM and leader
after he had won the 1945 election by his opponents, but before he had been sworn in at the opening of Parliament, and Wilson was not far away from an MI5 led coup, believing he was a Soviet agent.
Corbyn knew all this. He also knew the power of the media given he was elected in 1983.
There was plenty Corbyn could have done, big and small, to avoid self inflicted injuries and to mitigate the media's responses, as well as to gain control of the PLP.
Most of all, I think it stems from the fact that he wasn't willing to compromise on issues important to him, and also that I don't think he wanted to be leader in the first place. He certainly wanted to stand, as it was his 'turn' to do so. I think that if McDonnell was leader things would have been better as he was more willing to give ground in areas where it would benefit the party in the long run. The irony there is i don't think McDonnell would have been as popular with the membership, and given his health problems it likely would have killed him.
I also think Corbybn suffered from a lack of political experience. Being a backbencher helped elect him in 2015, but set him back when he had to deal with being a party leader (except campaigning, which he had decades of experience at and excelled at in 2017).
So, the small stuff. Not singing the national anthem. Not hiring an image consultant and buying a new suit. Most people don't follow politics that closely, and you have one chance to make a first impression. That was missed. Small, but it all builds up. A future left leader will - I am as certain as I can be - learn from that and not repeat it, regardless of what they think about the monarch.
Trident - no point challenging the party or the wider public on this one, especially as the unions remain heavily invested in renewal given the jobs involved, and it was going against party policy. This is an example of how not to pick your battles. Get elected and then make the decisions. Once you have a mandate from the people, and loads of nice new socialist MPs on the back benches, then scrap it. Although now given Russia's actions that question is likely done for a generation.
The main focus of Corbyn's elections and the reason behind his 2017 surge was the economy and opposition to austerity. Too often was that diverted from in terms of policy discussions.
Loads of this stuff was documented by Vice.
One example is the use of Iain Duncan-Smith's resignation before a debate on refugees to talk about refugees and not slam the government for the full time, That's not a sensible use of the media, and it enabled Cameron to avoid criticism not just in Parliament but also in the news cycle.
The 2019 manifesto. Far too long and far too much. I canvassed in 8 constituencies in 2019, and I will put to one side the comments made about Corbyn the man.
Lord Ashcroft went through where it all went wrong for the Labour Party in 2019 here, and it wasn't all about Brexit:
https://lordashcroftpolls.com/wp-co...DIAGNOSIS-OF-DEFEAT-LORD-ASHCROFT-POLLS-1.pdf
The biggest points raised were how would everything be paid for, followed closely by what are the priorities for Labour. There was so much that people could not remember it, and were not sure on what we would prioritise. The 2017 manifesto was shorter, much more easily communicated and stuck in peoples minds. Ultimately, if we were elected in 2019 on a 'slimmed down' package, once COVID hit (or any economic issue really) it would have been justifiable to say "changed circumstances now mean we need to do x, y, and z). We have done it before. Raising taxes soon after the 2001 election having campaigned not to. The worst example is Cameron's austerity, which amounted to something like £6bn in their 2010 manifesto, which somehow transformed into hollowing out the state and adding £1.5 trillion to the national debt.
The big one - being too democratic and too nice.
Before you jump down my throat, political parties have never been true democracies.
Corbyn comes from the Bennite wing which is big on party democracy and generally opposes interventions from the leadership in party democracy questions. This became a massive problem.
First, the party machinery. Far too many people were elected to party offices and the NEC who had glass jaws, based on previous statements, previous beliefs they held or were clearly unable to keep their mouths shut and quietly do their jobs, which would be to transform the party.
Pete Willsman would be just one example:
https://www.politicshome.com/news/a...sraeli-embassy-whipped-up-antisemitism-claims
If you want to be a councillor or MP the Labour Party will vet you to see what skeletons you have in your closet. If there is anything there which could be used against you, you won't be chosen, even if you have not acted immorally.
The Momentum slates for the party had a large number of candidates who should have been weeded out. Lord knows there were a tonne of viable and excellent people who never made it to the slate. Corbyn and the party leadership having more control and having a greater say in selections would have made a difference. It would have taken the heat off the NEC members and it would also have allowed them to vote through whatever rules changes you want, instead of every vote highlighting who is voting.
I won't mention anti-semitism except for this - the Forde Report has made clear that all forms of racism have not been dealt with in the party. That clearly pre-dates Starmer and it pre-dates Corbyn. He needed to get out in front of it, and tell Compliance to do their jobs, instead of encouraging anyone and everyone to join. He believes that as MPs can cross political parties, so members of other political parties can join Labour, despite it being against the Party Rulebook. If even 10 or 20 people had been prevented from (re)joining, that would have made a huge difference.
This is getting lengthy now, so I will turn to the PLP.
He was elected on a huge member mandate. He needed to exert control over his MPs from the start. This again may have been affected by his experience and background. It must have been very strange going from always being one voice in the meeting to running it in front of hostile attendees. But Johnson showed what could be done in 2019 - if you do not agree with me (and by extension the membership) then say goodbye to the whip, sit on the backbenches and vote along with the Tories if you dare. By the time of the next election the membership will select your replacement.
But again he was too democratic, and probably also aware of himself being a serial rebel. He was far too passive. I remember 2016 when he was holed up in his office and McDonnell was gatekeeper, not allowing MPs like Tom Watson to see him and speak to him. Again this is optics but it is important. He should have come out, spoken to the press, clearly defended his Brexit stance and told MPs to back him, and if they resigned from the Shadow Cabinet, to have the whip withdrawn too. The 2016 leadership vote showed the members would have backed him.
Small things, big things. They all add up. Would it have been hypocritical for him to demand loyalty from MPs when he was disloyal himself? Massively. Would the press have covered it? Yes. Would it have mattered to the electorate? No, not as much as standing for something and standing by that something.
My manager is actively asking me questions about the contents of this post now so I will leave it there for the moment...