Corbynism forever? That’s the general verdict on the consequence of Jeremy Corbyn’s big victory on Labour’s ruling executive yesterday, as the NEC passed proposals to reform the party’s structures. The big ticket items: an expansion of the number of trade union and membership places on the NEC, and a reduction in the number of parliamentary signatures required for candidates for the party leadership, from 15 per cent to 10 per cent of the PLP. (That’s 28 MPs and MEPs or 26 MPs if the next leadership election takes place if/when Brexit has happened and there are no MEPs.)
“Forever” is an awfully long time, and you don’t have to remember that far back to a time when one member, one vote was meant to ensure that the likes of David Miliband would be elected leader forever. “Forever” turned out to mean “not at all”. Labour has an amusing tradition of its constitutional quirks not quite working out the way its architects hope, and it may well happen the same way this time.
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