Labour’s leadership battle is a battle for the soul of the party, but it is a very strange one.
The left are normally renowned for their love of policy. At times this can be debilitating – look at the debate about Obamacare.
For most Republican politicians this can be easily dismissed – any stigma to beat a dogma. For Democrats it is an agonising debate about details – and often supporters seem like opponents when they drone on about the minutiae of the particular public option they favour.
Put bluntly, for the right politics is about the exercise of power, for the left it is an endless seminar.
So, it would be expected that in the current Labour leadership contest between Jeremy Corbyn and Owen Smith there would be a ferocious policy debate. The truth is that there isn’t one.
The massive rallies that Corbyn is holding aren’t about policy – they are about him, all about him.
Yesterday we held a leadership rally in Merthyr Tydfil – a town that's given the labour movement so much inspirationhttps://t.co/VeovsGAuka
— Jeremy Corbyn MP (@jeremycorbyn) August 6, 2016
The tone is that of a revivalist meeting, the key phrases from his supporters always a variation on “I saw the light”. The Labour movement is explicitly divided into two parts – those who have come to Jeremy and those who have rejected him: the saved and the damned.
But, a contest is a contest, and you don’t get entirely to dictate the terms – even if you are the frontrunner. Owen Smith, from the start, has tried to change the frame.
His first successful attempt was when he promised a second vote on Brexit – either another referendum or an election. This was clever. Instead of saying that Corbyn was unelectable in a potential future election, Smith was reminding Labour members that Corbyn was already a loser – and in a vote that not only mattered to Britain but which was a source of real hurt and betrayal to the Labour Party.
Corbyn’s lacklustre campaigning, his barely hidden Euro-scepticism – his “seven out of ten” rating for the EU really rankled – and his failure to mobilise traditional Labour voters have disillusioned many members, old and new.
In a similar way, Smith has forced the pace on policy. His twenty-point plan had three purposes. First, to give his supporters something to say to prove that he was from the left – the history of Labour is that only a candidate from the soft left can beat the ultra-left.
Owen's announced 20 policies in 20 days. The first was on equality of outcome #Owen2016 pic.twitter.com/Izht85F5JS
— Owen Smith 2016 (@owensmith2016) August 2, 2016
Second, to demonstrate that the Corbynistas make a false opposition between principles and power – the Labour Party could have both.
Third, to flush out Corbyn – which it did. Eventually.
Just over a week later, Jeremy published his ten point plan. And it was revealing. For a start, it was a platitudinous programme. He was for:
“An economy that works for all… A secure homes guarantee… Security at work… A national education service… Action to secure our environment… Action to secure an equal society.”
I've just launched my ten pledges to rebuild and transform Britain #10pledges https://t.co/oPYt3iRkxn pic.twitter.com/NtTDcz6kb9
— Jeremy Corbyn MP (@jeremycorbyn) August 4, 2016
Like some parody of a Miss World contest, you fully expected a commitment to world peace to follow.
Which it did – with a promise to put “Peace and justice at the heart of foreign policy”.
For another, it was typically short on detail. The most powerful question in politics isn’t “Why?” – most politicians can waffle on an Olympic scale about their motivation, but “How?”.
The devil truly is in the detail and here Corbyn has nothing to offer. No costings – unlike Smith who issued a note on this. No road map. Nothing at all. But that’s no surprise. This is faith-based politics – Jeremy, right or wrong.
Harold Wilson observed that the Labour Party owed more to Methodism than to Marxism. Well, Corbynism appears to owe more to Calvinism than to Trotskyism. It is a simple matter to translate the Calvinist acronym T.U.L.I.P. for the modern Labour Party:
Total Depravity – the Blairites
Unconditional Election – electability is irrelevant
Limited Atonement – traditional metrics of political success don’t matter
Irresistible Grace – have you heard Jeremy speak?
Perseverance of the Saints – Momentum
It would be funny if it weren’t tragic. It’s not just Labour voters – still around 30% of the country – who need a sensible Labour Party. The Tories need one too – unchallenged governments make unforced errors. Remember the poll tax?
That’s why, in the end, the Labour leadership contest matters to the country – if Labour get it wrong then everyone may have to pay.
John McTernan is a political strategist and commentator who worked for Tony Blair. He tweets from @johnmcternan
