THE opposition Labour Party is about to inflict grave damage on Britain. If it picks Jeremy Corbyn, a veteran far-left MP, as leader on September 12th, Labour will consign itself to the wilderness. Worse, by wrecking opposition to the governing Tories, Mr Corbyn will leave Britain open to bad government.
The sudden vogue for populist leftists like Mr Corbyn echoes the earlier rise of parties such as Syriza in Greece and Podemos in Spain. Similar enthused crowds have been greeting another grizzled old socialist, Bernie Sanders, in America (see Lexington). All of them have energised new, mainly young supporters who fret about globalisation and inequality.
Yet even in such dubious company Mr Corbyn stands out as a throwback. For him no policy is too dog-eared, no intellectual dead-end too futile. Public spending? Yes, please. Higher taxes? Soak the capitalists and the landlords. State ownership? Nationalise the railways and utilities, get the private sector out of public services and...
from The Economist: Leaders http://ift.tt/1J71Vce
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