Lewis Bassett worked for the Labour party under Jeremy Corbyn. He is writing a book about food in England, forthcoming with Verso Books.
Already just a few months into its founding, Britain’s new left party has been dominated by factionalism and infighting. These are problems that have always plagued left populist movements. Your Party could learn from their history.
The defeats for Bernie Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn point to the Left’s difficulties in overcoming old party machines. Bottom-up labor organizing may sound like an attractive alternative — but it shouldn’t ignore the power of left populism in uniting people outside the workplace.
Jeremy Corbyn’s call for a “free and democratic media” promises to break the stranglehold of the established monopolies. And that also means taking on tech billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg.