No-one failed to have been moved by the plight facing Syrian refugees this week and the devastating image of a drowned three year old boy that finally placed an additional pressure on politicians to take action. Some issues, it appears, need to be dealt with at a European level and a coordinated response devised. This is not though the view adopted by all politicians and it is clear that few are really quite clear on what should be done to deal with the crisis.
So what can we learn from the political news this week?
- Nige is at it again – the UKIP leader, Nigel Farage, is never far away from the headlines and in an LBC phone-in expressed views on the refugee crisis that many will deem uncharitable to say the least. He has also found time to urge Jeremy Corbyn to join the anti EU campaign should he be elected leader of the Labour Party. What’s more, Farage is going out on tour #SayNoEUTour.
- Turing the fire – in the final televised hustings, Corbyn came under sustained attack from the other three candidates. In a change of approach, rather than being agreed with or gently rebuked, Corbyn came under some sustained pressure. Whether it was too little, too late to effect the outcome will very soon be seen.
- Mili’s not back – despite reports, Ed Miliband is apparently not planning a return to Labour’s frontbench. He will instead concentrate on campaigning against inequality and climate change. Whether he will also find time to lecture at Harvard is being speculated upon.
- Blair admits mistake – an unusual enough occurrence but amongst his calls for Labour to reject Corbyn, Blair admitted that he should have done more to build a sense of British identity following on from devolution.
- To join or not to join – should Corbyn win the Labour leadership, the problem facing many of Labour’s most familiar names is whether to join the Shadow Cabinet, if asked. Having said that he wouldn’t serve under Corbyn, Chuka Umunna has now said he will. The trouble for many in the Parliamentary party is that if they join they risk, in their eyes, being tainted by what they expect to be a period of failure. Or, if they don’t join, they could be accused of disloyalty to the newly democratically elected leader and of plotting against him. There will be few winners, whatever the outcome.