Five Political Lessons Of The Week – Jeremy Corbyn Special

There has only been one political issue that the media has really covered this week – the election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the Labour Party.  His landslide victory had been widely foretold but its sheer scale did surprise many.  The size of the majority provides him with some political cover, all of which he needs, and critically buys him some time as he gets used to holding a position of power and being under the media spotlight in an entirely new way.

So what can we learn from the political news this week?

1. If you enter an election you might win.  This might sound obvious but instead of just thinking that you are there to ensure a robust and open debate be prepared for the chance of winning.
2. Always think about what you say.  In the same way that ‘you are what you tweet’, old speeches and comments can be used against you.  The potentially selective use of quotes could have all context removed and leave you having to explain what you meant many years before.  On the other hand, your controversial comments could be extremely clear and leave you having to make grovelling apologies that many may not believe.
3. The people’s lottery.  Corbyn’s new style PMQs has been warmly welcomed but it will change.  Whether it will continue to be exclusively crowdsourced is unlikely.  Instead a few lucky winners will each week have their names drawn from the hat (inbox) to be used as part of Corbyn’s questioning of the Prime Minister.
4. Always be aware that you are in the public eye.  Every loosely knotted tie, unsung national anthem, mis-matched jacket and trouser combo or, as Ed discovered, bacon sandwich struggled over is immediately plastered all over the media. The spotlight is ever present.
5. The Labour Party will change. Members will come and go as a result of Corbyn’s win but critically the nature of the party will also change. Corbyn’s approach is all about a bottom-up decision-making process.  The balance will shift away from central control, à la New Labour, but Corbyn will put in place new people across policy and the media.  These appointments are currently being made. Corbyn has still to work out how to balance the needs of the 24/7 media whilst retaining a commitment to the people’s approach.