So I think we all thought corbyn would fuck up and abandon his 'principles'. But to be fair to him, he hasn't really gone awry yet. My question is, I still don't think he is the One who is some how going to manage to transcend being a politician and the demands of capital, but when is it going to stop. When he becomes PM, if that ever happens?
I think we all jumped at the chance to rehearse the classic narrative of systemic distrust when he hadn't been elected as labour leader shit but let's face it, none of us have really been too big on that in the last months for a reason. Because there is not actual much evidence to support this in his specific case yet. You can bring up all the past stalinism and USSR stuff but obviously he has gone on record as vehemently saying he has changed his opinions on such matters since, his PR machine aren't stupid, neither do I think that claim is disingenuous.
I'd actually like a reasoned discussion on this one rather than people trying to say i'm not an anarchist any more and that I have been fooled
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The main thing to bear in
The main thing to bear in mind here is that he is in opposition. As long as he remains in opposition he can say whatever he wants without compromising his principles.
I mean he may have to moderate some of his views (like on Syria, Trident etc) to maintain some semblance of control over the Parliamentary party. But in terms of the big stuff there won't be real pressure on him to compromise until/if he wins a general election.
Syriza, for example, talked the good talk before they got elected (and even for a while after they got elected). And I did believe that the Lib Dems genuinely did want to abolish tuition fees. Until they got into power of course.
So I certainly didn't think he would abandon his principles while in opposition, and I'm not sure many here would have thought so either. The pressure to abandon your principles, and instead advance the interests of the national economy (and hence capital and the rich) comes when you are in charge of the national economy, and you realise that sticking with your principles will mean capital flight, disinvestment, borrowing rates increasing etc and hence job losses etc.