While the 2017 election definitively proved the popularity of the left’s ideas, 2019 offers a brutal lesson from a campaign lacking a coherent message in the midst of a culture war. Those pointing at Brexit as a key factor in Labour’s election defeat are mocked for deflecting from the real reason: Jeremy Corbyn’s unpopularity. But the collapse in the Labour’s leader’s ratings between the 2017 election and last week’s rout are inextricably linked. The victory lap that followed the 2017 election was a mistake, breeding fatal complacency. Corbyn’s leadership was partly destroyed by Brexit, by the remorseless attacks of its internal and external opponents, and by its own severe mistakes.

Source: The Guardian December 18, 2019 18:55 UTC