But at the start of it the Labour left felt it was close to taking power. The safe seat of Hackney North already had a well-liked MP from the Labour left, Ernie Roberts. From the Iraq war until 2015, the Labour left groped for ways to supersede New Labour. The Labour left is so caricatured by its opponents that they often misread its true strength. In the early 80s, the ability of Abbott, Corbyn, McDonnell and their comrades to challenge Thatcherism was hugely overestimated.

Source: The Guardian November 03, 2017 06:00 UTC