UKC

Corbynites are getting more and more cultish. Any criticism is seen as heresy while memes such as #wearecorbyn are dominating twitter with sycophantic  statements of loyalty attached. 

Oddly however Corbyn himself isn't a usual cult leader. He isn't charasmatic,  obviously narcissistic, or even competent. What's going on? Are there other examples of such devotion to  bland mediocrity? 

Jesus Christ?

Turn the other cheek, love thy neighbour etc. Massive following.

 I think doing cool stuff with wine and fish helped his cause. Charasmatic in its way. 

Hmm.....as with John Cleese - same initials.

I sense a pattern here

I think it's because his honesty, integrity and political genius transcends such frivolous qualities like having charisma, etc.
 

Is he actually that honest though? He comes across as pretty evasive to me on TV interviews. I think he's seduced by the prospect of power and won't say anything that will jeopardise this even if he believes it.

youtube.com/watch?v=asUyK6JWt9U&

Hilarious!

Perhaps check you sarcasm detection systems! 

What exactly are trying to imply?

Eastenders?  Radio 1 DJs?

Corbyn may lack the kinds of qualities you're talking about, but he does offer a kind of certainty that's lacking in many of the more conventional mediocrities that litter the current political scene. He holds to a fairly clear ideological position that he hasn't really deviated from since he was young. You know where you stand with Jeremy, at least on the face of it. Of course if you look more closely he's as capable of lying and dissembling as any of his political peers, but he still presents an attractive alternative for many on the left, particularly older people who feel that their socialist ideals have never had any full expression in Labour governments in the past. Unfortunately his inflexibility and unbending adherence to particular positions makes it potentially difficult for him to be an effective Prime Minister, when recognising that sometimes you can be wrong (or that situations change) is a valuable, even essential, skill.

Indeed!... there’s a certain comfort when you decide on beige.

Taupe surely?

Surely you're not calling James Corden (or Jasper Carrot) bland mediocrity?

Like any cult, they cant be taken seriously, same as the leader.

We have of course got the anti-Corbyn, Sajid Javid who not three weeks ago promised there would be no NDA agreements and now there are!!!

This is the difference between Corbyn and you usually run of the mill MP in Westminster, most would have said, "yes, no problem we'll sign up to the IHRA recommendations" and then said "Oh!, sorry we didn't really mean all of them", or " when that one's a bit tricky and open to interpretation".

Reece Mogg who voted refuses to back decriminalisation or legalisation of cannabis in UK, but is quite prepared investors to invest in Canadian weed farms.

You seem to have trouble, separating reality from bullshit media, it's not about Corbyn or being a cult, it's about making a change to our political system and moving away from a  "buy more stuff" economy, listening to the disenfranchised, instead of ignoring them.

Not at all, that's why Corbynistas all hail the leader! 

https://labourlist.org/2018/08/corbynites-get-wearecorbyn-trending-worldwid...

James Corden aspires to mediocrity.

And yet some felt threatened enough by him to orchestrate an extended media campaign against him.

Have you not simply thought this might be a way of sending a message to Corbyn, that "we" still support you", "please don't give up your fight".

If there's no counter voice to the bullshit media grilling Corbyn mostly gets he might eventually think he has no support.

The "adulation" you so cynically dismiss, is the reply from his supporters, begging him not to give up, they are frightened we end up back in the Blair years, and that not what a lot of people want.

Corbyn is seen, rightly or wrongly, as the last chance for a "proper" Labour party rather than the Tories or Tory-Lite.

You may scoff and denounce people admiration, but he's still there, he's still representing a massive number of people, and all this despite the constant attacks and petty snipes against him.

May others would have caved in and given up. The "we are Corbyn " campaign was a two fingers up to the establishment and to the constant attacks against Corbyn since he was elected leader, how would you suggest people show their support, maybe a leadership election every week or so?

I'm sure Corbyn finds it a bit embarrassing, he never really looks comfortable being "adored", but once again it isn't really about him, it's about the possibilities and where people want our politics and society to go.

Yes and I can see the headlines already,"Corbyn turns water into wine but can only manage a Malbec", "Corbyn encouraging drinking like some king of alcohol Pied Piper", "Corbyn attacks capitalism by needlessly feeding 5,000 in cheap publicity stunt", "Corbyn slaps fisherman in the face, putting them out of work"

Are there other examples of such devotion to  bland mediocrity? 

Nicola Sturgeon.

Why? I suppose it's because it's all that those with a certain outlook on politics have got.

What always puzzles me more is why people will vote for people and parties who do not have their economic interests at heart, e.g. Jacob Rees Mogg or for that matter our very own Prime minister. Remember that speech she gave outside No. 10 when she took over the tory party? What has she done to fulfil her bold and ambitious aspirations?

You might not like Nicola Sturgeon but you're very wrong to say she's mediocre. 

"We're all in it together" ha ha ha

This is exactly my point.  Media grillings are seen as terrible attacks on the Great Leader.  Underlings have to beg the Great Leader to continue.  Social media is full of pictures of the Leader staring in to the middle-distance. It's all so cult-like (not to say pathetic), but how does he get this devotion?  

Perhaps - I'm a bit out of touch with Scottish politics.  I do find Salmond's transformation to working as a Putin agent vaguely amusing, however.

Media grillings!!!! FFS!!

Like not bowing deep enough, stealing veterans sandwiches, not having his tie done up enough, being a terrorist, being in league with the Russians, etc, etc. That sort of media grilling.

Come on now get real, I'm not asking for much, simply look at the facts.

The support for Corbyn is directly because of this sort of bullshit, I don't understand how you can't understand. People want him to know they still support him ( not really him but the party and the direction he wants to take it ), how do you suggest they do that?

You keep say cult and devotion, but its's and admiration and most of all hope. People don't want him to give up, most other would have f*cked off already.

That sounds almost exactly like something Trump would say.

Go on then... tell us the facts. And don't be selective. 

Except, with the tiniest bit of intelligent thinking, you can see that it's true. The issues weren't made up, the tie, the bow, have all been things Corbyn has been attacked for, and it's not a single line or two in a newspaper or to it's almost always media wise, so you sort of have to question why. Why the "special" treatment of Corbyn?

Labour supporters (or if you prefer "the cult" members) are railing against these attacks, it's away of saying, "you're not conning us, we don't believe your lies".

It wrong and it's not helping, but it's the only voice a lot of people have.

I can sort of see the similarities to Trump, except there's not much that Corbyn has said that's later turned out to be lies. He doesn't flip-flop on a day to day basis on his value or ideas. So there's a massive difference.

Well here's one, he didn't steal sandwiches from veterans, he was given one, by Costa.

Marina Hyde did a good, and funny, piece on the cult of Corbyn the other day. Picks up on Hofstadter's 'Paranoid Style' essay, which has often been on my mind recently.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/03/corbynistas-politics-...

Very good, as often from Hyde.

See the OP.  The facts are he is a bland, mediocre, campaigning politician, lacking in charisma or  new ideas....yet he is adored by the faithful. 

Bernie Sanders, who is similar politically, I can I understand the appeal of  - he is engaging, witty and somehow exciting (although he is far from personality  cult that Corbyn has developed).

YEs excellent piece, she managed to link JC to the KKK, Tommy Robinson, the Nazis, Nick Griffin and Tony Blair.

I think she only missed Satan and Poll Pot out for the full house of bad bastards from modern history.

Do none of you question this? You don't seem to be that daft.

The link is in the cult-like following of a leader, not the politics.  As was my OP.  You seem so swept up in Corbyn yourself, you miss this.

First they came for the Blairites, and I did not speak out - because I was old labour

Then they came for the remainers and I did not speak out - because I was with the people and the people had spoken.

Then they came for the Zionist sympathisers and I did not speak out - because the Palestinians have rights too.

Then they came for me - because there was only me, Jeremy, left in the labour party.

One of the things I've noticed about cult members is they lack a sense of humour... 

and one that might actually make you laugh...

I had a letter come through my letterbox this morning addressed to "The Occupier"

So I have sent it to the correct address, the state of Israel.

I can assure you I'm smiling while I'm typing. Though I do disrepair sometimes.

She could have linked in Ghandi, Nelson Mandela (who also had a couple of theme tunes) or Mother Teresa (not the Maybot one ), but she chose to pick that lot

But it's only a cult because you want it to be, there are good reason why people feel the need to show their support, it's not a cult, it's their lives, and they see JC as an opportunity to be heard, I keep saying it but you don't seem to be hearing me, it's not about JC it's about what he stands for, someone who is willing to listen!

Is it any wonder some people may seem evangelical about this when they've craved it for so long and never seemed to have it.

Grenfell Tower is a great example of people in power not listening to people on the ground.

And yet, the party has more members than ever before

All well known for their social media followings... 

The  'cult' exists because he is the  leader the hard left have been waiting a generation for and they know they will probably not get the chance of another if he is ousted. They despised the  likes of Blair and Brown, who were willing to compromise principles in return for power when New Labour accepted that being in Opposition is as much use as a eunuch in a brothel.  Corbyn, by contrast, is their ideologically pure Messiah. and foir that they will ignore the fact he has been a disaster for Labour. And a disaster is what he has been. It defies belief that he could not beat Maybot last year, despite the Tories' catastrophic campaign, and nor has he been able to build a crushing lead in the polls despite the widespread contempt for the Tories. However, while he cannot persuade the country to follow him, he does have enough devoted followers in the Labour Party to keep him in position and they will do so for as long as they can because they realise he is the only chance they are likely to get to implement their  old agenda, even if all the signs are that he is an electoral liability.

Very good! But perhaps you should also look at the more substantive part of the article. The point about Corbyn's support and the paranoid style is worth noting. I hope you make sure you don't look too much like one of the people concerned.

"As Hofstadter explicitly stated more than 50 years ago, the paranoid style is “far from new and not necessarily rightwing … It is the use of paranoid modes of expression by more or less normal people that makes the phenomenon significant.”

Complaining about the media portrayal of the great leader is a typical form.

Can you give some examples of Corbyn's willingness to listen? And then some examples of when he's actually done anything to change his position as a result?

I'd say it's pretty obvious (you obviously don't - you keep asking me for examples, when they are right under your nose, whatever I say isn't going to change your mind), maybe if the media let up a little peole might be less parnoid, as you put it. While they've been clamouring about anti-Semitism in the Labour party Israel has been bombing Gaza again (yet no mention of this in the "news").

I'm not really bothered what people think I "look" like, I know what I am and why. I the same when I'm called anti-Semitic, simply for supporting Palestinians.

I am hearing your claims but they aren't born out by reality.  The following is what makes it cult-like in my eyes:

-The focus on Corbyn himself, not ideas or policies (e.g. #WeAreCorbyn)

-The immediate jumping on anyone who disagrees with the current Corbynista line, again not with argument but casting them as an outsider. ("Blairite", "Red-Tory" "neo-liberal" etc).

- The encouragement for anyone who disagrees to leave. (see Miller's article above, the hounding Watson etc).  This isn't politics, where you need to gather people to you, but tribalism.

- The lack of firm policy, most notably on brexit, the most important issue for decades but also in other areas where vague slogans replace it.

And as Bob asked, when has Corbyn once listened and changed his mind.

"but also in other areas where vague slogans replace it."

"For the many, not the Jew"

Depends how widely you yourself read, I guess,

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israeli-army-strikes-unit-launching-fla...

I imagine he was referring to the news in the UK. I don't recall the UK media reporting that deliveries of fuel to Gaza have been stopped either, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/08/israel-bans-entry-fuel-gas-besieged-....

Absolutely shocking that another teenager is shot and killed.

The Telegraph reported the most recent bombing. 

Well he started singing the national anthem and put on a suit...

Exactly, you're spot on, you really have to go looking for it. Unfortunately, probably because I'm old, I still really class the media as TV and Radio news. Newspapers I class as  relating to a particular "bent" in the read, Daily Mail, Telegraph, Guardian, or Canary. I suppose It still expect the TV and Radio to by unbiased too.

My problem is I do get to read these stories, simply because I take an interest, yet I know other people hear nothing about it.

Air strikes for balloons and kites, might seem a little over the top to most people, which is the issue.

Why do you think it is newsworthy in the UK though?  I think we all know there are almost continuous skirmishes on Israel's border, there isn't a need to report each and every one.  Similarly, I don't , for example, see each and every India/Pakistan skirmish reported either.

Blimey, the # is a sign of support, it's not people think they are Corbyn, how many times do we need to go over this. It pretty obvious you views are entrenched and won't be change (like you accusations against Corbyn funnily enough).

People s are simply railing against what they see as the constant, trivial, attacks against Corbyn, and by association against his supporters.

As for policy, keeping the NHS public, nationalising at least some to rail transport, PQE. Some of the recent Labour policy are so good the Tories nicked them, you can't expect Labour to give away all their best ideas

I'm not sure whether changing his mind, has any bearing on him being a cult or not. He seems to do a lot of listening though, so much so he's been vilified for it on a number of occasions.

Because we get news from all around the world, and it seems the only time we hear about Israel / Palestine is when Israeli's get injured. The recent protests have been a small exception.

Part of the recent argument about AS in the Labour party has been not to hold Israel above other countries, I'd say if you want this then fine, but if other countries were calling in air strikes on balloons and kite fliers, we'd be hearing about it. If nothing else for the novelty of it!

I know people who like him and think he's great, and it's because he comes across as genuine and talks about the things they believe in as being important too, that he seems different to other politicians is something they like about him, that he's not 'shiny and out to spin things'.

Despite believing that pretty much the same things are important as my friends do, he's somehow passed me by in terms of getting drawn into liking him and thinking he should be the next PM, which might say something about me.

Edit: For some reason I see Caroline Lucas as being more 'whatever it is'...

I go it wrong again, not air strikes but strikes by the army, the rest of it still stands though.

Nothing wrong with Carolyn Lucas, Emily Thornberry too, and although she's on the wrong side Anna Soubry, I even quite like Sturgeon, although not much of her politics.

Funnily I've just noticed they are all women, don't know what that says, if anything.

I'm not sure myself whether changing his mind has any bearing on Corbyn being a cult or not either. I was responding to the point you made in defence of him: "it's not about JC it's about what he stands for, someone who is willing to listen!". As far as I can tell one of his most striking qualities is that he isn't willing to listen unless the speaker is confirming his own beliefs in some way; he's only really interested in presenting his own perspective and arguments.  

Coldplay

"Funnily I've just noticed they are all women, don't know what that says, if anything."

That you don't live in Palestine? *

*I'm sure there are female politicians in the PNA, but doubt there are that many.

Maybe that's why in such hot water now with the company he kept in the past, maybe attending  meetings and platforms with other,  helped him gain knowledge that guides him now.

I remember back in the 80's we used to get a lot of unsolicited cartons of carbon paper delivered, followed by demands for payment and threats of legal action if we didn't pay. As the law stood then you were not obliged to pay for them, nor were you obliged to return them, but you could not throw them away otherwise you could technically become liable for payment. However you could write to the sender by recorded delivery asking them to collect them by a certain date giving notice that if they were not collected by that date you would dispose of them as rubbish. It was an annoying scam.

Inertial selling. A buyer I once knew for that sort thing from Reader's Digest. He wrote to them saying that if they didn't arrange for uplift by a certain date he would start invoicing them for storage costs.

I have no idea what this has got to do with anything at all in particular.

Wrong thread, I think

I wonder if it takes a certain steel and strength of character to make headway as a women in a male dominated arena, which is reflected in their personalities? Lucas and Sturgeon have that in spades I think, Thatcher did too, and they're quite different in their politics. I've read of lewd gestures and comments and things being something which women had to deal with in the Commons, in recent past decades.

Good God Sir!

So it is

But once again we don't get news from all around the world at all. I've been listening to World Service news a lot over the last week and it's fascinating how different their editorial line is. Zimbabwe was the lead item each hour for a couple of days last week. I downloaded R4 news the same day and it was a brief mention late in the bulletin.

Are you going to explain to anyone why kite flyers and balloon launchers in Gaza are being targeted? I think it's outrageous that the IDF would use air strikes to kill them, but you're doing media manipulation as well by not mentioning what the kites and the balloons are designed to do.

Not air strikes I got that wrong, as stated, Kites and balloons are incendiary devices designed to fight back against the fence. Of course very bad and not what anyone wants really. The problem being, the Israeli army, the army with a budget of £13bn, can't shoot kites or balloons out of the sky, they have to shoot the people flying / letting them go.

So this sort of ties in with the argument, that' "they both to equally to blame", of course the Palestinians shouldn't be sending these devices off, but they shouldn't be trapped in Gaza either, but does that warrant killing the people sending them?  When there's no hope left, what else is there to do?

On the other-hand it seems writing poetry might be illegal too; look up Dareen Tatour

Hardly. It was his campist approach that led him to seek out questionable associations. 

But that doesn't stop him from learning from his past experiences, and god forbid, maybe change his views on particular subjects.

In my own case, the Israeli / Palestine conflict, I thought both were equally to blame for the situation and both had the option of choosing peace. I no know this isn't true, I learnt this and much more by taking an interest. I got interested by attending a pro-Palestinians march, I wasn't really that interested in going to.

Since I did, I've studied the situation a bit more, and have learnt much more than I thought I might about both side and Jewish culture. So being "campist" doesn't mean you need to discount either side or that you don't learn from your experience.

I don't know whether Corbyn has every changed his mind about anything, I'd be surprised if he hasn't because intelligent people sometimes do.

How's the cult of Corbyn going?

About as well as the cu*t of Cameron...?

Or the muddle of May.

Or the bollocks of Boris.

Or the farrago of Farage.

British politics seems totally dysfunctional at the moment.