Editor’s Notes: Corbyn’s short-lived romance with the darling of the US left
The rising star of the US Democratic party, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (or AOC, as she is known) said she had “a lovely and wide-reaching conversation” with Jeremy Corbyn earlier this week.
For his part, the Labour leader said he wanted to “build a movement to take on the billionaires, polluters and migrant baiters.” On paper, these two should get on very well – both of them offer a revolutionary approach to left-wing politics and both have defied the odds to get where they are. Unfortunately the love-in was short-lived, as AOC's American fans were quick to point out that the leader of the UK Labour party has, in the words of Guardian and Haaretz columnist Elad Nehorai, a “documented history of anti-Semitism.”
Another columnist wrote on left-wing Jewish platform Forward that while she remains “such a fan” of AOC, Corbyn has “a proclivity for anti-Semites” and “is no ally.” She said that AOC's apparent soft spot for the ageing British socialist left her “deflated.”
AOC promptly chucked Jez under the bus, saying “we cannot and will not move forward without deep fellowship and leadership with the Jewish community.” Corbyn and AOC apparently agree on a lot, yet their differences are not limited to their respective attitudes towards the Jewish community.
The Congresswoman is 40 years younger than Corbyn and is whipping up a storm in the US. Meanwhile, the Labour leader's domestic approval rating has sunk to an all-time low. 67 per cent of those polled last week by YouGov have an unfavourable opinion of him, while the Tories – despite all their flaws and woes – have opened up a substantial lead over the opposition.
Labour party strategists would kill for some of AOC's magic to rub off on their leader, hence the phone call, but if they had any hopes of luring her to the UK, perhaps to their party conference, they've been dashed by Corbyn's fleeting contact with US politics.
The Square Mile's political party animals
The Square Mile enjoyed one of its occasional brushes with democracy last week, when voters in Billingsgate were asked to pick a new Alderman. Bronek Masojada, chief executive of insurance giant Hiscox, cleaned up with 52 votes, putting him ahead of the other 5 candidates including Jonathan Bergdahl who made a plucky pitch on behalf of the Social Democratic Party. Alas, he attracted no votes – a result he described as “disappointing” but “far from discouraging.” Bergdahl’s resilience is commendable and I don’t expect this is the last we’ll see of him. He says “this was the first time the Social Democratic Party have ever attempted to crack Canada nut” – and it’s worth noting that, in keeping with tradition, all the other candidates were standing as Independents. Does Bergdahl’s SDP incursion mark the start of party politics creeping into the ancient Aldermanic elections? Could we have a formal Tory or Labour Lord Mayor? Watch this space.
A show worth standing up for
I’ve had a moan on this page before about the fashion in London theatres for giving everything a standing ovation, and until last night I’d never felt the need to leap up at the curtain call. In fact I’ve never seen an audience stand and cheer with such spontaneous and sincere enthusiasm. We had gone to see a new musical called Come From Away which a friend had the wisdom to back in its earliest stages a couple of years ago. It tells the story of the town of Gander in Newfoundland which took in thousands of passengers from all over the world when the airspace shut down after the 9/11 attacks, more than doubling the small town’s population. For five days, the stranded passengers were hosted and helped by this small, close and resilient island community. This true story is told with humour, honesty, pathos and remarkable energy. It is without a doubt the most remarkable thing I’ve seen on a London stage in a long time and I expect it will be an absolute sensation.