Student activism, the labour leadership and Greek debt — An open letter to Martin McQuillan

This letter is a response to an article by Martin McQuillan, published in Times Higher Education: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/blog/corbyns-labour-lions-led-donkey-jackets

Dear Martin,

In reference to your recent article in Times Higher Education — I find it very discouraging to read how you, as the deputy vice chancellor of a major UK university, have disparaged the activism of students engaged in optimistic, ideal-driven political discourse during this summer’s Labour leadership contest as “heartbreaking.” Your claim that Jeremy Corbyn “sold [students] down the river over Europe” is factually incorrect given that 2/3 of Labour party supporters voted against Brexit. The EU referendum was a Conservative party gamble which backfired spectacularly and has plunged the UK into economic volatility — the effects of which will likely be felt for generations to come.

While the issue of gaining electoral appeal beyond Labour’s core vote is certainly a valid and highly pertinent concern — labeling Corbyn supporters as a “cult’’ does a tremendous disservice to the large portion of the electorate which previously felt disaffected by mainstream politics. Your claim that Labour under Corbyn has suffered “consecutive electoral defeats” has no basis given the resounding record on mayoral, constituency and council elections — many of which were won outright or with increased majorities. By contrast, Labour’s appeal in Scotland was in decline before Corbyn was elected.

Denigrating Corbyn as a “career constituency MP” campaigning for “some questionable” causes might hold a case for deliberation if you had referred to specific issues. Over his 30+ years as a member of parliament Mr. Corbyn has consistently campaigned on a diverse range of human rights, environmental and social justice issues. Which part of his record do you find so objectionable exactly?

Given that the political composition of Corbyn’s shadow cabinet was one of the broadest in Labour’s history — your insinuation that Corbyn’s “sectarianism” is responsible for “alienating” his parliamentary colleagues couldn’t be further from the truth. A dedicated, organized group of Labour MPs openly opposed his leadership from the beginning and consistently plotted to sabotage his efforts to unify the party. In pursuing their own vendetta against the leadership, this small group of MPs has not only displayed outright disdain for the democratic will of the Labour party membership — which has increased from approximately 200,000 to 540,000 members in recent months — but those MPs have effectively undermined Labour as a credible opposition in parliament. It is not merely Corbyn’s team “complaining over a hostile press” — a recent LSE study showed that 83% of mainstream media articles are either strongly critical or outright hostile towards Corbyn’s policies and fail to accurately report these to the reader.

With regards to your statements about the Higher Education bill — Corbyn proposed the creation of a National Education Service free at the point of use, funded by a 0.5% increase in the corporate tax rate, and has repeatedly stated his intention to progressively scrap tuition fees altogether.

In reference to your remarks on Greece — your claim that the capitulation of the Syriza government to the brutal austerity measures devised by the IMF, EU Commission and ECB was “accepted with relief by the electorate” — given that 60% of Greeks voted against the terms of the loan agreement — is just a complete fabrication. Furthermore, your suggestion that Tsipras’s decision to ignore the referendum result and impose a non-viable, debt-inflating loan agreement somehow made his government more ‘credible’ is mindboggling to say the least. Your statement appears to be an endorsement of the institutionalized misanthropy that has been unleashed upon the Greek people — which has seen a third of Gross National Income dissipate, a 10.4% decline in real wages and a dire situation where one out of every four households in Greece don’t have a single working member.

Lastly, your remarks concerning the 49% of 18–24 year olds who’ve found inspiration and a cause for optimism around Corbyn’s progressive socialist policies as “beneath the dignity of an intelligent person” is such an utterly toxic statement that it could hardly be more belittling if you had dismissed them as ‘rabble Trotskyists’ or the like. While there are certainly a range of challenges that the Labour leadership have yet to address, such as their appeal to the older demographic and further development of a clear set of proposals to address a multitude of social ills — the enthusiastic engagement of students within a grassroots social movement, predicated upon harnessing the skillsets and creativity of individuals in a socially progressive manner; ought to be cause for encouragement rather than condemnation.

Surely universities should be at the forefront of facilitating an open, informed and honest debating environment around issues which affect students and society at large — encouraging wide-ranging participation within an atmosphere of tolerance and mutual respect. I hope that your future contributions will reflect this commitment.

With best wishes,

Karim Azhari