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T_i_B

(14,734 posts)
2. I've been thinking about the Personality cult bit recently
Fri Aug 26, 2016, 12:21 PM
Aug 2016

I'm slightly too young to know about Thatcher on this point, but in my adult life two UK politicians have had a major cult of personality about them. Tony Blair and Nigel Farage.

I may heartily dislike both, and certainly disliked the ginormous egos of both men, but both were hugely successful in their own ways.

Looking at Jeremy Corbyn, he is not an obvious candidate for a cringing cult of personality. He's not a brilliant orator like Obama, he doesn't come across as a raging egomaniac, or even somebody who takes much pride in his appearance and in stark contrast to media whores like Blair and Farage he actively shuns mainstream media.

And yet the faction of Labour he heads seems utterly dependent on him staying as Labour leader come what may and has built up a cult like base of followers who seem far more attached to the man than any wider cause. In my experience, you can object to policies like Railway Nationalisation and they won't argue with you about it, but the moment you suggest that he isn't doing a very good job as Labour leader they go apeshit.

So there is a bit of the personality cult with Corbyn, but it's quite different what you usually get with personality politics IMHO.

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